southern antiques – Page 2

Piddlin’ Decor | Gameday Cowbells

How was your Week 2? Whelp, things around our house got a little rocky…

It was tough enough for our “house divided” heading into last Saturday knowing we’d have two games to watch simultaneously. However, as we have done many times before, we raised our split flag out front, set up our two TVs + settled in for the long night.

Things started out pretty pitiful for The Gamecocks, but they went from bad to worse following a long weather delay in Starkville, Mississippi followed by a flailing, second-half, Hokie team in Bristol + all in all, it made for a rather unpleasant night of football watching.

Despite over 500 miles between our two game venues there was an obvious theme–the annoying reiterance of two well-known + beloved (by many) gameday traditions: the Tennessee Volunteers’ catchy-at-first fight song, “Rocky Top” + the clanging cowbells of the Mississippi State Bulldog faithful. (read more about the cowbell tradition here)

Here’s a screenshot of a handful of the many who were either fussin’ over or celebrating the resounding State cowbells on twitter during our game Saturday …do y’all want some cheese with that whine?!

I have always loved the sound of a simple dinging cowbell–that is, a single bell by it’s lonesome, or even the strands of bells seen around the holidays, mostly for the bucholic visions it brings to mind– however it certainly became it’s own entitity among the crowd at Davis Wade on Saturday. Gamecock fans present, went from outnumbering Vanderbilt at home in Week 1 to fading into the similarly colored sea of maroon–and cowbells! Yikes…rough start to our season.

I believe wholeheartedily that gameday traditions are what they are + if they adequately deter from a game, well then your team should come up with something to overcome it– it’s part of how you play the game– I digress.

This is my antique cowbell that I found in my early piddlin’ days… it is a rusty, perfectly patinated thing of beauty and each time I pick it up, I imagine the farm animal that once wore it. It’s sound is one not often heard much anymore in its original fashion, but it brings an instant smile to my face–as long as it’s not naptime…

Whether the cowbells of Mississippi State have worn on your last nerve or not, you have to admit it’s a pretty unique tradition + a no brainer to share with you here today!

Here’s to another fun weekend of football–

| keep piddlin’

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Piddlin’ Surcies | Granny’s Planters

‘pressed while baking my last batch of cookies

Prior to my piddlin’ days, I would see these greek key cement planters + not think much of them. They seemed like they were everywhere-a dime a dozen. Until my Granny passed away + the pair that sat on her ne’er frequented front porch–seemingly year round with potted poinsettias from Christmas past–were gifted to me on my birthday. Because they were once hers, I now admire them + their iconic style with a certain nostalgia each + every time I step through my door.

We filled these special vintage planters with a few of my favorites–caladiums + ferns– on Mothers’ Day with my little girl’s help. I like to think Granny Mabel saw us in action + got a smile out of seeing us finally putting a little dirt in them. Isn’t it funny how something so mundane can become so meaningful, just by using a small ounce of thought or making the simplest of gestures?

I hope I get to hold onto these long enough to pass them on to my daughter + I pray she will learn to recognize value in something otherwise ordinary.

| keep piddlin’!

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Piddlesticks! | Gone Piddlin’

Out + about celebrating my birthday with sweet family + friends.

Be back next week…ciao-arrivederci!

| keep piddlin’

Piddlin’ Trips | Diamonds in The Rough

We made the trip a couple weeks back to a small town outside Atlanta to one of my most favorite piddlin’ haunts of all time, Vintage Village + had quite the time with my piddlin’ partner. See more about the first time we visited Snellville, Georgia!

Take a peek at the fun stuff -“goodness” as they call it at V.V.- that we soaked up for what seemed like hours. It still seems like a tie between who loves treasure hunting more-my little sweet pea or myself!

Jump to the bottom to see our finds…

I consider this trip one of the best as of late + thereby, its finds as “diamonds in the rough”, because this shop has such a lovely ambiance about it. It is easy to see the level of care + attention to detail put into each booth’s display.

The vendors who sell here love their antiques + the thrill of the hunt as much as I do! It truly makes a difference + you typically can tell the moment you walk in a place to do a little piddlin’ whether or not that is the case. All the items for sale here are so unique, while also being reasonably + fairly priced–I’m crazy to be sharing some of my favorite secrets!!

Here’s a few things we couldn’t head home without…

[>] These folding wooden chairs have been on my wish list for sometime-after seeing a similar pair painted with team colors + logos on Pinterest some years back; there’s a project in my future + I could not be more excited! Yes-they are purple for now, but their construction is sturdy and they are beautifully made. These are going to be great at our tailgates or just at home in our sports room! …stay tuned.

[>] This vintage wood frame was no question, especially when it was my piddlin’ partner who saw it and picked it up. The detail on it is not seen all that often on frames and the lovely paint job brings out the craftsmanship. Obviously I am not too concerned with how it’s been put together because it is still rough around the edges; that adds to the charm of this darling frame + is sure to add a little something to my big girl’s room!

[>] Lastly, these beautiful blue tins…swoonworthy!! I have been on the lookout for an assortment of tin containers like these to one day have a beautifully curated collection to hold all of our art supplies + the occasional wild flower clippings.

These are especially stunning with a posy of flowers, in particular, zinnias ! I chose to only take home the two that still had a nice rounded opening + will continue the hunt for more beautifully designed vintage tin containers to keep the collection growing…let me know if you come across any?

I’ll leave you with a little something to daydream on…

| keep piddlin’!

Piddlin’ Trips | Functional Finds from The Queen City + Beyond

‘pressed on the road, at nap time + a polished off after supper
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One October past, I took an impromptu solo road trip to Charlotte, North Carolina to peruse some of my favorite piles of junk at Metrolina’s Antique Extravaganza! Oftentimes, my love of discovering old things sends me off in new directions exploring unfamiliar or less frequented territory; this is key to finding the gems that keep me coming back for more.

The slightly foggy morning set the tone for this piddlin’ trip!

Is there anything better than fresh kettle korn from out of the copper pot?

It was fun flying solo on a crisp fall morning to one of my first out of town stomping grounds, but there truly were not many finds to be had.

Little did I know, this trip would break the mold!

It seems to me, that as decorating with old things has grown in popularity, the prices continue to rise at the more frequented stops + the search for a bargain find has become more + more competitive. I did manage to find a couple of very useful treasures, as luck would have it –behold the jackpot items below!

[>] This green hardware trough {pictured above} has found the perfect spot in our home in a number of ways, most recently as my cutout cookie co. packaging supplies organizer for the past year and a half + prior to that, it effectively + beautifully corralled the cache at my surcie-wrapping station {two of my other hobbies: baking + packaging//presentation}.

After our upcoming move at the end of the year, it will most likely find a new life as the perfect gardener’s assistant atop a potting bench, or even help sort my handy husband’s tools on his workbench…stay tuned for more on all that!!

[>] The second find of the day was a perfectly-sized box for our dog bowls! It was purchased with a specific idea in mind- i.e. cutting bowl sized holes into the top of the overturned box to place the bowls inside the top slats {or bottom depending how you look} so they sit flush with the flat side of the container. This saves our sweet {aging} pup from having too much pressure on his back/joints while eating + drinking while keeping up with the vintage feel of our home–all in all, it’s a big win!

For now, we are using the bowls on top of the box because we wanted to make sure our boy would not have any qualms with the new set up– and sure enough, he loves it!

I am not sure that I want to cut into such a great box just yet…I love the aged look of the wood + can hardly stand to even think of repurposing such a great old container in such a permanent way; there are SO many great uses for a box of this size! Either way, we love this addition to our family room + it’s safe to say the pup does too.

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The Depot at Gibson Mill was my second stop + replaced my usual haunt on this trip, The Sleepy Poet. Since my first piddlin’ trip to Charlotte some years ago I had seen The Depot advertised all over, yet had never had the chance to make the trip to Concord, a bit outside of The Queen City limits.

When I pulled up to Gibson Mill, my senses were on overload; from the country drive into town + the train that speeds by adjacent to the parking lot, to the sight of the monstrosity that is the mill housing The Depot–how would I ever get through this entire place without my trusty sidekick pickin’ beau?! The initial daunting feelings quickly evaporated when I came upon the most amazing item I had seen in some while…

[>] A perpetual calendar was waiting for me in the fifth booth down, on the first aisle I chose. I could hardly believe my piddlin’ eyes as the rush of disbelief + excitement came over me just laying eyes on this item. I held my breath as I picked up the calendar to see what the price would be: $21?! Another item scratched off the antique wish list, unreal. I was one aisle + five booths in and already began thinking– Gibson Mills FTW!

[>] Speaking of wins…not many paces away down the same aisle, was this classic college pennant tin trash can which I had recently seen featured in Country Living…what luck!! I cannot wait to see this in our finished sports room–another project that is currently many years in the works, thanks to our collecting-albeit discriminating- habit. Check out the matching lunch pail we found a few years back, while spending Thanksgiving on the coast of North Carolina…

What a great trip it was to Charlotte–just writing about it makes me eager to head back! Who’s up for a Fall piddlin’ trip?!

There is simply nothing better than piddlin’ in Autumn. Oh, I cannot wait for the cooler months to grace us with their presence: crisp air, crunchy leaves, football, pumpkin spice everything + piddlin’– bring it on.

| keep piddlin’!

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This post is published in homage to Metrolina: one of the first antique “shows” I ever attended as well as the first place I successfully bargained with a vendor. June 2 was the last show and I am elated for the future it opens up for finding new haunts at better prices! Memories made there will not be soon forgotten.

Piddlin’ Wish List | Oriental Rugs

I’ve had my eye out for a steal of a rug over the past 6 plus months -I would enthusiastically take one threadbare even- and somewhat recently came across this stunner of a woven runner-!!

…as well as a few other smaller rugs at Palmetto Moon Antiques, but had to leave it behind after seriously misreading the price tag; whoops… 😳 a girl can dream!

I have been asked specifically what I’m looking for + frankly, it will probably be a while until I can make such a purchase, so for now, I simply say I am honing my tastes. I don’t know much about oriental rugs-yet- but it is certainly in my list of things to research and learn more about. For now, I just browse aimlessly and when one speaks to me, I snap a pic and move on– we can worry about prices later!

| keep piddlin’

Piddlin’ Trips | Speed Pick Special

Piddlin’ Finds | Southern Gems

I haven’t been piddlin’ very often so far this year, so two Fridays ago, I was able to get over to Antiques Market in Mount Pleasant for a speed-pick just before they closed. Sometimes, I just like the smell of an antique mall and the comfort of being surrounded by old things just waiting to be rediscovered. After all, the secret to great piddlin’…

I haven’t been piddlin’ very often this year, so two Fridays ago, I was able to get over to Antiques Market in Mount Pleasant for a speed-pick just before they closed. Sometimes, I just like the smell of an antique mall and the comfort of being surrounded by old things just waiting to be rediscovered. Afterall, the secret to great piddlin’ is that nothing has to be purchased, often times it is a scouting trip that turns out to be time better spent than a big buying trip. On this occasion however, I was pleasantly surprised to have these two Southern gems find me. Let’s not forget that is how it happens after all!

This lovely, well-worn piece of driftwood came home with me for $8 and this classic “blue book” of etiquette {Emily Post’s no less} was on sale, so I snagged it for $16! I just LOVE the gold engraved writing revealed, now that the dust cover is no longer on the book! The font is exactly what I would imagine for a book of this subject matter! I can’t wait to flip through it’s beautifully yellow-ed pages and see what’s changed and what hasn’t since its publish date! What Southern lady or gentleman doesn’t love a little etiquette refresher after all? I will have to share a few excerpts from the book once I have a chance to look through it. Have you been enjoying any good piddlin’ lately? Please, tell me about it below!! I miss hearing from everyone!

| Until next time!

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LADY’S ISLAND | WALTERBORO | RAVENEL

when i received a text from mom on friday: ” road trip tomorrow?” i knew this past weekend was guaranteed to be good. we both had long been discussin’ a trip to savannah, ga for many reasons. however, when our dear friend & neighbor, Jessie, suggested we could snag some fab finds a little closer to home, we ran with the idea.

we set out-dunkin donuts’ coffees in hand- around 8am. by 8:30 we were headin down highway 17 s to some of the smaller towns of the south carolina lowcountry.

lady’s island was our first stop. it was our favorite kind of antique store: mini-mall. this is where many different dealers have “booths” under one roof. so it amounts to one-stop shopping for all kinds of odds & ends. it makes for a great day of antiquing, because you never know what you’ll find.

we found these cute little hand stitched pillows for $3 to be used on the two blue chairs in my new townhouse:
handmade pillows

also, a new unusual mason jar for my collection @ $8

mom snagged a handful of $2 vintage green-glass coke bottles for her backporch milk carrier. all the bottles were from near-by bottling plants including: beaufort,sc; augusta,ga; & savannah, ga. too cool.

we jumped back into the car and headed to walterboro, where there are 12 advertised antique shops, so you can imagine, some were quite the tourist traps! all that we saw was so great, each store in their own way. the mini-mall style is always the best, however. we pulled up to the main strip in historic, downtown walterboro and our first stop was a quaint little coffee house where we grabbed a couple bagels and vanilla lattes. {delish!} that gave us an opportunity to get excited about the first store across the street that had at least 4 display windows and a sidewalk, full of wonderful finds:

Ultimately, we just brought home a few surcees, but the find of the day was this old school desk that has a light wood veneer atop a pale, antique-y blue legs! $15!!!!!

We were bummed we didn’t have more time to spend there. We spent too much time in the last store on the street; we really wanted to check out this great little roadside stop in ravenel, en route back to mount pleasant speedin' past Farmhouse Antiques …but of course, we ran out of time. Overall, it was a such a great trip, and a much needed break from reality. mom’s are great like that.

| piddles!