And the Winner Is . . .

No, I'm not announcing the winner of some super giveaway because, well, my blog's just not that popular yet (however, see below if you're interested in a giveaway). 

I'm actually announcing something much more exciting (well, to me anyway) - the paint color that will go in most of my house. Okay, so it was never really a competition, but it kind of felt that way. 

So, without further ado . . . the color will be: 


Wheeling Neutral by Benjamin Moore.

Sorry, this photo is not great. I tried to download a swatch off the Benjamin Moore website but it didn't work. So, this is the sample I painted on poster board. 

Special thanks to Marianne of Haven and Home for suggesting the color!

Honestly, after a while all the paint started to look alike . . .

And, after 11 samples, I was a bit bleary-eyed . . .

But, after all was said and done (and painted), Wheeling Neutral emerged as the favorite for its lack of pink or yellow undertones. If anything, it might have a hint of green but overall it's a clean, crisp neutral that I believe I can live with for years to come.

Armando (my favorite painter) is booked for Monday, and I can't wait. Don't you just love saying "Armando"? It makes me think of some hunky guy from a Telemundo soap opera. Trust me, he's not.

In other news (that I hinted at above), there are a couple of great giveaways I've run across on other blogs in the past couple of days.

Julie over at Monkey Grass Hill is offering a fabulous jewelry giveaway. The best part - she makes this jewelry herself, and it is beautiful! Very vintage-inspired and unique. I love it. 

Plus, while you're over there, check out her blog as she shares before and afters from her home and muses over whether or not she has too much zebra stuff (something we all can relate to). She's very unpretentious and down-to-earth - my kind of girl.

And the second giveaway is a great Gold Sunburst Mirror (who wouldn't love one of these?) from From the Right Bank.

Ally of From the Right Bank has clocked some serious travel time (she seems to be almost as well-traveled as my father), and has recently hosted a spate of guest bloggers as she has been in India - poor dear. Her blog is very entertaining, check it out here.

That's all for now. I'll keep you updated on how Armando's doing next week!

Finds

I just couldn't take it. I had to go back and grab one of the treasures I left at the antique mall last Thursday. Some of you may remember the brass peacock?

He has a new home . . . 

I'm not sure where he'll end up, but for now he's happy. I'm happy too because he was 25% off! 

While I was there I also got these hobnail candlestick holders for 50% off.

Over the weekend, I went to a Designer Tag Sale at the Sohr residence that I read about on Kayce Hughes blog. I didn't get much (lots of stuff had big SOLD signs already attached), but did manage to grab a white porcelain lamp (like I don't have enough), a vintage gold handbag with bamboo closure and a brand new make-up bag - all for about $35. The Sohrs have amazing style (their homes have been featured in Domino, Better Homes & Gardens and more recently Cookie), and they could not have been nicer or more accommodating as people ransacked their home trying to snag their stylish goods. 

Here are my finds from their house:

And lastly, if you live in the Atlanta area (or know of someone who does), there's a great trunk show coming your way that you should check out.

I know Elizabeth Trabue of Trabeautiful Designs from our stint teaching Sunday School together (well, I'm not sure we actually taught the 3-year-olds in our care much - it was more like herding cats). She's extremely talented and her stationery is so elegant, I highly suggest you get some. I met her friend Carol Fails of All Strung Out Designs at one of their Nashville trunk shows. Last fall, I purchased one of the coolest bracelets I've ever owned from ASOD as an early Christmas present. Carol lets you choose from an assortment of vintage pins she's acquired and then attaches it to a horn cuff for a one-of-a-kind piece. Very chic.

I get so many compliments on this bracelet. It's one of my favorite pieces of jewelry and seems to go with most anything. If you can't make it to the trunk show, check out her website for some beautiful pieces and let me know which is your favorite.

Treasure Trove

Today was just your typical Thursday. I put my daughter on the school bus, dropped my son off at preschool, then headed out to run some errands when a glorious thought popped into my head . . . I don't have anything that has to get done today. Most my big items had been checked off my to-do list yesterday. I only had one appointment at 1 p.m.


So, what did I do with my free time? What I always do when I have a couple of hours to myself - I shopped, but specifically I went poking around a thrift store, consignment shop and antique mall. Oh yes, it was heaven for me.


My first stop: The Habitat for Humanity store.

This greeted me when I walked in the door. I wasn't sure if I liked it or not at first, but it grew on me as I walked around. Yes, it's blue and it's laminate. But, it's also really cool. It was marked down to about $95. The color is actually darker than the peacock blue it appears to be in the photo.

This sofa may not look that spectacular but the nubby creamy upholstery was attractive and in good condition. The pillows even felt like down. And I love the clean lines. The best part . . . it was $55 (unless it was a misprint, which I don't think it was)! If I had a place to put this I would have taken it home. Throw some fun pillows on it and you're done.

This was a nice side table made by Drexel Heritage. Too big for me or any of my needs, but a nice-looking piece. Would look great painted or as is. And for $37, it was a very good deal.

And a couple of simple side/accent tables that would look great with or without a coat of paint.

I love the shape of this china cabinet from Drexel Heritage. The finish wasn't that appealing, but I think this would look fabulous painted black to make the brass hardware really pop. Then I would paint the inside of the shelves a contrasting color. My favorite part was the shape of the metal grate on the glass doors:

Once again, I don't have the room for this, and at $700+ it was a little pricey for me.

Next stop: Estelle's Consignment Shop.

Loved this Jenny Lind bed. One day, my daughter would like to have a double bed (as opposed to her current twin beds). So, I'm always on the lookout. Painted white or a fun color, I think this bed's shape would really shine, but the natural wood was beautiful as well.

I've been seeing a lot of rattan lately, and this was a really good-looking set. I could totally picture it on my screened-in porch. I would paint it navy or possibly a peacock blue, change the smoky glass to clear and the cushions to something crisp maybe a stripe. Although, it has brass casters. Can you put this on a screened porch where it could be exposed to the elements? However, for the price, I would give it a try - it's $249 for the table and chairs. Great deal!

And this table is $150. I love the finish and the shape. More food for thought.

Final stop: the Downtown Antique Mall - which I had never stepped foot in before today. Didn't even know it existed. Glad I found it. All kinds of cool stuff . . . 

Looks inviting, right? I walked in, and it was totally deserted. At first, I was a little creeped out. I couldn't even find anybody working there, but the doors were wide open. I could have robbed them blind, but I'm an honest person most of the time. I forged on and here are some of my finds . . . 

Very unique glass bamboo lamp - no price.

These French posters have been around a while but I've never seen one with a peacock. Love the colors. The clowns to the right frightened me.

A pair of yellow wrought iron chairs for $85. Very cute. These could go on my porch too.

Gotta love a bentwood chair. 

About this time, my camera battery died so the rest of these photos are with my iPhone, so the quality is not great. Sorry.

Industrial cart. Don't know why, just liked it.

Spied a bunch of cool lamps . . .

Okay, so this is peach, but according to Jenny from My Favorite and My Best, peach is the "it" color now.  I'm digging the brass Greek key detail at the bottom, and the delicate flowers are so pretty.

It's hard to tell from this photo, but the colors in this artwork are really striking. And the scale is impressive.

Lots of brass accents. I'm starting to feel like Kelly Wearstler. Well, not exactly.

 I like this little fella. Not sure if he's a peacock or what. But he's got style. And according to the neon sticky note, he's only $35.

Nautilus shells. Just because.

A brass garden seat. Very cool.

But the one that went home with me . . .

was this little table/umbrella stand (you can flip it over). I'm pretty sure I'm just going to use it as a table and not an umbrella stand. The hardware, shape and nailheads sold me. And for $20, I was all over it. Although I need to find out how to clean up rusty nailheads. Any ideas? Or maybe I should just leave em rusty?

So, what do you think? Any treasures in the bunch?