Thrifting Archives - The Weekend Country Girl

How Red Wing Dishes Made Me Famous

December 27, 2022 Karen

Hello friends! It has been a while since I posted because life got in the way but I am back.

I am not quite, but almost, but not really famous now. Let’s call it famous adjacent. Of course famous is an overstatement but it is probably as close as I will be and here is why:

If you have been with me very long you know that my buddy, The Social Planner (TSP), and I love to explore new places and shop in resale, thrift, antique stores. We took a quick trip to Crockett, Texas one Thursday. I love that we can just take off shopping now that we are retired.

The Social Planner and I in front of he new Crockett mural.

Crockett is awesome, visit if you get a chance. While we were shopping I saw these beautiful vintage Red Wing dishes and immediately thought of one of the people I follow on social media Sara @SimplySouthernCottage. They were mid century, pink, had flowers and butterflies, and were American made.

She is making a difference along with others in her community of Minden, Louisiana. (If you watched the most recent Hometown Takeover on HGTV Minden was one of the cites and she was one of those people working to make her town awesome.)

Sara (Simply Southern Cottage) has her own very inspirational story to tell and I hope you check her out of Facebook, Instagram, or her Blog. I love, love, love her sense of whimsy and how bold her color choices are. Annnywayyy back to my story. Sorry for the digression.

In the thrift store I took a picture of the dishes and thought I sent Sara a message with the photo of the dishes. The message didn’t go through until much later- like not until we were driving home. Sara contacted me later that day to ask if I knew the name of the store because she would like to see if they could be shipped. By then I had TOTALLY forgotten where I saw the dishes so I hustled over to The Social Planner’s house to ask for memory assistance. She couldn’t remember either. (Crockett has lots of cool shops to our defense and we saw lots of things we thought about buying.) Immediately she said let’s go back and get them for her. She even figured out how to rope in our husbands. It involved lunch and a brewery.

I contacted Sara, told her I would go buy them and drop them off in Minden on an upcoming trip to North Carolina. Sara was sweet about us going and told us not to worry if we couldn’t go back but we are always up for a challenge.

The Social Planner, our two husbands, and I headed back to Crockett and started searching for the correct shop. I thought it was one place, but it wasn’t the right one, TSP thought it was another but it wasn’t there either. I did learn something though. You can look at your iPhone photo properties ( just swipe up on your photo) to see the location the picture was taken. Using that after searching a good hour we found them! They were sitting in the exact spot just waiting for us to come back. I think I was a little too excited to find them because the price went up. We negotiated and still got a great deal on the dishes.

The husbands were fine with the shopping trip because they got to eat at an award winning bar b q restaurant and a brewery on the way home. We do love a road trip.

When we headed to North Carolina the weather was terrible and traffic was super slow. We arrived in Minden an hour later than planned so instead of a leisurely lunch at Geaux Fresh with Sara we met up, introduced ourselves, took photos, and handed off the dishes. Sara had food bank food delivery duty. She is that kind of person.

We did eat at Geaux Fresh which was one of the spots featured on HGTV and loved it. We shopped at Paris Design Company. It is a cool shop that sells items from local artists, drove by The Villas, then headed on our way. Sara is so busy I honestly thought that was the last I would hear from her.

Sara let me know a few weeks ago that she used the dishes in a photo shoot for Cottage and Bungalows Magazine and that they would be used in one of her Villas. She is renovating a set of 1930’s Spanish style apartments called The Villas that have been abandoned for more than 20 years. They look a-m-a-z-i-n-g. The colors, mix of patterns, and preservation of the historic charm are unique to her style. The Villas are being featured in Cottages and Bungalows and guess what? Sara told them the dishes story and let me know that they wrote a side note telling about a follower who brought her dishes in an upcoming magazine. I feel like an extra in a movie. Only my friends will know that I am her follower but it is still fun. Check out Cottages and Bungalows February/ March issue. It is out now.

Photo from Cottages and Bungalows magazine. The dishes are circled in the photo.

I am now a follower in Texas. Photo from Cottages and Bungalows Magazine, February/March 2023

Minden right off Interstate 20 not far from Shreveport. It is a great little town and her short term rentals, including The Villas soon are located at Minden Stays.

I will be signing autographs soon!

painting, Thrifting

Estate Sale Bedside Tables

January 18, 2016January 18, 2016 Karen

Last weekend I visited a great estate sale. The sale was for a young family that has moved from their starter home into an awesome custom built home that one day soon I will give you a tour of. The ceiling in the family room alone is worth the virtual visit. I get sidetracked when I think about that 18 foot grey coffered ceiling with white molding…

Back to her estate sale.

At the sale I collected four great items that will be coming up soon and checked out. My buddy, The Social Planner (TSP) did pretty well, too. As we walked out, TSP spotted stuff in the garage. I have to admit, I reluctantly headed in. I had already blown my budget ($20.00) and it was raining. Even if I found something, it was going to have to be small because I had already rounded up Mr. Math for a large item pickup and there was no way I was interested in interrupting his mowing again.

I noticed two 1970’s side tables, but frankly I was ready to go and the were moldy. (Wooden furniture that stays in a humid area sometimes gets a white mold on it.) I really didn’t give the pair another thought until we got home. TSP pointed out that they would go with my 70’s headboard, and that when I am ready to move up to the country full time whoever wants the headboard will probably want side tables, too. No way am I parting with the table in the picture below because my dad saved it for me.

She was right…as always. We headed back to the estate sale and asked about the tables. $5.00 for the pair. It is hard to pass up two tables at $2.50 each. They came home with me.

Here are pictures after they were cleaned up enough to come inside the house. I used paint thinner, Goof Off, and Fantastic on them just to make sure the mold was gone, the stickers on top were removed, and the gummy varnish was gone.

Aren’t they beautiful? Seriously, they were sturdy, they had all the hardware, and have closed storage which our current tables don’t have. We are messy folk so closed storage is good.

I happened into a Walmart looking for blue tape one evening. Along the way, I spotted something new to me. Walmart carries chalk paint now. What? Did my eyes deceive me? 16 ounces of chalk paint for less than $6.00. I had to give it a try. I bought two bottles of Parisian Grey and anticipated opening it up this weekend. I am not much of a chalk paint fan. It is crazy expensive usually, I like polyurethane on top of my stuff and the idea of not using primer seems crazy to me but I figured, what did I have to lose?

After cleaning them with everything but the kitchen sink, I removed the cabinet doors and got busy.

One coat and I was impressed. It is a great option for painting inside. The paint is thick so it is a little less messy. It is water based so I could clean up easily. The whole no priming thing sort of freaked me out. It took three coats for me to be satisfied, and I did not like the brush strokes left after each coat, but sanding lightly minimized the brush strokes.

After getting them all painted, I distressed the edges lightly then waxed it all with clear wax. To get both of these done completely I only used one 16 ounce bottle of paint. I was impressed how far the paint went.

This time I decided to put the tarnished brass hardware back on, just as I found it. I like the look.

Don’t judge the bedroom right now. I have curtain issues, blind issues, harry dog concerns, and bedding problems this winter. I do however love the quilt my buddy crocheted for me as a Christmas present. Those colors will be coming to this room soon.

For those of you, like me, who don’t always have the time to shop in Walmart, they do have online options for the paint. I always choose site to store option because shipping is free. I pick up my items at customer service. In and out quickly and no one gets hurt.

I am not going to say that I am now fully in the chalk painting camp. I still think using a sprayer to put quality latex paint on a project gives the most smooth finish, but this will for sure be my winter/inside choice. I did not like sanding, and I for sure did not like waxing. I must have done something wrong because it took hours to get the wax to look right.

I am definitely going to try it again to see if I get better.

Thank you for following along on our journey. This past week was the one year anniversary of the day we put our beloved Star Hill on the market so we could buy this place. It is hard to imagine that in the three years I have been blogging we have sold two homes and purchased two others. Are we crazy?

It is nice to know we have settled on our forever home. Now, back to work making it wonderful.

Blessings,

Karen

Blogging, Repurposed Furniture, resale finds, Thrifting, using bright colors, vintage style

My Most Popular Posts

January 26, 2015 Karen

Well hello there. If you are new to the blog, welcome.

In the last week I have a lot of new friends who have chosen to follow my little bitty minnow of a blog Thank you for choosing to follow along.

It is winter here in southeast Texas. That means high humidity, rain, and lots of days I am not able to do any furniture work. Add to that my full time job is at its busiest an that adds up to not much getting accomplished. The garagemahal is loaded with projects just waiting for a warm sunny day to come along.

I thought you might enjoy some of the most popular posts that you might have missed in the past. If you are one of my long-time followers, indulge me as I take a walk down memory lane. 🙂 If you click on the underlined writing by each number it will take you directly to the post about the piece.

1. Mudroom Bench ( You probably found me through this piece but I am including it just in case you found me some other way.)

2. Beverage Station ( Old sewing cabinet and stainless sink make parties more fun.)

3. Green End Table Makeover (Yes, Virginia, there is a Junk Fairy. From time to time she drops things off at our house.)

4. Buffet Table (My son’s favorite piece.)

I hope that each and every one of you is inspired to look at furnishings differently and see the potential in even junk pieces.

(There may be a treasure hiding in there.)

Have a wonderful day. I love hearing from you.

Blessings,

Karen

Apartment living, Behr Paint with Primer, French Provincial, glazing, Painted Furniture, recycled furniture, Redecorating, the guest room, Thrifting, vintage style

Turquoise French Provincial Furniture

November 9, 2014November 9, 2014 Karen

I am getting ready to show you my fabric painted teal chair with lime green legs as soon as I finish one more little item for the chair, but I realized That out of context the chair would look a little Dr. Seuss-ish. You still may think it does when you see it but it will fit in this room.

Just before I started blogging we did this furniture fore the Lovebirds. They were getting ready to set up house and we wanted them to have some fun furniture. We bought the furniture from an estate sale. The furniture had a great story. The children, who were holding the estate sale had all pitched in to buy the furniture for their parent’s 25th anniversary. I don’t understand why they did not want to keep it but for $150.00 we got a great set. I do not have any pictures of the before but we are babysitting the dresser and armoire while the lovebirds are living in far away lands.

Right now the bedroom is a mix of our stuff and theirs. The walls are painted Behr Ice Cube and the dresser is painted Behr Rapids. My son loves wood as much as my daughter in law loves painted furniture. We compromised by painting the dresser base but leaving all horizontal surfaces wood.

The painting says Always Kiss Me Goodnight in case it is bugging you. I painted it for them as part of their wedding gift. In their home they have grey bedding with dark purple accents. Our bedroom is yellow, teal, turquoise, and lime green. Crazy huh?

I love this mirror. It is so pretty and well proportioned.

We painted the furniture and glazed it with a dark glaze.

The hardware on the set is so ornate.

My son’s belongings are in this upright chest.

The horizontal part of the armoire at the middle being left stained breaks up the armoire.

I love the top. The herringbone painting usually lives above the bed, but it looks good here, too.

We learned a lot about painting furniture when we painted this set. I am happy with how it has held up after two years and three moves. Before the kids get back we have a few touch ups, but not many.

The teal chair will sit in front of the giant windows.

Thanks for reading my blog. I hope you take a minute to pray for my kids who are far away from home. It has been a long few months already.

Blessings,

Karen

Curbside rescue, Dresser, home decorating, Roadside Rescue, Rubbish Rescue, Thrifting

Burn Pile Barn Door

October 26, 2014October 28, 2014 Karen

Today I am going to show you the amazing barn door I made from wood that was destined for the burn pile.

I have an odd obsession with things saved from the trash.

I own (or it owns me depending who you talk to) a rescue dog.

I cheer every year when this rose blooms because Mr. Math mowed over it twice trying to get rid of it before giving up and leaving it alone.

I have saved several pieces of furniture from the trash or the burn pile. They are some of my favorite projects.

Burn Pile Vanity

Roadside Credenza

Mudroom Bench

My dad, the original junker in our family, had some cedar cut on his property on “halves “. Basically that means he got half of the wood and the person who cut it into lumber got half for payment. Some of the cedar had imperfections that went into the cull pile. It was wormy , or bowed or split.

Cedar Windfall

My dad saved that wood for me. He knew I would want it. My dad knows me well, I did. There was a lot more wood than I expected , and it has been consuming almost a third of the Garagemahal for almost a year drying. I wasn’t sure what this wood would become but I knew that one day I would find a home for it.

I found a home for some when The Social Planner’s son bought a FEMA trailer that he and his dad are gutting and turning into a cool home for this single guy who works on yachts in a very expensive bayside community.

You might check out what people are doing with these trailers online. They were filled with formaldehyde when they were built for families after the hurricane decimated New Orleans and were dumped by the government as soon as possible. You can pick one up for a couple of thousand dollars now but they need all the junk on the inside removed.

The look he is going for is rustic industrial. I can’t wait to get some shots of the inside. Right now the kitchen is done but everything else is under construction.

We made the door quickly out of some of the cedar.

First we sorted out the wood and put it out on the floor to look at and move around then cut them all to length.

Next we clamped the wood and added a board at the top, bottom and across diagonally to make a Z.

Here it is finished. The door has five coats of polyurethane on all the door and seven inside the crevices.

It is going to look amazing in the trailer along with this piece that is going to be a counter once it is coated with bar coating.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Thank you for reading my blog. I appreciate hearing from you.

Blessings,

Karen

Behr Paint with Primer, Country Style, milk glass, Thrifting

Buffet Hutch

October 2, 2014October 24, 2014 Karen

I absolutely love this buffet table.

Beside the fact that it is really pretty and functional, the top is a piece of reclaimed wood that my dad held on to for years. He rescued it from the trash at his job. ( I come from a long line of dumpster divers.) The base was a solid wood dining table I scored for $20.00 one blistering summer day. You can read all about how we turned it into a buffet table HERE

Even though I love it as it is, I have been looking for a hutch for the top of the buffet in order to display my milk glass collection.

This is the inspiration piece I found on Pinterest. I like the wood back and the painted hutch.

While out and about in Huntsville, Texas I spotted a dresser top mirror thingy that had barley twist sides, a mirror in the center, shelves on the sides of the mirror and drawers at the bottom. It was in the back of a thirft store jammed against the wall. I love those type of items because you know that they are not something the store knows what to do with. That means they will deal with you. I got this one for $20.00. Not bad for a solid oak piece of furniture.

The style was nothing like the base table I was planning to use, but the size was good and it was solid, and I kind of like that put together look. The twists were a tone that would work with the wood top of the buffet so I knew it would work.

I apologize in advance but as soon as we got home and before I could go fetch the camera, Mr. Math was ripping out the mirror and shelves. Who am I to stop progress? I snapped a few shots with my phone before it was totally destroyed. The photo above shows it laying on the side but you can see the curved shelves, the spindles, and where the mirror was if you use your imagination.

By the time I got the camera out this is what I got a picture of:

The electrical cord you see is for a light located in the top of the hutch. I decided to keep it for now because I think this winter I will get out my village pieces and I think it will look pretty with a light.

I did not have my camera all weekend so I apologize in advance for the phone shots, but this is what I have to show. The first thing I did after Hubby finished gutting the mirror, moldings and shelves was to use a lot of wood filler to fill in the holes left behind. I painted the frame Behr Jungle Trail and did my best to match the stain of the spindles with the attached beadboard. Here is a hint with matching stain. You can mix stains to get a color you want but always stick with the same brand of stain when mixing. I personally buy Minwax stains. Not because I think they are superior but because they are readily available if I run out. ( I do run out in the middle of a project. A. Lot.)

You can see in these shots that I did not have the interior board stained. It is done now.

The hutch came with only three knobs but I ~~keep~~ hoard hardware and had four brass knobs. A quick spray with flat espresso spray paint gave me the look I wanted. I honestly wanted the beadboard to run vertically but I just could not justify two sheets of beadboard to get what I wanted. I think the horizontal look is growing on me already.

After moving furniture around at my house I was able to get the piece where I wanted it. It makes me happy to see some of my milk glass out on display.

Here is the piece in place. Let me tell you now that I will be re-taking the photos. The crooked candle on the table is driving me crazy. ( Try to ignore it now that I pointed it out.) It was 5:30 am when I took the shots so the overhead light was on and created a glare. The windows will be hung beside the hutch and the lighting will be better but I did want you all to see that I made a tiny bit of progress this week.

I really like how the dark wood and the white glass contrast.

I have the light on the picture above. I think it is going to work well as a display.

A new space to change out seasonally.

I hope everyone had a a wonderful week and that you are getting to enjoy some fall weather.

Thank you for reading my blog. I appreciate each of you.

Blessings,

Karen

Behr Paint with Primer, DIY Projects, Dresser, recycled furniture, Thrifting

My Next Projects

September 14, 2014September 29, 2014 Karen

Disclaimer. This post is really my “to do” list. It will help me to stay on track and will offer you a tiny glimpse into my teeny tiny mind. I have ~~four~~ five projects that are hanging out waiting to go to homes. The projects are really bugging me because at this time of year my energy just about all goes to opening the school year and my creative side gets neglected.

Here are the five pieces I have planned, lined up and started:

The Mid Century Dresser– I will finish this week. Drawers are stripped and sanded, ready for stain and poly. Dresser needs to be sanded, primed, painted, and poly-ed.

The dresser is going to join the night stand and headboard I already have finished. My friend has been very patient.

This is my inspiration piece for the bedroom set.

Here is the night stand waiting for the dresser to join the party.

Beverage Station– we have the sewing machine out, the mechanism taken care of but we are struggling to find a sink that fits.

This one has been tricky. The machine has been removed, the hardware has been stabilized and we have a plan. It is going to be Happy Camper Green with oil rubbed bronze spray paint on the metal parts. This one needs lots of wood filler and outdoor poly to make it usable outside.

Sweet Little Girl Dresser– I got the hardware off, the dresser and drawers sanded. I am looking for two drawer pulls that match the original or we may have to re-think the pulls. It will be painted next weekend.

It is going to be Behr Gray Area with a whitewash over it.

The Funky Dresser

Here is my inspiration dresser. I have had this picture in the back of my mind every time I look for furniture. I wanted a flat front smallish dresser to create something fun.

The inspiration dresser will work great for the funky dresser. I have rounded up a lot of random hardware for the dresser. The dresser will be stripped and finished to look like Restoration Hardware weathered finish. I am going to try being creative with one of the long drawers to make it appear to be two smaller drawers.

Another bench- yes, I have another bench to make. It is going to be different from the others. No photos of this one.

Hutch

The final piece will be a hutch for the top of our sofa table so that I have a place to display my milk glass.

Here is the inspiration piece.

The hutch will sit on top of this buffet table and will look like one piece.

It is now sanded, holes are filled, and ready for priming. The twists will stay the wood color. The back is going to be one by four slats stained to match the wood on top of the buffet.

I am anxious to get started on the last two projects! They are going to be like dessert for me so I am motivated to finish the rest of the list.

I hope you have a wonderful week. I love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Karen

Dresser, painting, recycled furniture, the suburban home, Thrifting, vintage style

Getting the Restoration Hardware Bathroom Vanity Look with a Thrift Store Dresser

May 12, 2014May 16, 2014 Karen

Whew, was that the longest title for a blog post you have ever seen? I know it was the longest title I have ever written. I have “Hate my bathroom-itis”. It is without a doubt the most dysfunctional space in our home. I want a rustic, classic space that feels like it has been around for a while longer than the 5 years it has been here. You can see where I am going with the bathroom and plans I have for it here:

Check out my plans here:

https://theweekendcountrygirl.com/2014/03/05/my-bathroom-pinnspiration/

I am moving my bedroom and master bedroom to a more muted, weathered, time worn look because I want our bedroom to be a restful space for us. We are going to incorporate board and batten walls, vintage furnishings, and unusual pieces of furniture into the space. I love the look of this bathroom vanity at Restoration hardware but it would have been over $3000.00

That is a little steep for my budget ( more than double what I want to spend on the whole bathroom makeover,) but wow that vanity is beautiful. It is from the Saint James Collection. If you have the money for this vanity, please buy it, then invite me over so I can stare at it. Okay?

I recently purchased a dresser that is the correct size for our space, it is solid wood, has drawers that will work for our space and I like the shape. I was thrilled to find it and am so happy to have it sitting in my garage now waiting for a makeover. I found a pair of mirrors that are going to work with the dresser too at a steal. $20.00 for the pair of mirrors!

Here are my mirrors:

The detail at the top of the mirror is going to look great.

Soon I will not have a 29″ high bathroom vanity with four six inch wide drawers. The height of the vanity is a pain for my almost 6 foot tall self and my well over 6 foot tall husband. The drawers are a joke. I brush in a drawer and my toothbrush and toothpaste in the other. Look at the hardware. I think it is going to look great in the bathroom.

I write another blog just about our Suburban home we are trying to make into a unique home called My Burb Home. Here is the low down on my dysfunctional master bathroom.

http://myburbhome.com/2014/02/25/the-master-bathroom-master-plan/

Note to self. Spend a little more time in the master bathroom next time we buy a home.

I have made it my mission to start researching what to do with the dresser in order to make it look more like the Restoration Harware finish above. I have watched videos, read at least 20 blog posts, and have been experimenting. Here is what I have narrowed the process down to:

I am going to either strip the entire thing then stain it using three different stains by Minwax like AKA Design did here although I want a darker base color before the pickling coat and will use the Weathered Oak on top. All in all it will take stripping, sanding, conditioning, staining, pickling, then staining again, then poly to get the look I am going for. No wonder they charge $3000.00 to do this. I may charge myself that much money to get it done, but I really like the look.

http://akadesign.ca/white-wash-pickling-get-the-restoration-hardware-look-for-less/

Or, I could go with paint. I could use my homemade chalk paint recipe to make chalk paint and do something like this:

http://www.mainecountryhome.com/2013/12/get-restoration-hardware-look-chalk-paint/

Or a paint and whitewashed look like this mirror:

http://littlecottageonthepond.blogspot.com/2013/05/mirror-mirror.html

Or a paint mixed with glaze look:

http://www.kfddesigns.com/2011/08/graywashing-table.html

Of all the options, I am leaning toward the first and the last. I think I am going to try this out on some wood at the house, then on one of the interior drawers before I strip the whole dresser down. I have my suspicion that nothing is going to make me as happy as the mulit-step stain process, because we don’t do easy at our house, but… I can hope that the glazed thinned paint process will make me happy. Right?

Here is my question for you guys; which of these finishes do you like best? Be honest with me because I can be swayed.

I thought I might get busy on this tonight, but I get to go chaperone an Interact party instead. The joy of being a high school principal.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful day.

Blessings,

Karen

DIY, DIY Projects, Repurposed Furniture, resale finds, rescuing damaged furniture, Thrifting

A Benchy Weekend Ahead

March 26, 2014March 28, 2014 Karen

Well now that my third antibiotic seems to be killing the super nasty bacteria that moved in and won’t leave, I am ITCHING, dying, ready to get some work done this weekend. We have 4, count em’ f-o-u-r, headboard/footboards to turn into benches (one of them may become a swing) this weekend. I figure “In for a penny, in for a pound.” No way we will get to painting, but I am hopeful we will get the benches constructed. I am busy looking for inspiration for my benches. Here are a few of my favorite sites with awesome tutorials.

For the swin I found the Rustic Pig. I am loving this one. It only uses a headboard and not a footboard so I have to see if I have one that will work for this.
http://www.therusticpig.com/2013/06/16/summer-back-porch-headboard-swing/

Gail at My Repurposed Life is a master at repurposing beds into benches. I got the idea to turn the dresser into a bench from her. I love that she took the time to write me when I mentioned her inspiration. Her site has a number of different headboard benches so there is a lot of inspiration.

http://www.myrepurposedlife.com/2009/09/headboard-bench-tutorial.html

Brittany at Pretty Handy Girl has a great site with simple instructions. I love her blog header : empowering you to complete your own DIY project. Thanks, Brittany for the great drawings and pictures.

http://www.prettyhandygirl.com/2010/07/turning-craigs-list-bed-frame-into.html

As I said, we have four headboards. I just counted and we have FIVE. Shhhh. I am going to see if Hubby reads this to see that I have more than I thought. I bought one set over a year ago for $25.00 but can’t find a photo, I got the three below stacked all together for $12.00. One of them is my favorite. It is a curvy vintage double bed that will make a cool and very comfortable bench.

Hard to believe there are three future benches in this pile of wood huh? The curvy one is mine. I just love it. It is going to be either rustic red or black. Feel free to chime in on the color. The twin is going to my friend, Trenda. Final one may become the swing. I think it will work for what we want.

This bed is going to be a bench for my buddy Norma. I bought this one at Canton. I liked the look and the solid back. It is going to be a beautiful rustic red when done and have stained slatted seat I am very excited this one.
.

This one is going to my buddy Shahana. We found this one at the HAAR (Humble Area Assistance Resources) thrift store for $10.00. I will show you the awesome chicken she painted for me on my Facebook page this week. Be watching for it FB friends.
I think I just counted and we may have six future benches. We will see if my husband actually reads this post. If so, I think I could be in trouble.

burlap, Thrifting, traveling

Weekend Finds at Canton

March 2, 2014March 3, 2014 Karen

Saturday could not have been a better day to go to one of the oldest and largest Trade Days in Texas. The sun was shining and it was 62degrees when we pulled up. We pulled up to the site with about 100,000 others.

We are parked across the street from that line of cars. Somewhere in that mass. I couldn’t pass up showing you that our trees are budding out here. Spring really is coming.

Can you imagine living in a sleepy little town about 26 days a month, only to be overrun four days just prior to the first Monday of each month? I am pretty sure we are a mixed blessing to the residents. These Trade Days are run by the city of Canton and have been since 1850. They have a web page, a Facebook page, and you can even get an App for your phone to help you while you are there. The visitors provide jobs, allow the town to have amenities that would not be available otherwise and we pay sales taxes. We also clog the roads, fill the restaurants to overflowing, walk on the grass, and in general shut down town. Sorry, Canton.

The official Trade Days site is huge, but there are several other Trade Days sites in Canton too. We like The Village, too but did not make it this weekend.

Trade Days are generally pet friendly. You see dogs everywhere in Trade Days.

The front of the Trade Days site is mostly, but not all, new items and commercial items. The booths are under cover and are a fun place for me to get ideas. There was the coolest place with porch swings made out of a twin bed mattress and rope but they would not give me permission to photograph and I don’t take pictures without permission. Here are a few of the sites that either had signs saying it was okay to photograph or with permission.

The middle section has a big variety of food booths, garage sale like items, and the unexpected.

I bought four of these chairs. They are going to be beautiful.

There are row upon winding row of booths. It would take a whole day to just go through this area.

I look for specific things in this area. I found a window in the site above. I struck out this year on looking for window that is solid glass for a project, but oh well.

The very back of Trade Days is my favorite. Here is a hint. If you like to look for table legs, furniture, industrial lights, and a variety of things “in the raw”… not shined up, cleaned up, or organized, this is your place. The vendors are crusty, the sites are a maze.

Burlap sacks are $1.00 each in this area.

To go directly to this part of the site enter at the West Gate.

We found this headboard on the last row of the whole place. It is going to be a bench for a friend. I just missed the buffet it is leaning against. It would have been my bathroom vanity. Someone got this for a steal. I am jealous.

We bought a mirror for the vanity, two door knob units and some architectural pieces, too while we were out. You will see them soon.

There are a ton of bed and breakfasts nearby but we decided to go at the last minute and they were full. We stayed at Best Western.
My favorite time of the year to go to Canton is October, November, March, and April. It is BOILING hot in summer and could be rainy or cold in winter. We were lucky because the weather Saturday was beautiful. We got up Sunday to temperatures 30 degrees cooler.
If you ever get the chance to go, wear comfortable shoes, pace yourself and enjoy yourself. Let me know if you get to go. I would love to hear your adventures.
Blessings,
Karen