Monday, September 27, 2010

Warrenton, Warrenton, Warrenton! (and Dollar General)

Did I mention this post is about Warrenton, TX?

For anyone who lives in South Central Texas, this is an AMAZING place to go for antiques, furniture, puppies, accessories, random junk, etc. For all my Dallas/East Texas friends, this is like Canton times 5.4 billion. It goes for MILES.

Bonnie and I went this weekend and we picked up quite a few treasures.

1. Yellow end table
I purchased the cutest yellow end table for $35. It has a glass top with yellow legs and it has been distressed. It looks super cute in the guest bedroom :)

2. White window shutter
$5! The one I saw at Evelyn's was $10 so YAY for a cheaper find! Although now I don't like where I originally intended to put it... Embarrassed.

3. Gorgeous glass jars
I found the BEST mason jars! Large ones at that, for $2 and $5, holler. Then I found this fun shape glass jar with a rusty lid, and it looks so cute on our dining room "buffet". $5!

4. Stenciled "J" sign
$5. I like the letter "J". It is a fun addition to the Johnson home :)

5. A Kindergarten Religion book from 1958
I thought it was appropriate seeing my current job sitch :) and it was $1! Wahoo!

Thennn....
Sunday I took a trip to the good ol' Dollar General in the Burg and purchased two lamps ($24 total) for our dining room "buffet". I also bought more fall decorations... blush... I filled two of my new mason jars with leaves, and I added little pumpkins and gourds around the house for some fall fun. Did anyone else LOVE the fall weather today? Yes please :)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Antiquing, Part 1

One of the neatest parts about living in a small town are all of the cute shops that are in your area. Sure, we don't have a Target, Hobby Lobby, or Gap closer than an hour away, but we have some perks.

Point: Evelyn's Antiques

This little gem is on the main road when you drive into Schulenburg. It looks small on the outside, but it has a plethora of goodies on the inside. I went after work today to peruse, but it looks like I will have to head back with the hubster tomorrow for approval of a few items. I should've taken pictures... Ugh, it's always an after-thought with me. I need to get better :)

1. Old window shutter
At Evelyn's, on the front porch, there is an old window shutter that is a mix between green/jade/turquoise. Of course, it is distressed and shows its age well. I really want to hang it in our foyer/mudroom for pictures/last minute notes/reminders right by the door. And the $10 price tag isn't too shabby (I'm sure that at flea markets and other places, it would be less... but I'm not complaining)!

2. Vintage sheet music
I think it's from the '20s and '30s! So classy and fun to see. I think I would want to put them in a frame and hang them above our piano... Originally, I had wanted to do this same project, but with the songs played at our wedding (and I still may do that: having a musical husband allows for musical decor), but the dates on these pieces of sheet music are fantastic.

3. Window frames
Again, distressed and fabulous. Not sure what I would do with them, since our decor is modern with a hint of traditional, and a few craftish items here and there. I think they would look great hanging on an empty wall, just as themselves. $12... I think.

4. Glass jars/canisters
They have so many! Of all sizes, colors, shapes. Perfect for a tablescape or grouping on a shelf. I saw two gorgeous brown glass containers, about a foot tall, with cork tops. Would look FANTASTIC on the shelving in our dining room. Hmm...

5. Two vintage chairs
They are disgustingggg. Will definitely need to get re-upholstered. But the shape is gorgeous. And there are TWO of them, exactly the same, and they already have a home in my living room under our European alcoholic ads :) And at $55/each, it is a fantastic price... Just need to see if there is an upholsterer in Sburg.

6. Various furniture for foyer/mudroom
Tables... dressers... desks... There are about 5 that have caught my eye and would look GORGE in the foyer/mudroom. I'm just TOO thrifty and I don't want to cough up the money. But we need to start buying "real" furniture... Everything can't come from Ikea ;)


So there you have it. Tomorrow, hopefully, I will have a post of my purchases? Please? Nathan? Are you listening? Kthanksbye :)

Sunday, September 19, 2010

New Fall Project

As I said yesterday, I was going to work on a new fall project that I saw on the CSI project website. How do you think it turned out?


Gorge. It is simple, easy to do, and can be modified for any season. Let me explain :)

First, I hit up the local Dollar General (we only have so many options in the 'Burg). I found four black picture frames of various sizing (two 4x6, one 5x7, and then a larger one... but I forgot the size), and they varied between $2 and $5, thank you very much. And wouldn't you know it, they also had the ribbon there too! The PERFECT fall shade, if you don't mind me saying so :) It was a very successful shopping trip.

Upon returning home, I raided my stash of scrapbook paper and found four fall-ish shades that I thought would be appropriate in the frames. I used my handy-dandy Expo blade to trim the paper against the glass (it was quick and better than scissors, I tend to have a shaky (ahem, not straight) hand when I cut.

Once the paper was cut, it was time to do the letters. Now, a normal person would have written each letter on the paper. Not I, friend. I wrote each letter on the GLASS. This way, I can switch out paper every year to have a "new" fall decor item. Plus, I am hoping to re-create this same idea for every season (my thoughts were for Christmas/Winter, I could do such phrases as "joy", "peace", etc). In order to achieve this, I want to have a plethora of letter frames and I can swap the paper out for the specific season. But- each frame will have different ribbon, so I may have to modify just a bit.

Now, back to the project. Once I was done writing the letters (I used an XL sharpie marker, and I practiced on a spare piece of glass that I had from an old project), I inserted the paper and it was CAH-ute. Next was the ribbon. I measured and tied the knot I wanted for each frame, and then I busted out my favorite toy, the hot glue gun :) I glued the ribbon to the back of the frame. Once they all were dry and secure, I found a perfect spot in our entry way (I'll add the entire picture soon) and it is so homey and welcoming now!

I nailed my holes in various heights along the wall because a)the frames were different sizes, and 2)I wanted a not-so-perfect look (and c)I'm lazy and was too tired to be a perfectionist) :)

Now we have new fall decor for the cost of about $12. Holler :)

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Fall Happenings

It is fall at Casa de Johnson!

Friday night, Bonnie came over and we made fall wreaths. I'm very excited because this was my first endeavor with making a wreath. If I had my CAMERA CHARGER, ugh, I could upload a picture of it. For now, I'll have to steal my iPhone photo from Facebook...


Thank goodness for Hobby Lobby! We each bought a blank wooden wreath, then went through the floral and fall decor and picked out what we wanted. I think it turned out alright for my first rodeo :)

Then Saturday, we were having the youth over for a movie night, so I pulled out the fall decor and got busy! I added a leaf garland to the top of our TV unit, along with a small scarecrow. I created a couple of centerpieces using fall items:
-I used fall leaves and a candle
-I put fall flowers w/Spanish moss in a pitcher

I also bought a couple of a-dorable wooden pumpkins for the living room. Nate and I went to Hobby Lobby again last night, but nothing tickled our fancy (except two gorgeous XL wall sconces for our dining room... now we need an XL piece of art)!

Hopefully, again, I find my camera charger soon so I can continue uploads! I'm off to clean... maybe, eat lunch (leftover Olive Garden, yum), and create a couple of fall items that I saw on this blog: The CSI project. They did fall projects this week, and many of them were drool-worthy!

Have a great weekend everyone! Tonight we are going to my school's Fall Gala (an adult dinner and silent auction, band/dance that raises money for the school). It should be pretty swanky. We'll see if I get pictures!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Camera-less

I am so bummed.

In the midst of our move, I have misplaced my camera charger! So... no pictures until further notice. Unless I use our Canon... it's just so large! I like to be lazy :) Or maybe I'll use my iPhone for pictures. We'll see what I decide.

Other than that, we are getting our house in more "ready" condition. Nate and I went to Dallas this weekend to pick up the rest of our furniture: dining table w/four chairs, desk, armoire (it was my grandmother's), a chair, and a piano. We are so excited to have more to fill this house with!

We took a Labor Day trip to Ikea today and bought 3 more lamps, a trash can, a set of shelves, and an office chair for Nate. We've also been doing some more projects around the house, but with work starting tomorrow (womp womp), we will see how it goes. I am ready to get the house rid of ALL boxes.