Friday, May 1, 2015

Sparks Flea Market | Junkin Finds

It’s one of my favorite times of year, the spring Sparks Flea Market event! Sparks Flea Market is one of the biggest and best flea markets in our area located in Sparks, Kansas.  With about 450 vendors and 500 booths the finds are endless!
It is a Junkers paradise. Imagine your favorite local flea market and blow it up in size and you have a heaven on earth. Booths range in size, quantity, and type of items. A few years ago I bought an antique buffet for the very low price of only $70 and to this day is one of my favorite pieces of furniture. I stripped it and left the rich colors exposed.
 Industrial pieces are very popular right now and there is an endless amount of corrugated metal letters and cut-outs.


Or maybe vintage car parts is what you’re looking for. You never know what you are going to find but I guarantee you will leave with something fabulous.
You are sure to find a plethora of farm equipment, metal lawn furniture, or maybe a variety of other items!
SWOONING!!




Whatever it is you are looking for, you are sure to find something to take hope with you! We kept on our obvious corrigated metal obsession and picked out an “S” for our last name and a pair of angle wings with pistols.


Rather Be Junkin,

Heather

Thursday, April 30, 2015

"Oh, but darling, what if you fly?"

Today is a day to remember. You know those days that you look back on and you know exactly where you were, exactly what you were doing, and exactly how it felt? That was how I know today will be for me in the future.
            My husband and I took the day off from work because it’s the Sparks Flea Market spring event. Sparks Flea is located in Sparks, Kansas and it is about 450 vendors with about 500 booths. Check out our blog post HERE on our sweet finds and what to expect at the Sparks Flea Market! While junkin’ with my husband is always a good time, it’s not quite what made the day memorable.
            Since I can remember I have always wanted to have my own business. What I wanted to sell or what service I wanted to provide changed a little bit but the want, or rather need to own something of my own has always been there. To say I was nervous to make the leap is an understatement. I talked about the possibilities with family and friends for so long I finally had family telling me to take the leap. I started doing research on how to start a business and then started the process by filling out all of the correct paper work and registering the business. For small businesses being the foundation of our country they do not make it easy. I waited patiently to get forms back in the mail so that I could actually start the business and after a month I did. But then my nerves hit me and I felt like I couldn’t keep going.
I had done all of this work to start a business and then my fears placed a large road block in my plans. The fear that I would fail. The fear that I would waste money. The fear that I would be stuck with inventory. The fear that I would let down my family. The fear of what others would think if it didn’t work out. Fear is an evil thing. It took starting a business so exciting and fun and turned it into a nightmare. I thought about it every morning on my way to work and every evening on my way home. I don’t know what made me do it, but I placed a quote on my Instagram account, “What if I fall? Oh, but darling, what if you fly? –e.h” and had some very sweet encouragement. If you don’t have a Instagram account you are missing out on a very sweet, talented, and ever growing “family.” Their encouragement along with my sister who has been dreaming this dream alongside me for as long as I can remember helped me make the push.
I sat down with my husband, who isn’t much of a risk taker, and told him all of my thoughts and ideas. We talked through the risks and the investment and landed on a plan that we could both agree on. That evening I made my first purchase and it was an adrenaline rush. I was actually doing this, though I know this is just the beginning of a long road of very hard work.
We launched our first sale this morning and I am so proud of the items we picked, they fit perfectly into the current fashion trends. I am so excited to share our picks with ya’ll, check them out below! Catch up with us on our Instagram and Facebook page to purchase and enter for our chance in our giveaway!
                                                         Shop: Beige Ribbed Racerback Tank
                                                                Shop: Eyelet Brown Belt
                                             Shop: Navy and Beige Crochet Long Vest
                                                             Shop: Crochet Ivory Dress


            
Enter Here!


Love,
Heather

Friday, February 6, 2015

Coop Makeover

When we started house hunting I was always drawn to the fixer uppers. The ones that once upon a time had their glory days. The ones that have squeaky floors. The ones that despite the awful shape they are in they still stand a chance. The ones with character.
            Ah, character. The one thing that I don’t notice when I see newly built houses. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate new houses. They are perfect in every way. Every wall color, trim design, and flooring selection match perfectly. They’re beautiful. But they lack character. Now don’t be upset if you live in a new house. There is just something about the design of older homes that doesn’t exist today.
I wanted a fixer upper. The hubba hubba wanted something with minimal to no fixes. Let me just explain the issue I have with this. My husband is a carpenter. He can fix pretty much anything and he does an excellent job at it. So why not want to come home after a long day at work and work some more to make our fixer upper livable? Yea, I wasn’t going to win on this one. So we decided to change our search for something that was older but was livable and we were able to add our own character to.
            The house hunting wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be. It was heartbreaking. We were in negotiations for the house that I thought I couldn’t live without when someone else placed a bid during our negotiations and the seller took their offer. I was devastated. I didn’t think I could find another house as perfect as this one, yet I was wrong. We had been looking at houses online when we found one that the hubba hubba could not wait to see. He was so impatient and excited about this one that he couldn’t wait for me to get off work. He drove by it that night and called me to say, “it’s the one.” The next day we had our realtor meet us at the house and I was just as excited. The hubba hubba was right it was the one. After a month, we closed on our first home together.
            Instead of moving in right away, we started working on the house. Chris spent the first month installing new hardwood flooring (one my of must-haves) and painting the entire upstairs. Side note: the hubba hubba did a vast majority of this by himself, he’s a keeper! Once the floors and walls were done, we were able to start moving in. I had been collecting several furniture pieces and accessories waiting to buy my first house. I even kept them all in boxes so it would be like Christmas when we moved. If you are able to do this, I highly recommend it! Once we placed what he did have we started working on one room at a time. With the exception of the living room, the office was the first to be completed.
            I started collecting items that matched my style and designing in my head how they would all go together.
            The desk was made from an old door and metal found while junkin’. The colors on the door and metal worked perfectly together (see original post here).


            I had a harder time deciding which chair would be perfect in this room. Fortunately, I was able to get both chairs I had narrowed down for this space. 


            I always wanted a mantel (see post about my mantel here) and was able to grab this beauty up at First Fridays in the West Bottoms.


            Another great find was this rusty filing cabinet. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to have it. I have had several people ask if it is functional, and it is! The rust is contained to the outside so the drawers work perfectly!

            My gallery wall (see original post here) is made up of a majority of items I found while junkin’. With the exception of our gorgeous wedding photos (Thank you Aftyn Marie Photograph!).  



Below is the before (with the previous owners belongings) and the after! It is amazing to me the huge difference!


            Whew! That was a lengthy post just to get to our office make over. Let me know what ya'll think!

Rather be junkin'!
Heather

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

TYPOGRFX Feature

            I am so thrilled to feature TYPOGRFX on The Rustic Coop! TYPOGRFX is a custom collection of meaningful memories and experiences that can be featured on several different formats. My favorite is the wood & burlap print! Other formats available are metal, wood, canvas, and even blankets!
            Tosha Jackson, the owner of TYPOGRFX, was amazing to work with and incredibly talented.  She has been featured in Country Living Magazine, nominated for the Martha Stewart American Made Awards, and even documented and shared her journey to try out for Shark Tank.
We received our first TYPOGRFX as a Christmas gift in 2013 shortly after we got engaged. Chris and I had been dating for 7 years and were excited to place our favorite memories, wedding date, and words that best described us on display in our home.  It was fun to reminisce memories and use our favorites in our TYPOGRFX. Our custom TYPOGRFX is one of the first things you see when you walk into our home. Now, every time I need a gift for a friend or family member, I order them a gift card to TYPOGRFX for them to create for their home. (Especially those with new little babies!)
            Check out TYPOGRFX today for your own piece of rustic décor and be sure to tell her Heather from The Rustic Coop sent ya!



Rather Be Junkin',
Heather