My version of "Black Friday" shopping

For some people "Black Friday" or "Cyber Monday" shopping has become a ritual.  I don't really participate in either.  I prefer buying from brick and mortar stores because I like to see what I'm really getting before I hand over hard earned cash.  Who wants the trouble of having to ship something back if it wasn't what you were expecting?  And shopping at the malls or big box stores during the holiday season is stressful.  Traffic, parking, crowds, lines... Who needs it?  For those of you who love it, that's wonderful.  It's just not for me.

However, after spending Wednesday and Thursday in the kitchen cooking and cleaning for Thanksgiving, I was ready to get out of the house.

I spent Thanksgiving with my parents in South Carolina.  They live in the vicinity of a fabulous shopping district called "Ram Cat Alley" located in Seneca, SC.  This is not a sponsored post by the way.  But if you ever find yourself in the area, I highly recommend checking this place out.

There are shops which sell antiques, vintage items, and hand made items.  They also have some good restaurants to stop in if you get hungry or just need a break from shopping.

I found some handmade items for myself.  As well as some cool vintage finds.

Soap dish

Yellowware Bowl.  This might be my new thing to collect!

I added a Christmas themed tea towel and some pears and key limes for seasonal decoration.

Salt and Pepper Shakers

These needed a bit of cleaning up when I got them but look great now.

Hope your Thanksgiving was great and if you did the "Black Friday" thing, I hope you've recovered!

Chalkboard Pots

I've wanted to try chalkboard paint for a while and I finally decided to give it a try!  For my first project I chose to do chalkboard pots since I can re-use these year round for fresh herbs in the kitchen.

I bought two terracotta pots and the corresponding dishes at my local hardware store.  I don't know if it's because it's the off season but these were really cheap.  $1.49 each! 

I then bought some chalkboard spray paint from my local craft store.  They carried a number of color options but I chose classic black because it will look good regardless of season.

I followed the instructions on the can of spray paint by doing two coats and then letting them dry for 24 hours.

Once dry, I seasoned the paint by rubbing a stick of chalk along the entire surface.

I picked up a couple rosemary topiaries from my grocery store and thought that they looked like small Christmas trees so I just removed the packaging they came in and dropped them into my new chalkboard pots.  I also wrapped some burlap garland around the bottom to give them a finished look and drew evergreen trees on the pots.

The Advent calendar is one that my husband's grandparents had hand painted for him as a child.  I can't believe it still has all of the pieces!  While I was at the craft store I also bought some Christmas themed ribbon.  Looking forward to coming up with something for these!

Vintage Scores from the 2012 Country Living Fair at Stone Mountain

Last weekend I had a great time at the 2012 Country Living Fair in Stone Mountain, GA!

This is the third year Country Living has hosted their fair at Stone Mountain and I've been fortunate enough to attend each year.  This year I found a couple Flower Frogs and a Down Spout Cover.   What drew me to these pieces is their sculpture-like qualities.

I also bought a coffee table but I wasn't able to get that home in my car.  Why didn't I take the truck?  Rookie mistake...

Anyway, the coffee table will be picked up in a couple weeks then I'll post it here!