What Beats a Friend With A Van?

I walked into the antiques mall to pick up my Pine Hutch that I talked about in my blog post A Pine Hutch, #5 Crazed Jug, Antique Scale and a Strategy and the gal says, "Are you meeting the gentleman with the red shirt?"  I quickly reply, "Well....I'm not sure about his shirt, but I am meeting someone here to help me pick up my pine furniture piece I bought." 

The gentleman that she was referring to is my best friend, Ted.  He happens to have a rental van today because his sporty black SUV is having some work done and he has offered to help me get this little princess home.  What a great friend, right?!  Him and I talk over coffee every weekday morning, exchanging stories and dispense advice.  He is that one friend that everyone should have.....you know, the one that you can get away with saying anything too?  The one who will laugh at your lame jokes and listen endlessly to you work through life's issues.  He's never afraid to speak his mind, but goes about it in a diplomatic way when he senses I'm all sensitive.   Friendship gold.

I am so excited about this pine hutch and he offered to help me get it home.  We greet each other and he lets out a few words from the song, I'm Going Home by Daughtry.  We laugh and get to work.

My Pine Hutch on carts at the door on
it's way home.



Packed up....going home.

Ted follows me up the highway to my house, helps me unload into my front door area and is off to his day of real estate deals and trading the van back in for his shiny SUV. 

I shut the door, turn around, squeal and start pushing the piece right into place.  I am too excited to wait a single second.  Five minutes later, I am setting it up and popping a few little whatnots on top of the shelves and table top.  I am going to fix this up much nicer later, but I just had to admire it immediately.  My excitement makes me impatient many times.  Oh well.....that's me.

Do you have a "Ted" in your life?  Do you have someone whom you can count on? .....who listens and tries to help?..... who makes you laugh your guts out?..... who you care so much about, you would do the same for them?.....  If you do, give them a call and let them know how much they mean to you today.  Life is too short not to let them know it.  I have already called Ted to thank him for helping me with the hutch.  But, I also know that he will be reading this as well.  So, to answer the question, What Beats a Friend With A Van?  Easy answer.... a true friend.  (The van is just icing on the cake.)

-The End-

A Pine Hutch, #5 Crazed Jug, Antique Scale and a Strategy

Spending a few hours cruising one of my favorite antiques malls is always an adventure.  I am never bored and no matter how many times I walk the aisles, I see thousands more interesting things.  One strategy that I employ is once I have completed one run through, I do an about face and walk backwards through the mall again.  No, not actually backwards.  That would make me look insane and I might run into someone. I am still putting one foot in front of the other facing forward, just headed back tracing my previous steps.  Why do I do this, you ask?  Well, I have had amazing fortune using this strategy because many mall booths are so crammed full of treasures that sometimes coming back at them in a different direction can cause your eye to catch something that was missed on first passing.  I once found an amazing dough bowl at a spectacular price that I would have missed otherwise. 

Yesterday, I spent a little time strolling the aisles and looking around for treasures.  I was shopping just for me and my home....not The Homeless Finch or any other bird.  Sometimes, you just gotta have a little 'me' time. I have been trying to find a vintage all white chenille bedspread. I stopped and looked around in this booth pictured to the right.  The gal has done a super fine job putting her space together.  You can tell that she has an eye for design, display and merchandising.  I would be completely remiss, if I didn't show you something that I saw in her booth.  A group of shoppers actually stood there and discussed these little.....well.....baby head items.

Have you ever seen anything like them?  There were all sorts of opinions expressed.  One woman thought they were super creative and sweet, another person wanted to run away quickly.  One woman said.....and I will quote her, "There is just something that makes me uncomfortable when a baby's head is served on a plate."  I hadn't even noticed that because, to me, the dish was more of a collar on her outfit in my mind, then a ....well, plate.  At any rate, I just had to show you guys the most unusual find of the day.  No, I did not buy one.

Random image from the mall.

 The real order of business was to finally make a last ditch effort to get my little paws on this piece of pine furniture that I had been 'pining' (cough cough) over for months.  I have sat and watched the price come down within an affordable range and I just felt like I needed to either go for it, or get over it.  About two weeks ago, as I was nearing the booth, I shielded my eyes and scooted past it hoping that I could forget about it.  I actually, physically did this....  What the heck was I doing?  Jogging past a piece of furniture in order to avoid seeing what I knew was sitting there calling for me?  "Come on, Lesley....what the heck is wrong with you. " I thought as I peaked around to see who else thought I might be nuts too!  Today....yep, today....would be different.  I was going to confront that 4 foot table with hutch once and for all.



My new Pine Hutch!

As I rounded the corner and headed to the booth....there it was.....sitting waiting at the end of the long aisle.  "Yes!  It's still there." a whispered victoriously.  Then, something amazing happened.  The booth keeper came out from behind a bookcase and I couldn't believe my eyes.  I knew this guy!  He worked at a retail store for years where my husband use to buy his suits.  We greeted each other and I told him that I had been checking back on occasion (only divulging a small ounce of my obsession) to see if this piece was still available. I had noticed that it was getting buried behind other items and I hadn't been able to get a good look at it for sometime.  He moved the stuff out of the way, including a super cool iron bed, and let me put my hands on it.  Ahh....heaven.  We talked about the work that was needed to bring this little pine wonder back to life and he struck a great bargain with me right there on the spot!  I bought it!  Oh my! 

My best friend, Ted is going to help me get this little baby home today.  Did I just call this thing a baby?  Yep, did.  Sometimes the wait involved in finally scoring one of these little treasures makes you feel that way....

I got some other pretty cool treasures while shopping around the mall.  I found 6 glass electric insulator caps in one of my favorite aqua blue colors.  I also scored a creme colored vintage metal scale complete with awesome rustiness.  I dragged home a super duper heavy white jug with an aged, crazed glaze and the #5 stamp on it and  a primitive handled wood tub along with  a blue colored enameled bucket.  Some days.....it just goes my way....or maybe it was the 'backward' strategy that helped.  Who knows, but I'm stickin' with it.

-The End-

I am linking this post to:

Master Bedroom: Poster Bed Sneak Peek and A Tablescape Idea



-Before-



For those of you who are new to my blog, I have been working on my master bedroom and bath project for a few months.  It has been quite an undertaking.  We are turning the enter area into a white/neutral color scheme away from a green/red palette with dark wood furniture. Phew! Major overhaul to the master bathroom as well.   Here is a sneak peek at the four poster bed frame.

-After-
Annie Sloan's Old White Chalk Paint

I am working through some details on tablescapes for the bedroom. This is one that I came up with that I think is pretty neat.  Still deciding whether it will make the cut.

We have a nice collection of old photographs of our parents and grandparents.  Instead of putting all of them in a multi-image frame, I decided to place them in this vintage suitcase.  I included some vintage costume jewelry and pearls from my hubby's mother's collection.  I also inter-mingled some seashells, sea glass and crystals throughout.  If you notice, the suitcase is sitting next to my Mother's Plate and on top of my Cherished Chest of Drawers that I completed last month as a part of my master bedroom makeover project. 

Before now, I would have never considered having such a display out because of issues of keeping it dust free.  But I have found the best product for dusting, The Swiffer duster!

I just run this little duster over the display once a week when I am touching up around the room.  Does wonders!  If you don't use this, you gotta try it. Awesome. 

Getting excited because I have a meeting scheduled for Thursday to finally see the plans for the new cabinetry for the bath and a built in for the television in the bedroom!  Oh course, I will update you later this week.

Hope you enjoyed this short little stop to check out this one idea.  It might make the cut.  What do you think? In or out?  Still on the fence about this one.....

-The End-