It's a Harper's Ferry weekend...what will I find for LeBlanc Lapin?

I started going on weekend trips throughout the mid Atlantic area since around the age of 10.  One of the coolest day trips my Dad ever took me on was Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. I remember the hot day, the paddle boating and walking around the town.  I was fascinated by the Main Street shops and wanted to go in every one of them but because of my Dad's impatience I'm quite sure my entre' into the last shop was vetoed!

I also remember my want and need to buy; that need is still very much alive today. I buy and sell, I buy and sell, and then reflect on where my bank account is and if I want to travel internationally that year or not!  I started selling furniture and related home decor recently out of my new home and it feels great, it really does it's just that I'm not done yet.  I'm never quite done looking for that unique find or fit for my home or someone else's.

This trip to Harper's Ferry is a trip back in time but it's also an opportunity to search for McCoy pottery, barn tables and chairs and anything that speaks to me.  It has to be good quality, it has to be timeless and it has to be unique, just like me.  I guess that's what I love most about decorating....you create it with history in mind, family photos and antiques, and also what you love the most. What do you love the most in your home? Is it the rugs that grace your walnut hardwood floors? Is it that old distressed hutch you bought on a whim and couldn't figure out how you were gonna squeeze it in the car? Or is it your kitchen where warm meals make the ones you love most happy? Maybe it's all of those things. Whatever it is, tell me about it, your story matters.

My favorite and only piece of Wedgewood china, the platter. Background: linen, my favorite fabric!

Day Trips and Decorating Buys!

Whenever I'm about to get very creative......I have to flee my town and go exploring; exploring to find buys, great buys, unique deals-antiques, drink coasters...............

The photo above was taken in the Hudson Valley part of NY on my 39th birthday. I dragged my hubby and twin daughters to the vineyards near Woodstock. I debated with myself for like five minutes over whether this would be a disaster and if my kids would suffer from my selfish Saturday but after I packed up the car I just knew my road trip would pay big beni's! (benefits)

At the first vineyard the wine was great but the inventory was even better.  As I looked around the tasting room, I was happy to see wine gifts for the whole family and I also thought this was the perfect opportunity to purchase holiday gifts while I was there!!!  Cha-ching!!

 

My first purchase, not including the tasting fee for two, was a set of retro drink coasters.  Don't you just love this one-where the slogan brings one back to when parents were rocking polyester in the 70's and kids played outside, when life was simple and you didn't require an app for that-

I also love finding items that will remind me of my trips to special places. When I look around my home I see beauty and adventures but I also see function.  Each room has to flow and serve a purpose. We just recently had a dinner party at our home and two of our neighbors that joined us said "our home was warm and welcoming."  I bet if she saw this coaster on an end table she'd laugh and that would spark a conversation about mom juice or antiques or even tactless drink coasters or maybe just possibly we shall talk about Woodstock and when she was younger and how she lived through the 60's and survived.  I have to have this woman over again, she loved her red wine and she laughed a lot.

It was a huge compliment that our now retired neighbors loved being in our home. It keeps me running to Home Depot, Home Goods and beyond......because I love to decorate, shop and make people smile with a side of Mom juice!!  Enjoy your day always