Gone Antiquing

After becoming addicted to Pinterest and following DIY blogs like "Young House Love," I have a newfound passion for antiquing, or "junking" as some call it.

Junking is loosely defined as "the art of searching or shopping for bargains, anitques, collectibles, or any concievable kind of dust collector or garbage." They say one man's trash is another man's treasure, and I'm really finding that to be true.

If you're ever in Waco, be sure to check out Junque in the Trunk, an antique boutique only open on the weekends. This is where I found Ruthie's painting that she blogged about wanting, for a mere $25. I also bought an antique suitcase for $6 that I hope to use someday in my photography. Two weeks ago I visited the shop and found two "milk glass" vases for $4 each. I thought they'd be great for the wedding to hold some beautiful hydrangeas! Even if I don't find a place for them in our wedding decor, they'll be great pieces for our future home.

Yesterday, Meredith had the day off of work, so we met for Sonic Happy Hour and spent the afternoon antiquing. We went to Cameron Trading Company on Austin Avenue in downtown Waco, and I can't believe I'd never been there before. It definitely won't be the last time! We spent an hour walking around the first floor, and then realized there was an entire second floor of more fun finds! I could have easily gone antique crazy, but I used some self control and walked out with just a few items.

My first find was three pieces of sheet music from the 1950s, with song titles that include the word "love" ($2 each). I envision putting them in shabby chic frames and using them somewhere at our wedding reception. You'll just have to wait and see if you can spot them on the big day! If nothing else, they're a fun collector's item. The adorable woman who rang up my purchases had a sweet moment of nostalgia when she recognized one of the songs. Melted my heart.

The next piece of "junk" I found was an old wooden window shutter ($7.50). My roommate Allison has one on her bedroom wall that she uses to display her jewelry, so I'm going to do the same! All it needs is a good sanding, a coat of paint, and some little nails in order to hang my necklaces and bracelets. I'm also going to search the sale bins at Anthropologie (or maybe even Lowe's/Home Depot) for an inexpensive crystal drawer knob to replace the little plastic one in the middle. Photos to come once it's complete!

The last thing I purchased was a silver vanity tray with mirror base ($9.95). When I move to Austin, I'm going to have a larger bathroom counter than I have in Waco, but I'm trading that for a lot less cabinet space. For that reason, I saw this tray as a fun, girly way to accommodate my perfume, lotion, and other toiletries.

When I got home, I started sprucing up the vanity tray. The silver was pretty tarnished and dull (don't let the picture above fool you), and after trying to scrub it with a baking soda paste, I decided it may be easier to maintain if I just painted it. [Sidenote: Dad was a little appalled that I'd use spray paint on silver, but hey, I only paid $10 for it.]

I used some blue painter's tape to protect the edges of the mirror, and then taped newspaper to the rest of it. I used some cream colored Rust-Oleum brand spray paint and then went to town!

You'll have to wait until I move home to see the finished product, but I'm pretty excited to see how it looks in my bathroom.

This summer has been a wonderful season of rediscovering my hobbies, and now I can add DIY projects and antiquing to the list!

Bargain Hunting

I love shopping just as much as the next girl, but what I love even more is finding a great deal. My mom taught me the importance of frugality from an early age. One of my favorite summer memories is of Randalls "Triple Coupon" days, where any coupon savings was, you guessed it, tripled. If you've seen TLC's Extreme Couponing, you can imagine a little of what our shopping trips were like, just not nearly THAT extreme. Mom made it a game for us kids - she'd hand us a coupon and send us running around the store in search of the picture that fit the one on the tiny clipping. We picked out our favorite breakfast cereals or fun snacks to add to our school lunches, and got to have a say in what was for dinner that week. It was so fun to watch as the coupons were scanned, seeing our total diminish on the screen. We'd walk out having saved hundreds of dollars!

When I go shopping nowadays, I'm no less excited about finding a bargain. I shop sale racks like crazy, and I rarely buy anything at retail price unless I absolutely can't live without it. With me launching my career in 12 days, I took to my local LOFT store this morning to try and snag some trendy professional wear for a discount. And I was in luck! Everything on sale was an additional 30% off.

If you're like me, you'd like to know exactly how much you'll be spending before you check out. I have no problem with basic math in my head, taking 30% off one item, but with a larger purchase and several discounts (plus tax), I found myself wanting to build a spreadsheet in the fitting room. (Yes, I'm a nerd like that. My dad is a CPA and uses Excel like a pro).

I found a free iPhone app that I now love! It's called SaleShopper, and it's a simple calculator to give you an exact total of your purchases, including discounts and coupons. It also gives you the chance to add things up in order to double-check that the cashier applies all your discounts.

Here's the home screen. I used the "Discount Calculator" and then added a new transaction labeled "LOFT."

I was able to add each item to one running list. It will ask you for an item name (I just used colors for a description), the original price, and then give you the option to add a percent discount or any additional coupons. The prices displayed here are after my discounts. You can also change the sales tax for shopping in other states or during Tax Free Weekend!

And here's what I walked away with for $110.60 - a white tank with lace (cut out of picture on the left), a purple linen blouse, a black cardigan (to replace one of mine that's old and faded), a patterned dress, and a multicolored blouse with ruffles around the neckline.

I walked around the store before I left, eyeing some other great pieces I'd like to have. I'm hoping they find their way to the sale racks when the fall/winter clothes roll out. Considering one of the regular priced dresses cost 3/4 of what I paid for 5 separate pieces, I'm a happy girl.

If I had paid retail price, my total would have been $257.50!! My philosophy? It's more fun to wait for sales and get more for your money.

Happy bargain hunting!