So more than half of the stuff in my current living room is for sale, so I wanted to take a few pulled back snaps of what it looks like now. Fleastyle took some great pics and did a home tour including my dining room and a few kitchen pictures, so please be sure to read her article!
I know you all have been waiting with baited breath to take peek into my dining room! Well maybe not, but it is always fun to see how other people have decorated a space.
My dining room started as a blank space. The first thing we did when we bought the house was paint the living space white. After we painted it white I realized our trim and ceiling are not white, so that was fun surprise that will get fixed eventually. Here are some before pics for your viewing pleasure.
And now for some afters!!!!!
The dining table and matching chairs, china hutch, and wicker chair are all things I had before. The china hutch was previously a bright teal. I painted it black to make it a little more neutral.
I think I need to paint the inside of the cabinet to make all my pretty plates pop out a little more, i’m just not sure what color yet. I just stacked all that art up there to make it look a little taller since the ceilings are so high, but I probably should curate it a little more. I also now spot that one of the drawers is missing some hardware. My bad….
I am aware that my dining table has a large stripe on it. The table is old, and the leaf was obviously not used as much. I plan on refinishing the table to bring it back to it’s glory days. We usually don’t have the leaf in all the time, so it’s really on the bottom of my list.
I got that bar cart a few weeks ago at a vintage show and it only cost me $50! It really classes up my drinking habits. Please try and ignore the tiny tiny art, I just put that there for now as a place holder. I am on the lookout for something amazing and bigger for that corner.
I got that cowhide rug in Round Top and it is #bestrugever! One of our cats straight up peed on it the other day and it just wiped right off. I love an indestructible AND pretty rug.
All my chairs are mismatched because of my desperate need for more chairs for the holidays, but i’m starting to really get into the mismatched look.
I am planning on making a plant bench for this window so all my plants can feel like something special instead of just cast off’s on the floor. I already have the legs for the bench, I just need to get my butt to the salvage yard to pick up some wood.
That wall hanging was made by yours truly and it took me 20 hours. My cat tried to “help” me make it, so it took twice as long as it should have.
So there you have it! What is still left? My house is in desperate need of some art. The ceiling and trim needs to be painted white. Table needs to be refinished. I also have a chandelier that is going where that ceiling fan is, and a plant bench to make so stay tuned!
Filling your house with vintage furniture is never the easy way to go, it is much easier to pop into Ikea and get a new chair. While buying something new is easier and cheaper, going vintage just adds so much character to your house. It might take months or even years to find the perfect piece, but it is SO worth it.
Last weekend my mom and I took a trip to Dallas Market Center for a vintage show. I really wasn’t expecting to find anything for myself as I thought the prices would be high, but right away I found an amazing deal on a bar cart and then when we were about to head out my eye caught a pretty unique side table. I asked the dealer how much he wanted and he said “first I have to tell you the story.” Continue reading
Let me show you why sometimes hoarding is a good thing. You may have noticed in my entryway makeover post, which you can catch up on here, that I did a little lighting update. The flippers made some “interesting” choices in lighting, by “interesting” I mean they went to Home Depot and bought the cheapest lights available. This meant there was a cowboy light in my entryway.
Now i’m not completely against bringing in some more western influences into my home decor. In fact, I have a cowhide rug that is one of my most favorite things, butI really wasn’t feeling my cowboy light. Luckily, past me thought ahead. Continue reading
I’ve spent a lot of time driving 45 minutes to a bum estate sales where I leave smelling like cat pee. You would not believe the amount of houses that smell like cat pee. I have three cats, but I don’t think our house smells like cat pee. Maybe it does and everyone is too nice to say anything.
ANYWAY. This weekly series is here to rescue you from cat pee! and old moth balls. I’ll go through the listed estate sales on estatesales.net and let you know which ones look worth it.
First up, this sale for J&S looks pretty good. It has a lot of oriental stuff and some great mid century pieces that are catching my eye.
I would buy these, then paint white or a bold color. Teal or pink anyone? I just got a new paint sprayer so i’m on the lookout for larger case goods like this to rehab.
I love these little tapestry/art things. I don’t feel very confident in my buying art for resale skills, so I always make sure I buy art that I wouldn’t mind keeping. These would look great on a gallery wall to balance out other photographs and add some texture. Now they could be asking too much money for these, so think hard before scooping up.
I want this lamp hard guys. There are a few things that I see that I regret when I don’t pull the trigger. This will be one of them. I have no need for this, I have no clue what I would do with out, but my life might end without it. I love lamp.
See all those cute ginger jars? I will be buying them. Sometimes they look tacky when you see a picture like this, but take my word for it. You put one of those little guys on a bookshelf, or on a coffee table tray, instant style. You’re welcome. I just made your house look stylish.
Final Verdict: I will probably go to this one the second or third day when discounts start. I have a funny feeling things will be priced high as they listed a lot of stuff as “antiques” so wait a day and then scoop up those deals.
Alright, this next sale has a few interesting prospects.
That china cabinet has such intricate woodwork on the bottom, its dying to be painted white. Now i’m too lazy to figure out a way to move that thing and paint the inside, so I would probably stare at it for ten minutes, and then walk away, only to walk back and stare a few more times, and ultimately, not buy.
Now this cart is interesting. I never shy away from a cart, I wish all my furniture was on wheels. I can’t tell from the picture of that is a vintage cart, or new cart pretending to be vintage. Same goes for that mirror. I hate things pretending to be vintage, but if it’s actual vintage winner winner chicken dinner.
Oh my gosh, these people must love carts as much as I do! This one looks like it might be a weird height, but who are we kidding? I’m gonna buy it and let it be friends with all my other carts.
Final Verdict: Ehhhh, i’m not seeing enough vintage to make it worth.
This next sale is a Mad Men’s super fan dream home! Is it weird i’m starting to get a serious crush on Pete Campbell? I’m digging the whole balding thing. Don’t worry I do feel shame for this.
Ughhhhhh I want that bed so I can pretend to be hungover Betty Draper! Seriously though, this headboard looks pretty big, and it’s really hard to find vintage headboards in a queen or king size. So snatch this up if you are in the market.
This couch recovered would be a dream couch. Just make sure to give it a good sit and test out the padding/foam. That stuff is expensive.
I see you there lamp. Looking all cool, chilling in the corner.
Final Verdict: YES! mid century furniture i love you so much.
That’s all she wrote folks. Kinda slim pickings this week. Go forth and search my friends! I wish upon you happy hunting and houses that don’t smell like cat pee!
These days it seems like it’s all about the little things. All the decor mags are publishing cute little vignettes all around the house. You need accessories for your bookshelves, coffee tables, bar carts, china cabinets, credenzas, etc. That’s a lot of little stuff! One of my favorite layering accessories is brass. I LOVE BRASS. I love that it’s shiny and makes anything look super fancy. Brass fingers? yes I will have you. Brass baby sculpture? Give me that now. Large brass Victorian boot? I WILL GIVE YOU ALL MY MONEY. Corey doesn’t get my fascination, but who makes the decisions around here anyways?
I got this fabulous boot at an estate sale a few weeks ago. The woman that owned this house was really into Parisian flair. I spotted this boot across the room, quickly shuffled over, and cradled it like a baby. I whispered sweet nothings to it until I saw the price tag of $25. Yes I love brass, but I am also a rational human being.
I slowly put it back while weeping silently. I must have been causing quite a commotion, because a sale worker came over and offered it to me for $5. So naturally my sad tears changed to happy tears and now I can cuddle and whisper sweet nothings to my boot whenever I want.
I paired the boot here with a geode picture holder (SO GOOD) holding the cutest little picture of my husband that has ever been taken. Look at that little suit and bow tie!!!!! My second favorite accessory of the moment is pottery. Each piece is different and provides great texture and color to any space.
If I see any pottery at a sale, I buy. I buy all the pottery. These two have great colors and I love the shape of the tall blue one. I can use it as a vase for some small cool flowers, or just layer into my bookshelf as is. 
There are all kinds of shapes and colors out there, so keep your eyes peeled and start your collection NOW! My third favorite accessory right now is vintage cocktail glasses. If you have a bar or bar cart you NEED cool glasses. And if you don’t have a bar, then what are you doing with your life? Even if you don’t drink, you can come home from work and pretend to be Betty Draper while sipping some cucumber water from a fancy glass with geisha’s on it. 
I am so guilty of buying any cool cocktail glasses I see. Just right now in my possession, I have glasses with mushrooms, bamboo glasses, and watermelon ombre glasses. I can’t have enough. They add such a fun spirit to your room, and can display your personality immediately.
These glasses have images of Geisha’s on them and are the perfect size for a rock and a splash of whiskey. Do I sound classy yet? Sure I am usually drinking wine from a plastic cup, but at least I have pretty glasses on my bar cart! Just keep your eyes open at those estate sales. Search through those gross kitchen cabinets and you too can start an unnecessary collection of vintage cocktail glasses! Never skimp on accessories throughout your home. They add personality to your home in small ways with big impact!
The Dallas Flea was one week ago, which seems like a good time to reflect. This year the sale was at a new location, in Trinity Groves. This location, while having its drawbacks, was much more convenient and roomy than the South Side on Lamar Building. The aisles were bigger and the space allowed for a TON more vendors. Parking was a mess, but Dallas parking is always a mess.
I think each time we go to The Dallas Flea we improve and learn. One thing I need to get better at is creating height and styling. It’s very hard when you have furniture, because the booth changes every time. I can’t make too much of a plan beforehand because I don’t know exactly what we will be bringing each time. Creating height is hard as well; I don’t want to stack furniture too much.
The actual event was a great success. There were so many people it felt overwhelming at times, but I got a lot of great feedback from customers. Again the customers thought our prices were great and they LOVED our French bird chairs.
We only had three items that didn’t sell, the antique dresser; I knew that would be a hard sell, its large and a very particular style. The bed didn’t sell, even though everyone loved it. I knew this one would also be hard sale because it’s a full size. There are very few antique queen beds out there because people didn’t have large beds back in the day. I’m hoping it will sell over craigslist or Facebook. The floral ottoman didn’t sell which surprised me a lot. I recovered it from the white/black/blue fabric it was before to make it more palatable. I think I might have priced it too high. Hopefully next time
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We learned a lot this time and at the next Dallas Flea we are going to focus on more chairs, singles rather than pairs and of course more carts. We are pretty much out of bar carts at this point so time to stock up!
Overall, this Dallas Flea was such a great success and so fun, can’t wait until the next one. If you are interested in purchasing one of the items I mentioned above, check out or Facebook or our Etsy page for home accessories.
PS. Here is a list of my other favorite vendors:
SK Home– they were right next door to us and were selling really beautiful home accessories. I have seen other vendors selling the geode covered things, but SK home’s accessories are really great quality
Steampunk Ballroom – They always bring new interesting things to each show and I love taking a peek at what they came up with this time
Bows and Arrows – I have seen their shop the many times I go to Jimmy’s food store in East Dallas. It was great to actually see their buds, and boy are they beautiful. I saw them making lovely handpick bouquets and wish I had time to shop and get one for myself.
Writing my first blog post is daunting. What do I write about? I guess I’ll start tell you a little bit about me and what you will find on this blog and why you should bookmark it and read it everyday while you are drinking a hot cup of coffee.
I live in the great city of Dallas! I can see the Ball from my bedroom window if I squint through the trees really hard so that’s pretty cool I guess.
This blog will have EVERYTHING!!! just kidding. I am only one person you guys.
Me and my mom started a small business about 1.5 years ago. We find cool furniture and accessories and update to make it great! We currently only sell online or at vintage markets, but one day I hope to have my very own store. That’s what most of the posts will be about. Me and my mom living the dream, sifting through musty old stuff and making it shine again!
Please enjoy!
-Molly
mollymathias.com 