I love a beautiful blankets to wrap up in when the house is nice and chilly from a cold front. That’s all we’ve been getting here in Austin. Cold fronts. It’s still pretty warm but I love to bust out my blankets when the temperature does drop. I think if I let myself, I’d be a bit of a blanket hoarder. So enjoy all of my blanket eye candy for today.

Vintage Granny Square Afghan by Good Grace

Pendelton Sunset Stripe Blanket at Urban Outfitters

Flea Market Throw by House8810

Yellow and neutrals quilt by Crafty Blossom

Geometric Brick Quilt by Barbara Perrino

Right now Brendan and I are hosting friends who flew in from California and New York. It’s so nice having everyone here! Yesterday, one of our friends suggested that we check out The Cathedral of Junk. Cathedral? Junk? I’m down.

It’s located in South Austin and created by Vince Hannemann. You walk up his short drive way and ring the gong to see if Vince is around. If he’s not, you can just give him a call because his number is right by the fence.

At first, all you see is a pile of junk and then you start to notice how purposeful everything seems to be.

There was the rolling hills of bowling balls, roof of rubber duckies, and most of it was organized by color. The cathedral area is three stories and the way up is by tire stairs.

If you happen to find yourself in Austin, you’ve got to go. It’s completely free and totally worth it! Definitely Keeping Austin Weird!

Jess inspired me with her Thrift Share post from yesterday. Honestly, checking out the great deal someone snagged buying secondhand has got to be one of my favorite blog posts to read out in the blogosphere. And, her desk is awesome!

This past weekend I traveled to my parent’s house for a family reunion and in typical fashion my mom and I went and hit up the estate sales. She totally treated me and what I scored was just enough to satisfy my secondhand shopping fix for at least a couple of days. hehe.

First up, this beautiful trio of nesting tins.

These are in such great shape! Also, I’m in love with how feminine they are and the pretty colors. Honestly, these go with absolutely nothing in my house and I completely broke my rule of buying only things that fit my life right now. They were just too pretty to pass up.

Look at the detail!

I don’t have a little girl, but if I did have one these would be prominently displayed with baby things in them. For now, they sit in my closet until I find the perfect place. Do you ever do that? Do you find something that’s too perfect to pass up but doesn’t quite go with what you have right now? Do you ever wind up pulling it out for the special time that you had in mind when you purchased it? I really would like to know! Please tell me I’m not alone.

Then, I came across this load of vintage sheets. There were several sets to choose from and I kept thinking about Rachel from Smile and Wave (she’s got a shop with only vintage sheets!). She would have loved this stash, but I was drawn in by the brown and orange masculine plaid.

There are two sets of queen size sheets here. I went back and forth because the top set is my favorite. I love that thick plaid pattern.

But there was no way I was going to leave behind the bottom set with the thinner plaid. I couldn’t do it. Seriously, I sat in that dated bedroom with these sheets for way too long. So, I just bought them all. I think the whole stack here cost six bucks!

Then, this lovely granny square caught my eye. It had to come home with me. Can I confess that I’m the worst person to shop with?! I waffle like crazy. To buy or not to buy. It’s really annoying, but because of that I spend less money. So, that’s a good thing I guess.

Aren’t all those colors set to that white background so pretty. I’m excited to put this lovely afghan on my guest bed!

So, as you know, I’m a bit crazy for estate sales. Man, I love a good estate sale. I just think there is something really beautiful about items that you love and treasure being loved and treasured by someone else. It makes me feel connected in a really weird way. For example, there was a woman who was perusing through the house along with my mom and me. She kept picking up all of the handmade crocheted doilies. Doilies aren’t my thing but I completely appreciate the artistic talent that goes into making such intricate designs. Anyway, the woman shopping loved them! She was getting really excited by how pretty and how well priced they were. I can’t help but think that the women who made those doilies would have loved for someone to appreciate her craft as much as the stranger who purchased them did. You know? I think there’s something beautiful about that.

What are your thoughts? Am I just justifying my obsession with estate sales? hah!

I linked up with Apron Thrift Girl and Her Library Adventures. Head over and check out everyone else’s finds!

I’ve been needing a little inspiration lately. Just something that will get me going on all the projects I need to complete around here. (By the way, I think I’m going to work on the credenza remodel this weekend so hop over to this post and share your opinion for what I should do! And I’ve created a pinboard of inspiration!)

I decided to just photograph things around the house that I’ve caught myself thinking lately that they are pretty. Or they just create such happy moments. I know they are just things, but sometimes those things make you feel at home, or feel cozy and secure. They are fleeting and will change but each beautiful to me anyway.

Trio of bartlett pears. Fresh from the grocery store this morning.

Pretty pillows on the couch. I love all of these bright colors and I will have bright colors year round. I’m not someone who will ever switch out colors for the seasons. Well, the only exception might be Christmas. The red rectangle pillow I got from Room Service Vintage, the crocheted pillows from Fabricadbra last year on sale, and the yellow chevron pillows I made. So they were all special to me, because I’ve collected them over the last year.

My Le Creuset Carribean Blue Dutch oven full of chicken stock in progress. It is the nicest kitchen item we own. My parent’s gave it to me for Christmas last year along with the matching tea pot. Fall wouldn’t be fall in our house without the dutch oven and teapot. They add so much color and fun to my small, dark kitchen.

My vintage, soft wedding ring quilt. It’s still hot here in Austin, so instead of my regular blanket that’s much heavier on the bed I’ve been using this tattered, light weight, vintage wedding ring quilt. I bought it for FIVE DOLLARS (holy cow!) last year at the City Wide Garage Sale. Brendan’s not a huge fan of it (because it’s kinda falling apart) but I love it. It’s so soft, worn, and colorful.

Hope you enjoyed these happy moments around my house!

What’s made you smile in your house lately?

While I’ve been decorating our living room and getting rid of or repurposing the remnants from college days, here sits this one corner. I showed you the corner where the vintage record player lives and you’ve seen the Lane chest. The in the spot between these two, is this…

Blah.

 Not so great, right? There’s nothing I can do about the TV for now and I don’t really mind the credenza as far as the lines and shapes go. The lack of art on the wall won’t take much. And, since I’m on a TIGHT budget the credenza needs a major face lift. I can’t afford to buy something else right now, so I’m thinking paint! Here’s some inspiration that I have:

I love this grey and yellow CB2 Credenza. I could paint my piece grey and then paint the hardware yellow. This would save me from buying new hardware.

This before and after from Design*Sponge is pretty awesome too. I love the color palette and asymetry, but I think it might be too busy for my space? Maybe?

This before and after from Visual Vocabulary is really awesome. I love the gold detail and the wallpapered back. The lines are very similiar to my piece, but this one is a little too shabby chic for me. Maybe grey or white with gold accents? I could see that. (via Centsational Girl)

Here’s another option from a Design*Sponge Before and After that I’m strongly leaning toward. I could probably swing that hand painted ikat pattern but I don’t trust my patience. I’m thinking maybe navy and then on the inset portions possibly a wallpaper or rad fabric? Hmm, but then I’ll have to decide on a wallpaper or fabric.

Here’s a plain ole ugly dresser from The Show and Tell Blog that was given fresh coat of white paint. It’s really awesome now. I’m wondering if just a coat or two of white paint will work for mine? Hmm… (via Pinterest)

And lastly, this great blue and white credenza from Centsational Girl. It’s really beautiful and I love the detailing she did on top. Which would be fun on my piece, but it gets so much use with our TV that I’m not sure it would work. I do love this blue.

Alright, so what do you think I should do? I’m a bit lost. This needs to change soon, though. I’m tired of looking at it. Unfortunately, we’re not in a place to do anything about the ugly TV but I think just changing up the credenza will help a ton.

What do you think?

Recently, I was finally able to put into words what’s going on in my house in terms of design. First, let me give you some back story. I went straight from my parent’s house into the college dorms, took a little detour from college for about a year and decided that having no money was not fun, moved out to Lubbock, Texas for school, graduated my undergrad and then dove straight into grad school. Over all of that time, I’ve had 12 roommates! So, moving on, needless to say my house has always been a mesh-mash of family hand me downs, Craigslist finds, and roommate leftovers.

I’ve realized that even though I’m still thrifty like I was during college, my style shouldn’t look like I’m still IN college.

This all leads me to this one little corner in my house that I finally took a nice long look at and decided I HATED it! Well, except for that sweet little dog that makes her way into most photos! Hi, Jackie-O! That bulky black stand up fan was awesome when my parents got it from Wal-Mart seven years ago. Too bulky and I’m not digging the black…at all. The lamp shelf thing I bought off a friend for $10 when she was about to move. I hated dusting it and it was always filled with random knick knacks that felt forced. Also, the black metal doesn’t go with my house.

So, into the garage sale they went! Yay!

Then the corner sat empty for about two months. I went back and forth on what to do with it and here’s what we’ve got now…

Ah…much better. I found this lovely little record player at the same Goodwill where I bought my Lane cedar chest. They have an auction every week and this was one of the items. It’s a Webcor Musicale. I told myself I wouldn’t pay more than $50, because it still needs some work (possibly just a tune up).

How the auction works is that the items are on display for the week and there’s a note book you can write your bid in (kinda like a silent auction). Then on Saturday at 4 o’clock they begin the auction. The record player was already at $50 in the book when I got there and I almost left. But, instead I decided to hang around and just see how the auction went. Everything was going for only 1 buck over the price in the book. It was madness to me! Only a dollar over!? So, I figured I’ll bid $51 and just see if I get the piece. Sure enough, the record player came up and no one bid on it so I threw my hand in the air for $51! Once, twice, sold and it was mine!

I knew it would fit perfectly in this space and it totally does!

Here’s the breakdown of everything else in the photo.

The beautiful orchid was a completely unexpected gift to me from a friend recently. It’s so beautiful.

 I placed it on this lovely Taylorstone Moderne saucer that came with a set of four for $4 at an estate sale. Here’s an Etsy posting with the same saucers: Taylorstone Moderne – 8 Saucers

The glow on the orchid pot is from this little brass candle holder I got this weekend at an estate sale for only $2! I love the light that comes through the little clover cutouts.

This paint by number is exactly what I wanted for this space. I’m not in love with the frame and so I might paint it eventually or do an awesome antique silver leaf. I got this PBN on my trip to Chicago at Edgewater Antique Mall. The price was $28 and it was 20% percent off, so with tax I think I paid about $25ish.

Price breakdown:

Vintage record player- $55 (w/ tax)

Orchid: Free

Brass candle holder: $2

Vintage Daher tin: $6

Vintage saucer: $1

Horse Paint by Number: $25

Total: $89!!!

Have you been to any Goodwill auctions? Do you have a small before and after you’ve done recently? We’d love to see it! Just put your link in the comments below!

I linked up over at Her Library Adventures and Apron Thrift Girl.

On a recent trip home from work, I decided to stop in at my local Goodwill. It’s literally right down the street and within walking distance. I stop in there often to just see what they have. I usually walk out empty handed or with thoughts running through my head about furniture I just saw (i.e. I wonder what that would look like blue or how could I make that piece work).

Well my last trip started to seem like it would be no different. I walked the aisles of furniture and decided I would take another quick look back through.

Here’s how the conversation I had with myself went on my second trip back down the aisles:

“Wait, what’s that? No way, is that…is that a Cedar Chest? Hmm..

(pulls out said chest) Okay, the outside’s not too bad. Hmm, what about the inside?

“Oh my god! Oh my god! It’s a Lane! Okay, calm down. I’m sure it’s too expensive.

What?! $60?! Oh, I’m taking this.”

For the next ten minutes, I pulled it out, opened it up, turned it over, and just stood there trying to calm myself down to having rational thoughts. After quickly deciding it was for sure coming home with me, I didn’t move from that spot. I just waited for a Goodwill employee to walk by, and he did. He had to go get a cart for me to tote it out. At the register the cashier asked what it was so that she could type it into the computer. The guy helping me said “Um, a box” I thought, “if you only knew buddy.”

Okay, I’ll admit. My freakout over this cedar chest was a little nuts. But living in Austin and seeing what they go for, is what informed my decision to grab it up. I knew it wasn’t going to last long once it was displayed better.

Once I got it home, and the fella and I examined it a little bit closer. I realized, sadly, that the bottom had to come off. We just took out the screws and the ones that were too deep we had to break off the wood to get to them. As you can see, the damage was pretty bad on the base. It was broken, some worm holes, and quite a bit of water damage. Not to mention a lot of the veneer had started to come off. If I could have saved the base, I would have. Because removing it significantly decreases the value of the piece. That’s okay with me though. I’m not planning on re-selling it anytime soon.

After a quick clean up with diluted white vinegar, liquid detergent, and then a polish with beeswax, it looks so lovely in its new home. I’m on the hunt now for new legs.

After doing some research, I discovered that my chest was manufactured on May 16, 1950. That meant that the day after I bought it, it turned 61 years old. Such an awesome discovery.

Also, I left the original marketing stapled to the inside. How awesome is that typography?

Do you have any treasures that made you freak out upon discovery? Please tell me that you do, because I’d really like to not be the only crazy out there! Also, if you know where to buy some cool legs for this chest send them my way. I’m considering these after I saw them on Retro Renovation.

I linked up over at Her Library Adventures: Flea Market Finds and Apron Thrift Girl: Thrift Share Mondays