 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!!
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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! The first Rust & Found buying trip of the year is now in the books and it was also a new one for me! I grabbed my sister as a shopping and travel buddy and we headed to Atlanta for my first adventure into Americas Mart. I've always loved adding in some "new" items to the shop to mix in with all the vintage and found decor. It's a great way to also show our customers how you can have different decor styles all in one home and also lets us add in items we love but can't always find when we are out junking. In addition to overwhelming amounts of furniture, lighting and decor (3 buildings- 20 floors each!) we saw loads of the things we always love... vintage glass and salvage, also natural details like geodes, antlers, shells and more. I have to admit, the amount of pain my feet were in from covering each of those 20 floors dulled much of my excitement by day two. Man, is that a lot of time on your feet, but we pressed on... in search of the showrooms that offered wine, candy and food! Those were extra special and gave nice sugar boosts. A bowl filled with Hershey kisses is often all you need!
Hot Trends We Love! Industrial is sticking around folks! What's new is learning how to mix it in with your current decor style. Little touches here and there using fun decor pieces can ease you into it. Want to go bigger? We saw loads of lighting (my fave), and furniture pieces like seating or storage that will give some industrial impact.
Boho chic! You can't go wrong with a little bohemian to soften up a space. Go as small as a shaggy rug or macrame wall hanging. Go further with loads of pillows, soft tufted velvet and rich textures added to the mix.
Stripped down and bare wood. This one I've been doing for a few years and it makes me happy to know I can go a little further with it. I love the warmth you get when you strip off an old finish but leave some of that color or stain in the grooves and details. It keeps the previously loved look. We aren't talking about "refinishing" here. This isn't your mom's stripping and re-staining with a nice gloss coat. This is an imperfect look that shows the warm character and imperfections of the wood.
Metallic, and especially gold tones. Personally, I prefer this touch only in moderation because it's easy to go overboard. But simple touches like a special focal light or chandelier, a collection of gold or copper items on your coffee table or mixed in on your bookcase. Maybe a few pieces mixed in with your vintage mantel display.
The amount of inspiration that came home in my head is mind boggling. I'm actually wishing I'd taken notes here and there when something in a showroom sparked an immediate idea. Now that I'm home those ideas are all jumbled and faded. Middle-age stinks! A special thank you has to go out to my sister Tracey, who kept me focused and made it even more fun.
The best part now will be waiting for the boxes to start hitting the doorstep! The shop's spring re-opening event is going to be a fun one. Watch the blog and facebook for those dates to be posted soon!  We love being outdoors and enjoying our yard, but when we moved into our current home we gave it up. Apparently, in 1950 when our home was built, the owners didn't have a love for the outdoors. There is no patio or place to read in a morning breeze or enjoy a cocktail while listening to crickets. Patio plans became a must-do project! We began this project by replacing the back door (which was actually a front door?), removing the old decking steps and building a more inviting set of steps that will allow access to both the sidewalk and also the new patio.  We decided to make the patio using flagstone and gravel, keeping it more organic feeling and less formal than stamped concrete. Our driveway area has old stacked stone walls, so a stone patio would also keep it feeling like it could have been original to the home. Next step, layout a design and shape for the patio area as well as the landscape area that will surround it and add some privacy. Now comes the back breaking part! Working over two more weekends we kicked butt (and in 95 degree temps!). This involved adding 5 yards of soil, spreading and leveling 3 ton of crushed limestone as a base, 2 ton of sand for leveling stone, 2 ton of flagstone and 35 bags of pea gravel. Did I mention a whole bottle of ibuprofen and a tub of Icy Hot?
  Next and final step was the landscape layout, and after another couple of weeks it was finished and we were celebrating!   Sunday breakfast, evening fires, drinks with friends.... have enjoyed each one over the last month and can't wait to enjoy it every summer - minus the work!
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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/retail shop owner/design consultant/home stager. Through it all my favorite things to do have been sharing DIY ideas, thrifting, and making something out of nothing. 
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