My Favorite Haunts

Recently, a lovely reader asked me for recommendations of my favorite places to shop. 

My reply was: antique stores, estate/yard sales, thrift stores, and I just had to add . . . alleys! 

Some of my best finds have been while riding my bike down the alleys in our old neighborhood. 

And now that it's spring-cleaning weather, people are obliging me 

by kindly putting their unwanted items in the alleys for my perusal. 

So, I'm dusting off the bicycle and looking forward to adding to my Ethan Alley Collection.

You just never know what you might find cruising the alleys. 

Can you believe we recently found this discarded Adirondack set,
complete with table and foot rest? 

I spent two days scraping and painting but didn't it turn out nice?

Sometimes it's a big item like those chairs and we need to pedal home and get the car; 

other times it's something tiny that fits in my bicycle basket. 

Like these sparkly crystal doorknobs.

Another place I love to shop are antique malls. 

Recently I found a beautiful small demijohn (left) wrapped in wicker. 

Although I love the big boys, they're out of my price range so I was delighted 

when I found this one that was just right to add to my collection in the foyer.

This gorgeous copper tea kettle caught my eye at a vintage market and it was calling my name. 

I think the reason copper is so popular is it evokes the feeling of a hearth in the kitchen. 

Every time I walk into my little kitchen, it's the first thing I see and it reminds me of old kitchens where everyone gathered close to a roaring fire to keep warm, eat dinner and talk. 

I love its warm glow and many well-loved patches.

Estate/yard sales! Yippee! It's sale season again. 

Yard sales are starting to pop up all over our neighborhood. 

Although you can find some great bargains at yard sales, the real treasures are at estate sales. 

Check out estatesales.net for weekly listings in your area. 

My most favorite estate sale find was this beautiful old clock for $5!
It needed some TLC but was well worth it.

Yard sales are a great place to find vintage linens, dishes, old books and silverplate.
I lucked out when I scored this beautiful floral print for a few dollars.

Thrift stores like Goodwill and ARC can be amazing sources although you do need 

to check back often. We swing by our thrift stores about once a week. 

Fridays seem to be a good day because they're stocking the shelves for Saturday sales.

One of my favorite thrift store treasures is this amazing chair. 

An antique dealer told me it was probably 1800s English. $13. Sold! 

And, if you're feeling adventurous, you can keep an eye on construction dumpsters. 

Remember this chippy column I retrieved from an overflowing dumpster?
Be still my heart! 

Happy Sale-ing!!

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CABIN QUEST UPDATE
Still looking for the perfect mountain cabin.
It's been a week of highs and lows, literally.
I found an incredible cabin that looked a lot like my Pinterest favorites.
But it went under contract almost immediately. I was so bummed.
Then, I found a hunting cabin near Rocky Mountain National Park
but it was on the worst road I've ever driven on and then,
when we finally found the cabin, it was just a disappointing mess.
So, still looking.

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Notes from the Attic

Not long ago, this room on the upper floor was wasted space, used mostly for storage. Then, I decided to transform it into my office. Now, it evokes the feel of an attic in Paris and makes me think of those famous Impressionist artists like Monet and Renoir and many others who all knew each other and actually shared living space in a Parisian attic because they were poor, having spent all their money on painting supplies. Can you imagine the conversations they must have had!

On the east side of the room, I look out tall floor-to-ceiling windows swathed in white sheers tied in the middle with ribbon. In the morning, the sun streams through these windows and fills the small space with golden light. It doesn't take much imagination to see the zinc rooftops of Paris out these windows instead of a narrow residential street in Denver.

I've furnished this room with thrift store treasures and estate sale bargains. In front of the tall windows is a vintage red leather chair and ottoman, now covered with a linen floral slipcover from a thrift store. The slipcover comes off in the winter so the red leather can warm the space. Built-in bookshelves surround the chair and an old white wicker planter that had been destined for an upcoming yard sale has a new life filled with my favorite decorating books.

Next to the chair is a small French-inspired table, a thrift store find for under $10. It came home with me wearing a very dark stain, not looking at all French. But, after several good sandings, a coat of primer and two coats of white paint, it's been transformed. I distressed those edges that would see normal wear and topped it with a lamp (also thrift store) that could have come from a Paris flat. I love the little glass ball on top of the shade.

The centerpiece of this space is my desk which I actually bought at an antique store (okay, I paid retail but it was on sale!). It looked nothing like it does today though and it took an open mind to see its potential. Someone had painted it in stark primary colors...lime green on the drawers, bold red on the legs, stark yellow on the sides and a damaged white top. Ugh. Lots of sanding, priming and white paint turned it into a beauty with a serpentine top, curved legs and pretty carved details. An old piano bench with a sheepskin throw makes it a perfect place for blogging.

An old mirror, a tin vase of dried flowers, some worn books, a rosary and a candle--all from thrift stores and yard sales--create a charming vignette.

At night, lamps and candles lend a warm glow to the space and I can almost hear Cezanne and Pissarro arguing about who has to sleep on the floor!

Special thanks to Ron Boyd for photography.