Vintage Farmhouse Finds At Our Booth...

Happy May! I hope you're enjoying the beauty of spring, May flowers, and lots of sunshine! If not yet, hang in there - they're coming! 

Today I thought I'd share a few peeks into our shop space inside of M&M Antiques in Monroe, WA...

Fun {Fall} Farmhouse Finds!

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Hi Friends! Since we are just days away from the official start of fall, I thought it would be fun to share some great finds for your home that will help you welcome what is arguably the coziest of all seasons!

We have some of these items in our home currently, but I love them ALL...

Unique Vintage Farmhouse Finds {What Stays and What Goes to the Shop}

Hi friends ~ Thank you for your encouragement these last several months as we started our shop space inside of M&M Antiques in Monroe, WA. Many of you who are local have even come in and shopped. That means so much to me!

Today I thought I'd share some recent farmhouse finds and talk about the challenge of determining what we keep in our home vs. what goes into the shop. That's a question I get asked a lot... How do you know what to keep and what to sell?

First, let me say that I try to offer items in the shop that I would use in our own home. That helps me when considering purchases for the shop space. (But it can also cause me to second-guess keeping things because they would usually work so well in our home! See what I mean?! ;)

This 1920's hutch was a tough decision. One hundred year-old patina like this is hard to find. But, it is in our shop where it is holding a lot, and will hopefully make someone very happy!

Christmas at the Shop...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at our space inside of M&M Antiques in Monroe, Washington. And speaking of Christmas, that's how it felt as I spread out and tagged some new inventory in our dining room the other day...

Our New Farmhouse-Style Shop Space {A Peek Inside}

 Hi Friends. Thank you so much for all that support you have shown me as I recently opened up a retail space inside one of my favorite (like all-time favorite) local antique shops, M&M Antiques in Monroe, WA. It has been a lot of fun filling our booth, and we are learning a lot in the process. 

Although this is a busy time of year with back-to-school, I also think it is a really great time to begin a shop space as we head into the cozy, holiday seasons of fall and winter. 

 I hope you don't mind if I occasionally share some shop posts here on the blog... It is another  canvas to try out decorating and display options that I may not be able to pull off in our own home. ;) 

Please come in and have a look around...

This one's for all you junk-lovin' pickers out there... {A Summer Discovery!}

My husband and three boys had come across some place they couldn't wait to take me back to, just 20 minutes from our house. (My reaction when we got there didn't disappoint them! :)

We drove down a beautiful country road, passing farms and pastures along the way. We came to little red farmhouse with a long, single level shop behind it. To the right was a shed, and to the left several outbuildings including a barn. As we drove into the driveway I got a glimpse into the shed, overflowing with antiques. This is what I saw...

At Home on Sweet Creek (A Collector's Home Tour)...

Happy Spring!

I came across Linette's beautiful feed here on Instagram. I was drawn to the warmth of her home, the rustic farmhouse linens and the chippy painted pieces of furniture. 

I asked her if she would be interested in doing a home tour for us.  

{DIY} Gray Barn Antiques Sign

I love old signs. The chippy, faded kinds. 

Ones that have hung from local businesses with pride, and weathered many storms. 

A little piece of history to hang on our four walls. Yes, please.

But, sometimes the right ones can be hard to find. And when you do find them, the price can be hard to swallow. 

So, I'm sharing a sign I recently made using found wood and paints that I had on-hand. The only thing I purchased was a new set of small paintbrushes for the lettering.  

You'll need a piece of wood. Start by painting it white, making sure NOT to cover it evenly. A quick coat will do. You want it to look weathered. (I went lighter near the edges.)

Next, type out your words. I used Word for Mac and the "Iowan Old Style Black" font in size 180. Print out the words on regular computer paper. Cut off excess paper so that you can position the words how you want them on the wood. 

Make sure your words are the right size to fit on your sign.

Turn the words over and use a pencil to scribble over the backside of the letters.

Turn them right side up and tape down into place. Pressing fairly hard, trace over each letter with a pencil, burnishing them onto the sign.

Use a small paintbrush with a pointed tip to carefully paint in each letter. I chose to use a gray paint for this sign. And remember, you don't need gray paint - just mix a few drops of your black craft paint in with your white craft paint. ;)

Once your sign dries completely, sand it as if your life depends upon it. 

And there you have it - - your vintage inspired sign!

This one is a gift... hope she likes it!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Xo