Rainbows, Ponies, Keanu, Virgin Mary

The latest story is brewing in my brain, consuming all my energy for words. I've been a royal crabapple to everyone but the kiddos. It was all I could muster to share a few strands that tied our weekend's adventure together. Ah, (hand to forehead) to be a struggling, wanna be, I'm nobody, writer.

I took the girls last Thursday night and we drove to home to Wisconsin.  Under a rain cloud that travelled nearly every single mile with us, actually.  (Downpours, traffic jams, snow storms: read I miss my husband The Driver. ) Thankfully, rainbows kept popping up in front of us, good distractions when traveling with little girls and no DVD player. The silly fantasy that I might really be headed to a pot of gold, which is currently trading at $1622 a share on the stock market, was diminished when just LaCrosse was at the end of the rainbow.

The next day, my girls played with horses.

I was left with a few hours to myself. 

What's a girl to do?

Right out of the gate, I found some scenery parked a few feet away 

from one of my favorite haunt's front door. 

Sadly, Keanu was not inside getting his antique fix on.

I did spot this.
If it weren't for the Coca Cola all over her face,
 she'd be striking on some big white beach house wall. Maybe?

This would be good for rocking your babies in the beach house...
with the white glossy floors and potted fig leaf tree.

I love me some bark cloth. 

But it always looks a bit too loved by its previous occupants.

If it weren't for the fact that I completely get squimish about the sport of boxing and didn't think Winona, Minnesota was sort of a creepy town, this would be cool. 

The gal who wore this dress was friends with Laverne and Shirley? For reals?

POC: Pop of Color. Storage too, which would make it POCS!

Before Keanu, there was Carlos Imperato. And he was at the antique store, go figure! 

Yes, get outta here, that's him below the "F", arms crossed.

I showed this picture to my mom, good Catholic. 

"Isn't this strange? Why is there a woman under Mary's robe?!"

"Lifting her up, Jen."

Let's take another gander at Keanu, shall we? 

Happy Monday.

Can't Get You Out of My Head

I spied a pair of these, at what has become a favorite place of mine, Julie's Upscale Retail in Door County. 

My finds from Julie's are worth their very own blog post.  Hubby just picked up a small car load this weekend. Stay tuned for more on that! 

I'm picturing them, in our future Door County home of course, used like this:

Image via Canadian House and Home

Or this...

Lonny

Image via Canadian House and Home

Or here...

Image via Canadian House and Home

Or...sniffle...here...

Image via Elle Decor

And quite frankly, it is killing me. I want, I want, I want! 

But at this point, it's all hypothetical, that one day, in the near future, I will have the (high ceiling, fairly large proportioned) room that could pull these off with smashing success...madness I tell you!  I just hate to think of losing out, on what most certainly could indeed be a once in a lifetime opportunity. A bit dramatic, I know. 

But I get like that with the old, the unique, the antique, the real deal. 

The inspiration behind the Pottery Barn...

"With glass on four sides and a sloping roof, this lantern resembles an antique street lamp with its distressed bronze finish"

 or Restoration Hardware

Sigh. Nothing compares to the original does it? 

I suppose, I could always just put them at the end of my long, winding drive, with the stone gate. 

Which is also pretend, at this point. 

I am alone in this affliction? 

P.S.

Now don't go buying them out from under me without a "are you sure you're aren't going to snatch them up first?" warning.  I have Julie's on speed dial. :)

Junk Bonanza, My Haul

Seems pretty pitiful after all the photos of things I didn't buy, doesn't it? 


I soaked up loads of inspiration from Junk Bonanza, but the reality was I had to stick to my list and buy within a budget. And these purchases made me very, very happy!


I bought everything in my first sweep of the place! 


The little end table was much needed for one end of my living room. I love the distressed, antique blue/Swedish influence in the finish and the lines were lovely.  It was from Beth McIntyre, Wicked Stitches. 

Image via Decor Demon

I didn't get a photo, but Beth had an amazing dresser painted just like the one in designer Betsy Burnham’s Los Angeles home. If I had a baby boy, that would be a must have, and while I consider myself a DIYer, this one seems a bit to tricky for my taste!

The painting was not on my list. It was a heart stopper for me and from Green Cricket Salvage. Another Beth, and she's from Madison, Wisconsin. I loved her tennis racket mirrors, too. She has a cute blog and Etsy shop. 


The lockers and numbered bucket are for my future laundry room project, more on that later. You previously met my chalkware dog, Violet.  

The letters, F (as in Fine)  and D (you guessed it, Dandy!) are super heavy and you'll see more of them. I just need to find an ampersand but apparently those are hard to come by!


In previous junking outings,  I've just walked past the vintage clocks. But the one I found at Junk Bonanza had such great lines and my accent color, a lovely spa blue. So happy I could bring this one home. In hindsight,  just wish I'd snapped up more of the great old clocks and the vendor's name.

Image by David Prince for Martha Stewart Living, January 2003

It got me to thinking of a photo I'd saved from way back in Martha Stewart Living and always wanted to implement....a full mantle of clocks for New Year's Eve!

Onto the next search!

Junk Bonanza, Part Deux: The Ones I Let Slip Away

Old Hi-Lex Bleach sign. This would have been so great in my laundry room / basement redo. If you’re the vendor from this booth & no one else snatched it up…call me!

I can’t justify everything. Quite a few times at Junk Bonanza, I had that initial ping.

Like a moth to a flame.

Oh! How neat! How pretty! Wow!

The internal conversation with myself usually continues down one of three paths.

a) If I had the money that would be mine.  No question!

b) Seriously. I do not need this. What would I even do with it?  Oh. Yeah. That.

c) I have no idea why I like this.  I’m weird.  Walk. Away.

And sometimes, on occasion…

d) None of the above.  I don’t care. This one will give me nightmares if it is not mine. Now.

Which very well could be one of the primary culprits behind the start of Fine & Dandy.  I’m not confirming or denying.

Here are the ones I left behind. (Cue sad music)

Drat! I want that cupola!

I think the pair of these chairs were $95. Gorgeous!

I would not like this piece had it not been painted. The color is lovely and it just caught my eye. About four times.

Loved this glider and the traditional/modern dichotomy that the finish gave off.

Oh! These shapes! I’m part Irish!  

In hindsight, this would be such a great backdrop display piece for Fine & Dandy.

A potting bench like this could inspire a gal to garden more. Might change the color, but loved the lines.

These fell into the "Am I weird?" category. But I liked them. 

Only $39 as I recall for this star (ya, the one behind the tree!) and it was the old, real deal. 
Pretty over a classic beach house fireplace.

Clock face was only $39 as well.

The chickens drew me over - $55 for the set of 3, how fun for a brunch tablescape! Then I began inspecting that metal table they were on. That was only $65!

That plain ice bucket and wine bottle holder, just lovely.

Cute stainless planter for a nice wide kitchen window sill.

Next up: My Junk Bonanza Treasures