$3 Garage Sale Happiness

It’s Thursday, which means one thing in my little world:

GARAGE SALES!

You never know what treasure you’ll find!

Just last week I enthusiastically bought this homemade magazine rack:

SURPRISE!

 As you can no doubt tell, I shan’t be using it to hold mags.

Instead, I plan to use it to display some of my beloved platters.

Exhibit A:

 4 of my ironstone platters on our most recent past kitchen wall:

For our current kitchen, I wanted to do something like this,

on the end of our island:

atticmag.com

eclecticallyvintage.com

Normally, I would just ask G.O. to make me something.

He’s so talented!  But he’s just so busy!

Instead, I have been searching for one to buy, for months.

I liked this from an etsy seller,

Apple Tree Woodcrafts:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/232695125/walI

$146

Since I hoped to find something more affordable,

my plate rack project was put on the back burner for a while.

Then, last Thursday — this:

HA!  Yes!  $3!

When I spied it, I knew it would be perfect for my plate rack hopes + dreams!

I couldn’t buy it FAST enough!

The bottom portion will have to go away so that it fits our island like a glove.

No worries, though — I know that super talented G.O. will be able to do that.

The dowels have to go, as well, but that’s not much of a problem (not for Greg!)

So.  Other than those few tweaks to make it perfect,

I must also decide what color to paint it.

The color must complement + contrast

with both the dark wood island + my light-colored platters.

Right now, I’m thinking this blue:

Chambray by Pittsburgh Paints

 I think I shall distress said blue,

as our kitchen is skewing a tad too “new”.

Stay tuned!

Small, Charming Brick Houses

Another day, another walk with Chloe the Dachshund.

This a.m. we strolled through one of my favorite neighborhoods.

But first, here’s our girl at journey’s end,

enjoying a refreshing drink from our bird bath:

It is one of those concrete bird baths with the pressed leaves design.

Its pedestal is actually an old, hollow log.  Genius!

Okay.  Time now for a few look-sees at that neighborhood I like so much.

There are about 5 charming brick cottages, including this one:

Please.  They had me at the arch doorway.

Look closely at those lanterns which flank the front door.

I’m pretty sure they are original to the house.  Lovely!

Oh, + I like the brick’s basket weave pattern in the gable.

Meanwhile, here’s another “sister” cottage:

I am a huge fan of the front bump out with that small window,

 which must mean that there’s a charming vestibule inside.

Chances are that the blank wall to the door’s left means there’s a coat closet.

It’s not just me, is it?

Doesn’t everyone think about such things when passing a cute house?

While we ponder that, further down the block

there’s yet another brick cottage:

This house, with its “busy” front yard, was on a garden tour one summer.

What are our thoughts, regarding “busy” front yards?

Part of me is a fan, but I still want our house to be seen.

Yes, that’s our front yard, + yes, it’s pretty much a blank slate.

That lonely evergreen may or may not make the final scheme.

Stay tuned!

My Old Store + Home Above It

In my last 2 blog posts, I’ve mused about having another retail store.

I say another because I did have one (in another lifetime!)

It was called Heart-In-Hand.

My first shop space was in a mall, but within 3 years,

I had the means to actually buy a building downtown.

How brave I was!

A few years after that, I decided to build an apartment upstairs.

This  “before” photo must have been taken on demo day:

The “after” is the epitome of 90’s country style.

Oh, how I loved it (at the time!)

Look at my stencil border at the ceiling line!

My only real splurge was this gas fireplace,

enjoyed by my sons + our late, great Dachshund, Susie.

I bought that bench at an auction when I was only 18 years old.

Here’s another blast from the past.

I kind of wish that I had that pencil post bed back.

Honestly, I cannot imagine having another store,

no matter how many bouts of “retail fever” I may experience.

Imogene + Willie In Nashville

So.  We’ve had our look-sees at a couple of old gas stations

that were repurposed into awesome Ralph Lauren stores.

There’s yet another groovy gas station conversion in Nashville, TN.

It’s a high-end jeans store called Imogene + Willie.

I love their orange cross or plus sign logo!

The jeans are custom made + sell for $200+,

which is just another reminder that I’ve made bad life choices.

Still, I’d love to visit the store + soak up all the hipness.

It looks like a very fun place.

Have you been to Imogene + Willie?

Do you know of another business that began its life as a gas station?

Ralph Lauren’s Gas Stations

Just a few days ago,

Chloe the Dachshund + I enjoyed a walk in our city’s charming downtown,

where I imagined having my own retail store/home above.

Here:

My last possible store candidate

was this former gas station-turned-repair-garage:

So.  I hear what you’re saying.

You’re crazy!  What a dump!

That would be the worst possible building to re-do into a retail shop!

Or is it?

Check out this awesome Exhibit A:

Please.

It’s my retail idol, Ralph Lauren,

+ this is his epic gas station makeover in sunny southern California.

My pal, James, shared this photo with me.

You must read his blog, + here’s just one reason why:

https://thecavenderdiary.com/

You’re welcome, by the way.

But back to  my gas station hopes + dreams.

There’s even more (from Ralph Lauren)!  Exhibit B:

Let’s have a closer look-see, shall we?

Please notice that the garage doors were saved

+ that they are flung open during biz hours!

When our biz hours occur after dark,

as they would for Girls Night Out or Cruise Night, we have this:

Admit it.  You’re feeling it, too — am I right?

Funny how a bit of online sleuthing can be so inspirational!

Speaking of which, there’s more!

This garage makeover is in Nashville, TN:

I KNOW!!!  It looks like it’s awesome!

I’ll share more tomorrow.  Stay tuned!

Crazy Retail Hopes + Dreams

Come along with Chloe the Dachshund + me

as we walk downtown + fan the fire of “Mommy’s” retail fantasies.

Only a few blocks from our house, we spied this charming garage:

How crazy is it that I’m dreaming of opening my retail store downstairs

+ creating our adorable apartment upstairs?

Okay.  That’s not going to happen.

Let’s view this darling restaurant, which was recently sold + renamed:

Perhaps we should have purchased said restaurant for my work/live dream,

as there is already an apartment upstairs.

Okay.  No worries.  Plan B is right next door.

A vacant lot!

Don’t worry, in my head, it’s already been sold — to us —

+ we’re going to build something like this:

Naturally, I’ve already selected my architect,

Allison Ramsey from Beaufort, South Carolina.

http://www.allisonramseyarchitect.com/index.cfm

So.  While my plans continue to be thwarted,

it’s good to know that someone out there is realizing their new biz dream.

That someone is opening a new restaurant,

+ from the looks of it, someone has excellent taste.

That facade + those lights rule my little world!

Oops.  Sorry about the trash barrel closeup!

But wait.  What’s this, next to the new restaurant space?

It  was home to a toy + hobby store, which seems to have closed.

That’s either going to be one huge restaurant or 

one fantastic location for my new biz!

Meanwhile, there’s this:

It’s the 2 Basset Hounds who, coincidentally,

spend their days in the retail shop of their humans!

Chloe was very excited + insisted that we have a meet + greet.

Sorry Chloe.  Maybe next time.

Speaking of which,

next time I’ll share yet another retail hope + dream,

involving none other than my retail idol, Ralph Lauren.

And this:

Stay tuned!

She Said She Shed

Today’s perfect weather left me no choice.

It was a great day to work outside, so I (we) did!

First thing, I mowed — on the diagonal, like at the ballpark.

Oh, how long have I waited for a re-do of that porch of ours

+ for the chance pop a few (dozen) plants into the ground!

Today’s project, however, was to turn our garden shed into a she shed.

Yeah.  That’s a thing.  She sheds.

Here’s what it looks like now:

Here’s what it looked like when we bought our house:

OMiGosh!  How nasty!

First up in the re-do — a new roof:

To charm things up a bit, I ordered a pair of metal finials

from architecturaldepot.com:

Ta da!

Much better, am I right?

Yes, they’re just what that shed roof needed!

Oh, + I forgot to mention — at some point, we painted the exterior

Benjamin Moore’s Blue Spruce.

Those hiddy original doors still await their makeover,

but I know what I want, + I will share soon, promise.

So.  Today we worked inside.

Exhibit A:

HORRIBLE!

These shelves held (just a fraction of) G.O.’s “valuables”

+ if I was to have myself a she shed, they had to move to the garage.

He offered to give me one of those Rubbermaid masterpieces,

but I said I couldn’t possibly take one!

Given the choice, don’t we always go with something vintage?

Yes, we do, + here we have it —

some really swell old shelves from my old booth space.

Got ’em from the curb!  Score!

Check out the chippy white metal shelves!

Here ’tis, sporting some of my gardening supplies.

Disclaimer: It doesn’t look like this now, as I’ve tweaked it a bit.

Updated photos in the a.m., promise.

My next storage item is made from yet more vintage happiness —

these wonderful yellow metal saw horses:

Aren’t they great?

Disclaimer, the sequel:  it’s all been redone a couple times.

That’s how I roll!

See you in the a.m. for some updated snappies!