At the end of June, I road tripped with two friends and my husband Ryan down to Shreveport, Louisiana, where my friend Anna will be living next year! We wanted to check out her new home and celebrate her birthday in true Southern style. Of course spending time with my friends was the number one priority, but as with any vacation, I was also excited to eat local foods and of course hit up some local stores!
My two road trip companions, Anna and Ashley, are thankfully into antiquing, so it wasn't hard to convince them to stop in many antique malls along the way down and back.
Our first pit stop was actually a happy accident--we pulled off to gas up and take a restroom break and noticed a cute little store called "Grandma's Attic" nestled next to the gas station, so we went to check it out.
I loved how each booth was separated by chicken wire walls--they functioned as easy dividers and sellers could use them to hang items! Megan and I have chicken wire frames on our to-make list. They are great for displaying photos or holding escort cards!
One of my purchases was this bluish-green chicken. As a treasure hunter, I see clear, sage green, and milk glass versions of this guy all the time, but I'd never seen one that was this sort of emerald-y color, and I was smitten!
A pair of these green goblets also made it back home with me. At the time, our collection of green glassware was lacking, and the price was right, so I snatched them up. We've definitely remedied the green glass shortage now, as you can see from our inventory.
I snapped the above picture to showcase those cute little tins. I also like the small scale in the left of the photo. And isn't Colonel Sanders just fabulous? (Kidding, kidding).
After having such luck on our spontaneous stop on the way down, we decided to check out a few stores in Shreveport, and we plotted a full-on antiquing road trip for our way back!
I was really take by these two globes, particularly the white one because I loved its color. The coolest part about them is that they have Russia labeled as the USSR and show a divided Germany because the Berlin Wall was still up. Since we'd recently acquired a globe for our inventory (and these were a bit pricy), I passed on both.
Oh, sweet glassware! You look so pretty! I just took this picture to show how lovely the clustered goblets look. Using a lot of one thing can make a big impact on an event, even if they're spread around the room and not grouped like this. Imagine how good a cluster of clear vases or compotes would look as a centerpiece!
I loved these pink goblets, but not their price. I'd like to add some more pink to our colored glassware collection.
More clear glassware! I love the idea of having a large cake buffet and using different sizes, shapes, and styles of clear or milk glass cake stands to display your desserts.
It's not everyone's style (and antique furniture shouldn't always be painted, especially if the wood's in good condition), but I liked this little blue desk! Obviously it can function as furniture for everyday life, but at an event a piece like this could also shine. I see it as a dessert or drink stand or a cute guest book table!
There was a great collection of soda bottles at one store. We'd previously scored a ton (45!) of assorted Vess soda bottles from a Craigslist seller, plus we had a 7-Up bottle and two Dr. Peppers, so I knew a bottle would really have to blow me away to end up in my cart. Lo and behold, this one did:
A heart with "KC" in the middle made by Love Bottling Co.? Seriously? Brides in the Kansas City area should love this guy! I know I do!
I was also drawn to light blue depression glass on this trip. I'd never actually seen any before and didn't know they'd made pieces in blue (just pink, yellow, and green). Maybe it's a regional thing, and for some reason the blue pieces are distributed more in the South? In any case, I found an adorable sugar and creamer set in the sweet blue shade!
I also get tickled when I'm shopping and I spy items we already have, particularly when we've scored them for less money than the seller is asking for them. (What can I say, I love a good deal!)
We actually have the two green pieces in the upper left of this photo--a large vase and a footed candy dish, except our candy dish still has its original lid, score!
I absolutely loved the look of these wooden library card catalog boxes. They're on our wish list! They make a great holder for escort cards, but can also function as a card box or just as a stand for vases to create a layered, collected look at your event. We currently have a gray metal catalog holder for rent.
In the photo below, I love the hand-painted signs (how cute would these look as garden decor, or in the kitchen?) They inspire me to get on it already and paint some more signs for rental!
We have a stack of wood, white paint, and some inspiration photos (below), so we just need to do it. I think a Wednesday Crafternoon post will be headed your way shortly...
I also love the stacked coca-cola crates at the bottom of the photo. I'd been eying coke crates for some time, and bought a red one in early June that rents for $5. It's the yellow one that's harder to find for a good price!
And here's what else I ended up with:
Overall, it was a successful road trip in many ways--we had fun exploring Anna's new home, and we all scored some awesome treasures!
