It's the weekend y'all, and although I am working with the Lil One for a few hours tonight, I'm very excited to have one of the roughest weeks behind me. I can't help but sing in my little mind:
"The sun will come out, tomorrow,
bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow,
there'll be sun"
... thank you little Orphan Annie for sharing your positive outlook on life,
on even your crappy life under Miss Hannigan's rule.
{Mama+Papa B always let me watch this movie at their house}
So, I woke up with the sunshine and gave myself a mani/pedi, in my favorite O.P.I. shade {holy pink pagoda} which can mean only one thing: It's Going To Be A Great Day! So then, after some Craigslist perusin from last night, I had found the name of a nearby antique village {heavenly sound} and decided to give them a call to see if they were truly there and open for business. Sure enough just 5 miles from my house is the Bayard Antique Village. I always enjoy chatting with the shop owners, and found that this village is truly an antique village. It was built here in 1910 to house railroad workers, and later in 1967 became an antique village. Each of the 12 cottages are approximately 400 square feet of pure adorable-ness. They are all painted different colors, and each houses a variety of memorabilia.  |
| 1910 Railroad Cottages |
My adventure began while I pulled up to the village. I was on the phone with Momma just chatting away, while I see this black cat, acting a little {ok - a LOT} crazed. From my seat in the car, his rear-end had appeared to have been "sewn on". Now, I do love animals but I do not love cats. I think they're freakish and frankly just gross. So, I laugh and tell mom that this cat has a patch around his tail, a perfect square, that looks as if his tail had been sewn on. Well, once I got off the phone and saw the freakish cat up close, he'd just been shaved in a funny pattern and place.
Off I went to the first cottage, painted mauve, and rummaged through a few bins of vintage bottles. I am not sure yet what I'll do with them, but I know they'll look darling grouped in 3 on a shelf or with a single blossom in each, on my dining table. Bottle no.1 here says "Worcestershire Sauce" along the neck. Bottle no.2 says "The Name St. Josephs Assures Purity". And bottle no.3 says "Dr. W.B. Caldwell's Syrup Pepsin - and on the side "Monticello, Illinois". Scored all 3 bottles for $6! I continued my saunter down the cottage rose, marveling at how nice and not-humid it is on nearly the first day of May. I don't want to jinx the weather but I'm sure enjoying this. As the heat blanket will come soon enough, this little village is surely a "cooler day" visit! Don't you know that homes built in 1910 are NOT air conditioned ;)
My eye lands next on a darlin little cottage, painted the turquoise of the Bahama waters with a yellow door {my dear friend "Legs" would certainly have squealed over this one}. Outside sits a lady who can't be more than mid-30s and is working happily on a couple small mirrors. I introduce myself on the way into her cottage {more people should antique, it's quite the way to make friends and use your manners} and find myself in 400 sq feet of adorable shabby chic furniture and accessories. Reminds me of a shop I love on the beaches here, but at a fraction of their cost. I respect that people think very highly of their junk, but you should also price it to those who love your junk too!! Then, what was before me, but a coffee table, modern in build, but with the look of an older piece. And Holly had shabby'd the top with a dry-brush white stain, leaving the bottom wood piece and cast iron legs, in their purest form. While visions of the industrial coffee table danced in my head, I dared to check the price tag. $70. $70!!! What?! Okay, well the story goes like this: Holly is out of work, but her husband has a good job. She re-did their bedroom and found her love of painting furniture. She's been to the beach cottage shops. And wants to re-sell furniture like theirs that people {moi} can afford. This is her 3rd weekend in the Village shops and rents her cottage for a measly $165/mo.
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| Here She Is - In the Shop |
I literally studied and stared at the table, knowing full well that it met my "criteria" for the look I'd wanted with a more industrial coffee table. {A few posts back, see "vintage industrial cart"}. Here it was, the look I wanted, and I knew that my project would have set me back far more than $70, plus I was able to take this baby home right away. {thank you, Instant Gratification} Well, I ran to the nearest ATM, came back, and had talked her down to $60. We crammed that coffee table into my backseat and I was off. Thanks Holly!!
And thanks to the two large men who happened to be loading up a UHAUL van next door to me, I kindly asked them to get it from the car and deposit it on my doorstep, that I could drag it inside from there.
Voila!
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| Photo on Cellphone - Better Pic to Come |
Now that is a meant-to-be story! {normally I'd drive around with a piece of furniture in my car until Handsome Man could bring it upstairs, but he is extremely unavailable these days with finals looming}
Well, it's time for me to work on some more Cinco de Mayo stuff and then off to work / take LilOne to their neighborhood luau. Be thoughtful and leave a basket of flowers on a doorstep for a neighbor or friend tomorrow, as is tradition on May Day!
xoxo
B
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