I'm in Love With.......

New friends, I have a bad (good) habit of making new friends.  I love to meet new people, learn what their strengths are and fill them in to my life! Hopefully, I can fill in their life with my strengths, too! I have worked with Fresh Style and Southern Lady Magazines a few times in the past months and, somehow, ran across this girl's blog. I guess I should introduce you and not call her, this girl. This is Amanda. I don't know how I found her blog, but you should find it, too. She has a lot of insight and is an amazing writer. We have a lot in common...not the writing part, mind you. It was really funny how I was stalking her in a way and then realized she works for Fresh Style as a stylist. I think my name has been mentioned over at their offices a time or two. I've loved working with Ande and the gang. They are amazing! Side note: you can now get Fresh Style on your IPad or Iphone. Yes, that's right, go ahead and download that now.

Back to this story! I posted on Facebook that I would like to go to the Country Living Fair. I have been playing with the idea for a couple of days and saw a picture of one of my favorite vendors, Ms. Wendy's Antiques....that's what I posted, pics of her booth. I was dying to go and see her things. She has an amazing eye and I love all that she has! Apparently, Amanda liked what she saw, too! She reached out and next thing I knew we were planning on leaving at 8am the next morning! We also planned to be home by 5pm that afternoon. (that didn't happen) We exchanged cell numbers and met in the parking lot at Bass Pro Shops in Leeds and next thing we knew....well, she knew....EVERYTHING about me! I didn't shut up! I swear my throat was sore that afternoon.

These adorable chairs were the hit of the fair! Everyone was snapping pics of these! 

Not sure what this is? Anyone know? We found it in the Stash Style booth. They had some major cool things. We were freezing and both bought something from this booth to warm us up! Check out my army jacket above! Amanda got a cute long sleeve t-shirt. This booth is also where we found that amazing sign! ^^^

Chandeliers and corbels are a few of my favorite things! Who can guess what came home with me? If you guessed the corbels, you were right! ;)

     

See this load of flash cards? I die. I had already spent 20 minutes going through a tiny, (compared to this), box and picked out 7. #ilovepaperandephemera

I had to find this girl! We were running through the end of the booths and I found Jeanne from Junxtaposition. She pointed me toward Lucy at Bel Monili. We have become fast, virtual buddies and we have our own hashtag.... #lucysunite Check out her jewelry, it's divine!

Just a few more pics from the booths that we loved. Last year I made it through the show in four hours. Mind you, I didn't see half. This year, I was there for 6 hours and barely made it through half. Two days, people, you need two days! Not to mention I missed Beth and Heather in their Country Living Fair Stage debut!! A few more pics as I ran through the last circle. Got to see Jenni and Jared again. Love those two! So encouraging and inspiring!

     

     

Cool Architectural Pieces

I went to one of my favorite salvage stores, Southern Accents Architectural Antiques,  today and looked around with a list. I was looking for leaded windows, tall windows..but narrow, newel posts or banisters, a table, a pull for a door on tracks, wood slabs for a coffee table, doors, corbels and picking up an M. None of these were for me....all for other people that know I like to find unique treasures and love to share them!

Some of my favorite finds today were smalls. Or parts of something.

Corbels always inspire me. This one was really big. I can see it as a shelf. There may have been two. If so, definitely could find lots of uses for these guys!

I saw this table online yesterday and didn't realize the size. It seemed bigger in the picture because it was shown by itself. With this adorable little, yellow car on top, you could see how small it is. It almost feels like a stool or shelf for something. It would be awesome as an island. You could add legs and a bottom with casters......(I really like that idea!)

 This creeped me out a little. I immediately thought of a crematorium.....or the slaughterhouse...eek!

Probably my favorite thing! Why didn't I bring this home with me today? How fantastic is the title Southern Queen?

Lots of new keys. I love to dig through the key drawers. These were all on rings and didn't lend themselves to being perused. I didn't ask if they were sold individually. That would be a good question. 

This is from a pulley. I just couldn't resist the HH. 

I bought a pull for the barn door, sent pics of windows and newel posts and brought home a giant M, took more pics of tables and slabs of wood. It was a pretty good day out searching! I know the newel posts worked. We'll see about the other things! 

I've got to quit stripping.

It's so bad for me! Plus, I'm horrible at it. I make zero money.

I'm stripping these corbels for Layla Palmer. She asked me to help her look for corbels several months ago. I found these in Tennessee and they are fabulous, but she wanted them stripped. I should have taken them to Cullman immediately. Instead, I waited until the last minute and tried to do it myself. I went to Lowe's and bought all the supplies.

I took it all over to Ashlee's....she would know what to do. We sat in her driveway: me stripping, her making some AWESOME teacher gifts. Watch her blog this week. I bet you will see them there! (wink)

I was struggling. We went inside for a sandwich and I got a phone call. It was Garlan asking me about an ad for the Southern Makers event book. I told him my dilemna. He tried to say I told you so, but I stopped him and he told me to get to the store and he would put them in the strip tank. Ahhhhh....hero!

I packed my bucket real quick and headed north!

I was planning on meeting Layla and Kevin at 3:00 to help with a project they are working on...check out this post to follow along with this particular adventure! The corbels are for something totally different! ;)

I went straight to the wood shop and Roger helped me tell Rojelio that I needed these corbels stripped. I pulled 4 out of a garbage bag and he threw them in the tank. Wow. Really? He wears and apron and these really thick long gloves so his skin won't burn. I was over there with my camera in one hand and phone in the other. Roger told me to step away from the tank! I decided one weapon at a time!

I'm not sure why Rojelio doesn't have his gloves on here. He needs to be careful! Dipping and stripping? much easier!

He was dunking them and using a bucket to pour the stripper over the corbels.

 Wow, can you believe how it just bubbles up? I just wanted to reach in and peel it all up! I can't wait to see them come out of the tank!

I left them with him and went up front to meet up with Layla and Kevin. I was surprised to see Myra, from My Blessed Life, come in! She had her sweet baby boy with her. He is SO cute! She was meeting them, too. We spent the rest of the afternoon out at the wood warehouse with Ryan finding, measuring, and pulling wood. Loaded it all up for them to take home and realized it was too late to get the corbels. We told them all about the Southern Makers event and they are planning on stopping by...so, we will deliver that weekend! A fun day. I really love helping people find their treasures at Southern Accents.

Hansel and Gretel Bathroom Before and After

This is my bathroom. Well, this was my bathroom before I moved in. See that light bulb? Yeah, that's inside the shower. I do love this wood that is on parts of the walls. I probably could have used it if I could have found more to match. Don't worry, I saved it all! I'm thinking picture frames and Christmas trees! These pictures were taken while the previous owner lived here. 

I also need to say, this bathroom is SMALL! Only one person at a time in this baby! You can see in this photo there isn't wood on every wall. We have a little plumbing showing and cinder block wall action. I really wish you could see that lamp. It's a Diet Mtn. Dew can. I love Diet Mtn. Dew! I totally could have used that lamp somewhere! He took it. :(

I called my handy man, Charlie. He's my brother and favorite handy guy. He doesn't enjoy my projects, but he does a pretty good job!! We decided just to do 1x6's on all the walls. We went to Lowe's a million times. There ended up being a lot of space to cover! We took the wall all the way to the ceiling and covered the ceiling in the 1x6 wood, too. I chose to paint the wood with Moonlight White by Benjamin Moore. This color is EVERYWHERE in my house! 

I found some old baseboard at a architectural salvage place in Chattanooga, Architectural Exchange. It is a great blue color! We took the baseboards and cut them in half to use as shelves. I also found some tiny corbels at Southern Accents to use a brackets to hold them up! 

Next, I went to World Market and found baskets to hold all of my essentials! (You can see my hairdryer sticking out! ;) The mirrors are small and hanging just so you can see your face. There isn't room for big ones! 

I love the way that blue Ball jar just pulls a small amount of color in and matches my key hole perfectly! It's a simple amount of accessories and it seems to make the space feel a little bigger! 

A wider angle shot so you can see how it all looks together....I had to stand in the utility closet to get this shot!

This is a lot smaller than my last bathroom. I can live with it, though. It's small and cozy and hey, who needs to spend a lot of time in the bathroom? FYI, I put my makeup on in my closet.....I'll show you that later! It's my FAVE place at Hansel and Gretel!

Architectural Corbels

I've always loved corbels. You will find intricate detail on many corbels and some will have no detail at all. I'm drawn to the more detailed ones. These are very popular right now in home decor. You will see them under top cabinets or under a bar top.  Check out some of my Pinterest boards for lots of ideas! I love to see them for shelving or as an entry table. If you can find them large enough, you can use them as a table. A friend of mine, Layla Palmer, you may know her from her awesome blog, The Lettered Cottage! She has just moved into a "new" cottage! I am going to love watching her re-do this cute house. She called me last week looking for corbels for a desk. You can see the post of her inspiration here. I found several options for her......but, none that were perfect! She has another idea for her work corner and I'm sure we will see it soon! I still have her on my  when-I-find-some-cool-ones list because I know she may need some for another spot and she has a friend looking, too! I really enjoy helping people find that perfect piece! My favorites are one-of-a-kinds. That's why I like architectural salvage stores so much. They have an ever-changing inventory and I  know that eventually, they will have that perfect piece!

While looking for Layla, I found a few loves of my own! Southern Accents has a few singles.

They usually come at a better rate. Most have a project that requires two. Me? I would hang a single one on a wall and be DONE! I may still add a couple of these to my collection! One may have my name on it...I need to check on that! I did notice after I had Garlan going all over the store taking pictures for me, these were featured on their facebook page!

 They also added these....I love these. I want to cut these and re-make them! Or just add to them.....

They have more simple lines, but I think in a kitchen they would be beautiful under top cabinets. Of course, you would need really high ceilings!! (not at the Hansel and Gretel house :()

This morning I get a text from someone with a 423 area code. Signed Tim. Woah....do I know a Tim? I couldn't think of one that would have corbels! I tell him I love them and he tells me he is in Sweet Water, Tennesse.......my MOM! Yay! I asked her to be on the look-out for me last weekend. She was on an antique junking trip of her own! I was so excited! I called her and asked if she would pick them up for me. Did a little dealing and decided to buy all 5! I know I can use them or hook them up with a new home!!

I did buy these last weekend in Atlanta at the Country Living Fair. I just got them out of my car this morning to take a photo. I have NO idea what I'm going to do with them! My husband would say they would be good fire wood! rude

A few other pictures of corbels. These are concrete. Can you say h-e-a-v-y!

These are from The Depot. They need a bit of TLC!

Do you like corbels? Have you used them in decorating? Maybe you have some in your barn, like me, and just haven't decided the perfect place for them!

Country Living Fair in 4 Hours or Less!

It was a whirlwind trip! I had planned it weeks ago. I wanted to go over, take a girlfriend and leisurely shop the Country Living Fair in Atlanta. This did not happen!! Emma decided she wanted to celebrate her birthday and go shopping. Oh, I had a shopping trip for her! (wink, wink)

I have this 12 year old that will be a 13 year old this Thursday! (yikes, how did that happen) She made lots of plans for the weekend.

She would have friends over before the gala at school and then they would all spend the night...we would roast marshmallows. On Saturday, we would go to the mall. Nothing has changed with 13 year olds. They want to go to the mall. No money? No matter! Just walk around and try on clothes and test makeup! Well, that put a big dent in my plans! I negotiated with her and told her I would take her and a couple of girls to Atlanta to shop. She was impressed! We would get a hotel and shop at Lenox Square! eeeek....so much fun! I only had one stipulation. They had to go with me to the Country Living Fair. They seemed to be ok with that. I wanted to leave at 7:00am. We all know that is impossible when you have 9 teenagers spending the night. They probably didn't go to bed until 3:00am! After dropping them off and picking up things forgotten, we were on the road at 9:00am! Ok, so I won't get to meet up with the HomeTalk crew and I will barely make it to the Rust-Oleum demo on how to re-vamp that ugly tile in the bathroom. No problem.....

We got to the fair and they were very confused. It's outside? What is there to do here? How long do we have to stay? If we can check in the hotel at 3:00, we can leave at 2:30? Oh no, girls. This is my part....the rest of the weekend is yours! I did give them a $20 bill and told them to find something small and I would make a necklace. They said the only things they could find were $100 dollars! I think I have some divas on my hands! We split up and I did my best to keep from seeing them! I knew as soon as I did, they would never leave my side and I would hear, "Can we leave?", over and over!

I did get to see Jenni and Jared Bowlin. Oh my goodness. These two, I love them!

Jenni has a great eye for vintage and does a great job styling her booth. They had this adorable stamp of a farmer with another stamp that said farmer....It had my name written all over it! ;-)

I got a new light...imagine that! It's a reproduction, but, oh, I love it! Where will I hang it? Your guess is as good as mine! Suggestions, please?

I found a great booth with lots of architectural pieces. I got some corbels to add to my collection.

They had lots of wooden Christmas trees. Remember this one I had made several years ago? Seems like everyone is making them!! I still love them!! I'm working on a different design. I will get a few made up and show you soon! (hello, Christmas is around the corner!)

I also got a couple of these for Lucy Lockets! You might see them in the Etsy shop soon!

I had been texting with Beth at Unskinny Boppy and we finally met up by the tower of pumpkins. She was talking to Ben Ashby and wanted me to meet him. It was love at first sight! (for me, anyway!) He is amazing. Have you seen HIS magazine? Serious style. It's a gorgeous magazine and the guys on the cover? You might know them from the Amazing Race or The Fabulous Beekman Boys on the Cooking Channel? They were signing their cookbook over in the pavilion! YES!! But, I had to find a copy of the magazine. I threatened to steal Ben's. He just laughed....I was serious! Beth had gotten her copy from Junxtaposition and thought they might have another copy. They did! I bought it! I got the Beekman Boys to sign it! I had my picture made with Beth's camera! Yay!!!! I didn't catch Ben Ashby again. I would have loved to get his signature, too. :( Beth and I told him to come to Alabama and we would show him around!

My girls saw me at this point and were ready to GO! I didn't even make it around to all the booths. I'm so sad and I need to plan my time better. We did make it to the mall and got new makeup and some clothes.

We also got to play with a Microsoft Surface. They were doing a demo right outside the Windows store.

 Everyone was happy at the end of the day. I'm pretty sure that's all that matters!