Use it or lose it...

I had big plans for a piece that I bought about a year ago.  When I saw it I fell in love and knew the piece had to come home with me. 

Standing tall and solid and looking very rugged and masculine was the ultimate nuts and bolts sorter.  It was tucked away in a small antiques store in Bulverde and was an amazing price.  It came out of an old warehouse/factory and was used to sort screws, washers, nuts, bolts and other mechanical parts.  I was immediately drawn to it because it was used for a purpose, had great patina (age) on it, and had lots and lots of math scribbled on the side of it in pencil from the factory.  You can't get anymore authentic or cool.  Perfect.

As I brought it home I knew exactly where it was going to go.  I immediately thought of the craft room that I had seen on houzz months before and loved.  Inspiration was going to come to life!

 

Houzz

My new piece would fit right into my craft/laundry room.  Although I don't exactly sew, I knew it could be filled with fabric pieces used for projects, ribbons, and embellishments.

Josh shook his head.  I was going to disgrace the piece he said, only half joking.  Men would weep to see their functional nuts and bolts sorter with ribbons hanging from it. Oh well...one man's nut sorter is another woman's ribbon holder.  Use it or lose it, guys!

I just had to get Josh to hang it for me along the big blank wall in the middle of the room.  No problem.

It was going to be perfect. 

It was going to be darling. 

It was going to be the piece that organized my chaos and brought a rustic touch to a pretty feminine and crafty room. 

It was going to be fabulous. 

You were going to ooohh and ahhhh over it. 

And so the story goes...it sat.  For a looonngg time.   

Life got a little in the way and hanging it got delayed.  I got distracted and moved on to the next project.  Don't judge. 

Hanging and organizing would happen.  Just not today.  Maybe next weekend. 

And then it happened...during my naptime time of meditation and reflection, Josh had an idea. And being a man, he acted on it. 

Yep, it's now filled with bullets.

No, not bullet holes. Josh didn't go crazy and shoot it for sitting there for so long.

It's actually filled with bullets.

 

And my precious fabric organizer...my chic and rustic ribbon sorter...that was going to be darling...is now sitting filled with metal bullets and shotgun shells and being used again for function and purpose only. 

Somewhere I have to think that the old warehouse/factory workers would get a kick out of this and thank the Lord that there isn't a single darling piece of ribbon hanging from it. 

Use it or lose it, girls. 

XOXO

Escaping...Part II

Ok, back to our escape to Virginia. 

A few more tourist photos...

Here I am at the World War II Memorial. 

My grandfather fought in WWII so this was special to see.

As you can see, I immediately went to the Texas memorial.

 

 

 

 

Cory and Magen, our gracious hosts and tour guides...

and introducers to the train game that we fell in love with. 

 

Josh winning the train game...because "he's a winner!"

 

 

Ok, onto the shopping photos that I just had to take while touring. 

 

The antiques and decor items in the area were pretty fab.  It made me a little sad that everything in the area was approximately 30% cheaper than the Texas equivalent.  But, the area is just older with way more history and cool stuff.  Thank God I didn't have a UHaul...really. 

Josh was VERY thankful for this.  VERY.

 

These pieces were all found in the Lucketts Design House at the Old Lucketts Store.  The design house was gorgeous.  Perfectly decorated with new and old pieces.  It's open once a month and everything is for sale. 

 

The Design House is on the same property where Miss Mustard Seed features her milk paint line inside the Old Lucketts Store. 

 

Um, yes...of course I purchased some milk paint.  Can't wait to try it out!

 

Ok, onto the shopping pics...

 

I loved this gray armoire that was featured in the hall of the Design House. 

 

The Design House Mudroom

 

 

Armoire that Josh loved and would have been perfect in our home.

 

We also hit a few old barns along the way to Lucketts that were fab. 

They were filled with old and new pieces that should have come home with us. 

 

I loved these numbered locker shelves.

 

This old card catalog from a library had been converted into a great entertainment piece. 

 

The trip was SO much fun and a perfect escape!

 

We loved getting to hang with Cory and Magen and tour our nation's capital. 

 

It could have been a much more expensive escape had a UHaul been available.  I did bring back an old seltzer bottle which TSA at the airport really appreciated...ok not really appreciated...but it made it home in one piece after a small body search.  I'm not sure why the TSA patted Josh down when I was holding the seltzer bottle, but whatever.  We made it through. 

 

Alright, back to reality and Texas. 

You're welcome for the cooler weather...be brought it back with us.  

No furniture...just weather.  It'll have to do.

 

XOXO

 

 

 

 



The Real Thing...

As many of you know I love old things...old trucks, old houses, old movies, etc.  I think a little age increases the 'coolness' factor on almost anything.

My husband knows my passion for old things too. He also knows that I've been eyeing old Coke machines for a little while now.  I have a place on my porch by the pool that is meant for one.  I just think a refreshing bottled coke (or beer) by the pool on a hot summer day couldn't sound any better!

 So, last night he surprised me with this...

It's from 1955!  

It has a rotating top that allows you to pull the bottled cokes out individually.  

 The empty bottles are stored down below. 

 It holds 8oz Cokes and conveniently also holds my favorite beer...

Coronitas (the little Coronas)!

It also keeps them ice cold!

  
I'm totally in love with my precious husband for loving old things too...Hello, why do you think he married me?!...and in love with my 1955 Coke machine. 

Come on over and let's pop-a-top together!

XOXO

Oh my...

I haven't been on here in awhile.  Yikes!  Well, let's do some quick updating...

1. I'm feeling pretty well!  I have completed my third IVIG treatment and we are seeing some results!  We are hoping that the next three treatments will continue to produce positive effects.  We shall see.  We are praying and praising God each day for the improvements. 

2. Projects, projects, projects!  We have so many going on right now.  There is a lot to blog on and I just need to sit down and find some time to do it.  The master bedroom is getting an overhaul, paint is constantly under my nails, and we've been doing a lot of "junking" lately...hitting all of the random antique and junk stores around.  Oh have I found some treasures, including this...


Wagon wheel hub...I have big plans for it.

3. Someone I know has become a cover model! 

That's right...my cute husband is on the cover of Saltwater Angler with a huge trout that he caught while fishing with his brother and dad at the coast.  His brother submitted the photo to Saltwater Angler and had no idea if it would even get printed.  Pretty cool surprise!  Almost as cool as catching the big trout!

4. The ministry that Josh and his friend Dusty started almost a year ago has grown and grown and officially has a name!  God is so AWESOME!!  He continues to bring new men to the group each week.  They have grown so much that they have outgrown our house already.  We will be signing a lease on a new little ranchette for the guys to set up their headquarters very soon.  They'll be on part of a ranch that is not far from our house.  There will be plenty of space for the bow range, lots of outside space for meeting, and a small little ranch house to make their own.  It's so incredible how far this group has come in such a short amount of time.  Thank you, Lord!!!

This is just a short update to let you know that I am here!  And that we are surviving.  Summer is flying by and I hope to have the time to share some of our summer adventures and projects very soon. 

Stay cool, loves!

xoxo

Falling for...

A pommel horse bench, chalkboard in the mudroom, horizontal beadboard, copper lights, and a sliding door (on the left) on iron rails...YES PLEASE!!! 

Via Splendid Willow

Round Top Rowdiness

Last Saturday's endurance shopping excursion to Round Top, in particular Marburger Farms, was exhausting but worth every minute. I've finally recovered.

Our biggest concern of the morning, arriving shortly after the gates opened, was whether or not we would able to cover the enormous amount of stuff crammed into 11 tents in the next seven hours. It would take commitment, dedication, and no lolly-gagging.

Yeah, right. Me not lolly-gag as I shop? Ha. Especially when I am with my two girlfriends. I kept repeating to my self, "focus, focus." Luckily both of my girlfriends are moms and were able to drag me on to the next great booth when it was time to move on. This was the last day of the show (it started on Tuesday) and the dealers would be leaving as soon as the gates were closed. Ugh.

I'm not sure why I ever doubted our ability in covering the entire place. We fought hard and did it with nearly 45 minutes to spare. This would truly be Josh's worst nightmare...7 hours of shopping!

It helped that I came prepared with a list of items that I've been looking for lately. I had tried to comparatively price stuff online to find out the going rates of things, but to be honest, in the moment if it felt right and the dealer was willing to negotiate and I loved it...I was taking it home.

The first item I was hunting for...seltzer bottles.

I found these 3 guys at two separate dealers. At the end of the day the dealers were willing to cut prices significantly so that they wouldn't have to take things home with them. I particularly love the center bottle with the old wire netting.

They look perfect in their new home...on the kitchen hutch.


Mere was hunting for a sunburst mirror. It was shocking to see the prices of some of the antique sunburst mirrors throughout the tents. To say that these are hot right now is an understatement. They varied in price from $30 to $5000...most being WAY above our price range (which was very close to the $30 rather than the $5000).

Mere's new fab sunburst mirror

We all purchased quite a few art pieces for our homes. Meredith and Hannah both found some amazing prints and etchings for their art collections. I found 2 etchings for my dining room that are over 200 years old.

The treasures from the day...if only we would have had a Uhaul.

Soon this guy, a 200+ year old etching, will be hanging in our dining room.
The picture does not do it justice, of course.

Mere picked up these awesome prints that were
once used to teach children lessons on character. There was a set of about 20 of them.
These would be awesome in any playroom.

Hannah picked up these awesome aviary prints for her family room redo.
So soft and beautiful.

I've been in LOVE with the use of locker baskets on
shelves for books, movies, magazines, etc. I had to have these!
The dealer had stacks and stacks of them.
I think I'm regretting not purchasing more of them.

Where to put them? Where to put them?
Josh's vote...not in the middle of the living room floor like they are now. Ooops.

Of course, we did have to refuel in the middle of the day.
Texas Twisters and burgers helped revive us.

My big splurge of the trip was a lamp for our living room. I've been searching and searching for the right one.

A little secret...buying lamps completely intimidates me! Lighting in a room is like jewelry on a woman. It can make or break a look. Finally, I made a decision and purchased this one from a shop out of Birmingham, AL.

It sits perfectly next to the couch.
The burlap shade and distressed urn blend into the room,
not standing out too much but not blending completely away either.

I'm really happy with it.
It casts the perfect amount of light.
And thankfully Josh liked it too!

Hannah picked up a small oriental throw rug for her husband's office.
Great deal and a piece she'll have for a long time.
Choosing between the hundreds and hundreds of rugs that were for sale was tough.

Our final purchase for the day, and maybe the most extravagant,
a chocolate chip Royer's Round Top Cafe pie.
If you know Royer's then you know why we bought the entire pie rather than just a piece.

Marburger Farms and Round Top, in general, were an awesome adventure for us all. It was definitely a day filled with fantastic shopping, an awesome time with friends, and an opportunity to see and learn about all sorts of beautiful and crazy items from the past. I adored it all.

This semi-annual show will be held once again in the Spring of 2011.

I'm already planning for that one. I need to prepare. I have big decisions to make...a truck from Uhaul, Ryder or Budget?

Decisions. Decisions.