House of Hydrangeas

Remember this trip to the thrift store? Well I just found out what the thing that I picked up to use as a letter holder actually is.  I found this image on Better Homes and Gardens, and they informed me that it's actually a vintage toast rack.  Who knew there was such a thing?!  Anyway, it looks like BHG had the same idea as me.  Great minds... :)

My recent trip to the thrift store had me leaving with 10 items all for a total of $14.55!  Over half of the items purchased I plan to use at my sister's baby shower in October.  It was definitely a successful trip! I've decided I want Meredith's baby shower to have a shabby chic, vintage vibe.  To me, shabby chic designs are so lovely and sweet.  So even if Baby Smith turns out to be a boy, I think it will work (with a slight change in the color palette-gray, green and blue (instead of pink)).  After all, nothing is more sweet or lovely than a new baby right?  My vision is of wooden crates, bunting, lots of cake stands, flowers mercury glass, etc. Here's some of my inspiration... I'll give you the rundown of all of my finds starting with the baby shower items.  Baby shower items Glass cake stand- 2.99 Lantern- 96¢ Black wooden crate- 89¢ with 75% off= 22¢ Brown wooden crate- 1.99 with 25% off= 1.50 Cutting board- 1.39 Black metal tray-...

Do you ever look back on your style, be it fashion or design, and ask yourself "What was I thinking?  Did I really think that was cute?"  I know I do!  In honor of my 5 year anniversary from graduating college, I thought I'd take a walk down memory lane and check out my college apartment.  The good, the bad and the ugly.  This apartment, most commonly referred to as the A.P.T. by us and our friends, belonged to myself and my best friend Lauren.  Before you see the pictures, I must tell you not to judge.  We tried.  Really hard.   First stop--the living room.  The side tables, coffee table and lamps were all thrift store finds.  The tables received a coat of paint and a little distressing and the lamps were outfitted with new shades.  I found the chandelier at Kirkland's Home for $15.  This room didn't have a fan or light fixture, so we felt we needed a little something something hanging from the ceiling.  I st...

I had another successful trip to the thrift store on Tuesday.  Oh how I love that place.  I always leave with multiple "new" items for next to nothing, which means I get to shop (who doesn't love to shop?) and not feel guilty about spending a ton of money.  It's a win-win situation.  I love making Jon play "name that price" with my newly purchased items.  He always guesses WAY over what I actually spent, and I just grin ear to ear as I tell him how much it really cost.  What can I say?  I'm a girl who loves a good deal.  But I digress...Here's the breakdown of what I got on my last trip: Hardback book-$1.98 Rattan storage box-$.79 Brass candlestick x3 -$.79 each Glass vase-$.89 Glass decanter-$1.99 Rattan tobacco sifting basket x 2-$.99 each Rattan basket-$1.59 Wooden lamp x 2-$14.96 each Tax-$3.42 Total: $44.43 Now for the items and their intended purposes... A beautiful hardback coffee table book.  Perfect for my history loving hubby. ...