On the road again...

Part II of Thanksgiving Week: Hitting the road in Texas and my version of Black Friday

Plans for Thanksgiving in my house revolve around the UT - A&M game. Since this was the last year of the storied rivalry, I decided to join Andrew, his brother Steven, and his friend Andrew at the football game in College Station. I have been to College Station before, but never for an A & M sporting event; I knew I was in for a scene unlike any other. It is unreal how much maroon there is - even the portapotties are maroon!

We have never seen so many maroon cars and trucks. Even the Whataburger and Home Depot use maroon with their typical orange and white color schemes.

Thanksgiving day was gorgeous here in Central Texas, but once that sun went down, it was chilly and breezy. I was prepared, wearing leggings under jeans, two pairs of socks with my boots, long sleeved shirt, sweater, fleece, and winter jacket, plus scarf and gloves. Go ahead, Midwestern friends, make fun of me. I deserve it. But I am sure glad I was wearing all of that - 10,000 feet up in the cheap seats there was a strong wind in our faces and four hours of game time left me pretty cold. What a memorable evening. I have NEVER seen fans as committed as the A & M crew and I was fascinated by their yell leaders and chants. I was not, however, impressed with their bands' "Saw 'em off" halftime march, while the UT band forms "Thanks, A&M" to salute the end of the 118 year tradition.

I am so glad I got to experience that nail-biting victory in person and wish A & M the best of luck in the SEC.
The two hour drive home was a long one since we didn't get out of College Station until after midnight, and the roads were plenty packed in Austin with all the Black Friday shoppers out and about at 2am.

My Black Friday shopping didn't begin until much later that day and I chose to visit Georgetown, TX to hit up some of my favorite little shops. First up, Gatherings just south of the square. I absolutely love the vignettes this store puts together and they have SO much merchandise!

I love the old lamp shade frame as the tree topper!

Another upside-down tree!

Next it was on to Rough & Ready Antiques on the northeast side of the square. They have great outside displays.

This display gave me a great idea for my cart...

And my last stop was the Collector's Market, for which I had to pull out the GPS to find after discovering they were no longer in their old location. So glad I found them and this awesome dress form! I don't think I can part with it now that it is in my kitchen!

On Saturday morning I headed to the Austin Citywide Garage Sale at the Palmer Events Center. I got there just before the 10am opening, and after seeing all those in front of me, I almost wished I had come for the 'early shopping' despite the added $6 admission fee. Turns out there was still plenty of great stuff left, and I filled my shopping bag and had several things taken to the loading dock to pick up. Just as I was leaving the crowd was in full force. A successful trip!

Here was the line to get it at 9:45am

I met this really nice lady from Le French Laundry. After admiring her burlap pillows, she tried convincing me that even I could make these. She gave me some tips and even inspired me to stop by JoAnn's to get some materials for my project. More on that in a bit...

How great are these chair coverings?!

Love that bird pillow!

 Fun display with an old column.

Love those aluminum trees!

I had a great time shopping last weekend and none of it involved a mall. I have lots of new goodies for my booth and even a few finds with which I cannot part. People ask me if I end up keeping a lot of what I buy for the booth, and the answer is usually no, because I now spend more time, attention, and funds on the booth....but these past few weeks might be an exception. Not only am I keeping the dress form from the 1800's, but I also cannot part with an awesome rusty typewriter table I bought from Theresa's beautiful booth at Citywide. I was too busy shopping in her booth to take pictures of it, but you can see lots on her blog. She always makes me a deal I cannot refuse, and I absolutely love the little table in my dining room. (I also bought the metal industrial cart!)

The rust on the typewriter cart compliments my rusty bird cage on the other wall.

 Another example of some things I can't part with - old law books from the 1870's that my dad gave me; one of them even has a case argued by Abraham Lincoln. Way cool!

What a wonderful week off I had for Thanksgiving! I saw lots of loved ones, had memorable experiences, did lots of shopping, and even did some decorating in my own house. I think my non-stop week caught up with me as I was terribly sick yesterday and took today off to rest. Hopefully the worst is over and I will be back to normal tomorrow!

I hope you have a great rest of the week!

-Sarah 

Cross-Country Thanksgiving Trek: Great shops and even better company

I have so much for which to be thankful! What a wonderful week I had catching up with friends and family. I am so glad I was able to get a flight to Illinois to visit my immediate and extended family, plus my two lifelong friends, Heather and Rachel. I was even able to fit in visits to cute shops and came home with more luggage than I left with! It was a great visit and I am already looking forward to Christmas for a longer stay. 

My cat Tom wasn't excited about me leaving and was attempting to prevent my packing...

ILLINOIS TRIP PART I - Barrington and Lake Zurich (Northwest Chicago Suburbs)

I flew out of Austin last Saturday morning directly to O'Hare, and my childhood friend Rachel picked me up. She shares a passion for finding old treasures, so she took me all around her neighboring northwest Chicago suburbs (Barrington mainly) to shop. We both found some great deals! Here are some photos of the cute stores and their displays.


An adorable shop, Tattered Tiques

Cute idea with the skeleton key and twine!

I love those skis!                

Rachel bought this great trunk and had her dad put a safety hinge on it for a toy chest!

What do you know - more monkey brains! BTW, I haven't had a roach since they arrived!

Isn't this chicken feeder with dried peas awesome?!

This chicken nester was made of wood.



On to another store in the same shopping plaza, Junk Warehouse.

We also visited the The Pink Geranium. At the three stores, I racked up:
-a really old dictionary
-a tool caddy
-a boxed set of music for a player piano
-3 ball jars, blue in color (I really have to watch how I describe the color and brand of jar...)
-some decorative little Christmas trees
-a vintage ornament
-two old rose cages
-and an antique sled
Rachel bought quite a bit too...it was a wonder we could fit in the car with all of our finds and my luggage!

My shopping partner and lifelong friend, Rachel

Thanks for a great excursion - I had an awesome time as always visiting you and your family! 

ILLINOIS TRIP, PART II - Heyworth and Clinton, IL (central IL)

My dad picked me up in Schaumburg on Sunday morning and we drove home to Heyworth for an extended family gathering. It was great to see my mom, dad, sister, grandmother, aunt, uncles, and cousins, but I didn't get to see everyone on my dad's side or any of my mom's side. Hopefully I will be able to see them all at Christmas! Regrettably, I didn't take any pictures.  

Another must-see when I go home is my other lifelong friend, Heather. Here she is with her son, Brodie, and new puppy, Chief; this photo was taken on our COLD run on Monday in her rural neighborhood. She is an excellent exercise buddy and I love catching up with her.

On Tuesday, my mom and I headed to my favorite antique hot spot, Clinton. I love seeing the home decor and antique furniture at Country Junction. Their winter tablescapes and vignettes were gorgeous!

We also visited the Clinton Antique Mall, right next to Country Junction. I always get some fun finds there, and this time I walked out with loads! I picked up several Christmas gifts too; I got my mom a rusty tricycle that she wanted for her garden (she was with me, so I am not ruining the surprise) and I bought my sister and friend some goodies there too. I managed to fit some dominoes, more Ball jars (which I already sold!), and vintage ornaments in my suitcase in addition to the earlier purchases (well, except the sled). 

Next up was the La Tea Da Tea Room and Gift Shop. This place is truly a gem and is owned and operated by good friends of our family; not only do they serve up awesome delectables, but they also have an incredible selection of gifts and decor. Their displays are inspiring! The gift shop is upstairs in an old house that has so much charm, and each room is decorated perfectly. My mom helped decorate a tree in this first picture and has served as the house gardener.

  Black, silver, and red - so sophisticated!

I love up-side-down trees like this! Wonder if I could do that?

Cool white Hoosier cabinet!

 

Look at those old curved glass windows!

The owner and dedicated blog reader, Carol, pictured to the left of my wonderful mom.

Such talent in those two women!

After I got my cat out of my suitcase and finished packing, I left for IL with two bags:

  

I came home to Austin with four!

Loads of new purchases are now displayed at the Austin Antique Mall, and I even managed to get home my grandmother's sewing machine in the green duffel bag. I have some projects in mind....I started one today and it was a massive fail; check back for proof of that!  

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, shopped small on Saturday, and are enjoying decorating for the Christmas season!

-Sarah