our mint julep jaunt recap

My favorite hobby in the world is not redecorating...even though Mr. B would care to argue otherwise. Actually my favorite hobby is something I inherited from my father. I love making new friends. I think getting to meet new people and making new friendships makes this world a tad more interesting, fun, and joyous.

So with that being said, I proposed to Gail from My Repurposed Life a while back the idea of doing our own blog get together that would involve shopping at some Southern Indiana thrift stores & some Louisville local boutiques. Being that Gail & I had first met at a blog get together that Sarah from Thrifty Decor Chick and Beckie from Infarrantly Creative fabulously put together...I thought we should give it a whirl.

After lots of brainstorming, discussing, and planning...we pulled off The Mint Julep Jaunt this past Saturday. And it was WONDERFUL!! Not even having surgery the Tuesday before could keep me from it. I was a tad exhausted & sore come 4 pm that day...but I was relishing in the delight of all the friends, new and old, that we got a chance to meet.

Here is our little video to start our day off:

Now for all the lovely pics {thank you to Missy from My Cottage Charm for letting me incorporate a few of hers into my post. I never realized how heavy my camera can be}:

First off, I have to personally thank my sister, Jessica, for being there for me. Since I couldn't lift anything..it was wonderful to have her there by my side. Here she is handing out water, juice, and doughnuts to our bloggers as her and Hollie from I'm Busy Procrastinating

The sweet Donna examining her choices of which delight to purchase.

I had to get a picture of my "Blog Momma"/Gail in her element -- thrifting.

Since we spent 2 hours at Peddlers due to its gigantic size, at 10:30am, a group of us took a side jaunt to the new Homegoods. Here Joi from Nuestra Vida Dulce and Miranda from Just Drink a Coke  indulge in their weakness...pillows.

 

At Goodwill it was all deals & giggles for Katrina & Terri from Creative Eyedias

And one of the inspiring ladies whom I am ever grateful for introducing me to Gail,

Miss Beckie from Infarrantly Creative was all smiles

Let's be honest...it is so wonderful to share in a good find

with others who think and shop just like you.

At Salvation Army Elaine from Honeysuckle Hollow and Carmel from Our Fifth House listen

intently as they announce the winner of the $10 gift certificate.

Let's be honest...we all listened intently for our name to be called.

And even if we didn't win...we were still shopping and scooping up
baubles as Miranda & Joi are here. Love that smile Joi.

As I took this picture...all the girls either pushed back or looked away. But look at all the treasures from Gorilla Glue! We had so much free stuff to give away that I saw many of the restuarant patrons eyeing all our goodies. In fact, there was no need for dessert because SWAG was everywhere for each of our guests.

Look how much fun everyone is having...I love Shannon's sweet smile from Quarry Orchard.

Hmmm...I must be talking in this one. Love how bloggers instantly connect.

 Here we see the divine Missy from My Cottage Charm and the

 delightful Mallie who brought more goodies from Deco Art Paints for our guests.

Here is one pic that I love. I love that my sister is in this one. Once again...she helped me out so much. And...Miss Joi. After 7 years {give or take}..we FINALLY got to meet. Yep, we knew each other back in our knottie and nestie days. Anyone remember that? We go that far back..pre-blog days.

After a yummy lunch, we headed over to Regalo which is the #1 gift shoppe in Louisville. JD {one of the owners} gave a $25 gift card away to one of our lucky girls and gave each shopper a 10% discount.

Both Regalo and Red Tree {the local boutiques} are personal favorites of mine and so I was thrilled that they were just as excited as I was to host our little jaunt. Truth be told, I have had my eye on a dining table & lighting fixtures from Red Tree that I am constantly swooning over. It is just a matter of time Jennie {one of the owners} till I own them!

Anywho it was blissful to have a few of my favorite boutiques treat our little group with such southern hospitality and generosity. You must make a point to visit their shoppes if ever in Louisville.

The lovelies: Donna, Mallie, Peggy from Pig Logs & 'tater berries , Jennifer, Elisha, Missy, Terri, Beckie, Cathy

Hollie, Joi, Carmel

Shannon, Gail, MeganDVD, Miranda, Elaine

{my sister would not join us...argh}

It was a fabulous day! Thank you Peddlers, Salvation Army, & Regalo for the fabulous gift certificates. It made the day even more special. And a thank you to fellow blogger Miss Sarah from Three Boys for her goodie too. You must come next time.


For more details and winners of all the free stuff,
please check out Gail @ My Repurposed Life for her take on our little adventure.

Hopefully I can talk my "Blog Momma" into another soon...and more

 importantly, I hope you will be able to come too.

Cheers~

e

mr. b meets stabler

I have been on the hunt for a desk chair for quite some time now to create a study space for myself in the great room. In fact, I came across the above pic from --- wait for it........Pottery Barn, and knew this would be perfect. But at $399 for a chair without even arm rests, I knew I would just have to file the image away for a bit.

Last week my dad came over on Sunday to take me {and Thurgood} out for ice cream, house hunting, and then to drop some clothes of my mother's off at Goodwill. Well as we drove up to the drop off...I spotted him.

He was outside on the lawn with an Edward-like sparkle in the sunshine.

The tag was such a tease that I had to have my dad stop the van so I could get out and see for myself.

The chair was in great condition. Trust me...I gave this chair a test drive. The only flaw I could find was quite fixable and even liveable with...that is until I have the free time to attend to the cosmetic surgery.

I call him Stabler...yes, as in Elliot Stable from Law & Order SVU. The chair reminds me of their office furiture from the show. Plus my sister and I both have a tv crush on Detective Stabler.

Hehe....he is too cute. :)

Which is why it is so funny that Stabler is no longer in my garage or even at my study nook. Stabler is  currently at my husband's desk. Apparently Mr. B prefers Stabler in the man cave. Hehe...my tv crush and sweet hubby finally get to meet.

Cheers~

e

road to the final tchotchke winners

U of L hospital has me as busy as ever & exhuasted beyond words, but I had to post my winners of my tchotchkes from the little blog party. I LOVED this party and I only hope enough of you loved it to do it again in the future. FYI...Winners were selected using a random number generator. OK...here we go:

Winner: #9 - Kathy Janicki www.sassystamper.blogspot.com said...

I love, love, LOVE these! They would look perfect in my bedroom on the wall that I keep looking at & wondering if I'll ever find the perfect 'something' to put there.

Winner: #2 Susie Q said...

I'm not going to ask either, but I really like that. Been redoing our family room with a beachy theme so this would be perfect!

I look forward to getting emails from you ladies and we can go from there.

Congrats aggin!!! I hope everyone enjoyed this little party...who doesn't enjoy free stuff?

Cheers~
e

a tchotchke in honor of the nester

Well..amid the chaos of my little one getting sick again...I was completely delighted to see that the nester actually tweeted about our little blog hop/shop/swap. Talk about the BEST advertising and making me beam all at once.

 

So in honor of that thrilling "shout out," I decided to give one of my tassels away. I started making these about 3 years ago after seeing a lady at my church make them for a local decorator/home stager as her trademark when showing homes for clients.

So this is my little dainty in honor of the nester. It is an oldie but a goodie with cream and green..oh and my trademark/brand...a droplet of twinkle. I will pay for shipping..

Any takers? {please be a follower}

Cheers~
e

road to the last tchotchke

We all have items we have that we don't need.

In fact, I am sure you can walk into your garage or open any clost and find something that you could live without. Well...wouldn't it be fabulous to give that item to someone who would treasure it in the light of its true nature?

I know lots of people in the blog world are having "yard sales" of sorts, but I thought it would be even more special to have a yard sale of FREE stuff. Yes...free.

Also, I want to include as many people as possible in this little adventure. Sure I have lots of stuff, but I am sure you do too. What if we could have a place to showcase all our baubles and treasures in hopes of finding new homes for them?  Hence....

So...what is this and how do you do it?

This little hop is all about bringing bloggers and their love for shopping together in a massive swap of tchotchkes. In my thoughts..I would rather give those candlesticks that don't work in my home to someone who would cherish and love them. Hence the thought of the gift will flourish with its new owner and give us bloggers one more element to bring us closer together.

First thing is first..find your item. Please only pick a home decor item {if this is popular maybe we can have future ones all about shoes, toys, clothing, or accessories}. 

Then take a picture of the item you wish to give away for free and create a post all about the item. In your post please indicate any pertinant measurements, colors, or specifics of the item. Your post also needs to address shipping issues {will you cover shipping, will the receiver cover shipping and if so...how much and how will they pay}. Lastly your post might want to address how you will "pick" the receiver if there are more than one interested. {I plan on doing a random generator.}

Once you have your post and all the nitty gritty worked out, link up to the blog hop with the picture of the item you are wanting to give away for free. Please limit one link per item. You can give away more...but for each item, please link & post it separately.

The hop will be open for a week so there is plenty of time to shop your house to give something away and time to shop the hop. Then on Tuesday, March 29th...run your generator or pick your winner. Please wait till that date so anyone and everyone has a chance to link and then shop.

You do not have to link up to shop...just have fun and who knows...your gift might make its way into a new friend's hand. In my opinion...this is a delightful way to get rid of clutter as well as meet/make new friends.

Cheers~

e

PS Please get the word out...the more we have participate, the more treasures we have to choose from. :)

another tchotchke

I have had this for 4 years and it is time to say goodbye. These "shell on a stick" has been on my husband's bedside table the entire time and twice...it has almost knocked him out when we rolled out of bed. Don't ask, but anywho...Mr. B would like me to give this away. So consider this a gift from Mr. B to you. Hahaha...

 

The entire piece is 12" x 5'...and it is heavy. Mr. B says he will pay for shipping if someone gently removes this from my tchotchke collection. {May I suggest I throw in some sake stuff too?} Haha...I kid.

Any takers?

Cheers~
e

my tchotchke



 So here is my tchotchke that I am hoping to find the most perfect home for. The panels come as a pair and are 20" x 8" each. The colors are pretty close to the picture so if you heart the chocolate and blue look...this pair will bring you much delight.

I will pay for shipping as long as I know they will be loved. Please promise me that this will become your treasure. I am wanting to give these panels to someone who will find happiness in their display. I received these as a gift and would love to give it to someone who cherishes them as much as I did.

If you are interested...please comment on this post and if you are not a follower..please follow.

On Tuesday, March 29, I will run a random generator of all those interested {if more than one} and post who the panels go to. Please make sure your email is in the comment {just in case}.

I hope someone out there will give these 2 the perfect home. :)

Cheers~

e

PS For more cute loot...come shop here.

my goldilocks moment

This is how my little entryway has looked for +5 years. Simple and cute with one of my favorite pictures ever.

As you can see..it is what it is. Well it has come to my attention that my son and husband need a drop zone when they come home. From shoes to gloves to ipods to headphones to plastic snakes...I need something to collect stuff.

To me, this space needed something, but I was too chicken to try anything. It was easier to let it just be what it is rather than expand on any possibilities. But..in the end, I still needed something for the men in my life and their stuff.

And then one day at the Goodwill, and I saw this beauty. Lucky for me, my Goodwill is a cast off for Target goodies.

What is regularly about $72 {it is on sale now for $55}. I got for $25 AND it came assembled. No nicks, dents or scratches. How did I come across such a find? I must have been basking in the luck of my Elvis find.

I didn't even measure it. I was going to make it work. {Well I did kinda use my child as a height marker...you do what you need to do when you are in the midst of the hunt.}

And so I decided I needed to organize the little bookcase before it took over for "organizing my guys." So I added my Target receipt box {I highly recommend this to all loyal Target shoppers...saves your wallet & purse}and a basket to catch all -- but, it was too big.

I tried 3 baskets thinking I could use this drop zone too, but the edges stuck out..and that irked me.

 

So I tried 3 more baskets, but they were too small.  Look how tiny they are. What was I thinking?

 

Then I snagged 2 baskets I already had...and look...just right. I am thrilled with the results. This little station  makes my mornings when Thurgood & I are dashing out the door easy to get all his stuff ready for the day. And thanks to my little Target receipt box, I took all those other baskets back and relished in taking a risk that paid off. Happy take a Risk Day.

Cheers~

e

PS Interested in a little decluttering? How about a little shopping? How about where everything is free? Come to the blog hop/shop/swap.

Also check out my FREE nester inspired tchotchke. :)

my new beau that I picked up off the street

Have you ever thought to yourself... how do all these people find something fabulous at Goodwill...on Craigslist...at yard sales, but I have yet to find anything? Welcome to my little world. I am so envious of all those giddy finds you read about that I was a little down in the dumps that I could never come across something just as spectacular.

And then Friday came....and for a moment, everything clicked.

 What would you do if you came across this?

And when I mean come across..I mean drive by, see it on the curb by trash cans, put the van in reverse, then get out to take pics for your blog, and then shove it in the van to get it in the garage before you wake from the lovely dream.

There he is...waiting for me and yes, he was FREE! {Why a he you ask? Because he is king size}

Fortunately, the brother of the man throwing it away said I could take it home {like that would have stopped me} and graciously helped me figure out the geometric complexities of fitting it into my Dad's van.

I just had to share my fabulous find...any suggestions on what to do with him? I need your help. My mind is spinning. Keep him as is or maybe reupholster him in a ivory velvet? I think the sheer fact of finding hin is still sinking in.

Cheers~

e

for the love of thrifting

Working 10 hours a day is rough at the hospital pharmacy, but it is worth it for that 1 day off...a complete day off that I get to go and browse my favorite stores for thrifting.

My current love is Peddlers Mall. All of these lovelies were less than $200!

I wish I had a place for this darling chair.

Imagine Floraline pottery on this piece.

Oh my...the curving detailing makes me swoon.

I can just imagine this in a high white gloss..can't you?

I might have to go back and spy these chairs out again. Yes...there were 2 (and under $30 total) and they came with a weird table, but the chairs make it all worth it.

Look at the handles!

And this piece was my favorite! I wish I had room for it. It is darling and for $150, it was oh so hard to walk away.

Ok..so which do you love? How I wish I had the extra cash, a little studio to refinish, and a place to put all these lovelies.