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There are some exciting changes happening here! My Rust & Found journey is taking a new path, and I hope you’ll follow along with me. Let’s just get the big news out of the way first: I'm going to be closing the brick & mortar part of my business at the end of November. It’s a bittersweet change, but will bring some new fun challenges and adventure. For five years our monthly openings allowed me time to create, find, and curate great things to share with you in a new way, but it’s time to change things up  First: I'll soon be offering in home design consultations! I’ve been asked about this so many times, and the truth is it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Prior to the success of the store I’d never felt it was possible, but owning Rust & Found gave me something I hadn’t foreseen in the beginning: a newfound self confidence, and your trust in my design sense! The “how & when” of consulting is still in the planning stages, but this spring I’ll have more details to share with you, and I’m so excited to make this part of the business a reality! The second exciting change: you no longer have to wait to purchase the “made” or “found” items that are for sale, nor will you have to be the first in line to ensure you get something you saw posted. You’ll be able to purchase things as I finish them! Facebook and Instagram will be the same as they are now, with furniture or lighting designs shared during the process and/or when completed. Found and vintage items will be offered online in my marketplace. The "planning stage" is underway and I'll share it as soon as I've got a great collection of items ready to go.  If It Ain't Broke Why Fix It So about the closing of the brick & mortar. I’m sure at this point you are asking “why? I thought you loved your store!?” I do! Believe me, a dream I’ve always had not only came true but grew and became more than I could have thought possible! I can’t begin to explain how honored I feel seeing happy faces come to shop over and over again. These past five years have been full of huge personal growth for me as well. Saying it’s been a self-confidence boost is an understatement. It's truly been fantastic! The reality of our success and growth is that it's harder for me to keep the shop filled. It's so wonderful that we empty out when we open. ... What a great problem to have, right? That’s the goal! However, selling more means making more and the physical demands of the job have taken their toll, this past year in particular. Long term back issues and the increasing fibromyalgia pain leave me fatigued much of the time. I don't think my body is aware I'm only 53! We’ve also been unable to take as many picking trips this year with long hours in the car being more uncomfortable for me. Selling and sharing items as I make them will allow me to work at a manageable and more comfortable pace. I have a feeling that working with less discomfort may also leave me feeling more creative. I need to get my mojo back this winter!  All added up this is such an exciting and positive change! Chris and I have made great new friends with other business owners and customers alike, and I'll miss having those monthly opportunities to see all of you, to chat and share. I'll count on you all staying in touch with me through social media! Please stay tuned for more information both here and through Instagram and Facebook. When the details are worked out, I'll be sharing it all. This part of my journey has been so rewarding thanks to you, and I’m excited to take the next big step with your support <3
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 *UPDATE added at the end of the post. Why did I wait so long? We moved into our 1950 Cape Cod 2 1/2 years ago and I've wanted to paint the unattractive parquet floor since the first day.  I'm not so paint crazed that I paint everything in sight. I love a beautiful hardwood floor, and can't wait to redo the hardwood floors in the rest of the house. However, this parquet was nothing special, tired looking and only in this room. This kitchen needed something fun, I just KNEW it!  Decision time... What I used on the floor was Sherwin Williams Porch and Floor Enamel. It required no primer because this type of enamel will adhere better than a primer would. Less work for me!  The Prep - I was told I only needed to sweep and mop the floor, but I decided to use a prepaint cleaner to give me an edge. I cuts the gloss and was super easy.  My game plan worked out pretty well. Cut in the trim in the evening, and before bed I rolled the first coat on the rest of the floor. This way no one would need to be in the kitchen, and we kept the pets in our bedroom overnight. I have to say when I walked into the kitchen in the morning it took my breath! I loved it!! Just look at that color! A second coat when on and was dry by lunch. We did let it cure a day before moving things back in, and a week later I'm having not a single regret and love spending time in the kitchen.
 I'm thinking that if I ever tire of the sea of aqua, it could someday look super cute with a checkerboard floor by adding some white, and would really look good with our kitchen still being original to 1950 for the most part. When the day comes that we can finally gut this kitchen and renovate, some beautiful new flooring will be coming my way, but until then it's more fun to hang out in here than ever before!
From drab to fab! *WEAR-ABILITY UPDATE: When I originally finished painting I didn't follow up with any sort of clear coat. After 4-5 months I was having trouble getting the traffic pattern clean and it seemed the paint was sort of absorbing the dirt. Before the holidays I decided to add a fresh top coat of my color and then follow up this time with a clear polyurethane. Perfect! It eliminated any porosity of the paint and was what I should have done after completing the job originally. The product I topped it off with is made by RustOLeum, and I used cloth type applicator for a smooth finish.
 Started our shopping day at 6:30 am, along with the sunrise and the rain. TThe larger flea markets that only happen a few times a year or once a month are always my favorite! The thrill of the hunt is heightened because many dealers are from out of state and there's an urgency to beat other vendors to the deals. This being said, it's impossible to do! Even with early bird admission and getting there with the sunrise, you never know where to start shopping. Once Chris and I choose a direction, it's inevitable that something I would have wanted was selling on the other side of the flea right then. That thought alone used to totally stress me out, but I've learned to ease up and remind myself that they are thinking the same thing about what I'm buying too. Just have fun with it is the best theory! This trip was to the Springfield Extravaganza. Always a favorite! I wanted to share some photos I snapped during our weekend trip. Some of the items are things I could only dream of taking home with us, and others are great things that made it into our trailer. You never know!
  Quick parking lot picnic to re-energize and rest our feet.
 Now home to clean and scrub a few of our finds and make some cool things out of others!
 A favorite thing in the spring is to have breakfast outside on the patio on weekend mornings. Sunshine, birds chirping, a big bowl of fresh berries and WAFFLES! Second to that, we love having breakfast for dinner, and this recipe is our go to. 
Years ago a friend, who claimed to be a waffle aficionado, shared with me what they had decided was THE BEST recipe. It is! Fluffy and light inside, nice and crisp outside. I've shared this recipe many times over the past few years and tonight as Chris was heating up the waffle iron I decided it would be a great blog post!  The secret is in the eggs! Whipped egg whites get folded in to fill the waffles with air.
 AMAZING WAFFLES
*heat waffle iron prior to mixing ingredients 2 eggs - Seperated! Whip whites to a froth in seperate bowl 2 C. milk 2 C. flour 1 TBSP baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/3 C. oil Mix all the ingredients and then carefully fold in the egg whites. We like to let them cook until the iron stops steaming to ensure a crispy outside. Another one of Chris's secrets is he always throws away the first waffle. The first one is never perfect, so he uses a little of the batter to make a dummy waffle to season the iron. Another thing we do for making this recipe for just the two of us is to HALF it. Using only half the ingredients will still make the "dummy" throw away waffle plus two more. Pefect! ENJOY!!
First up was the Raleigh Flea, and it was a total bust! Freezing temps kept vendors away and we were in and out in 30 minutes without a single purchase. Not a good start to the trip. Thankfully I'd contacted a local seller on Craigslist before leaving Ohio about a cool advertised industrial piece, and this turned out to be something that turned our day around. A sweet woman urged us to make a drive to Chapel Hill saying they had a few buildings of other things we might like as well. Worth the drive! They had all sorts of cute little buildings and sheds tucked into their property and in a beautiful setting of a pine forest. It was so peaceful and enjoyable to shop. A great couple doing what they love in their retirement. We loved meeting Jerry and Joan! And just wait until you see a fun piece on wheels we bought from them! 
 The day just kept getting better! During the drive I noticed a post on Instagram from a shop I follow. They were having their monthly opening this weekend! We were only an hour away, so off we went. Just in time! It was the final day at Chartreuse Barn Sales and a few purchases later were back on he road.
The next unexpected and awesome stop was at Ruffin Roost! Another shop I follow, and a talented shop owner! Even though she's recovering from knee surgery, Tiffany knew we were passing right by her place and was sweet enough to invite us to stop. Yippeee! The shop isn't open again until March, and I know how hard it is to let someone see your shop when it's not ready to show off, which makes me appreciate her offer even more! Her hubby showed us around and I snagged some wonderful pieces, all while over her beautiful old building. If you're ever in the Charlotte area it's worth the country drive. Her store is set in a historic building on her farm and full of great character. Tiffany was even kind enough to suggest some other stops. 
Our last planned stop of the day was again outside and we were losing sunlight fast. By this point I couldn't feel my face! Clines Antiques is always an adventure. It's a crazy mix of Antiques, oddities and junk yard. You truly never know what you will find. 
Day Two and the weather has turned in our favor. I think it took me until morning just to get warm again! If you've followed us for awhile, you've seen past posts about stopping at The Depot (outside Charlotte). It's a not to be missed antique mall where I spend the better part of an afternoon. At least an hour is dedicated to shopping through their fabric area, and Chris is super happy that during that time he can hit the "Man Cave". Leather sofas and a big screen tv... just in time for all the Super Bowl pre-game shows. And speaking of the fabric area, I'm so excited with some beautiful pieces that are making their way onto a vintage sofa for next month. 
 This week the trailer and car get unloaded, the shop will start filling back up and the fun of planning begins! Be sure to watch Facebook or Instagram for photos and peeks at what we brought back! Our March re-opening is always a favorite of mine, and most of that is due to the different pieces we found on the road. Hope to see you this spring! |
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Who Am I?
I've tried it all..hair stylist/faux painter/stay at home mom/jewelry artist/late in life college student. Through all of those former "careers" I have had one constant passion.. a love of junk, flea markets and creating! It took me 30 years to find the courage do this full time and I have finally settled on what I'm going to be when I grow up! 
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