A Weekend of Antiquing

There's nothing like a lazy, relaxing weekend.

Due to some {ahem} unplanned vehicle expenses on my end and a large-ish quote for painting Ian's condo in Charleston, SC on his end, we decided to lay low this weekend.  No big plans, no pricey dinners, just a lot of Dateline on DVR.  We're obsessed.

Friday night our friends who are conveniently our neighbors walked over.  I made two different types of pizzas for us and we played ping-pong until we girls drove the guys crazy with our lackluster technique.  :) 

Saturday I did venture out in the afternoon to scout out some potential furniture additions to our home.  I hit up two of my favorite furniture consignment stores and a big antique mall in the area.

I snapped this OOTD picture before heading out.  You've got to love a cute outfit that is totally comfy.

The first shop I hit had an antique secretary desk that is my number one contender for my new jewelry-making desk.  When I lived alone, I had my own craft room -- that was amazing.  In our new home, my craft area is in our guest bedroom.  This style of desk will allow me to open the hinged compartment, work on some new pieces, and then close it up quickly if I need to conceal my crazy mess  creative work.

The pulls on this piece are hard to see in the iPhone picture, but they are ornately-carved wood.  Is this piece pretty enough to purchase?  I need some second opinions. 

Two things that kept me from bringing it home this weekend: 1) The bottom drawer is in really bad condition -- the bottom of it is falling out and that makes the lower drawer not conducive to storage.  Not the worst thing ever, but a negative.  2) It's at an antiques consignment store and the price is set to drop $45 on March 14th, so I'm going to try to be patient and wait 9 days for the savings.

I also fell in love with this unframed oil painting at Sleepy Poet.  Who wouldn't?

These are not a "necessity" at the present moment, but I do believe some may be coming home with me in the near future.  Maybe for our dining room.

Saturday night was the big Chapel Hill - Duke basketball game and our friend Matt came over to watch the game with Ian.  Not being a basketball fan myself, I happily camped out in our office with a bottle of cabernet, my favorite blogs, and a sweet dog that took quite an interest in the Thin Mints stack I was working on.

Sunday I ventured to Metrolina Expo for my favorite weekend of the month - the International Collectibles & Antiques Show.  Every first weekend of the month, dealers from all over set up booths inside and outside that have all sorts of fun finds.  I saw a few good secretary desks, but nothing came home with me.

I also found this adorable monogrammed brass cuff with the initials "EK" engraved on it.  I snatched it right up because I just love the style.  Know anyone with those initials?  If so, I've added it to my A. Liz Designs shop.

I added a few more pieces, too, this weekend.  It's {finally} almost time for warmer weather and brightly colored wardrobes, so this necklace is now in my shop.

And some earrings in nautical-inspired colors would also be a fun addition to your spring and summer staples.

Crafting, antiquing, and relaxing ... it was a great weekend and I'm already looking forward to the next one.