Just as we did over Memorial Day, we used the long Labor Day weekend to squeeze in a few days at my parents’ beach house near Bethany Beach, Delaware. It was another trip full of family, food, and fun-slash-weird finds. And you know we love a good vacation/what-we-saw/what-we-bought post. And we actually bought two pretty big items that we’ve been trying to find for a while.
Our weekend adventure actually began in Maryland. Specifically, here:
It’s the Ole Sale Barn in Denton, MD. We’ve passed it countless times on our treks to the beach and have always been fascinated by it. The stars finally aligned on this trip (i.e. weather, holiday schedules, baby nap schedule) to allow us to make the stop… at which point we were immediately greeted by Beyoncé. If you don’t understand the reference, you must read this (warning: there’s profanity, but it might be the funniest thing on the interweb).
The oddities didn’t stop at the over-sized metal chicken (which, we should note, was no longer there on our return trip – meaning someone probably bought the thing). Clara was weirdly fascinated by all of the lawn jockeys. Maybe she was just happy to be taller than them? Find Clara. It’s like Where’s Waldo.
There were actually some cool finds amongst the smorgasbord as well. We think these were patio table tops or some sort of grate cover, but we thought they could make really cool (albeit heavy) wall art.
I was obsessed – wait, correction – OBSESSED with these white and gold sign letters. The guy was selling them for $20 each and they were even wired to light up. Had any of the letters meant anything to us I would’ve taken them home without hesitation (I later realized an upside down L could’ve looked like a 7 – which is our favorite number – major bummer). Oh, and the owner told me that they were meant for a Dollar Tree store but “never made it to their destination.” Not sure what that meant (did they “fall off a truck?”) but I figured it was best not to pry.
Inside the barn was a bit more chaotic, but there was still plenty to dig through. The only thing that really caught our eyes (besides a giant metal Shrek and a carnival water pistol game) was this trio of overlapping mirrors. It looked less odd in person (we could picture it painted charcoal or soft gray) so the photo doesn’t really do it justice. Now we’re just mesmerized by the creepy plastic mermaid bust in the reflection. Totally didn’t see that when we snapped the pic. Maybe she’s a Mer-ghost.
In the end, we left the Ole Sale Barn without anything but an X next to “stop at that fun looking barn place” on our mental travel checklist. And of course now I live with deep regret that I didn’t buy one of those big letter L’s and flip it upside down to make it a 7. Sad clown.
One place that has its fair share of Xs on that same must-stop-by checklist is Beach Plum Antiques, one of our favorite stops in Bethany. It’s overflowing with cool, beach-y finds and we’ve mentioned it here and here among other places. Don’t let the “antiques” part of the name fool you, it’s a good old fashioned thrift store and we’ve snagged lots o’ deals there.
They had some of your usual beachy-cool objects, like these nautical glass buoys…
… and some more unique discoveries, like this crazy cool ship’s throttle. If only the darned thing weren’t $395. That put a pretty quick “stop” to our daydream about where it could live in our house. After poking around a while we (kind of surprisingly) left Beach Plum Antiques without any purchases either.
Shopping wasn’t the only way we got our home-y fix over the long weekend. On Sunday we took a quick detour to visit the nearby home of some of my parents’ friends, Pam and Neil (Pam was actually one of my bosses at my high school library job). They were putting the finishing touches on an above-garage addition that not only added two bedrooms and a bath, but also a second story. See the peak on the left side of the house with the double window?That’s all new as of just a few months ago.
A new second story meant they needed a set of stairs, which Pam and Neil had custom designed for a cool open & industrial feel. Since they greet you as soon as you open the door, they wanted to make them as visually unobtrusive as possible so your eye still continues through the hallway and into the living room behind it (hence the light colors and the thin wire sides). It’s hard to tell from the photos, but the light wood was very softly gray-washed, which looked really airy yet still warm because the wood tone and grain showed through.
To make way for the stairs they also had to bump out their front door about 3 feet (so the last step wasn’t right on the door frame). The only problem was that they didn’t have enough extra floor tile sitting around to fill the new space (they only had about 12 squares). So they made lemonade and designed this mosaic inset constructed entirely of new tiles, meaning the few large leftover ones could be used around the border so the whole thing looked intentional (as opposed to screaming “we ran out of tile”). It looked so much like an intentional choice, that we complimented their “tile welcome mat” even before hearing the story about the material-shortage dilemma.
They had another smart use of tile in the new bathroom upstairs, where Pam couldn’t find any small tiles that she liked for the shower floor. Since she had already fallen in love with the larger tiles used in the rest of the bathroom, she had her builder cut the large tiles into a bunch of smaller squares for the shower floor. Certainly a bit more work, but it definitely took the guess work out of “will this tile coordinate with that tile?” and looked really great (and not too over-done with different tiling choices everywhere). It definite had that easy beach-house feeling.
But the weekend wasn’t all just inspiration. We did come home with a little somethin-somethin, thanks to this yard sale sign that Sherry spotted on our way back from the playground one morning.
We did our usual drive-by to see if it was worth stopping, and these night stand beauties immediately caught our eye. They’re the real deal (from the 50s or 60s, made of solid wood, and even have awesome dovetailed joints). And you know we’re desperately in need of some not-too-short nightstands with drawers (instead of the squat stand-in old living room side tables that we’ve used for the last nine months).
It was meant to be. Especially when the seller was willing to hand ’em over for just $11 each (he was asking $30 for both, but Sherry pulled the “all I have is $22 cash” thing, which was actually true). We worried they wouldn’t fit in our car (with a huge baby seat, pack & play, and dog crate to work around) but we somehow got one in the trunk and one in the back seat. And seriously, can you beat $11 a piece?
Had our car been bigger, we also would’ve taken this guy home. But my sister (who has a larger car and a similar design taste) took one look at our pictures and high tailed it back to the same yard sale. She came back $30 poorer with this in her trunk. We think it’s hilarious that we each own part of the same mid century bedroom set (we would have used the dresser as a cabinet/buffet in our dining room near the front door). My sister Emily’s not sure where she’s gonna put it yet, so we’re secretly hoping we’ll inherit it eventually. We’ll even pay $30 for it. Haha. Fingers crossed.
But if you think all of our antique hopping, addition touring, and yard sale scoping got in the way of a “normal” little weekend trip, have no fear. Clara’s a beach diva, so there was no denying her some sand and surf (notice the nightstand seat-belted in next to her?).
The water was a bit chilly and the beach (well, what was left of it after Irene) was on the crowded side, but Clara was none the wiser and we all had a great time.
She and her cousins partied with sand in their diapers and said a proper sayonara to summer (which some of you saw earlier this week over on Young House Life). And of course there was some sea gull watching (and the occasional “birdieeee!” scream).
Is there anything better than a sunny day with my girls on the beach? Maybe $11 night tables. Just kidding. Kind of.
What did you guys buy/do/travel to see this weekend? It certainly was nice to get out of the house (and stop staring at the half-completed desk) for a few days. I think those breaks keep us coming back for more DIY madness (that counter might have killed me pre-break, but two days on the beach + cheap nightstands = Refreshed John, who was ready to build). Do you have any other end-of-summer things on your agenda? We keep forgetting it’s not still August. So when my aunt mentioned that Christmas was around fifteen weeks away our brains almost exploded.
Psst- We announced this week’s giveaway winners. Click here to see if you’re one of them.
Kristi says
Loving the pic of Clara in the backseat in all of her diva-ness! It looks like she’s just chillin’ away – readin’ her board book – is there a sniffer of apple juice back there too? I have never seen the Bloggess.com – so thanks for the introduction. She is hilarious! And now every time I see a big metal chicken, I’m totally going to think about Beyonce! (just not sure how many huge metal chickens I will find in Boston…)
Oh – and LOVE the night stands – I am looking for something similar. Right now I have two mis-matched antique tables – but REALLY want something with drawers to hide some of the junk that accumulates on my dresser. Also down with keeping them wood – it will compliment your master bedroom so nicely.
Kristi says
and by sniffer – I really mean snifter of course.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I knew what you meant. Too funny.
xo,
s
Erika says
LOVE those nightstands! And the chicken, and chicken story are hilarious. We actually have a flying pig made from old oil cans. It’s much smaller, though.
On a side note, we took a similar dresser and created a bar for our dining area.
http://kitschdesigns.com/post/Making-And-Crafts—The-Bar.aspx
It came out pretty nice, although we still need to work out some wine bottle storage for the inside.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- that’s gorgeous!
xo,
s
Chelsea & Kyle says
L-O-V-E those mid century modern dressers! The mermaid in the mirror, Uber creepy for sure!
Amy says
Hey Guys,
I tried to tweet you both to tell you that Donnie Wahlberg Tweeted a photo of yummy food back stage at the Rachel Ray show, and guess what napkin was in the photo. The inspiration napkin from your posts. I then realized that my tweets are protected, so my sweet hubby @BigJoe_V RT’ed it for me.
Just thought you both might get a kick out of the fact that the napkin was there.
Take care.
Amy @AmysSassyFamily
YoungHouseLove says
ISN’T THAT HILARIOUS! It’s seven degrees of separation with Sue and Donnie Wahlberg! Haha.
xo,
s
Amy says
Oh, you guys. You stopped at two of my favorite junk shops ever! I have scored some awesome things at Beach Plum (vintage faux bamboo and smoked glass console table) and at the Old Sale Barn (used to be called White Swan, got a rocking stained glass panel there years ago). I saw the giant chicken out front at the beginning of August on our way down to Bethany Beach, and of course I busted out laughing thinking of Beyonce. Hilarious!
Christy says
Seriously, this Beyonce story could not have come on a better day. There are some days when you feel like you can’t stop the waterworks and this helped turn them into crying from laughter. Thank you so much!
Cathy says
I drive past that place in Denton all the time and have never stopped either. Thanks for taking me inside. If you are ever on Kent Island and would like to stop by please let me know. I would love to meet the family.
YoungHouseLove says
We’ve never been to Kent Island, but it sounds lovely! Here’s hoping we bump into you someday!
xo,
s
Michele says
Does Clara have the Britax Roundabout 55 Convertible? If so how do you like it? We just ordered it for our lil guy!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we love it! It’s big, but still small enough for our small car (Altima) and Clara seems really comfy in it (so we’ll be able to keep her rear-facing for a nice long time).
xo,
s
Wom-mom Ethne says
Wedding, MN State Fair, MN Twins game and my sister got her Master’s degree! No time for yard sale shopping, though I’m totally jealous about those $11 nightstands and your sister’s dresser.
Sandi says
Funny conincidence…my husband and I were also in Bethany Beach Labor Day weekend AND we were in the market for nightstands. Sure wish we had come across that yard sale, but no hard feelings! I look forward to seeing them mixed with your existing bedroom ensemble.
Best,
Sandi
PS LOVE how the desk turned out. You guys are so talented!
Martha says
I love the Beyonce story too!!! I heard it on Bob and Sherri the other week. I laughed all the way to work that day. Thank for the reminder and great shopping trip.
Lauren says
Those are the exact style of nightstands I have been looking for too … so jealous.
Kate says
Sherry & John, I’m quite jealous of your yard sale and antique store posts. It seems like there’s lots of great stuff to be had at cheap prices in the South. Here in Southern California, everyone seems to think their old junk is so darn valuable. I go to yard sales and antique stores and look on craiglist and a lot of it is just crap – what’s worse is that it’s all overpriced. I’m talking old Ikea nightstands priced at hundreds on craigslist! I’m drooling over the nightstands you picked up and would love to find something like that out in my area for such a deal. The Beyonce story, though, is hilarious.
Ally says
you should have totally taken a lawn jockey home and spraypainted it white. A white ceramic lawn jockey. Next time.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, next time.
xo,
s
Annie says
Great trip and finds! I’m a craigslist/estate sale/garage sale junkie (we refinish furniture as a side business so I have to…yeah that’s the story). So anywho, I happened across a very very similar (if not exact) credenza and matching nightstand like those you found for $65 for my own collection. I’ve been looking for a similar or matching nightstand, since my husband and I were also stuck in that zone where the side “tables” were just not cutting it/slowly driving me crazy/making me wonder where I was going to put my book, light and other doodads. Just wish I could find a second one. Bravo!
chrissa says
That’s hilarious.
The dresser that Emily ended up with I bought for my son at the Salvation Army to refinish years ago for $30. It was wallpapered on the sides and painted this dreadful salmon. I stripped, sanded and stained it this darn stain color (dumb-dumb) and was never happy with it. Then one of the legs broke. I had added these cute turtle knobs to it.
But eventually I hauled it out to the curb. I am still pissed that I didn’t keep it, fix the leg, keep the top stained and paint the rest white. Miss Mustard Seed would so disappointed in me.
When I saw the nightstands I thought of that dresser before I scrolled down. I had assumed it was custom. You know what they say about assuming.
Mindy M. says
I’m so glad you linked up that giant rooster/Beyonce story. I was snort-laughing while reading that (at work).
Ashley says
Hold the phone was Sherry’s hair down not one but two times in that post?! A YHL record for sure!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, it’s true. I’m a wild woman these days.
xo,
s
Becky says
Love that my favorite site reads the bloggess. I just love her site…makes me just about pee my pants at times. :)
justy says
I’m so jealous of those nightstands and dresser! I think they would look cool with legs like this:
http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2011/08/dipped-legs.html
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- I love that idea (and that blog in general).
xo,
s
Shannon says
OMG. I can’t believe you guys were in Denton! I used to live there and visited the antique place all the time! What a small world.
YorkPPat says
I have that dresser – tried to sell it at our garage sale and had no takers! If you had any way to get it from Michigan – I might even pay you to take it and make something pretty out of it!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, someone has to want that! I’d try craigslist and freecycle!!
xo,
s
Michelle says
thank you for introducing me to Beyonce and TheBlogess.com. I had never read her blog and it’s so amazingly hilarious. I have added it to my daily reads.
Natasha G says
I just bought a house last year and we do not have much furniture. So I bought very similar tables (with pointed legs) from a garage sale. We live on the east coast too – so a lot of old furniture on sale…I thought it looked ughs..but now I am inspired because you bought it :)
Could you please share pictures after you place these side tables? It would really help me place mine too….
YoungHouseLove says
Of course! We have some other bedroom tweaks to do but we plan to share pics early next week when the dust settles. Haha.
xo,
s
Brandy @ midcenturymodernlove says
man oh man, what i would give for that dresser and those nightstands. more than $52, fo’ sho’! i would love to learn more about your yard sale strategies, like the ‘i only have $22 in cash’ line. do you go early? do you search them out or just pop in when you see a sign? do you go to estate sales? enquiring minds want to know! thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We actually were kind of late to this one (around 10 and it started at 9), but I do like to be as on-time as possible to get the best of the goods before they’re gone (they usually start at 8 or so). We also like estate sales, but don’t go to those as often. Even garage sales are something we usually do maybe once a month. So we’re not getting up at 6 every weekend to stalk them or anything. Haha.
xo,
s
Marissa says
Just catching up on your posts and saw the great stuff on your Labr Day trip. Love the end tables! Cant wait to see what u do with them. I saw the letters u were obsessed with and thought you could have bought the R E A D and put them in Clara’s closet or another nook for her :) Or on top of a big bookshelf!
YoungHouseLove says
Maybe the pic doesn’t communicate their size – haha. They were huuuge! Maybe two feet tall each?! So four wouldn’t exactly fit in the closet. Such a cute idea though!
xo,
s
Hollie @ I'm Busy Procrastinating says
You got some great deals on the furniture. The sellers were crazy to price it so cheap! I’m a huge mid-century modern fan myself. Can’t wait to see what you do with the nightstands.
Anne says
you should send your mom back to that flea market where you saw the dollar tree letters and have her grab: “READ” if they are still there! would be cute in the play room maybe?
YoungHouseLove says
That would definitely be cute! Although they’re $20 a pop and giant (2 feet tall or so!) so we’re not sure we have a place for four of them!
xo,
s
Morgan @ Endorphaholic says
I figured out the letters, they were meant to spell Dollar Tree. They must have been the letters for the store’s sign!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, the thing we couldn’t figure out was why he said “they never made it to their destination” and how he came to selling them. Were they stolen? Haha. Probably not, but we didn’t want to pry…
xo,
s
Mary Frances says
Hey..My sister lives about 1 mile from Ole Sale Barn…I immediately knew where you were when I saw the picture! Want me to get her to go pick up the “L” for you?
YoungHouseLove says
You’re so sweet! We actually heard from someone passing through there and then heading to Richmond who might be able to grab it for us (and we can meet here for an exchange) so I’m hoping if it’s meant to be it’ll all work out! Thanks so much for the offer though!
xo,
s
Kelly says
I actually live in Greenwood, DE and work in Denton, MD. I love that you guys stopped at that place! You guys are so creative and I love reading your blog.
Krystyl says
I have to tell you I just read the blog about Beyonce and I laughed so hard I cried!!!! Everyone needs a 5 foot chicken….even if just for the laughs. I should forward the link to my husband who was seething mad at me for buying a 10$ desk to redo for our daughters room!!! TOO FUNNY!!!!
Bethany says
Boo lawn jockeys, but hooray for fun finds like those letters turned numbers! Fun!
Kasey says
There has been another Beyonce spotting. Just had to share! http://buttonwoodcottage.blogspot.com/2011/11/sweetly-saturday.html
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- love it! She gets around!
xo,
s
Leslie says
I just found your blog and I love it! We are in the sllloooowwww process of re-doing our own home. I was so surprised to read posts like this about the things you find in Delaware! Being from the Delaware beaches, I always thought man, I’ll never be able to find what I wanted unless I go out of state but you have restored my faith. The weather is getting warmer and I can’t wait to check out all these little shops and find new treasures for my house. Thank you!
YoungHouseLove says
Of course! We love Delaware!
xo
s