Remember this beauty that I found last summer? Working on this French settee was my first attempt at reupholstering anything. It was a beast of a project. But, after all of the labor, it turned out like this It found a new home in a little girl’s French-themed...
Estate sales are where I do a lot of my shopping these days. I used to go to more garage sales because estate sales, for some reason, seemed . . . intimidating! But, after a year or so now I’ve learned that estate sale shopping gives me so much more bang for my...
I wrote in my last post about my battle with cedar allergies . . . unfortunately about 10 hours after that post published I woke up with fever, aches, and my dinner from the night before showing back up (if you know what I mean!) Yep, now I have the flu. They keep...
I am at battle with the Mountain Cedar trees of Central Texas, at least that is what the news tells me. This past week has been one long, continuous sneeze, and I have heard that it’s a result of strong winds blowing the cedar pollen into our Dallas area....
I love the color blue. It’s my favorite color, and I have it splashed throughout my home. Most of my clothes are blue, and I guess I’m lucky that I have three boys because they get to wear mostly blue too! Given that love, I was excited to see the cover of...
The new year is almost here, it’s always fun to see what were the highlights of the year that’s ending. I started this blog in February, and here is a quick peek at the top 5 posts from then until now. 1. Hand-Painted Gray Chest This was my first attempt...
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We enjoyed our family time together, although I have to admit I am glad to get back to “normal” today. Christmas day started nice and early in our house, so we were all quite tired. Before the holiday got into...
We are in between cold spells here in N. Texas. Two weekends ago we were iced in for 4 days, but since then the temperature has been steadily rising to the peak today of a pleasant 70 degrees. The cold and rain is supposed to return this weekend though, so...
Decorating a Christmas tree is one of my most favorite things. I love them so much, I wish I could keep it up year round. Creating a beautiful tree takes a little bit of practice, but doesn’t have to cost hundreds of dollars in designer ornaments or...
I haven’t been doing much painting lately, mainly because I haven’t found anything worth painting! But a few weeks ago I grabbed this sturdy old dresser off a Facebook garage sale site. It had great, simple lines but was stained with an...
What is your Black Friday tradition? Are you one of those people who camp out in line in the wee hours of the morning to score the best deal? Or do you just watch the news footage of those people from the couch in your jammies? Well, I spent my Black Friday at one...
I get lots of questions from friends and family about what types of paint I use to paint furniture and what my thoughts are on the different paints available. Most of those questions center around milk paint vs chalk paint–the two hot furniture paints out on...
I finished one of my projects! Yay!! It is such a great feeling to mark something completely off of your list. This week started out a little rough because of a nasty cold we had going around our house. But after a trip to the doctor, some antibiotics, and some...
Here in Texas, we don’t have basements, or real attics for that matter. All we have is the garage, and mine isn’t a particularly large one. The garage is where just about all of my furniture finds and projects end up. I work real hard to get it cleared...
I’m behind in the retail world . . . Christmas started showing up at my mall three weeks ago and until yesterday, I had nothing. I have been collecting a few Christmas items here and there over the past few months, but I hadn’t given any thought yet to...
My husband is finally back from his looooong international trip, so we are all celebrating here! I had one major project I wanted to do while he was gone, and with my mother-in-law’s babysitting help I was able to knock it out last weekend. I found this great...
It’s been a challenging week here in our TX household. Last week, my hubby left the country for a trip that would take him to a remote place on other side of the world for 12 days. Our ability to communicate would be spotty, and totally dependent upon when he...
A month ago, I accidentally bought an antique dining table and 4 chair set. I say accidentally because I made someone on a Facebook garage sale site a really low offer, never thinking they would accept it, and they did! Whoops. I broke the news in a car ride to the...
I finished my race! This past Sunday, October 13th was the Tyler Rose Marathon and I was one of the 179 runners to finish the race. Man, it was . . . tough. Tougher than I had expected. The weather was warm and muggy, and those East Texas hills did me in. I...
I have never been officially educated in the art of decorating. I am not a trained professional interior designer. But, like I mention in my bio, I learned alot about putting together a home from my mother. She really does have an eye for decorative design and she...
A few weeks ago I shared this photo on my Facebook page of this great cubby shelf I found at the Canton First Monday market last month (when it was 104 degrees!). After getting it back home from Canton, it had to spend a few weeks hanging out on my back...
This past weekend was the local flea market in my area, McKinney Trade Days. The pickin’s have been a little slim there the past few months, and it’s been HOT! But, this weekend the weather was really quite pleasant, and I found lots of wonderful things,...
Even though its still averaging in the high 90’s every day here, it was time to move my fall merchandise into my space at the mall. I try to keep it fresh and do a complete re-do of my space every 3-4 months. I love the fall and the warm colors that come with...
I finally finished the last of my four major summer furniture projects! Yay! This French Provincial dining room table set was the last thing on my list. I bought it from a lady on a Facebook garage sale site who was selling it for her elderly mother. It had the...
Several months ago while I was working on my Duck Egg dressers, I decided to paint one of my own pieces while I had the extra Duck Egg Annie Sloan paint. It was this piece, given to use for free back when my husband was getting his Master’s Degree and we were...
We’re in that end of the summer “survival mode” around here, so it’s a little chaotic around my house. It’s been 100+ degrees for 13 days in a row now, and we have 13 more days to go before school starts. We’ve done about all the...
About a month ago I was hurting for something to do on a Friday afternoon, so I decided to throw all 3 boys in the car and head out to this country estate sale in Pilot Point, Texas, about an hour from my house. By the time I got there most of the best stuff was gone,...
It’s finally finished! I’ve been working on this wonderful empire buffet for about two months now, and today it is finally done. I’ve teased a lot on this piece, so I’ll just jump right into the pictures. Empire Buffet Furniture Makeover: The...
Summertime means traveling season, and we have been in and out since the beginning of July. I love to travel, but it’s always a lot of work getting back into the swing of things when you get home. Last week my husband and I had the chance to escape kid free to...
Summertime is here! About 10 days ago my oldest had his last day of Kindergarten and then the long, hot days of Texas summer officially arrived. We spent one weekend at home and then hopped into our van to head on our first family trip of the summer to Tennessee. I...
Well I promised in my last post to show more about my most recent project, this wonderful antique chest of drawers. Remember the teaser? This was a really fun project for me and my first attempt at a hand-painted design. I’ll walk you through the process. Here...
It’s been a crazy 10 days around here, with lots of things coming and going. It started last week when our laptop died. It was a 4 year old PC with a few other problems, so we decided to let it rest in peace rather than trying to fix it. Plus, it gave my husband a...
I’ve posted before about how I love to decorate with old books. I have a special place in my heart though for old children’s books especially. I love the bright, but muted with time, colors and old-timey pictures. Over the weekend I stopped in at an...
A few weeks ago I got a text from a friend asking if I knew anyone who bought antiques . . . I responded, “Yes, me!” Her husband’s grandmother had passed away and the family was ready to start selling some of the furniture and decor they had chosen...
Last week was the time for First Monday at Canton, which is a HUGE monthly flea market about an hour southeast of Dallas. Despite living in the North Texas area for almost 5 years now, I have only ever been to Canton once, and that was last month! It was actually a...
I finished a MAJOR project! Yay! Two weeks ago I saw these beautiful antique “His” and “Hers” dressers for sale on Craigslist. They looked stunning in the pictures, and seemed to be in great shape for their age. Turned out they were being...
When talking about my business, I often get asked by friends and family, “how do you have time to do all of this?” Remember–I’m mom to three little boys under the age of 6! The short answer to that question is always “I...
One of the tricks to running a successful antique booth is to make sure your inventory rotates often. I’ve had an antique washstand hanging out in my space up at Antique Company Mall for a month or two, which is longer than I would like. So, I decided it was...
I’m sorry it’s been awhile . . . I’ve had sick kiddos, school projects, Easter and birthday planning, and some furniture projects too. But I’m back! I wanted to share with you all one of this milk paint dresser makeover I’ve been working...
One of my favorite possessions is my old school map of the United States. It is dated 1904 and is loaded with patina (or rips and stains, if you prefer!). Right now it enjoys a prominent spot on the second story wall of my living room. It’s one of the first things you...
In my space right now at Antique Company Mall I have a stock of old photos and family film reels from the 1950’s. I realize that some people may think it’s strange using old photos to decorate with, but I really enjoy these little glimpses into other people’s pasts. I...
In the retail business, holidays always appear a few weeks (or months!) early. With that in mind, springtime and Easter appeared last night in my space at Antique Company Mall. I am so ready for spring! Thankfully, I live in Texas, so winter doesn’t last too...
I took some time last Friday and Saturday making my way around the yard and estate sale circuit. I’m starting to go to more and more estate sales, they just seem to offer more bang for my buck. Although, I’m also learning that waiting until the end...
I love decorating with vintage books. They don’t have to be in great shape, in fact the shabbier the better. In most cases I’m not really concerned with their titles either, more with the subtle hues their covers add to a space. I think I like too that they bring...
The town just north of me hosts a monthly flea market the weekend before the 3rd Monday of each month. Why the 3rd Monday, I have no idea . . . but I try to hit this sale every month to stock up on great finds for my space at the antique mall. Many of you may have...
Thank you so much for visiting my blog! My name is Melanie and I recently opened a vintage home décor shop at a local antique mall. I have always loved “junk” and decorating my home with the unique. I am loving hunting for those special pieces now and stocking my...
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