A Brief Winter Break in Charlotte

As you may have seen on the news here in Boston we have been directly in the path of a “weather event” over the last couple of days…wow did we ever get hit!  We got walloped with a massive 2 feet of snow overnight on Friday and are still trying to dig out.  Luckily we did not lose power at my house though so no complaints here.

My driveway seemed to be perfect for catching the drifts...the snow was well over 3 feet...My front doorsteps
were also buried beyond recognition.  It sure is pretty though...

This was definitely a wake up snow after my week last week where I was not unhappy to leave the very cold temperatures of Boston for the much more temperate climate of Charlotte for a couple of days.  Two days of over 60 degree temperatures was very welcome plus I love Charlotte…it really is such a wonderful city and the people are so darn nice.

The majority of my first day was spent in meetings but I did manage a couple of hours to do some exploring.  There were a couple of places I had discovered on my last Charlotte visit I wanted to refresh my memory on.

The first one is Classic Attic and is well worth the time to pop by.  This is kind of a cross between an antique store and a consignment store…some old, some new, all pretty.

This tole chandelier is almost worth adding a new ceiling light to somewhere in my home..if
I only knew where...

They have a back room FULL of custom drapes.  I’m not sure but they look like they are custom made for sale at this store.  I also didn’t really check prices but judging from everything else at Classic Attic I would guess that they are fairly priced.

Custom curtain room...so many choices...all lovely and beautifully made

I ended up toting this lovely back to Boston.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen a piece of pink depression glass that called to me and was priced reasonably.  Sometimes I can’t believe how much this stuff goes for!

My second stop of the day was the Sleepy Poet Antique Mall and let me tell you I could spend hours in here…and probably would have if my feet were not rebelling from being in heels all day (cement+heels = NO).

This tin cabinet is so cool...I love the nautical look

This place has EVERYTHING you can imagine both newer and old and very old.  Full disclosure here though, I personally think some of their pricing leans on the high side…but that being said there are bargains everywhere and I fully believe pay what you think something is worth to you and you will never feel like you overpaid.

Just imagine all of the fun things you could display in this...would be just beautiful with sparkly lights inside

In any case, Sleepy Poet is a great place to spend some time and see every kind of thing you could ever want.

The before to the left and the after to the right....looks very similar to my bedside cabinet facelift

Oh my, I love this!  I don't know what it is about orange it's just such a fun pop of color.

Just one of several walls of antlers...kind of cool

Day 2 was totally full of work but was fun none-the-less.   I was lucky enough to tour a coffee plant and learn all about roasting, packaging & shipping coffee.  It was interesting and wow did it smell awesome!  Kind of like Hersheytown for adults (the aroma of coffee permeated the neighborhood in a very awesome way).

The coffee cupping...they do this several times a day on many, many lots to ensure consistency in taste & quality

Sharing this week at Cozy Little House, Elizabeth & Co, Savvy Southern Style, Primp

Fall Back In Time...at Circa

A couple of weeks ago I shared my visit to The Pine Cone Hill Outlet (you can see my visit here) in the Berkshires but if you read my blog at any regularity you know by now I’m not driving 3 hours each way and not doing a little more exploring when I’m there.

And it was such a beautiful day fall for wandering…

My other great find that day was Circa….when I spotted a parking spot out front just waiting for me I knew it was fate.

Located right next to a wonderful coffee shop Circa is the end unit

Old brick building with high ceilings and filled with mid-century goodness, what more could anyone want?

The woman working there was the owner’s mother and she was super friendly…no question she loved her daughter and the store she had opened…small business customer service at its best!

Don't you just adore the color of these?

And how much fun are these?  Did you know orange was
Frank Sinatra's favorite color?  Yep, it was.

This lounger was about 3 feet wide and was upholstered in kind of a
beigey shaggy fabric...so 1970's Elvis

Now, my style isn’t necessarily mid-century modern but I am a firm believer in buying what you really love regardless of style and it will somehow come together.  Can you say eclectic?  I don’t think my style is necessarily eclectic in the true sense but I definitely am not married to one style, I buy what I really love and it somehow comes together.

I did end up finding 2 fun things….

My old clock that I bought ages ago at Ballard Design had stopped keeping time.  Probably just needs a new clock mechanism but I just haven’t seemed to get around to fixing it.  I still love it but maybe it’s time to try on a new look for a bit.

Old Clock...10 years old

New Clock...maybe 50 or 60 years old

I found this inspiration photo on Pinterest a while back and have been looking ever since for the perfect ladder for my laundry room.  

I love this idea...I am so stealing it!
photo source

Isn't this great?  So many possibilities!

I love the patina on this vintage ladder....but it would
be so fab in a fun color

Now I just have to decide…paint or not to paint?

Any thoughts on which way I should go with this?  It has such great patina but there are so many fun colors out there if I go the painting route.

Recommendations Welcome...The Missing Piece

About a month ago I was visiting with one of my Aunts (it was her ___ birthday) and we were joined by a couple of family friends Donna and Pamela for a lovely day of Arts in the Park in Camden Maine.  The weather was unfortunately quite dreary – the company was fortunately not.  These ladies are as far from dreary as it gets so we had a really wonderful day never minding the weather.

I knew that Donna, Pamela and their family (they are sisters) winter in Florida but really had no idea what part of Florida….it’s a big state you know.  So you can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to learn that their winter homes are near Tampa….perfect as these are just the ladies to tell me where all the great treasures are.  I can't remember the first time I met Donna (it was that long ago) but the first time I met Pamela was several years ago.  She was at a rummage sale buying a bargain life sized bust for her then teenage son (which unfortunately for me he loved and still does)…I knew instantly she was my kind of lady.  Both Donna & Pamela have an amazing decorator eye…although Pamela is the only “official” decorator.

The Missing Piece
3854 South Dale Mabry, Tampa, FL

Well, the recommendation they gave me was a consignment shop called The Missing Piece so I immediately put it on my list and headed over directly after my visit to the Henry B Plant Museum (see my visit to the Plant Museum/Tampa Bay Hotel here).

Not really sure what to expect I did know one thing…they had beautiful things on their web page and they came recommended so it all looked good.  I was a bit surprised when my GPS let me to the deep corner of a strip mall but given Florida’s somewhat strip mall centric nature I’m not sure why I was surprised.  The real surprise though was all of the gorgeous pieces I found when I went in.

This piece was in a vignette at the front door...what a wonderful hint of
what was to come.

The sunlight coming in from the front window really messed with my
stellar photography skills (lol) but this piece was so beautiful
in person...trust me

I love the color of this buffet...you would expect black or red for this
style but blue?  The unexpected definitely works!

The Missing Piece is really primarily consignment furniture…there are a few accessory pieces but really its clear furniture is their core specialty.  It’s also not vintage but classic pieces are beautiful whether they are new or old.

I will someday have a room large enough for a piece like this...it will be
filled with beautifully written literature...contemporary & classic (surprise, I
have a bit eclectic taste in books).

This Roll Top Desk was so unique and beautiful in it's simple lines.

What I generally love about consignment is not only that there are always bargains to be had but more importantly I always see unique pieces that I never see in regular furniture stores. There were plenty of those as well as good quality pieces that have more shall we say “mass appeal”.  Bottom line…there is so much to drool over here.

This piece was very different than anything else
I saw and could work in so many places...great colors
much loved look...really beautiful

Oh this baby came so close to coming home with me.
You have no idea...white opalescent swirl ....a lamp that
shimmers...what could be better?

I was definitely wishing I either lived closer or had a big truck with a nice driver to haul it back for me.  They do offer delivery…wonder if that covers the 10 states and 1375 miles (yes I Mapquested it) to my house.  On second thought, it’s probably best I don’t have either of those or I would have a very empty bank account….but a house full of furniture…and maybe a guest spot on that show Hoarders lol.

And one final beauty...the crewel lampshade
was fabulous!