The Journey of Unwanted Furniture....

So Wendy and I spend a good amount of our time searching for, hunting down, bidding on and hauling furniture. We've been to ALL sorts of places in search of those perfect pieces...you know, the ones with great lines, in perfect shape and at a great (sinfully cheap) price. But as pieces come and go, I always wonder where they've been...who's owned and loved this piece of furniture, where it's traveled, in what great house did it live....A piece of furniture is just like a person full of wisdom, it's got a story to tell...

Wendy and I have our favorite auction that we go to on Mondays and we always come home with a full load of great stuff! The room is packed full of rows of furniture...Just how we like it...

At our auction 2 weeks ago we picked up some great items...

See that great two-tiered table to the left? Yep, we got that one...It was extremely dusty and obviously neglected and unused...Under all of that is a GORGEOUS table! See the booksellers table at the top right? Got that one too....what a perfect little table to hold books by a cozy chair. It just needed some love.

See the long console table under those small cabinets? We got that...dirty, scratched and quite the mess...but she's gonna be a beauty when she's done! We also got the little two-door cabinet at the far right on that table...what a great piece!

See the funky shaped table at that bottom of the picture? Well, let me say that this table was missing the bottom shelf, had two very loose legs and was in need of some major repair...most would have thrown it away! What did we do? Well we won it of course! Wait till you see what it looks like now! Fantastic lines and detail!

See the little cream chest of drawers? Look at the lines of that piece...absolutely incredible! In great shape with amazing hardware and would you believe that only ONE person bid against us?? Wait till you see how it looks now...

And see the little table on top of the dining room table? What a cute little piece...solid walnut table seemed almost a crime to paint, but wait till you see what Wendy did to it! It's amazing!

And then there was this piece....we had our heart set on it....we were already making plans for it, it was really speaking to us...what an AMAZING piece...An awesome old cart turned wine rack....Talk about history! Where did it come from? Was it in an old factory? What did it hold?? So many possibilities....boy did we want this one....but we got outbid...R.I.P great old cart...

So why do we love traipsing through all sorts of places scooping up other people's neglected, unwanted furniture? Because it's awesome. It's awesome to find pieces with so much potential that just need some love, and turn them into masterpieces that have a whole new life! New is boring. We thrive on originality. It's a thrill. We love taking something with so much history and adding more to it's story...even if it's just furniture! What's your thrill?

Keep checking back for the after pictures of all of these great pieces we picked up at the auction!

(And don't forget to become a follower)

The Lost Art of Holidays....

So, fact is, that I LOVE Holidays...I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas. I love the whole atmosphere of Christmas, I love the shopping, the gift-giving, the music, the colors, the lights, the baking... I love how everything stops on the holidays. How, for just those few hours, nothing else matters but being with your family. 

Unfortunately for the first time ever, my employer has decided to open on Thanksgiving and this just makes me sad. But most of all, it's makes me sorrowful for what this country has become...Have we really become so desperate to shop and eat out that we can't even stop on holidays? Have we become so estranged from each other, that we'd rather eat food that a restaurant's prepared or go to Target?

This holiday season I challenge everyone. I challenge you to remember what's important. Put down the modge podge and the staple gun, turn off the TV and just be with your kids and family. Read, play memory, draw, bake cookies. Do anything but rush.

Remember that the people that are helping you in restaurants, at Walmart, at the toy store, are all people too. People with families that they are just trying to feed and care for. Make sure to say please and thank you. Learn their name and use it. Be nice. Be patient. Be generous. Say "Merry Christmas".

Remember the people that help you....you don't need to buy a gift, just a simple thank you card is all you need, just so they know you appreciate all they do.

You never know when a simple thank you can change someone's whole day....

Have a great Holiday everyone and thank you for all of the inspirations you provide!!



First Dibbs Party at Chartreuse and Co. tonight!!

It's that time of year again. That awesome, sparkly, glittery, jingly time of year. It's true. We all love it. We love the smell of fresh baked cookies. The shimmering lights. The shopping. The presents. It's definitely true. Christmas is a phenomenon. A great phenomenon. So what better way to celebrate than with the Chartreuse and Co. first dibbs Christmas kick-off party! Tonight (Thursday) from 6-9 pm!!

The barn is loaded full of goodies (edible and decorative!!) We've got ornaments galore. Great decorations. Yummy food. And of course, LOTS of great vintage gifts!!

Stop by for some fun shopping, yummy chartinis (come on, how many stores do you go to that provide apple martinis while shopping?  Seriously!) and delicious goodies around the barn!

Here's a sneak peek and what Beans and Buttons will have this sale!

See you tonight!

Something From Nothing: Part 1

Wendy and I went to our usual auction on Monday. Typically we just go for the 4 p.m. furniture, but we had seen some smaller items in pictures that were of interest. We went early hoping to score those items but as auction luck would have it, we didn't get any of the things we wanted! Major Bummer! However, we did manage to accumulate what most would call of box of complete junk. We won various box lots for 50 cents, (all together our items totaled about $2) took out what we wanted and ended up with this box of complete randomness....

We had a plan for each item we picked out....Here is a closer look at some of the items....

A box of clear Christmas ornaments....

A Styrofoam ball.....

Three Sytrofoam lollipops....

And Two candlesticks...

Now being true junk/salvage girls, we created something from nothing!

The clear glass ornaments were filled with strips of sheet music and tied with a ribbon for a pretty addition to the tree! 

The lollipops were unwrapped and put in an oversized mason jar...how fun to combine modern with vintage!

The styrofoam ball was wrapped with yarn to create one of these fun yarn balls....don't they remind you of a candy store?? LOVE them stacked in clear dishes!

And the candlesticks were paired with some great vintage Christmas plates to create cake stands! (Although we will be using them for ornament display!) 

While standing at the auction for hours was exhausting and a bit disappointing, we still managed to come up with some great stuff! Moral of the post....ALWAYS look for potential in everything, everywhere you go! Happy Hunting!

Great Metallic Pumpkins

Ok, so it's been a busy few weeks opening our new location at Wild Rose & Co. in Walkersville, Md. So please forgive the lack of posts!! For a great peek into Wild Rose, check out Miss Mustard Seed's awesome video tour!

Wild Rose & Co. Grand Opening

Come by and see us some time! I guarantee you'll find LOTS of goodies!

21 West Pennsylvania Avenue, Walkersville, MD 21793

Regular store hours: Tuesday-Friday (10am-6pm), Saturday (10am-5pm), Sunday (11am-3pm)

So, back to business....As i've said before I LOVE fall (although, as I watch my trashcan blowing down my hill today in the crazy wind and rain, I love it a tad less) There's no better representation of fall than pumpkins. Pumpkins have come a long way from the ever-popular and traditional orange. In fact, Wendy and I found Blue pumpkins the other day...and they are AWESOME! Also growing more and more popular are the fake pumpkins. They're great and everlasting! I'm really digging metallic looks lately so I made my own spin on the orange, fake pumpkin.

First, I picked up some great fake Better Homes & Gardens pumpkins. I particularly liked these because they had some weight to them and a great stem. I first spray painted them a creamy white. Then I used a foam brush and brushed on a layer of metallic paint (gold and copper I found worked best)

 I wanted to add a special touch, so I created these fun fabric tags to hang off of the pumpkins. These simply involved layering fabrics then doing a quick stitch around to hold them together. Super easy but what an impact! I used French fall words and other numbers on the tags. Then I tied them on with brown or burlap ribbon. What fun!

I realize that I did not take step-by-step pictures so let me know if you have questions!! Happy Fall Everyone!

Check out the Wild Rose & Co. blog for links to all of the vendors!

Wild Rose & Co.

"Long Live Vintage"!!!!

So, here were are again at another season change.....I feel the crisp in the air, the beautiful clouds in the sky...I love fall....it's my favorite time of year....Fall also gets me INSPIRED! You know what happens when creativity meets inspiration??  A LOT of great ideas! I've fallen a bit behind in my blog (being inspired means throwing yourself completely into those ideas :) ) BUT, look forward to all of my projects soon...

For now, here's Beans and Buttons' new

"Long Live Vintage" Line....

I took various tote/tool boxes that I found at flea markets, painted them and then added our newest slogan....such an easy project and

I LOVE them!!

I love old boxes/drawers....they have such great character and are so functional!

P.S....Make sure to become a follower!!! Thanks! :)
P.S.S....Thanks to Shaunna from Perfectly Imperfect for featuring our French Hotel Bistro Table!

Table Out of a French Hotel!

As I sit here thinking about how great it would be to be at some great French Hotel right now....I figure I may as well show you what sent my thoughts in that direction!

Wendy and I picked up this round, 3-legged table at an auction this week. We liked it particularly because it had a large round top, larger than usual for a side table....sooooo, where did my mind go with this table?? Well, to France of course! I refinished this table to look like it came right out of the lobby of a French Hotel....

Unfortnately, Wendy and I have been cramming for the busy fall season so I forgot before pictures....but you can check here for step by step instructions! Everyone get inspired by that special French feeling!

(sorry for the messy background....those are ongoing/finished projects/kids toys!

I know you all know how I feel!!)