I got schooled...

I finally sold some furniture at the mall, so I decided to take a little shopping trip this past weekend. I didn't get any furniture, but I did find an awesome old school book on grammar. 

Nerd alert: I love grammar. This doesn't mean I am good at it, but I do enjoy learning the rules. One of my favorite units in high school was sentence diagramming. Whether you liked it or hated it, you have to admit that diagramming the subject and predicate helps students see the two basic parts of a complete sentence. 

I am a glutton for punishment, as I am attempting to teach my students how to diagram sentences. After seeing too many fragments, I thought I would bring back the lost art of sentence diagramming to my 7th grade classes. Sure, there is a lot (notice that 'a lot' is two words - Ms. Link made sure we all knew that!) of controversy in academia as to the importance of diagramming, but it does present a visual for students to identify the noun and the verb.     

As soon as I laid eyes on this book while out shopping this weekend, I knew I had to buy it. 

Harvey's Elementary Grammar and Composition

Notice the word 'elementary' in the title. That would be an adjective, or a word that describes the nouns 'grammar' and 'composition.' The definition of elementary: Of or relating to the most rudimentary aspects of a subject.

This book was copyrighted in 1889 and 1897 - this thing is old!

Elementary school must have been a lot (still two words!) harder back then. There were a few topics that made me question which language this book teaches, as several words were foreign to me.

In the photo above, Caution I tells us not to use 'a' before vocal sounds - got it. The next part mentions subvocals and aspirates. Huh? I thought aspirate was medical jargon.

How have I made it to adulthood and never heard of the grammar term copula? I asked Andrew if he knew what a copula is and his response was, "Francis Ford?"

Turns out that a copula is something more commonly referred to now as a linking verb.

Back to the 'elementary' nature of the content in this text - every fifth grader should be able to diagram the sentence "He that hateth, dissembleth with his lips." Right? 

Or "He builds a palace of ice where the torrents fall." 

Wow. I am trying to teach middle schoolers how to 1) identify a noun and a verb and 2) diagram a sentence with just two words. 

No wonder kids only went to school through the 8th grade back in the day. 

Have a chic week,

~Sarah

Craigslist Love

 I heart Craigslist (most of the time). Whenever I am ready to switch out some displays at the booth and deep discounts at the mall don't do the trick, Craig and his list take care of business. One of the best parts about Craigslist getting to meet fun people who have great ideas (and obviously great taste) for vintage items. Here are a few pictures of my favorite Craigslist sales, two of which were sent to me after the sale:

The happy chickens in their new home! 

 An awesome repurposing for this turquoise Radio Flyer.

A vintage classic, though hard to ride on hills. 

This last photo is of a longleaf pine cabinet that went to a couple who were redoing an a 1930's home; they bought this to build into their bathroom. Wish I would have gotten an update of how it turned out, as I love to see how these items find use in new spaces. 

Last week, I had another Craigslist victory - I couldn't let the cat out of the bag until today though; the gentleman who purchased this great farmhouse cabinet was buying it as an anniversary gift for his wife. Awwww, what a sweet man to buy sentimental salvage for his lady! 

He was pretty much set on the cabinet, as his wife said she was in love with it and wanted it for their 1930's home that they purchased in Austin and had moved to San Marcos just this past Monday - talk about wanting to see pictures of the before and after! I will do my best to track some down to share with you. 

The day after I email with him, I receive another email from a lady who really wanted to come see the cabinet. I write her back, letting her know I have someone coming already to look at it, but tell her I will let her know either way afterward. She eagerly writes back saying she looks forward to hearing from me. I thought it was interesting that I had the cabinet listed for at least a month with no hits (other than spammers who want to know if the cabinet is in 'new condition'), and then in one day I get two legitimate inquiries. But the cabinet is a solid piece, so I didn't think too much about it. 

Fast forward another day: while reading another email from Gregg, I see his website tag for his South Austin music venue. I click on it and read about how he and his wife started the place in 2004...and then it hit me that the other lady who emailed me about the cabinet IS his wife! 

When I next talk to Gregg, I told him that his wife emailed about the cabinet. He wanted me to write her back just before he came to pick it up to let her know that it already sold. Sneaky! I love that he wanted a good surprise for her and I can only imagine how excited she was when she discovered that the man who beat her to the cabinet was her husband. 

Gentlemen, take some tips from Gregg! Listen to your lady and buy her something that will stand the test of time - a chippy farmhouse cabinet. I have another one in the garage in case you are interested...

Have a chic week,

~Sarah  

Calling all hopeless romantics

At this point on Valentine's Eve, I am sure many parents are rushing to finish their beautifully Pinterest-inspired Valentine's for their kids' class parties tomorrow, or putting the final touches on the decorated 'mailbox' that will collect all the cards from classmates. 

In middle school, things are a bit more simple. The days of class parties are over, but the Valentine's Day love still lives on. This is the second year that my AVID students sold Valentine Flower-Grams during lunch as a fundraiser to help pay for field trips. A dollar will deliver a beautiful 'peppermint swirl' carnation to your friend, boyfriend/girlfriend, secret crush, or special teacher at the end of the day. Attached to the flower is a note, which can be filled with a message, but more likely just has the recipient's (misspelled) name. Writing a handwritten message takes too much effort I guess.

This year's 700 flower-grams sold out in just four days; we are now up to our elbows in notes, schedule spreadsheets, and red ribbon. I will pick up the flowers in the morning, and my students will be in factory mode as we label the cards with 8th period room locations, attach the ribbon to the card, attach the card to the flower, and separate the flowers by hallway and classroom.  

With tomorrow's deadline, I have been scrambling to get as many cards labeled as I can before V-Day. I'm not sure why I opened this card before I picked up the next one, but I'm so glad I did:

Sixth grade love: it doesn't get much better than that! 

May your Valentine's Day be joyful. 

Have a chic week!

~Sarah

Flea Market Style Weddings Issue

One of my absolute favorite magazines is Flea Market Style. I admit that I have lots of favorites, but this one takes the cake for inspirational eye candy. With just two issues a year, it is a rare treat when I discover the newest issue is on newsstands. The magazine doesn't yet provide subscriptions, but it is sold at retail chains (if you can find it before it sells out!).

I learned from the FMS blog that the magazine added a third publication to their annual line-up with a "Weddings" issue that was released in January. Here is a picture of all three recent issues so you can better identify the cover when you are out hunting for it:

(picture from the Flea Market Style blog)

I have to admit that I haven't yet found my Spring or Weddings copy yet, but they are most certainly on my grocery list for tomorrow! I hope I am not too late to find one, as I want to see for myself what Suzanne of The Girls at Rusted Gingham shared on a recent blog post. Suzanne and Tracy's growing Barn Sale is one of the featured sales in the listing of places with great junk in the Weddings issue! Congratulations, Girls! This is a well-deserved mention for the dynamic duo who put on a truly great show. My very first show was their Barn Sale this past fall, and I can only hope to be a repeat vendor among the ranks of the great junkers again this fall.

Another junkin' first for me will take place this spring; I am excited to help furnish some vintage decor for a friend's wedding in March. I can't wait to see it come together and I might even have a write up to submit to the magazine for its next Weddings issue. I sure love to read decor magazines, but I can only dream to write for one some day - that'd be just like having my cake and eating it too!

Have a chic week,

~Sarah

 

Always ready to haul junk

Here's a piece of unsolicited advice: don't keep your spare keys in your purse. I'm not sure where to keep them, but I learned for sure that the purse is not that spot. I'm notorious for locking myself out of my car, so I thought I was being all prepared by having the spare set right there with me. While sounding like a good idea, it backfired big time the night I returned home from the New Braunfels Antique Show. I did mention that my trip to Junkology left me in such a daze, so I will blame the evening's carelessness on my shopping coma from earlier that day. 

I won't get into the full story, but my purse was stolen out of my car while I ran into Walgreens that night. I actually had the main part of my wallet and my phone with me in the store, and I brought in my camera that afternoon so I could process the pictures for the blog, so it could have been worse. I was annoyed at all the phone calls I had to make to cancel credit cards, I got mad when I thought of all the coupons I lost, I got sad when I thought about the new lip gloss that my sister got me for Christmas was gone, but when I realized my spare car key and remote were in the purse, I became paranoid. The thief had my checkbook with my address, had been inside my vehicle, and now had access to stealing it. The only upside to this whole story is that I got access to the garage parking spot since I obviously couldn't park the car in the driveway, and it was really cold that following week (sorry Andrew). Luckily for me, the insurance company saw the preventative need to re-key my car rather than possibly deal with a stolen vehicle, so I took my car in today for the re-keying. 

Enterprise picked me up (the slogan is going through your head now, isn't it?) and took me to get a rental car. I was envisioning a little two-door windup car, but after being called out for having my CDL, I'm guessing the gentlemen thought I needed something a little bigger. 

   

I drove away with a brand new 2013 Chrysler Town and Country mini-van. I'm no stranger to the mini; my mom has been a proud owner since I was in fourth grade. I can't count the number of vans she has had. I typically drive her Town & Country whenever I am in Illinois, so I am familiar with the sliding doors and stowaway seats. In fact, when I was in the market for a vehicle that could carry junk, every salesperson said that the best car for my needs was a mini-van. 

After driving this slick mobile home, I have to say I am impressed. This car is loaded - leather seats, DVD player, touch-screen control panel, back up camera, and satellite radio (with several dedicated hip-hop stations!). I have plenty of room for humans, or in my case, junk. So should I stubble across any great bulk pick up finds along the side of the road in the next two days, I will be ready to haul it. 

My favorite part of today was cruising in the mini, windows down with that new car scent all around, and hearing Snoop Dogg on the XM radio. I'm certain I looked as cool as I felt.  

Hope you too had a great Monday. 

Have a chic rest of the week,

~Sarah

Do you smell that?

I rarely visit Pinterest. I waste enough time online and figure I shouldn't add yet another site to my already lengthy list of internet obsessions. I know I am missing out on some great ideas, but I'm fearful of getting sucked in to the addiction. I recently saw one Pinterest homemade recipe that seemed simple enough for even me to replicate. The ingredient list was only 5 items long, one of which was water, and I had a few of the necessary ingredients already.

I busted out my shiny new pot this weekend. The pot isn't exactly new, but it hasn't been used since I got it nearly three years ago. I took all our Bed, Bath, & Beyond gift cards and somehow scored a sweet set of stainless pots and pans for less than it probably cost to produce them. And then I got a rebate in the mail. I love that place. Andrew said one of my talents in life is maximizing BB &B coupons; I take this as a highly prized compliment.  

So I have this great set of pots and pans, but I never use them. There are two reasons for this: 1) I'm no chef, and 2) when I do fix things (I don't call boiling pasta "cooking"), I use the cruddy old pots and pans I took with me to my first apartment from my mom's kitchen (thanks Mom!). The few times I used my nice cookware, I scorched the pan and left an unsightly stain around the rim of the pan. I even got some tips from a professional cookware associate at the retail outlet, but alas, the stains continue and my guilt for not knowing how to prevent them grows. I gave up trying and just use the old crappy pans and feel slightly better about my 'fixing' skills.  

Anyway, back to Pinterest. My teacher friend Michelle, also known as Mrs. Harveylicious when she busts out her science raps, is a pretty crafty gal and posted a pic on Facebook of all this potpourri she made...and she stored it in the best containers ever, blue Ball jars. I am pretty obsessed with them [the jars]. Here is the picture of her final products:

The recipe came from Pinterest, so I looked it up and figured I could attempt to make my own potpourri too. It was super simple. 

All you need is vanilla extract, cinnamon sticks, rosemary, lemon, and water.

I gotta give credit to the author of the recipe I found, so check out Mother Thyme's post for the details on how to make your own fresh smelling kitchen. It just a few minutes, you too can be saying, "Do you smell that?" to your family.

After simmering for a few minutes, I asked Andrew, "Do you smell that?" Just as the words left my lips, I cringed, fearing what his response would be, but he replied, "A candle?" Whew. Yes, babe, close, but way better. 

I didn't enjoy the scent for too long as we were headed out for dinner (I don't cook, remember?), but Mother Thyme says this concoction can last several days. Just simmer when home for that fresh spa scent!

Thanks to Pinterest, I finally put this pan to use. 

Have a chic week,

~Sarah

Spring Fever at Barn Chic

It is barely the middle of winter, but I know that I am not alone in wishing this beautiful spring-like weather that Texas is experiencing sticks around for a long while...like, until next fall. I'm certain that those of you who endured the deep freeze last week are ready to get past winter, and I saw that even my hometown in IL will be almost 60 one day next week (followed by 20 the next day), so a taste of spring may be coming your way soon too.  

I know Valentine's Day is a great opportunity for thematic decor, but I rid the booth of all red after the holidays and moved start on to light, fresh springtime colors (I need to do some spring cleaning on the blog look too!). My absolute favorite recent find is a shabby paper umbrella that has a pretty green, yellow, and blue pattern. I found this gem at the City Wide Garage Sale last weekend, along with the huge blue-green suitcase sitting below it.   

 

 

I love the vintage 'TV tray' that sits above the typewriter; the colors in the floral design are stunning. I doubt that the tray was actually intended for TV dinners, but I don't know what another use would have been?

 

Sold lots of ball jars yesterday, so restocked those today.  

 

The booth is full, but hopefully not overly stuffed. I have been selling lots and lots of smaller items, but I haven't sold furniture for months...hoping that trend changes so I can change up the look of the booth and have room for some new purchases! Less than two months to Warrenton and I am already looking forward to it! 

Have a chic week,

~Sarah

Junkology in New Braunfels

-ology: the study of. I probably did not remember this from my days as a student, but teaching middle school sure has hammered in my mind the definition of this scientific suffix. I have been studying the science art of junkology for a few years now. My favorite part about this subject is that there are no tests or homework, and I love that the learning is based on experiences out in the field - often literally! 

No student in the study of junk should be without a trip to the incredible Junkology store in New Braunfels (this cute German town is famous for the original Schlitterbahn water park and is in between San Antonio and Austin). Shawn and Kat have created an amazing storefront in an adorable house just a few blocks away from the convention center. I am impressed with my memory, as I bought something from this dynamic duo at the Country Living Show last year, and I remembered them saying they were opening a store in New Braunfels. Thanks to Google, I found my way to this sweet space. 

 

 

 

I loved the bright artwork on the walls and enjoyed hearing the story of how Junkology got this collection from the estate sale of a psychiatrist. The doctor had an artist as a patient who paid him with gorgeous paintings! Unsure of ethical guidelines on that practice today, but regardless, I love the story behind the art as well as the art itself.

 

 

Shawn and Kat's collection is extensive. Old games, metal pieces, signs, architectural salvage, garden decor, instruments, itty bitty collectibles, brand antiques, furniture, functional yard art, clothing, accessories, books, bicycles, and even pieces of airplanes.

 Pictured above on the ends of the refinished glider (their speciality!) are parts of a jet. Who would have thought to turn them into accent pieces for the home? Junkologists, that's who.

 

 

 

 

Where to begin with what I love in this pic!

 

 

This place was sensory overload. My eyes took in so much candy that my mind experienced a visual sugar coma...I walked around in awe for a good chunk of the time I was there. This is the kind of place where I walk away feeling so very inadequate and uncreative, but talking to Kat was inspiring and gave me perspective. Her professional career has focused on design; she previously worked in merchandising for one of the most reputable and trendy clothing companies in America, so she brings much formal retail experience and expertise to her store. It shows. 

Sure, I started working for Limited, Inc. when I was 16, but chunking panties and folding t-shirts didn't give me much design experience. Teaching middle schoolers doesn't give me much of an opportunity to hone design skills either (though I do have to give some fashion advice, like "Hey, those pants you have on are actually leggings...and should be worn with a shirt that covers the top third of them." Ahem.) I realized I am still an amateur with zero professional training in the subject of Junkology. There is much to learn, and I am thankful to know so many awesome junkologists who bring natural talent and years of experiences to their creative vignettes. I also appreciate all my readers who encourage me along the way of this fun independent study. I think my schooling should include a buying trip to Europe next summer - it's cheaper than tuition! 

Thanks to Kat for a great tour of the store and for sharing the story of your journey with me. 

Have a chic week,

~Sarah