Local DC Goodness - Miss Pixie

Ok, so with all of the wonderful pics I’m seeing on everyone else’s blogs in the last couple of weeks I am feeling extremely negligent in my Christmas decorating this year so far.  And since I’m such a slacker I’ll share a little more of my DC adventures today.

While looking for some local DC Christmas shopping opportunities I came upon a vintage shop called Miss Pixie (thanks to my good friend Yelp)…well with that name you know I had to put it on my must see list!
The pictures on Yelp show a pink storefront with black & white awnings…oh yeah….but, not exactly what I found when I arrived.

Miss Pixies
1626 14th St NW, Washington DC

 

Other than a drastically different exterior I was so not disappointed by what I found on the interior.  Such cool things!

How fab are these lanterns!

This was cast iron so was heavier than it looks...would look
so nice in my front entry....

And I came at just the right time of year.  Miss Pixie does Christmas right!  I have absolutely never seen such a collection of vintage Christmas bulbs (aka Shiny Brites).

Biggest regret of my DC trip...not buying up all of these!

And where else are you going to see a blue feathered tree on one side of the store and a pink balsam tree on the other side?

This brings Dr Seuss to mind for some reason :)

I've been looking for one of these this year...a bit
tacky but tacky in a chic kind of way

Did you check out the dresser I painted for my office/project room (if not you can see it here)?  Well, I am super proud of it now…Miss Pixie had this one exactly like it (different color paint) with a $150 price tag on it.  How cool is that…mine cost less than $20 (for paint)!

I love that this was priced at $150 and my exact duplicate cost me $20
in paint & materials.  

No question I picked wisely for my local DC stop…there was so much inspiration here.

Farm table perfection!

I walked away with so many ideas…and a list of other cool shops in the area that Miss Pixie generously shares with any customer with a keen eye to the stack sitting on the counter.  I'm all ready for my next DC adventure!

Don’t Mess with Dallas – Uptown Country Home

This spring was a crazy travel spring for me - I was all over the place for 4 months. 

Before I even visit some cities I just know they are going to be good.  This was the case with a work trip to Dallas a few weeks ago. 

The picture of the big haired blond lady with bright red lipstick came immediately to mind and I just know this stereotypical imaginary woman has a highly decorated McMansion.  She’s buying (and selling when she redecorates annually) her home wares somewhere and I had every intention of finding these shops and squeezing a moment into my schedule to stop by for a perusal.

So, in order to most efficiently utilize my time I did a quick scan of some of the décor blogs I frequent and came upon Material Girls who has a whole ton of info of where to find the decorating gems in a handful of cities around the country. Given limited time and what looked to be an abundance of options I ended up picking a few that looked like they might just fit the bill and headed south. 

My plan was once I arrived at my hotel look at the geography and narrow my selection further based on the location to where I was staying.  That is how I ended up on the doorstep of Uptown Country Home.

Uptown Country Home
3419 Milton Avenue
Dallas, TX

Uptown Country Home does a lot of merchandising by color

I just love the pop of red!

Another example of why merchandising by color works...
this blue vignette makes such a strong color statement

Uptown Country Home specializes in repurposed/recycled cottage style furnishings & accessories – fun, fun, fun stuff at this place. 

Shabby Chic...the glass knobs add such pizzazz to this dresser

Fun, fabulous mirror framed with different leftover
moldings, handles and scrabble tiles...love! 

I recently replaced all of the windows in my home and
I am so glad I kept several of the old ones for possible
projects...this is actually exactly what I had in mind for
one of them...message board, magnetic bulletin board, etc.

Isn't this an awesome repurpose of old doors...
it's Uptown's checkout counter!

The are located in a really quiet “neighborhood” so it feels like a main street in any small town and the shop itself was far smaller than I had expected but wow it is just filled with wonderfulness!

Huge selection of message wall art

If you are a “clean lines” decorator this is not the place for you but if you have an appreciation for unique, cool recycled wares I highly recommend making time for a quick visit.

And finally...a coffee percolator
repurposed as a lamp