Second Street Emporium

Located on Second Street in downtown Temple Texas, this delightful antique store is my new favorite shop.

I hope you can drop in sometime. Maybe the next time your driving down I35 between Austin and Waco.

They have lot’s of great stuff at unbelievable prices. New arrival’s daily. If they don’t have what your looking

for, just ask owner’s Julia or Sally. Chances are they have it hiding in one of their warehouses. Trust me.

It’s a treasure trove! So whether you’re looking for a long, curved 1950’s Montgomery Ward lilac sectional,

a Heywood Wakefield bedroom suite, or a  primitive cupboard with it’s original chippy grey paint, your in

for a nice surprise because they’ve got it all! Sally and Julia, also do a lot of estate sales and did I mention

how nice they are? Well, they are not only thoughtful, kind and friendly. They are also efficient and trust-

worthy. In fact, that’s how I first met them. They are helpful and accommodating…very easy to work with.

If you see something here that you like, I’ll find out how much it is for you. Just leave a comment and your

email and I’ll let you know.  To stay informed of upcoming estate sales visit www.bellcountyestatesales.com

Looking for a day trip? Temple, is only a one hour drive from downtown Austin. After shopping Second

Street Emporium, plan on having lunch at one of the nearby eatery’s. Pignetti’s Italian, Molly’s Deli, Cheeves,

Taste of Thai, and Wes’s Burger Shack are within walking distance. Not only will you enjoy the authentic

small town flavor, shopping and fare but also the architecture and history. Don’t miss the Temple Railroad

and Heritage Museum, just a few blocks away. Temple, Texas is a great place to live or visit. Don’t miss it!

Weekend Facelift!

Recently, when I was checking out my favorite blogs, I saw this on Miss Mustard Seed Interiors. She had painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Which I’ve been reading about for a few years. Though, I don’t like the idea of buying a $40 quart of paint, I decided to buy several colors plus the clear and dark wax. Anyway, I couldn’t get the picture above out of my head and decide mimic the look in a corner of our breakfast nook. So, I measured the spot and headed out to find a similar piece when I realized I had something that would work sitting out in the garage:) I had picked it up off the curb months ago and now it was buried under lots of other old treasures. I’m not going to lie to you, I had to rearrange the garage to get this old cabinet. It was a mess! Like me. Maybe that’s why I love salvaging things headed for the trash.

Once upon a time this old cabinet housed a record player and maybe a radio. It was pretty rough but with a power screw driver, I made a few adjustments and drug it into the kitchen to make sure it would fit. By the time I was ready to paint, it was midnight and excited to get going I jumped right in!  In case you don’t know. The big plus of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, is that you need not prep the furniture. Unbelievable! ….and that’s why people are paying so much. So, by 2:00 am I was through painting and headed to bed. Next day, I sanded and waxed, finishing it by noon.

The colors I used were Old White, which I painted over everything first.  Duck Egg Blue on the thin molding and inside the only working door (great for platters, huh?) Country Grey on the cabinet inserts. When the paint was dry in about 30 minutes, I got 100 grade sandpaper and began rubbing  the edges. Which comes off nicely, with little effort. When sanding, I like to distress heavily in any  areas that might have gotten a lot of wear. In hopes of making the furniture look authentically antique.

I’ll show you the finished project in a sec but want to say I was very pleased with these paints and really look forward to using them again soon. If you like shabby, you’ll love Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. If you Google it, you can find lot’s helpful videos demonstrations, to bring you up to speed.

 

It was a fun weekend. Coach finally got some fish yesterday at Lake Bastrop! After fishing all day last Sunday and Monday without a bite, he was happy! Just thinking about fish makes me hungry but my hubby, unlike Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty ( we love this show!) like to ‘catch and release’ his fish. It makes know sense to me but he’s much smarter than me so I’ll just trust him with ‘fish conservation’ etc. Anyway, I decided to chew some of my veggies yesterday and made vegetable soup. Please, don’t gag but I still had a pumpkin sitting around from the fall décor. I decided to cut it up for juice (which I wouldn’t recommend) but I am happy to tell you it was tasty when sautéed and served in soup.

 

Back to the furniture makeover! I was so happy to walk into the kitchen this morning and see my latest project. I still cant believe how perfectly it fit. I’ve always had something small in this corner but now its reached it’s full potential.

Next up. The Welsh Cupboard I bought at Second Street Emporium, when we first moved in. I’ve always wanted to paint it  and now I’m ready to get started.

 

Happy Monday! Mine started off great with the loss of another pound. Yay!

DAY 20 – 18 lbs. gone!!!

It’s juice time!