Shopping For Vintage And New Finds

We were back up in  Blowing Rock, North Carolina recently and took the opportunity to stop in a store on the way home. I really wanted to go here in May while we were on vacation, but we just ran out of time. 

On our last trip to Windwood Antiques in  Blowing Rock, we found several Vintage and New Finds at their smaller downtown store. I was so excited to finally get the chance to visit the larger warehouse store in Blowing Rock Square. It is filled with so many wonderful antique and new furniture pieces and accessories. 

One of the first items to catch our eye was this gorgeous trestle table whose top was made with reclaimed wood. 

So gorgeous!

 Loved the vintage looking chandelier above it too.

These slipcovered chairs would go perfectly with the trestle table. 

Mr. Fanatic parked himself at this awesome oversized bar height table and was trying to figure out where we could put this in our home.  

It is huge!

This wire and glass open cabinet would look fantastic in a bathroom.

Fell in love with this steel topped island. Hmmmm

It had such an interesting top. 

 The shop had some interesting lighting fixtures. 

This one was made out of a squirrel cage roof  vent. 

Very clever.

 We bought one of these rusted metal arrows for our daughter the last time we were in Blowing Rock at the downtown store.

 There were also mini metal arrows...

 And metal ampersands.

 Loved this open bookcase cabinet with drawers at the bottom. 

It was filled with vintage books in German.

I bought a few last time.

Really wanted this vintage watering can...but it was $89 and a little too pricey for me. 

I was able to find a several good buys and will show you how I used them another time. 

For those of you who live in the Charlotte, North Carolina, you'll be happy to know that they have a store in the Meyers Park area and the Arboretum. Maybe it's a good thing they aren't closer. I will have to stop by there some time soon though. 

Hope your week is off to a good start!

Pam

ps. I was not compensated in any way by Windwood Antiques. I thought you'd enjoy hearing about a fun place to shop. 

Vintage And New Finds

It's always fun shopping while on vacation and we shopped a bit while we were in Blowing Rock.

A few of my new additions are displayed in our foyer. 

Nope, I still haven't written anything on my framed chalkboard, but I'm sure I will someday.

I found this antique looking magnifying glass at Windwood Antiques. Windwood had a great combination of both new and antique items. If you plan a trip to Blowing Rock, be sure to visit them and don't forget they have a  large downstairs area filled with furniture and accessories. We would have missed finding a really great item had we not heard  the storekeeper mention it to someone else. 

 Windwood also has a large companion store in another location, but we didn't have a chance to go. Sounds like we need to plan another trip to Blowing Rock!

I found the cute formed crocheted item(not sure what to call it) at Take Heart. Most items were a little pricey, but I managed to find a few things that weren't too much.

I'm always on the lookout for antique books and keys and found both at a good price at Windwood Antiques.

The store owner bought a huge lot of vintage books while on a trip to Germany and all of the books were in German. The books were $15 a piece and the keys were $4 and $6. 

My daughter spied both items after I told her to be on the lookout for vintage books and keys. She picked the blue book out for when she re-decorates her bedroom. Until then, it can stay downstairs : )

What's on your list when you shop for vintage items?

Pam

joining:
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday 
The Everyday Home 

Chetola Resort Blowing Rock

If you're looking for a great summer getaway with your family or for a beautiful place for a romantic weekend, Chetola Resort should be high on your list. 

Last week Mr. Fanatic, youngest daughter Fanatic and I spent the week in a condominium at Chetola. 

There's also a lodge and a Bed and Breakfast at Chetola, as well. 

Not being fancy people and preferring to take care of ourselves (must be the diy in us), we loved staying in a two bedroom condo nestled in tall trees and perched up on a hill. Of course we also loved the fact that the whole stay at the Chetola only cost us $250 because we used some extra points my dad had in his timeshare. 

But, if you don't have timeshare points to use, you can always be on the lookout for a Groupon for the Bed and Breakfast. A couple we met at the fire ring one evening mentioned it.

You can't miss the Chetola Resort when you drive to the little mountain village of Blowing Rock.

I've always dreamed of staying there ever since first visiting the area several years ago.

The drive is lit in the evening with lights along the wooden fence.

The road meanders around the lake and across a stone bridge, then over the creek.

Chetola is  a Cherokee word that means "haven of rest".

Definitely a fitting name.

The Bob Timberlake Inn is up ahead...

The Inn also has a wonderful restaurant where we had dinner the night before we left. The Bob Timberlake Inn was once the Manor House for some of the previous owners. 

 Here's the view of the lake, looking back at the Inn. 

On the day we arrived, there was a big white tent set up for a wedding passed the gazebo. 

Just as we got out of our car to check in, the bride and her father were waiting to cross the road and walk down the path to the lake.

 What a wonderful place to get married!

 At the far end of the lake, there is a bridge and a spillway with a little island below filled with hostas and rhododendron.

Looks like a little secret garden. Wish we could have walked down there, but the wooden steps were blocked off. 

 The rhododendron bloomed during our week long stay. They were everywhere and so beautiful!

There's lots to do at the resort. You can read about all the activities, spa, etc. that this resort has to offer at  chetola.com. 

All three of us went out on a paddleboat and peddled out to the middle of the lake.  Lucky for me, Mr. F and daughter Fanatic got to be the ones who "powered" the boat. 

I just enjoyed the ride!

Needless to say, I would pack my bags and go back any time. The weather was perfect and so much cooler than back in Charlotte. 

Where are you off to this summer?

 Do you have something fun planned and do you go on vacation where you can get pampered?

Pam

ps. I was not compensated in any way from Chetola Resort; I just wanted to share a great place to go to in Blowing Rock!

Moses Cone Manor, Blowing Rock North Carolina

I hope you've had a great week and are doing something fun for the weekend. 

Wanted to share with you some gorgeous scenery we've seen this week.

We visited the Moses Cone Manor in Blowing Rock, North Carolina and even walked 3 miles of trails. 

Thought we did good, until I found out that there are 25 miles of trails total on the 3,500 acre property. 

As we hiked the trails about 1,000 feet below, the gorgeous house really stands out and as I saw it for the first time I said "whoa, what is THAT?" 

It was pretty impressive.

With a little help from Mr. Google, I learned that it was the Moses Cone Manor and that it was open to visit. (well partly). House tours don't start until June, so we were a few days too early, but the Manor is now home to the Parkway Craft Center which sells crafts from local artisans.

Here's the breathtaking view from the parking lot:

This is the view from the front  porch. You can see Bass Lake below.

13,000 square foot Flat Top Manor  was built  as the Cone's summer home in 1899 and finished in 1901.

I thought the carriage house was beautiful, as well.

This is the back side of the carriage house.

I don't think I could ever get enough of this view.

We definitely plan to go back for a tour of the upstairs part of the house. I find historic homes and the story of the people who lived in them so fascinating.

Hope you have a good weekend.

Pam

Fall Is Coming... Whether I Like It Or Not!

Everybody is talking about fall and how it is their favorite season... but, I have a confession to make ... I don't like fall. First, it makes a big mess out of my garden with all those leaves! Second, I don't like cold .... and winter comes after fall! September is definitely ok, but when it gets down below 55 - forget it. I am a Southern California girl at heart and love the perfect weather there. You are going to laugh, but I am going to tell you anyway, I used to wear long johns under my clothes when the weather got below 60. I am serious!

I do love one thing about fall, though... the gorgeous colors of the beautiful trees when I am driving around Charlotte, and in the mountains!

My un-love for fall is probably the reason why I don't have many fall decorations. I guess I think that if I ignore the season I am going to be able to put off the inevitable!

This weekend we took our oldest daughter up to Blowing Rock, NC for a quick day trip. You might remember we took our youngest daughter up there for the day last month. It is so difficult to get everybody off work at the same time!

This time we had plenty of time to shop and I found a few affordable fall decorations to add to the few that I  have. 

I found the birdcage, bird and faux berries in different stores.

This was a purchase from awhile back. I love Sunflowers. This is now hanging in my Powder Room.

I found a great garland in Blowing Rock for my basement family room fireplace.

I forgot that my fireplace screen is perfect for fall.

I love it.

Here's the mantle up close with the garland.

I just bought some chrysanthemums that I need plant in my containers. Hopefully, I can do that tomorrow!

Thanks so much for stopping by... 

Pam

Blowing Rock Shopping Trip

The other day I told you about our day trip to Grandfather Mountain and the quaint little town of Blowing Rock.We spent several hours Going to Grandfather Mountain and arrived in Blowing Rock about 4 o'clock. I wish we had left a little earlier in the day because most of the shops closed at 5. An hour was definitely not enough time to see all of the wonderful antique shops in town. I really wanted to go into this shop, but they were closing up :(

Several years ago I went to a great shop in Blowing Rock and had purchased these cute ceramic birdies. I have been trying to find some like them in the past 6 months that didn't cost too much, but I never found any. 

Here are the birds in my garden.

Oh, they are so cute.

We were really trying to hurry when  I found the shop we were looking for. It is called The Brass Exchange. They also have one in Charlotte, which I am planning on going to visit tomorrow!

I think this red hutch and the bird cage are fabulous!

Here's what the inside of the store looks like. There are 2 floors. They were closing in 20 minutes. So sad :(

Well, my daughter and I did some speed shopping. No leisurely browsing and no "oh mom, look at this". It took a little of the fun out of it, but here are a few things I bought:

I found the same birds with a ceramic finish on them. They were $5.99 each.

I also found this little bird cage for $13.99.

It was the perfect companion to the ceramic bird I found at HomeGoods last week for $6.99

I found a small terrarium for my daughter for her bedroom and another little birdie that I will show you later.

This shop had the most interesting lanterns. I wanted them all, but you know our goal is to downsize in the next few months! They were fabulous though!

Now that I am looking at the photo of the little birdcage, I think it needs a little green moss inside of it. I guess I will take a walk out to my woods and find some ... hopefully the mosquitoes won't eat me alive!

Hope you all have a great day!

Pam