The Barn Antiques

If you ever find yourself near Lake Alfred, Florida, you must check out the Barn antique store. Even if you don't normally visit central Florida, this store is so wonderful that you might as well make a special trip. After you look through rooms up on rooms of antiques, you can take a lunch break at the Back Porch Tea Room located on site. There are a few gift shops on site as well. I visited in October and the gift shops were decorated for Thanksgiving and Christmas (so many trees!). My more recent visit (when I bought stained glass) was a few weeks back, and the gift shops were decorated for spring.

Here are some of the items that caught my eye. You may notice that I got a little caught up in all the pink art deco mirrors. I managed to escape the store twice without buying one, but I doubt my strength for a third visit.

Boston Restoration Hardware Store

While in Boston last month, J and I visited the new Restoration Hardware store. The company renovated a very old building in my favorite part of Boston that I used to walk past all the time while attending MIT. I always wondered what was going on inside as I scurried to H&M. **Note: scurrying is necessary because Boston is perpetually frozen**

Here is a video if you want to learn more about the Boston store, but if you are like me and prefer pictures, just keep reading this page. I have been into plenty of Restoration Hardware stores and own a few things myself, but this was the first time their largest pieces actually fit the scale of the space. You should definitely visit if you have the opportunity.

figuring out how it was made

kids' section is in the basement

this is the only furniture that looks small compared to him

the famous ridiculously deep couch

Posh Purpose Review: The Cottage Shop in Nags Head, NC

When we went to Nags Head last year, I came across a super cute shop called The Cottage Shop that sells home decor, Christmas decorations, entertaining essentials, and small gifts.  I bought our yearly ornament from The Cottage Shop last year and I decided to go back to look for another this past weekend.  I also got a bunch of great Christmas decorating ideas for my first Christmas tree that I was able to put together using cheaper sources such as Michael's.  The store is creatively decorated with at least six Christmas trees, but doesn't feel too crowded or overdone.  The sales ladies are all wonderfully helpful and sweet.  Here's a couple of the displays that I thought were especially creative...like this inverted white Christmas tree designed to look like underwater sea life:

I also really like the more natural look to this red and burlap woodland tree.  I love the frilly bow at the top.  The faux poinsettias are really pretty pops of color!  Using faux florals on my tree is one of the ideas I got from this store last year.

These beautiful hanging ornaments would look great in the windows, hanging from the banisters or mantels, or even from certain chandeliers.

Unfortunately, I couldn't limit myself to just one ornament this year!  All the ornaments are so pretty and well-made, that I wound up buying four, but luckily they were only $11.99-$13.99 each aaaaaand the super sweet sales lady gave me a discount.

I'm super excited to put these on my tree in a few weeks!  If you are in the Outer Banks, I highly recommend that you stop by The Cottage Shop at one of their three locations for some decorating inspiration and gift ideas. There will be another sale on Black Friday if you are lucky enough to be spending Thanksgiving at the beach!

Duck

1201 Duck Road

Kitty Hawk, NC 27949

252-261-8121

Nags Head

5000 South Croatan Highway

Nags Head, NC 27959

252-441-2522

Corolla

Timbuck II Shopping Village

790 North Ocean Trail

Unit G

Corolla, NC 27927

252-453-3525

Party Shoe DIY

I hate when I'm shopping for a specific event and I can't find the right shoes. This happened most recently when I was helping my niece Myah shop for her first homecoming. After trying on almost every dress in Dillards, we finally found the perfect one! But none of the shoes in the mall were right. They were either way too high, expensive, or just not right for the dress.

We finally ended up at Forever 21 for accessories when inspiration struck! There was a pair of plain nude suede heels that weren't too high and in Myah's size. I had to figure out how to make them work because of the $22 price tag. My first thought was to glitter them, but then I found $7 necklaces that matched Myah's dress perfectly. That totals to $36 for custom shoes!

I used shoes (obviously), pendants (earrings and necklaces are good options), gorilla glue, a q-tip, a sewing pin, and pliers. J actually used the pliers because I was worried about scratching one of the gems when removing the chain from the pendant. 

First I very lightly marked the shoe with a pencil where I wanted to position the pendant. This step is important later because you can't really wiggle the glue around unless you are ok with visible stains. I slightly dampened the shoe where I wanted to glue and also the parts of the pendant that would touch the shoe. Then I applied the glue to those pendant surfaces with the q-tip. Using very steady hands (borrow a pair if you must!), I placed the pendant on the shoe based on my pencil markings. I didn't have a clamp so I just held it in place for about 30 seconds and then I was able to let go. 

One piece of advice: read all the instructions on the glue before starting. While I got through the part that said slightly dampen your surfaces before applying glue, I did not realize that the glue would expand a lot or that it would dry white (see picture above). This is where the sewing pin comes in. The glue started to ooze out of all the nooks in the pendant. Not pretty! So I took my sewing pin and started to either remove or push the glue back under the pendant, as it made sense for the location. This process took more than an hour because the glue just keeps on going and going.

 Good news is that the pendants stayed firmly attached to the shoes after a whole night of dancing at homecoming. Yay! I let the glue set for almost 36 hours; this is not a project you want to do the afternoon of your event.

Isn't she adorable! I had a great time shopping with her and then helping her get ready for the dance. And she had a lot of patience with me as I made her try on every single not strapless dress in her size. I can't wait to do it again!

Posh Purpose Tip: Sephora Mascara Samples

Yesterday, I placed an order at Sephora for a couple of new items and a couple of things that I had run out of a few weeks ago.  One of those staple items was my Benefit mascara - They're Real!.  One of the reasons I don't participate as much in the Mascara Diaries series as Briana does is that I'm pretty much devoted to this mascara brand.

I'd already loaded the Benefit mascara into the cart when I remembered to check out the Sephora weekly specials.  If you don't know about the weekly specials, Sephora has a page that has 4-6 promotional codes for deluxe sized samples of high end cosmetics and perfumes.  This week they are offering a free mini-lash primer and mascara from Dior with any $25 purchase.

Image Source: Sephora Weekly Specials

I had also accumulated some Sephora Beauty Insider points and I was able to trade them in for three deluxe samples of mascara from BareMinerals, Givenchy, and Marc Jacobs.  In my past experience, I've made each sample last 3-4 weeks, which means I'm set for the next 3-4 months for mascara without spending a dime.  So, I decided to remove the Benefit mascara and give these new brands a try.  I really still think that the Benefit mascara is the best, but in the name of saving $23 plus tax I'm sure I'll be just as happy.

Next time you are shopping online at Sephora, make sure to check out these two areas to see if any of your purchases can be replaced by free sample items.  You'll still get high quality cosmetics, but at no cost.  As always, make sure to check out Ebates or Top Cash Back for Sephora deals.  The day I shopped Ebates offered 8% cash back!

***This post was not sponsored by Sephora, Ebates, Top Cash Back, or any of the brands mentioned in this post.  There are two referral links to Ebates and Top Cash Back to help you sign up if you are interested in earning cash back for which I will receive compensation for each referral through their Tell-A-Friend programs.***

Chairish Collaboration: Our Ideal Home Bar

Chairish recently contacted us to partner with them on creating a style board for our ideal home bar.  For those of you that haven't heard, Chairish helps design lovers buy and sell pre-loved decor to one another.  In addition, Chairish also holds curated shops with design heavy hitters like Emily Henderson.  Briana and I have admired Chairish from afar for quite some time and we were really excited to work on this project.

Our challenge was to pick from a selection of Chairish barstools and get some inspirational goodness together.  Now, y'all should know by now that Briana and I would dearly love to have a butler's pantry/wet bar area for entertaining in our dream homes, but we think it would be awesome to also have an area for seating to serve up some champagne cocktails (Chairish challenge = right up our alley).

I immediately gravitated towards these beautiful rattan barstools...for some reason, they made me think of that Elvis Presley movie, Blue Hawaii,...which I may have watched a thousand times growing up (I went through a movie musical phase, but only the classics.  My mother may still have the songs trapped in her head from watching them with me on repeat - I know she especially loved it when I screeched out the lyrics to the theme song of Bye Bye Birdie.).

Counter Height Swivel Barstools

Image Source: Chairish

After selecting these barstools, and doing a lot of online window shopping on Chairish, two themes quickly emerged: Tropical Elegance and Tropical Fun.  Both themes use some of the same key pieces, but one is subdued while the other is more eyecatching.  Both are a bit glam, a bit retro, and will work in a lot of different types of homes...which is just how I like it.  I also had a vision in my head for the back bar wall to be covered in a luxe printed wallpaper with a big mirror flanked by two sconces on either side.  I imagined a gorgeous chandelier hanging over the bar area and a set of five barstools set up against a gorgeous natural stone countertop.  I also fully believe that barware should be beautiful so it can be showcased and set out to admire rather than hidden away.  With those ideas in mind, I set up my style boards.  First up, Tropical Elegance:

Chandeliers/Sconces/Mirror/Cocktail Set/Ice Bucket/Counter Height Swivel Barstools (all sold on Chairish)

Acanthus Stripe in Tumeric Wallpaper by Celerie Kembel for Schumacher (Image Source: Schumacher)

Marquis by Waterford Cocktail Shaker (Image Source: Bed Bath and Beyond)

Dorset Champagne Coupes (Image Source: Williams-Sonoma)

Oooh! I love that wallpaper, the lighting, and the cocktail set soooo much.  The gold design of the wallpaper and the brass ice bucket tie in nicely to the golden tones of the barstools.  The wallpaper and barware keep this home bar looking modern and classic.

Chandelier/Sconces/Mirror/Divided Platter/Chip & Dip Dish/Ice Bucket/Counter Height Swivel Barstools (all sold on Chairish)
Brazillance Wallpaper (Image Source: The Greenbrier)
Tortoise Glassware (Image Source: Horchow)

So.much.fun!  I think this style board kicks the tropical theme up a notch but without being cheesy or overdone.  Of course, I know that banana leaf prints are popping up everywhere, but it's for good reason.  They are AWESOME!  Y'all know how I feel about some Georges Briard servingware, so I'm really loving the divided dish and how it mixes in with the other barware.

I had the best time working on this project for Chairish and my favorite part was choosing the lighting from their great selection.  Which do you like best: Tropical Elegance or Tropical Fun? Or would you pick a totally different set of bar stools for your home bar?

***Posh Purpose was NOT compensated by Chairish.  We simply believe in the company and like a good styleboard as much as the next obsessed fanatical avid Pinner.***