Our FIRST EVER Year End Sale!

Okay, I'll admit, once Christmas ends, it's somewhat of a sad, "blah" moment until the New Year begins.  BUT, what's a good way to spruce things up and get anyone excited?!  How about A SALE!!!

That's right...Teapots & What-Nots is having our first ever "Year End Sale" from now until 12/31 at our Etsy Shop.  You'll find savings up to 50% off, and there are even a few items with FREE SHIPPING! 

So, perk up out of those "post Christmas blues" (this comment mainly applies to myself...), and click on over to start shopping the sale.  Happy "Year End" Shopping!

~Jillian

Our New Newsletter

Okay, so we're definitely not ones for "SPAM", but we ARE so excited for our brand new newsletter endeavor!  We're breaking into uncharted territory again here with another "somthing new".

I know the first thing I think of when it comes to newsletters in my inbox is the word: DELETE.  But, honestly, over the past few weeks, I can't tell you how many newsletters I actually open and scan through!  I just ordered 2 pairs of boots from 2 different websites, just learned about a no kill shelter, and clicked through another one to find out my "secret coupon" amount.  Wow! 

So why not use one for us?  We promise it'll be short, sweet, and to the point each time!  And the best part?  (My FAVORITE part...)  We'll add coupons and promotions to each email!  Because, who doesn't love some sales, discounts, and incentives?!  :)

Want to sign up and join our fun?  We used MailChimp to help us out, and they have made it super eadsy to sign up... just click below!

Subscribe to our newsletter

Fantastic Chair Find!

Do you have a Habitat for Humanity Restore in your area?  If not, I'm so sorry to tell you that you are missing out!  It is, by far, one of my favorite "junkin" stores around!  It's almost like a mystery to go every time...you will never know what you're going to find! 

On my most recent trip, I scored a set of fabulously vintage club chairs.  Yes, they do need a little cleaning and polishing up, perhaps even a new coat of paint on the legs, but for a little over $20 a piece, I couldn't resist!!!

And, the best part, since I'm only a little over 5'1", these small chairs fit me PERFECTLY!!!  I'm thinkin' they'll go great in my new office/workspace in the back room, once I get it all situated...

Can't wait to show you a pic after I get them all "spruced up"! 

A Vintage and Hand-Made Christmas

So, Thanksgiving has finally come and gone, and so has the rush of Black Friday and the Christmas shopping madness that accompanies it.  I'll admit, I did get out at 3 in the morning to snag some $15 jeans, however, I do deeply regret it!  So, this year,  instead of "big box" decorations and goodies, why not try some vintage and/or homemade goodies?  I am, and let me tell you, they're oh-so whimsical, oh-so unique, and really, oh-so special!

For example, this VERY retro "NOEL" candle holder set...


Lipper and Mann Ceramics from the 1950s!

Or, my fabulous new table runner...

ADORABLE "12 Days of Christmas"!  Sorry, just for me!  Not for sale :(

A little vintage AND handmade wall decor...

Or even a fun, handmade pillow...

Burlap and ribbon, topped off with a "Merry Christmas" from my Silhouette!

Now, don't you feel that this kind of Christmas is just a tad more "one of a kind" than the traditional cookie cutter, commerical Christmas even I have found myself in?  :)  Can't wait to continue decking out the house.  Will show tons more pics once I get close to finishing!  Happy Sunday!

Never Too Early for Halloween!

Well, it's that time of year where the weather is cooler, and the months of decorating and redecorating for the holidays begins!  First up....Halloween!

Looky looky what we pulled out...some super cute and fun vintage Fitz and Floyd quirky witches!

Each have their own personality-- they're all so cute.  This is when it gets hard to not hoard all of our "inventory"....

Because really, if it were up to us, we'd just keep it all!  But, sadly, there's not enough room in the world for all of our goodies.  So, we're currently looking for new homes for some of our witchy friends (yes, we have a few more we have yet to bring out...they just may stay with us...). 

Know anyone in need of some vintage 1988 ceramic bewitching?  Send 'em over to our Etsy shop! :)

Repurposed/Upcycled Hooked Headboard Coat Rack!

Roll out the red carpet, it's finally done and ready to be revealed.....

Voila!  Did I surprise you?  Would you have guessed it would end up green?!  :)

I just love how it turned out.  Here, take a closer look:

A fun, family favorite quote adorns the back, reading "Where we love is home- Home where our feet may leave but not our hearts." 

Then, some light distressing, a coat of wax finish, some sturdy hooks, and we're good to go!!! 

 

Click on over to our Etsy store to check it out!  Happy Monday!

A NEW Hooked Headboard Project!

Want one?  Email us for details!  :)

One of our favorite projects to date has to be our hooked headboard hanging "coatracks".  They're SO cute, so practical, and really, so unique!  They're one of our best sellers at Trade Days, and let's just face it, they're fun to make!!  :) 

BUT, what fun is it if you keep doing the same thing over and over?!  So, of course, we wanted to change it up a bit.  We found a super cute headboard at our local thrift store, and we just KNEW the large background would be perfect for something special.  What you may ask?  Well you'll just have to read on to see!  :)

We started by sanding it down, priming it, and covering it with a coat of tan "Pebble".  (Sorry no pics of sanding and priming...we thought we'd skip the boring parts!)

Once the paint dried over night, we cut out one of our favorite quotes in vinyl, and carefully used transfer paper to stick it on.

SO cute, BUT, we're not stopping here....

So, be sure to check back soon to see the NEXT step!!!  It's going to be FABULOUS!!!  :)

The Countdown To Trade Days!!!

The countdown has officially begun.  McKinney Trade Days August sale is this coming Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, August 17-19!  4 DAYS AWAY!!!  Crazy!!!  We can't believe it's already almost here.  We are both so excited for our first month as vendors!

We have been so busy getting all of our items ready for the sale.  We've also been working hard to prepare the actual space!  We spent this weekend (with a little help from some hard worker men, too), putting up some sturdy 2x4s to help us hang items to sell. 

After finishing the 2x4s, we hung up our wonderful tarps that will shelter us (and anyone else who wants to stop in) from the scorching Texas sun!

Not perfect, but we will finesse it later!  :)

Happy little worker bee!  :)  It's always good to have another set of handyman hands!

So, needless to say, lots of progress has been made, but there's SO much more to do before the big day!! 

BUT, in honor of our excitement, we're uploading a digital "coupon" for anyone who stops by our blog!  Just click on over to our "Deals & Steals" tab so a fun printable that will save you a few bucks, should you decide to stop by and visit our booth!  :)

Happy Sunday!!!

It Has Arrived!!!

Let me first start with a little disclaimer:  I am in no way a paint maniac.  Yes, I realized that both this post and my last post are on the similar topic of paint.  And yes, I realize that I mentioned the fact that I've been sporting paint "spots" on my body for the last few months now (no matter how I scrub and search, I always seem to find one in the middle of the day that I've missed in the shower...).  BUT, this does not make me a paint maniac......I think.......  

So, paint maniac or not, let's move onward.  Want to see what finally arrived?  Take a peek at what has made me so excited:

Can you make out what it is?  It's a big box of smaller boxes of paints!  Spray paints to be more exact!  Fun, brightly colored, Krylon spray paints to be EVEN more exact!  :)

I read a post over at Vintage Revivals, where dear, sweet, Mandi shared a tip on how to score some "secret" Krylon colors that you can't normally find at just any store.  So, I followed her advice and called up my local Sherwin Williams.  They were SO nice, and on top of them ordering the paint and having great customer service, it just happened to be their paint SALE weekend!  What are the odds of that?! 

The only drawback was that I had to order a CASE of each color (since it's not normally stocked on their shelves), AND I would have to wait for them to ship it to the store where I would have to pick it up.  But, it really came in less than a week, and I was SO excited to get the phone call yesterday to pick it up. 

Now, I just can't wait to start using it.  Hmmm.....what to begin with....so many pieces that need work....

Maybe this tiny chair?  (It's been primed and ready to go for a few weeks now...)

Or, maybe this cute retro side table?  (Mannon just picked it up at a thrift store sale this week!)

Or, maybe one of the many, many items stored in my garage?



 Or, what about something that we brought back from our "junkin'" weekend??

The options are endless!  We shall see!  I'll keep you posted on what I decide, and you can also check out our "Furniture in Progress" section, where I'll post, too!

Off to paint!  Have a great evening!

~Jillian

New FAVORITE Product!

Okay, so I've been working away for what seems like YEARS now on all my furniture projects (both for myself and for others)...

Really, though, it's SO not years.  It's only been less than 1 year since I closed on my house and dove head first into all this crafty redecorating lifestyle!  Wow.  Less than one year!  It truly seems like I've been living with paint somewhere on me for my whole life...

ANYWAYS...back to things you really care about!  Fun new products!  This one, while SUPER fun and AH-mazing, is not so new.  In fact, it's been around for ages.  REALLY ages (not just like me thinking that I've been painting for ages...).  :)  So, what is it you may ask??  It's Milk Paint! 

Recommeded by Mannon, I went ahead and, as usual, jumped feet first into this new (for me) adventure.  Have you tried it?? 

Basically, it is a powdered form of paint!  It has a lime and milk powder base, so it's super durable.  It's eco-friendly, with no nasty smells or chemicals.  All you do is add a little water to your powder and paint away.  Easy peasy!

Oh, and did I mention all the great colors??  They're super authentic "antiquey" looking, so I pretty much love them even more for that.

Here's one of my first projects with my milk paint...it's a repurposed headboard turned coat rack!  I just cut off the legs, primed it, painted the black base coat, added crackle finish, then my new "barnyard red" milk paint is on top (with, of course, a little extra distressing).  I then attached some cute fleur hooks, and it's ready to get hung on the wall.  Yes, I'm diggin' it!  :)

Interested in buying this fun, new piece?  Leave me a message, or send  us and email!

So, what do you think?  Have you seen milk paint before?  Used it?  Love it?  We'd love to hear about your experiences with it!

(P.S.- We're in no way affiliated with Milk Paint...I just love it so much, I felt obligated to share!  :)  Happy Wednesday!)

~Jillian

Common Ground Gives Away $50 French Bleu!

Right now, we're loving Common Ground's current giveaway-- a $50 gift card to French Bleu Vintage!  Just look at some of the fun goodies you could score if you won:

So click on over to Common Ground to see how to enter!  You know we already have!!! :)

Wishing you a WONDERFUL weekend,
Jillian & Mannon

We're Off To See the Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Junk! :)

Greetings!  Mannon and I are so pumped for our own little "mini-vacation" over the next few days.  We're off to Athens/Gun Barrell City/Seven Points/Cedar Creek Lake area.  It's the PERFECT location to do some major junkin'!!! 

Today, we stopped at a few rode side "shops" (I used quotes, because I'm not sure if you can really even call them that...).  Here's Mannon browsing through some goodies...

I think my favorite part is the broom handle in the way of the picture...

So, we will keep you updated with our finds.  We've already accumulated a few pieces of furniture on the way down, and we haven't even officially shopped yet.  There's going to be so much great stuff, and I'm eeking with excitement to share my finds with you all!!!  Crossing my fingers to hit the jackpot.  Will post pics as soon as we get to a good stopping point!

Happy Thursday!
~Jillian

Blog In Progress!

Thanks for stopping by!  At the moment, we are busy busy getting both our Etsy store and Trade Days booth set up.  We're working really hard to give you all the best "teapots" and "whatnots" out there!  Check back soon!  We'll be starting to blog in a few weeks.  :)

~Jillian