Dirt Road Adventures – Happy Winter
Happy Winter! What have you been doing this week?
We arrived home from the New Year’s weekend at the beach to finish removing all signs of Christmas from the house. I have a pile to donate and lots of blank spaces that need to be restyled for winter.
We celebrated my husband’s birthday with thrift store shopping and dinner with friends.
I hope your first week of 2023 has been great!
This is a look back at all my adventures this past week.
Cleaning and putting away the remainder of Christmas decor filled the first few days of 2023.
Then I had an idea for a project, and off to the thrift stores we went.
Although we found many great items, I didn’t find what I was searching for. The only thing we brought home was this Kennedy Rocker, a great deal at Christian Outreach Center. This will increase seating on our front porch.
Wedding Weekend
We then traveled to Greenville, SC, for a wedding weekend. The wedding and reception were beautiful. Several of our friends attended, and we had a wonderful time.
Here are a few of us enjoying beautiful weather on the bridge over Falls Park on the Reedy.
In Case You Missed It
One of my first repurposed projects in the farmhouse was this lantern made from a broken light fixture.
Also, I wanted to share another lantern repurposed from a light fixture inspired by my makeover. One of my subscribers, Debra Stagg, sent me the sweetest message and shared how she had used one of my tutorials to make this lantern. It’s stunning. Thank you, Debra, for sharing.
Another trash-to-treasure project was repurposing an old silverware box into a convenient remote control caddy.
And finally, I shared my Top 10 Tips For Successful Thrift Store Shopping. This includes some furniture transformations and before and after makeovers.
Featured
I feel blessed to receive another feature in Country Sampler Farmhouse Style Magazine. Our DIY greenhouse is featured in the Spring Issue, along with mentions of our repurposed chandelier and DIY apothecary cabinets.
It is an honor to receive this recognition for our hard work in a national magazine. You can find the magazine on newsstands now.
Adventures off the Dirt Road
Why Didn’t I Think of That?
Each week, there are so many wonderful blog posts, and I’m sharing some of my favorites with you today.
There are so many creative ideas, and I’m always asking myself, “Why didn’t I think of that”? LOL
Master Gardener Stacy Ling shared How To Winter Sow Seeds Outdoors Like A Pro.
If you want great organizing ideas, be sure to see Simply 2 Mom’s How To Create A Garage Drop Zone.
You’ll love this easy tutorial to make a microwaveable heating pad.
Don’t miss these inspiring Word of The Month ideas from my friend CoCo.
What’s In My Cart
Just before we left for the beach, this new mattress topper arrived. When we got home, it was fully inflated, and we loved how comfortable it is.
I had wanted a memory foam mattress because my hips ache after sleeping on our current mattress. However, I couldn’t justify replacing an almost new mattress. Subrtex 3-inch memory foam mattress was an affordable solution.
You’ve been so busy lately!! I love the pic of your hub at the thrift store…let’s see if I can get a pic of Chuck when we go later today!!
Jennifer,
Thanks so much. He found something he was interested in, but we didn’t buy it. Not even sure what it’s purpose was.
Congratulations on your spread in the magazine 😊, I’m definitely getting a copy. I wish I could go thrifting in your area, it always seems to produce great finds and projects. Please keep showing them and inspiring me. Have a blessed day .
Gail,
Thank you so much for your comments and I hope you get to shop in Asheboro at some point.
Is the Christian Outreach thrift shop in Asheboro? I am near Jordan Lake…read your blog & the thrifting you do sounds so exciting! There is another thrift store you have mentioned in the past & I was wondering if it is in the Asheboro area also? I so enjoy your DIYs!
Susan,
Thanks for stopping by. Yes, Christian Outreach Thrift Store is on S. Fayetteville St. in Asheboro. There are several thrift stores all located in downtown Asheboro and several on Fayetteville Street. I hope you get to check them out.
I love those pretty and unique lanterns- such a great idea. I’m also going to look into the mattress topper as I’ve not been comfortable at night the past few weeks. Thank you for sharing my microwaveable heating pad tutorial!
Shawna,
Thank you so much for stopping by. I appreciate your comments.
Hi Rachel,
Fun adventures, love those jeans, congrats on published piece and checked out Ann’s garage entry post. I have been working with a small hutch in my garage space and it’s like fitting a square peg in a circle! Happy New Year! laura in Colorado
Laura,
Thanks for much for your encouraging words.
Congrats on the magazine feature! I love thrifting too. Checking on mattress topper.
Nancy,
I really appreciate this. Thanks for stopping by.
Nice transformation on the lanterns. I do wish we had better shopping for thrifty things here as you do.
We did the same thing with our new mattress. The mattress stated it was cushy but it wasn’t enough cushy for my hips and hubby’s shoulder. Foam creates so much heat but I loved the comfort. I found one on Amazon that has a complete cover and it helps prevent the night sweats for me. I have also topped it with another light pad or flannel sheet and it is so much better!
Lori,
Thanks so much for stopping by. So far I’ve not experienced any heat problems with the mattress topper.
Happy birthday to Brad! My husband would never go thrifting with me for his birthday, haha! Also, big big congratulations on the magazine feature! I love your greenhouse! In fact, if you ever want build one here, you can come for a “vacation” in Maine! The rocking chair was a great score, and I love our memory foam mattress topper!
Molly,
As much as I want to visit Maine, I don’t think you can rely on us to build the greenhouse. LOL. It was such a challenge. Thanks so much.
Thanks so much for including us this week!
AnnMarie,
You are so welcome.
I love all of your ideas Rachel! Congratulations on the magazine article! I will definitely pick that issue up. Have you used Annie Sloane to paint metal file cabinets? My husband has a bunch of small to medium card files downstairs that I’ve got my eye on. Would love to try painting them. Your transformation of the silverware box is amazing! Jan in MA
Jan,
Yes, I’ve painted a small metal file cabinet with Annie Sloan old white chalk paint. I recently shared it on my Top Thrift Store Shopping Tips.
https://www.thepondsfarmhouse.com/top-ten-tips-for-successful-thrift-store-shopping/. You can see the before and after. It’s an old project so the images are bad, but you’ll get the idea.
Sorry, I’m so late in responding to this post, Rachel, my Dad has been in the hospital. Thanks so much for featuring my Word of the Month ideas, I really appreciate it. Love the picture of your hubs in the thrift store. It’s so cute and congratulations on the feature! Your greenhouse is definitely one of my favorite spaces in all of blog land, CoCo
CoCo,
No worries. I hope your dad is doing Okay! Thank you for your sweet comments.
Congratulations on your magazine feature Rachel. Happy birthday to your hubby.
Kim
Thanks so much.