Thrifting and Fall Decor: Owls Ahead

Is anyone else ready for fall? I am. I am already drooling over holiday decorations, I even have several holiday/fall related Pinterest boards. : )

This week our Hobby Lobby had 40% off all Fall Decor and I figured I should check that out...

I wound up with only a few things. Several candles (which smell delicious). We love candles. As soon as the temperatures drop our house is alight with candles. I love the warm glow and scent of candles and we have boxes full of them.

Most of our candles sit on trays, so I bought the cute yellow glass owl votive holder. I also got the owl statue. It is meant to be a fall only decoration, but it looks pretty good holding up my James Herriot book, doesn't it?

I also decided to check out a thrift/consignment store we've only been to once. I didn't have anything in mind but figured I'd go check it out.

I've never considered myself a good thrifter. When I used to walk into a Goodwill or thrift store where I used to live I would feel all panicky and gross. They were so unorganized, messy and everything looked seriously used...badly.

The places I've been to in Ohio are so different. They are pretty neat and organized, and there are a few things that look battered but most everything looks like it came from a good home, was loved but just wasn't needed anymore.

With my thrifting odds greatly in my favor, I went over and wound up with stuff!!!

 Christmas tins!! Do you guys put your holiday treats in these kind of tins? I grew up with tins like this and I was telling my mom, that the sound of opening a tin to get a piece of chocolately fudge was part of the holiday experience. Putting goodies in tupperwares just isn't the same. The ugly green one on the left actually has a music box in the lid and plays "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". I think I'll spray paint that one to cover up the ugly green and yellow stuff.

Everything wound up being on sale and when I first went to check out I didn't have enough for the minimum purchase. So I had to go bulk up my finds. At the last minute I spied these awesome owl prints!

It was immediate love! I don't care for the frames, but those are easily replaced or painted. The feel of the prints is so vintage and cool. Plus, they're owls.

Like how Arson totally photo bombed the bottom pic?

I also bought two small milk vases and a reusable bag that says  "Keep Clark County Beautiful". I'm having fun getting ready for the holiday season and loving Ohio thrift stores.

Do you guys go thrifting? Find anything awesome?



Pressed Lilacs, a Super Easy Craft

Several weeks ago my small lilac bush started to bloom. I decided to be a little crafty and make a pressed lilac. I love all pressed plants; leaves, flowers, any other plant you can flatten.

Pressing flowers is really easy. Pick your plant. Place it between two pieces of wax paper (generic brand works just fine). Then place in a book. Shut. Then place a large amount of other books on top to create a heavy tower of flower-pressing power. -(see what I did there?)

 I believe my flowers stayed in the book for about four weeks and that was good enough. I emptied my frame filled with pressed leaved from last fall and used that for my lilac.

Ta-Dah! Super easy, and pretty. I'm really glad I decided to do it when I did because a few days later it got cold enough to destroy all my lilac blossoms. My flattened lilac is the only one I'll have this season. 

Goodwill Thrifting

I've never been much of a thrifter, preferring to buy new, or from clean antique stores. I've been to Goodwill several times, each visit confirmed my thrifting fears: this stuff is used, dented, probably dirty and not worth the price. The store where I used to live in Minnesota was filled with not so gently used wares. So well used, in fact, that the next step for the previous owner should have been to the garbage can, not a donation center.

Even with my dislike for thrift stores, they kept calling me back in. Everyone I've ever known has luck at these places, leaving with hoardes of cool things. I just had to keep trying.

Our own local thrifty place was no different, the first time we visited looking for a filing cabinet. They actually had one! Well, the knobs were missing, there was a huge dent in the side and they were still asking $40 for it. We bought one brand new for $29.99. See the vicious circle of "let's go thrifting to save money", "oh, this is in bad shape", "wow, they want how much?" and then "let's go buy a brand new shiny one". You'd think thrifting would be easier than scribbling advanced math equations on a hallway chalkboard. Uh, no.

Until, the other night on a whim we decided to stop in our Goodwill.

I actually found stuff. The whole time I was pretty much like...OHMYGODIFOUNDSTUFF!!!!!!



 This pretty milk glass vase, I'm looking for a few more. This was the only pattern I liked.

 Two Target candles, still in the package. Why was this donated?

And this pretty painting. The artist painted the frame pink, but oh well. I really like the trees.

On this trip...less than $5 spent. Now I can finally join the cool-kid thrifting club of success. I also think I have a little better understanding of the process. You're not always going to find something you love, or that is worth the reduced price. I guess you just have to keep an open mind and keep checking back. 

Garage Sale Art

Two posts in one day! wow. I know, but I just couldn't wait to show off our newest piece of artwork. Driving down the road to our nearest Blockbuster to return some movies we saw a garage sale sign by this huge barn. We've noticed this barn and several cool objects around the yard before. Things like dirt bikes and antique buggies. We thought it might be kind of fun to stop and take a look. I had seen a huge painting from the road as Andrew did an illegal u-turn to get us back. It turned out the painting was pretty awesome up close as well as from the road.





It was marked $20, and we had to run to the store to get cash (this was a spur of the moment stop) and asked the gentleman to hold it. He happily obliged. We returned with our fresh $20 from the ATM and I sought out the man. We walked to the painting and he leaned over and said, "that was marked $18, right?" Right away Andrew and I told him that it was marked $20. He gave us this look like we were idiots. He started to laugh and said that this was a garage sale and we had to barter. We were both too dumbstruck to do much other than laugh.

But, we got the painting for $18. Well worth it, and I would have paid $30. I guess I'm not used to trying to sell people short : )
The artist name looks like Antonio with a frame that says "hecho en Mexico" (Made in Mexico). I'll have to do some research and see if it's anyone cool.

Antiquing...again

Andrew's parents came down this weekend to see our new house and visit. We took them around our part of Ohio which included the most delicious restaraunt ever, Smokey Bones and the Air Force Museum. We even drove to West Virginia.
We also went to our favorite antique store, squee :)

It never fails that when we go to this store we find something. Even if we weren't looking for something.

We've been waiting to find a ladder of some sort to use as a blanket/quilt holder for the guest bedroom. It had to be tall, and rustic. Our downstairs ceilings are nine feet tall and all the windows are just under that.

We found this beauty and snagged it up! $25

And of course, we found some more paintings.

Another winter scape, with a barn. $14
And this more summer-y painting, $9.99

There were also some insulators we bought that Andrew's going to use for a project. I'll wait to show those until he's done with his fun.

Overall, it was a great weekend. We're tired, but it was so fun to show of our home!

Art

We've been working on getting a lot of art in the house lately. I'm not an art snob by any means, I just have to feel drawn to it to buy it. What I love about a lot of the art in our house right now is that it's mine. All Hattie original art.

Well, except for this thing. We got this a few weeks ago at our favorite antique mall. We took a mental break from painting the office and I was rewarded with this pretty thing.

I love the frame, the giant circle to hang it from, I even like the dead plants in it. There's not much to it, but it was hiding behind another piece of art, laying on it's side and I was instantly drawn to it. Plus, the dealer was there and gave us $10 off, that sealed the deal.

This is one of those Hattie originals. I took this for my black and white photography class a few semesters ago. I developed it in a dark room and everything.

I'm not a professional photographer by any means, but I have so much fun taking pictures.

This is are big art project right now, a picture rail.

In a gigantic wood pile behind the garage we found the old rail for our garage. It's probably original to the building which makes it close to 100 years old. It was old, rusty and in need of some love so I sanded it down with my dremmel and we spray painted it.

Old metal rail + pictures = art only Andrew and I will probably love.

Oh, and I took all those pictures myself, too.

Paint, Pictures and Fans, oh my!

We did our office too! After yesterdays post and my enthusiasm over our guest bathroom it might be hard to believe there are other nice rooms in the house.

But, there are.

This is the before of our office. This room was also decked out in Ohio State decor. At least there were no blood red walls to contend with.

After: Quite the transformation, if you ask me.

We took a mental break Saturday, I was so mad at the paint and the rollers for the extension pole kept collasping. I was angry! Anyway, we took a break and went to our favorite antique mall. We found some neat things.

One piece was this artwork.

And this fan, it still works too!
That will be the cleanest my desk ever looks.

It was a very productive Saturday. We snagged a few more antiques, but I'll blog about those another time. The color on the walls is Lyndhurst Jade, but it borders on a sage, mint, seafoamy green. I love Lowe's Valspar paint, but the colors on the wall are so hard to describe.

Life, Lessons...Antiquing

I've been stressed to the max these past couple days. Hopefully I'll be able to share with some good news soon. I'm pretty sure my hair is falling out in not so small patches.

Me and Andrew have been filling our empty weekends with some harmless antique shopping. Who knew Ohio had so much to offer people that love old junk.

Yesterday we went to an awesome store in Tipp City, Oh. It had a nice mixture of antique furniture, primitive decor and other little things. We almost finished the first floor when I saw this painting and gasped...Yes, I actually gasped. I freaked out a little more when I saw it was only $25. I grabbed it off the floor and new it was perfect for me.

My picture doesn't do it justice, the clouds are so well blended that you feel as if you are standing at the foot of that hill watching the storm come in. And I don't like art that doesn't make you feel as if you're in it.

Last weekend, we found this purrty thing. A wash basin and pitcher, stamped England 1890 for $30. Perfect condition. This will be perfect for flowers in the spring and just sitting pretty all by itself.

Oh, did I mention? With a little research we found out our new wonderful piece of art is done by a somewhat well-known artist. Recognized by his barn scenes and is estimated at $500-$1300 at auction. I'd say that's a good pick. Even though I'd never sell it.