Improvising

Happy Holidays! I can hardly believe that it is almost Christmas and that our new baby is over 6 weeks old now! We finally got a Christmas tree on Saturday (December 20). The bonus to waiting until the holiday is almost over to buy a tree? Half off! There were five trees from which to choose and I would say it turned out pretty good for a last minute discount tree! I would have been happy with a Charlie Brown tree, but instead we got a decent good smelling fraser fir.

 

We bought the tree on Saturday, got the lights up Monday evening, and I think I will forgo any additional decorating. The smell and the lights are the two best parts of the tree, right?

So I only have two stockings. I know, I know, go get another one for our sweet baby boy. I definitely will, but for now, I improvised.

I am a holiday problem-solving guru.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

Have a chic week,

~Sarah

45% off everything at Barn Chic Boutique to celebrate Small Business Saturday!

Well, it has been some time since I had a blog post, but there is a pretty good reason; my husband and I welcomed our baby boy three weeks ago! This Thanksgiving was extra special with our new son and both our families at our house - we have much for which to be thankful!

 

The holiday season is officially underway, and that means shopping! Today is Small Business Saturday; shop small at Barn Chic Boutique! From now until Sunday, December 7, use discount code shopsmall to take an additional 45% off everything, including already marked down merchandise! This is Barn Chic's biggest sale yet, and as always, any purchase $75 and over ships free. I hope you will check it out! 

Have a chic week,

~Sarah

Almost 40 weeks! 40% off sale at the Boutique to celebrate!

Hello?! Anyone still read this blog? If you do, thank you so much! It has been several months since my last post, and there isn't a great excuse for it especially since I was on summer break until mid-August. Now that the school year is in full swing, my hands are full with teaching...and my belly is full of baby!

One month to go until the arrival of our baby boy, and that nesting instinct is in full force - but sadly my movement and abilities are not! For the first time in over a decade, I missed out on Texas Antiques Week, including Warrenton shows, Marburger Farm, and the big Pottery Barn teen furniture launch by Junk Gypsy. While I was sad to not be in the fields shopping this fall, I am excited to be preparing for our little one's arrival.

One thing I am focused on right now is selling as much of my current inventory from Barn Chic Boutique as I can. I am having a 40% off sale, so I hope you will stop by the site and check out the bags, jewelry, scarves and clothing. Though I have sold out of several styles, there is still lots of great merchandise left! Get an early start on your holiday shopping and get some gifts checked off your list!  Use discount code 40weeks and help me celebrate the nearing end of pregnancy and beginning of our journey in parenthood!

This is a photo from my maternity session (taken by my amazingly talented best friend Rachel of Rachel Wiegman Photography!) in which I am wearing my favorite Barn Chic Boutique dress. This picture was actually taken over two months ago, so you can just imagine how big I am now...

Have a chic week,

~Sarah

Redecorating A Guest Room

This summer marks our fifth year in this house, and it is time for a little redecorating in one of the two guest bedrooms. Well, it's really more of a repurposing of the room, and that means an overhaul of the decor. I already parted with an end table at my recent downsizing sale, and I will be selling the queen bed too. The other antique pieces in the room will be staying: a great chippy architectural piece on the wall, an old china cabinet, and a sweet little black side table.

Here is the first piece I purchased to go into the room:

This picture not only identifies the room's new purpose, but also explains all the downsizing going on here at Barn Chic Antiques (though when it comes to my wardrobe, there is definitely upsizing happening!)... Andrew and I are very excited to welcome our first baby in November, so it is time to turn the guest room into a baby's room. Well not quite yet - my mom and sister are here to help at the Junk Hippy show this Saturday in Round Top, so we are leaving the room as is until after their visit.

The second piece that I purchased for the baby's room is a piece of pallet art by my talented friend Julie. I got this at her store's grand opening last Friday in Dripping Springs and left you all hanging in my last post as to which pallet I picked. Here it is:

I love it! It will be perfect for the room and I can't wait to see it all come together (and, of course, welcome our baby!).

As for Barn Chic Antiques and Barn Chic Boutique, they will continue to exist but I am going to take a little break - for how long, I don't know, but I am thinking this weekend's show at Junk Hippy will be my last for awhile. I certainly don't want to hang up my junkin' hat, and while I am enjoying hunting for fun decor for the baby's room, I haven't purchased anything to sell since March. If I still have lots of inventory left after this show, then I *might* take on one more local show in the early fall... sure hope I don't need to!  

Blogging was a lot less frequent this past spring; not only was I feeling miserable and going to bed pretty much after getting home from teaching, I also didn't have much to report on the antique front! I still love blogging and plan to continue, but the topics covered may not be relevant to the world of decor and may be sporadic especially this late fall and winter. I very much appreciate my readers and hope you will continue to follow my posts!

I would love to see you this Saturday, July 19, at the [air-conditioned] Lone Star Gallery in Warrenton (well, the address is in Round Top but the building is across the street from Renck and Zapp Hall - click here for a map!). The show opens at 9am, and if you are planning to go and want free admission, I have two free tickets to give out! Just comment on this post and I will get in touch with you.

 Have a chic week,

~Sarah

Grand Opening of Vintage Soul TX in Dripping Springs

I am so excited to share pictures from the first weekend of Vintage Soul TX, the new shop opened by my friend Julie Crawford. I first saw Julie's fantastic vintage style (and trademark vintage sign) at the Junk Salvation show, but I actually met her at the Country Living Show in Austin back in May 2012. Ironically, I wrote the Junk Salvation post and showed a picture of her awesome vintage sign, but I commented that I couldn't find the vendor anywhere online to give credit. Julie then read the post and let me know it was hers, after we had met. Since then, we both have been vendors at the Rusted Gingham Barn Sales, and Julie has even shown at the Dallas Market in the Vintage Home Finds show. 

Julie is known for her custom painting and her recent shows showcase her beautiful painted pallets. Julie was painting pallets before painting pallets was hot in the world of reproduction! She also does interior design and consultation, so she is quite the decorating professional. It is only fitting that she now has a brick and mortar location to show off her great style. 

I knew I had arrived to her shop when I looked up the alley and saw this:

  

The old building is a perfect setting for her shop!

She is truly an artist with her fancy fonts and precision. 

The shop is on 300 Mercer Street (in Dripping Springs, TX), just past and behind the Gracy Title building; just as I passed the building, I looked up the alley and saw this sign and knew I was at the right place!

Upon walking inside, I spotted the trademark 'VINTAGE' sign!

She had cookies and lemonade for her grand opening, which was Thursday evening. 

Love that old map!

This was one of the window displays. 

And here is the other one. Look at that old megaphone!

What a great piece!

Julie's new store carries jewelry, clothing, bags, and plenty of decor. 

The displays are a great mix of rusted, tarnished, weathered, and tattered. 

Next to the cute dressing room is a ladder full of Miss Margo bags, with which I am now in love and eyeing for a future splurge.

Here is the shop owner herself standing in front of her new space - the limestone, weathered boards, and tin ceiling inside are the perfect backdrop in the adorable small town for Julie's great style. I hope you get to check it out in person.  Dripping Springs is on 290, about 30 minutes west of Austin, and Vintage Soul TX is open the first and third weekends of the month; you can stop by and visit Julie on your way to Wimberly Market Days (first weekend) and Fredericksburg Trade Days (third weekend).

Check back soon to see which pallet I bought! 

Have a chic week,

Sarah

My Best Sale Yet

Today I had a 'downsizing sale' to reduce the look of hoarding in my garage. After moving out of the Austin Antique Mall at the end of February, I had mall inventory and my stash of show goods all crammed into one side of my garage. It was actually pretty amazing how well everything fit on that side, but the problem is that too much little stuff sitting on the great farmhouse furniture means that no one actually sees the furniture underneath the stacks of smalls sitting on top!

My mom, who painstakingly helps me wrap and pack the hundreds of smalls that don't sell at shows, recommended that I have a sale to pare down to my favorite Barn Chic farmhouse pieces for the next Junk Hippy sale. Smalls are interesting; they paid the rent at the antique mall, but they require way more time at shows (and haven't been as great of sellers as clothing and mid-sized items). If you are a vendor, you know what I mean - all those breakables that don't sell have to be wrapped, packed, and stored safely. (And you have to remember to actually put those crates of smalls in your trailer before you drive four hours home to realize you left one at the show...)

Selling ball jars and skeleton keys paid the rent for my mall booth. 

There was no better time than the first full week of summer for this teacher to tackle this sale. I spent a few hours one morning assessing the inventory, and afterward I thought to myself, "I really don't have that much!" Most of Wednesday was spent arranging and pricing what I wanted to sell, and I don't know who I was kidding when thinking there wasn't much.

This is one half of the garage. 

How all that fit neatly on one half of the garage is beyond me. And thinking about putting it all back away after taking it all out for the sale was overwhelming. But I am excited to say that mass amounts of these great goods are now in the hands of awesome vendors, creators, and lovers of junk all over the Austin area, so I won't have nearly as large of a task to put it away. Huge thank you to those who came out to shop the sale, and I will spotlight these great vendors, bloggers, and creators who now have a piece of Barn Chic in their inventory in a coming post. 

I tallied how many people came through the garage and it was less than 20. That sounds like it wasn't a good sale, especially considering that I have done shows with over 4,000 people through the doors...so can you believe that this sale with 18 people amounted in the greatest sales ever for Barn Chic Antiques? And zero overhead. I am one happy junker. 

After.

Have a chic week(end),

~Sarah    

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Window Shopping

Nothing like a little window shopping for inspiration...or sheer excitement when you see a few pieces in the cute window display that were purchased from your antique booth! Last spring, I wrote about literally running into several items that were bought in my booth at an adorable boutique-style store carrying cute women's clothing and accessories. The store, Altar'd State, is expanding rapidly among the southeast, and if you have ever been to one, you know why - this store has mastered the art of preserving vintage style through (new) clothing and decor.

Their window displays always get my attention, and this month's arrangement is no exception. It was when I stopped to fully admire the scene that I noticed the luggage purchased from Barn Chic Antiques last spring. I love their creative use of vintage props to stage a vignette that tells a story.

This scene says, "Road Trip!"

The first road trip on my summer agenda is to venture south about an hour to pick up a crate that I left at the Petticoats on the Prairie show. Luckily, a sweet fellow vendor was back in the Ballinger area and helped me retrieve it...so I hope to meet her soon and start getting ready for the Junk Hippy Round Top/Warrenton show on July 19. 

Where are you headed this summer? Hope you can plan a trip to Round Top on July 19! Safe travels to all those summer shows!

Have a chic week,

~Sarah

Countdown to Summer

So I've been a bad blogger this spring...it has been quite some time since my last post, but I am hoping to get back to writing more now that the school year is winding down. Not only have things with school been hectic, but I also haven't had much news to share on the antique front since I am no longer in the antique mall and don't do regular shows. It is amazing how much of my weekends were dedicated to shopping for the booth and restocking it until I moved out the last day of February. There are certainly times that I miss it, but I have to admit the extra time is awesome (and so are the lower credit card bills!). The extra time did not result in more blog posts though!

With summer coming and more time on my hands, I imagine there will be some shopping excursions in my near future. My next show will be at Junk Hippy in Round Top/Warrenton on July 19; I hope this Junk Hippy show is as great as the one in Rosenberg was back in February! If you have any other show recommendations within an hour or two of Austin, please let me know!

I have some great new inventory at Barn Chic Boutique, including plus size tops and fun summer tanks and dresses. All loyal blog readers get 15% off for the rest of May and all of June with discount code blogreader, so check it out and see what's new!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, and thank you to all those who serve, especially Jeremiah and Shannon who were married two years ago this weekend!

Have a chic week,

~Sarah

Texas Inspiration at Marburger

I love that so much of the talent at Marburger Farm comes from right here in the great state of Texas! Last week I showcased vendors from afar, but this post is dedicated to those who are relatively local for this national show. 

My first vendor is a couple whose style I first got to know in my own town of Austin, both at the City Wide Garage Sale and at the Austin Antique Mall. They had a large booth there for awhile when I did, and I could never visit the mall without stopping by to see what creative items they had for sale. Mike and Nancy of House Wren are beyond talented. Here's plenty of proof:

Look at that lawn glider covered in grass! 

Mike makes all sorts of repurposed lights like the one above. 

Here's a better look at the grassy glider. 

Another Austin vendor I got to know at the City Wide Garage Sales is Janet from Rubbish. This time, I was really getting into looking at her stuff, but I didn't realize it was her space until she got my attention. I usually recognize her goods (lots of old flashcards!) right away, but there was something about this year's Marburger booth that had me fooled for a bit! 

I loved her slide and had to show it from multiple angles. 

Janet is known for her flashcards, and I love the colored pictures hanging on the wall in the back too. 

That rusty community center sign is something else! 

Right across from Janet is her friend Stephanie from Fluff out of Dallas. These two together have way too much fun, not only as neighbors in the Marburger tent, but also they camp as roommates the week of Marburger. When I say camp, it is really more of a trailer in the woods sort of thing (not to be confused with "glamping"...maybe it is called "tramping"?), but the stories they tell are over the top awesome. So were Stephanie's old VW bumpers.

Stephanie also had tons of old vanity mirrors lining the top - they were a hot seller!

The paintings at Tobacco Road Primitives stopped me in my tracks - the picturesque Texas scenery and characters were so well done! I spent a good deal of time talking to one of the owners, who lives just minutes from Marburger, but this artist is actually out of Georgia. She said he had never been to Texas, yet his artwork captured the landscape so well! 

Love that Longhorn and calf!

While there are so many other super talented Texas vendors at Marburger, the last one I got pictures of is The Vintage Round Top. I believe this is only their second show (see pics from their first here), but wow, they sure are experts at this already! So much of their booth had sold by the time I got there on Tuesday afternoon.

The green just pops in this picture. 

I hope you enjoyed a little tour of the Spring 2014 Marburger Farm Antique Show. Be sure to visit the links of these vendors to see even more inspiration!

Have a chic week,

~Sarah