Trash Can Turned Side Table {31 Days: Day 11}

One of my favorite things about being in DC is the ability to escape the city and get out to "the country" quickly. While I love living where all the action is, sometimes it's nice to get away and enjoy wide open spaces, rolling hills and pretty two lane roads with a red barn or two along the way. Breathe a little, you know?

{Nice view of a horse bottom, huh? :)}

That's exactly what I did last weekend, and I had a good excuse for it: the Hometalk Halloween Hunt hosted by Sweet Clover. This event was basically a barn sale "hop," where local bloggers were invited to meet up and shop at several barn sales near Frederick, Maryland and Leesburg, Virginia. These places are awesome, y'all. Each location was packed with vintage-y goods, painted furniture, handmade items, home decor, etc. etc. The only requirement to participate was to buy one thing and blog about it. So that's what I did.

{Side note for my 31 Days series readers: you might be a little surprised that I'm talking about buying something in the middle of a series on using and loving what I have, but I promise this fits the theme. Patience, my friends!}

What item did I buy? Why, an old yellow wire trash can of course! Ok, so maybe that's not exactly an obvious purchase, but hear me out. I bought this so-called trash can for $21 from one of the vendors at Chartreuse & Co, but I immediately thought side table not trash can when I saw it. It was exactly what I had been hoping to find to go next to the slipper chair in our living room. I've been making do with another side table that I love, but that's too tall for the chair, for months now. I needed something shorter and this guy fit the bill.

I loved the patina (some may call it rust...) - all I needed was a top for it. Initially I was thinking a glass top would be nice, but then I had an aha moment. I remembered that I had a polished stone lazy susan that I wasn't using...

I placed it on top of the trash can and it turned out to be the PERFECT size. I couldn't believe it. It was like they were made for each other.

Tada!

I'm smitten with the rustic mixed with refined when these two are together. Gorgeous.

To secure the stone slab to the old trash can, I just put a few dabs of hot glue on several areas on the underside of the stone where it would come in contact with the metal.

{It's hard to see, but there's a dot of glue where that table leg meets stone.}

And it was ready to go!

Now, the reason I'm blogging about purchasing this little gem of a find during a series on using and loving what I have is that I'm always on the hunt to make our home more functional and comfortable. This means making our "big pieces" of furniture work even in our unusually shaped space. Adding this one small thing to our living room makes me love the room overall even more and I got to put something to use (the stone lazy susan) that was previously just taking up storage space. A new side table is a small price to pay to help me love what I have - in a big picture kind of way. Sometimes you gotta fork over a little bit of dough to make your home a place you really love. Boom. Lesson of the day :).

I think it looks lovely next to my comfy slipper chair:

If you'd like to see the full living area, take a look at the "loving what you've got" home tour I posted earlier this week.

While I didn't do much in the way of purchasing at these barn sales last weekend, I did take lots of photos so I could share some lovely eye candy with you. When I go to shops/sales like this, I'm always so amazed at how many creative people there are out there with a great eye for making and curating some beautiful things. (Warning! low quality iPhone photos ahead!)

I started at Sweet Clover, where I met Cassie from Primitive and Proper and Karen the Graphics Fairy. They were lovely hostesses!

Next, it was off to Chartreuse & Co (the barn I talked about in this post back in February):

My last stop was the Old Lucketts Store. This was my first time here, and I wish I had taken more photos but I was pretty wiped out by this point :).

So who's ready to go shop these barn sales with me? I'll go back anytime!

Read the series from the beginning...

linking up to: Primitive and Proper, DIY Showoff, Rain on a Tin Roof, Home Stories A to Z, Uncommon Designs, If It's Not Baroque, Liz Marie Blog, Blissfully Ever After,Design, Dining and Diapers, Crafty Scrappy Happy, Craftberry Bush, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Tatertots and Jello, Serenity Now, It’s Overflowing, House of Rose, Love of Family and Home, Dear Creatives, Madigan Made, First Home...Love Life, Simply Dream and Create,Whipperberry, Sparkles and A Stove, Making Home Base, Naptime Creations, Southern Hospitality, Remodelaholic, Living Well Spending Less

Fourth of July at the River

Surprise! Charlie and I snuck away for an extra-long weekend at my parents' river house for the Fourth of July. We headed down there last Tuesday night, and had a glorious and relaxing five days down there. My parents were there, and my aunt and uncle came for a couple of days as well. I've decided that you really need that amount of time (of more, of course!) for it to feel like a vacation. We truly got away, disconnected, and got some much-needed rest.

Before diving back into project mode here on the blog, I thought I'd show you a few photos of our time at the river and give you a little sneak peak of some of the projects we did while we were there. Details to come later this week!

We spend a good portion of our time hanging out on the screen porch, the lawn by the water, and on the dock - mostly reading, chatting and relaxing. We joked that during the summer, we don't even need half the house, because we hardly use it when the weather's so nice! We live outside. Even when it's hot, we get a nice breeze off the river that keeps the temperature really pleasant.

Don't we look relaxed? :)

We got out and had some nice time on the water though too - including a kayak adventure to a nearby lagoon. Jackson came with us and had the best time romping on a little stretch of beach and swimming and rubbing his face in the sand.

Yes, he wears a doggy life jacket. Protective parents much?

We had a lovely Fourth of July too. I love this Instagram of the American flag and white Adirondack chairs in the background. It just felt so "American" to me. Doing some work on those Adirondacks was one of our major projects for the weekend (that's sneak peek number one!).

Jackson was feeling patriotic and wanted to get in on some photo action as well, so he posed with the flag for me.

Just kidding. He just happened to be there. Right place, right time I suppose.

Charlie and I had an impromptu photo session in our patriotic garb just before sunset on the fourth. The light was so nice, and I really wanted some new photos of the two of us. My mom is a great photographer and took some awesome shots of us. I'll share more of those later this week along with a few tips on taking good portrait photos too :).

The following day, we rented a little sunfish sailboat for the afternoon. It was super fun! I mostly enjoyed it from my vantage point on the dock and in the water (though I did sail with Charlie on it from the marina when we picked it up), but my dad and Charlie had a blast taking turns on it all afternoon.

Charlie joined me for some swim time while my dad took the sunfish for a spin.

Of course, a trip to the river wouldn't be complete without a boat ride with Jackson as the figurehead. In his life jacket...

And I couldn't resist a picture of C as the boat driver. Isn't he handsome? (He's really gonna appreciate that comment :).)

That evening, we had one of the most gorgeous sunsets. I feel like photos never quite do them justice, but I loved this one.

Ahh. So nice.

On Saturday, we hit up the once-a-month local farmers' market. I could not get over all the gorgeous fresh produce we saw!

Pretty, huh? It was fun wandering around, checking out the different vendors. In addition to fresh produce, they've also got all sorts other things including handmade items, children's clothing and art. I picked up a small oil painting from an artist I've admired for awhile at the market. I'll have to show it to you once I get it framed.

That about wraps up the weekend, but I have one more sneak peek for you of a project I'll share later on this week. It involves this gorgeous (not) orange kitchen cart. Is your interest piqued yet? Don't worry, it didn't stay this color :).

Did y'all enjoy your Fourth of July weekends? I hope you had a chance to relax and enjoy time with family and/or friends. I don't know about you, but I'm not quite ready to be back in "real life" yet!

Fun Find: Rattan Chairs

A few weekends ago, I took a day trip with some girlfriends up to a barn sale (similar to the one I went to back in the fall, but smaller). While I didn't find anything there, we did stop by another thrift/antique/junk shop before we left and I found two beautiful rattan chairs sitting just off the road by the entrance. I immediately said, "Ooo! I LOVE those!" and everyone else in my car agreed they were really cute. Sold.

Here's one of them sitting in its new home on our balcony:

I've been casually looking for a pair of chairs for our teensy balcony so we can really enjoy sitting out there, and thought these would be perfect. We've got a really pretty view from our balcony into a park, so we sit out there a lot when the weather is nice. Previously we had a wooden bench, which just didn't cut it in terms of comfort. These are com-for-ta-ble. You don't even need a cushion.

I love their clean lines and slightly worn edges. The look like they were well-loved (and well taken care of) by their previous owners.

The price wasn't quite thrift-store rock bottom, but at $60 for the pair, I snatched 'em up real quick. Turns out that was a good deal, because when I tried to look up similar chairs and prices, I found this one at World Market for $200 for one chair.

{World Market}

Annnd this very similar one from Anthropologie (not available anymore), that was $298(!). Uh, yeah, WINNER goes to my side-of-the-road find!

The only issue is that I'm not totally sure how "outdoor-ready" they are. Does anyone know how to weatherproof chairs like this? At this point, we're bringing them in when it rains, but other than that, is there something we could treat them with to keep them in good condition?

I've got big plans in my head for our little balcony so we can use it to its full potential this summer. I'll be sure to keep you in the loop as my ideas go from my head to reality!

Union Market {Weekend Adventure}

This weekend (finally!) brought a taste of glorious spring weather to DC. On Sunday, we were eager to be out and about so we could enjoy the sunshine and warmer temperatures. We met my parents for lunch for a fun spot called Union Market. I've been dying to go there for awhile now, based on rave reviews I've heard from my parents and lots of other folks. Let me tell you, this place did not disappoint - it's a feast for the stomach as well as the eyes! And although I wish y'all could have been there to taste some of the food with us, I think the photos will give you an idea of why I loved this place from the moment I laid eyes on it.

Union Market is an actual market - there are open-air food booths, farmer's market goods, a few lunch-counter style restaurants, artisinal specialty shops, and even a boutique. It's an eclectic mix that hearkens back to the days of authentic markets, but it has a gourmet twist thanks to the atmosphere, types of vendors, and design of the space. 

For example, this cheese vendor. They've got a counter where you can sample cheese (and sip your beverage of choice), as well as a case where you can pick some out to take home with you. Have I mentioned how much I love cheese? And they had some delicious ones...

This space has a rich history as an open-air market destination for the surrounding neighborhood (and really, the whole city). You can read more about its fascinating history on Union Market's website, but to summarize, the market originated way back in 1871 as "Centre Market." Over time, it went through several evolutions, and in the 1980s, as the demand for wholesale goods declined in the nearby area and vendors moved to larger commercial spaces, the market basically shut down. In the fall of 2012, after a massive renovation and revitalization, the market reopened in its shiny new form, becoming an instant destination in a (mostly) run-down area of the city. In a weird way, this place kind of reminds me of Anthropologie mixed with a farmer's market. Go with me on this one. I think it'll make more sense once you see some pictures...

I love this sign they have hanging in the back of the market. I'm not sure if it's original or not, but it definitely gives you a feel for what the original market was like:

One of my favorite vendors in the market was a boutique called Salt & Sundry:

Their collection of home furnishings, linens, paper goods, etc. was so fun to browse. Take a look at all their pretty things:

Lovely, right? They had a little bit of everything, and I was so tempted to take a few things home myself :). 

Even the lighting was amazing:

I really loved this vintage-y looking sign for a butcher/restaurant called Red Apron:

And the design of this "soda shop" (Buffalo & Bergen):

{I'm drooling over the sign, pendants and ceiling!}

Oh, and you've got to see this chandelier. (I'm a little obsessed with light fixtures right now...) If you look real close, you can see that it's made out of recycled, smushed plastic water bottles! What? Brilliance, I tell you.

Needless to say, I loved this place. I could've wandered around for hours sampling food, sipping wine, and staring at everything in the beautiful space. I think I'll be making many return trips in the future - even if it's just to gaze at that chandelier :). 

Hope you enjoyed being a part of my weekend adventure today!