This past weekend was really one for the books. We really made the most out of Saturday and Sunday, and it gave me a feeling that this is the life worth living.

Saturday we ran to the local thrift store to see what had been donated. I found this lovely piece here, which will be finished soon: (Check out my post, Plywood Table: a Furniture Flip)

and also this hideous fleur de lis: (Check our my post, Fleur de Lis: a Thrift Store Flip)

Sam made a secret purchase while I wasn’t looking as well:

How perfect and special!

I worked the rest of the day Saturday on the ply wood table. Then Sunday morning, Sam and I woke up early, looking forward to traveling 50 miles south to a vintage fair!

Wanting to make it a double feature, I looked up the free classified ads on our local news site, and we quickly arranged another stop. Now what was this stop you ask? A RED LEATHER COUCH.

We immediately jumped in the truck, and headed south. I had been texting the person who wanted to get rid of the couch, (who had posted that the couch was sitting in the front of their garage.) I asked them if it was still available, and they said yes, and I let them know we were on our way.

But when we got down there . . . it was GONE! Oh man, about 40 minutes too late? Such a bummer.

So I jumped on the classifieds site again, and guess what? There was ANOTHER couch for free, just 15 minutes away.
This one was black, and it was a beauty. While we were on our way to our second destination, would you believe it? We passed a leather chair sitting happily on the side of the road. THAT’S RIGHT! A leather chair on the side of the road. We couldn’t quite tell what condition it was in, but we made note of where it was, and headed on over to pick up Black Beauty.

When we arrived to the house with the black couch, it was sitting under a carport next to a beat up camper trailer. We met a woman outside who told us about the couch:

“My son brought this home, and we have no space for it; so my husband told me it was the trailer or the couch, and I’m choosing the trailer.” She explained.

“Yeah?” I exclaimed, “What’s up with this trailer?”

It was the tiniest camping trailer and in pretty rough shape.

“Oh, I’m flipping it! My husband asked me you are selling this one right? but I told him, no; this one’s for me!” She explained.

How cool is that? Another flipper in our midst. It goes to show that if you add value to anything, people will see it; and want to buy it.

With 1 loaded up couch in tow, we double back and pick up the chair. I wish I would have taken a picture. The leather was in great condition! The chair itself? Pretty damaged; the chair looked like it had just plain fallen out of a truck on the highway. The back was peeling off, and there were large scrapes and dents in the wood highlights. We loaded this chair up on the couch, and headed on to our next destination; the vintage fair!

When Sam and I pulled up in the parking lot, I get a text asking “Are you still coming?”

The person getting rid of the red couch was asking me if we were planning on picking it up. Oh my LAWS! We had only assumed that the couch was gone! I immediately called them. It was a lady, who was extremely nice and relaxed about the situation. I let her know we thought the couch was gone, and I told her how sorry I was . . . . OMG, but we would be right over. We may have to run back home and drop a load off at our house 50 miles away, and it may take a few hours, but she was fine with that.

I was a little frazzled about the situation and we were at the fair; so we decided to walk around a bit and even found some more inspiration! Check out these antique drawer boxes!

How cool is that? METAL FRAMED BOXES?

The antique fair was great, and everything was true antique. No new pieces that were painted to look antique. I took a bunch of pictures, and we had a great time.

During the fair, Sam and I were thinking about driving back home 50 miles, then going back down to pick up the red couch . . . until. . .

I see a dumpster, and Sam says, “Yup. I think I’ve got a knife.”

And would you know it! Within 20 minutes . . . that extra road side find we had was taken apart, and salvaged! Now there was room for Big Red!

There were some upholstery buttons inlaid on the piece, and we were able to fit these sections of the chair in the cab of the truck to salvage later.

We drove back to the the house with Big Red along the same road we had driven for the 3rd time that day, and got her. She is stunning!

With Big Red loaded on top of Black Beauty, we headed home.

On our way, we were at a stoplight and looked to our right at a giant plaster Elephant holding an “Open” sign. We saw another sign that said “Pickers Club”.

I looked at Sam and asked him, “Are those our people?!”

He replied, “Yup!” As he switched lanes and turned right.

There was junk lying around this small building, and outside was a patio with snow all over. I ventured in, and would you believe what I found in the very back of this patio on a shelf?

I LOVE claw foot legs! Picked a set of 4 for $20. Sold. Now I’m wondering what to build around them? Any ideas?

FINALLY; we were on our way home after getting a bite to eat. We took the backroads and if you know anything about Utah weather, you know how unbelievably unpredictable it is . . .

Up ahead of us, Sam sees something and asks me “Is that fog? What is that?”

“No honey,” I reply, “I think that’s snow.”

The blizzard came out of no where, and hit hard. When we were driving through the canyon, it got much worse, and it was white out conditions. Check it out!

We tucked in behind a bus driver in the right lane and took it slooooow.

In the end, we got home safe, and those stinking couches in the house out of the snow. I was thinking to myself the whole time “this would be so much easier if it were summer!”

It breaks my heart to salvage Big Red just yet. It’s in very nice condition . . . so we’ve put her away for now . . . to be salvaged (or not!) later. Either way, it will go well for staging some pictures.

I’d say that’s a pretty good pickin weekend, wouldn’t you?

With Love, Erika Nora