Gypsy's Jewelry and Gifts in St. Joseph, MO

Last weekend I headed to my hometown of St. Joe to hang out with my sister while my parents went to a wedding in Nebraska.  While I was there, my sister mentioned a boutique that had really cute clothes and jewelry.  The owner, Amy Vohl, actually travels to Dallas and L.A. to get her merchandise and she carries AMAZING clothes for women of all sizes.  Now I am really picky when it comes to clothes shopping, but she has such of an amazing selection that I think that I actually might have put a dent in my credit card.

I ended up buying A LOT of clothes and jewelry and even a pair of cute boot warmers (I know it is May but I will wear them in the Fall and Winter I promise).  What I really like about this boutique is that Amy, the owner, has such of a good eye when selecting her merchandise.  She also offers cute and affordable clothes to women of all sizes and she does not order the same item in over and over again because she doesn't want everyone in St. Joe wearing the same thing!  I can totally tell that Amy travels to Dallas and L.A. to get her merchandise because her selection of clothing and jewelry is AMAZING!

I snagged this super cute brown dress from Gypsy's and I am kind of obsessed with it!

If you are in St. Joe, you have to check out Gypsy's Jewelry and Gifts!  It is such of a hidden gem and it is definitely worth checking out!  Happy Shopping!

Gypsy's Jewelry and Gifts
Amy Vohl-Owner
3302 Mitchell Ave
St. Joseph MO  64507
816-294-4507

Barn Wood Designs, LLC

I love whiskey barrel tables!  I think that they are so rustic and they are perfect for any home.  Luckily for me, I found an old whiskey barrel at a flea market and snagged it for about $100 bucks.  I also found a guy named Jim Bell who builds and sells beautiful custom tables down at the West Bottoms for a fairly reasonable price.  His work is AMAZING and he uses reclaimed lumber that he has from two barns that he salvaged.  I contacted him because I wanted a table top for my rustic whiskey barrel that matched the barrel.  He was so reasonable in price and I ended up with a really AMAZING table.  I could not find chairs to match for my whiskey barrel table so I headed over to my Grandma Rosie's house (because like I said in my last post-she kept EVERYTHING) and I found four chairs that work well for the table.  Here is a picture of my whiskey barrel table shown below.

Here is a picture of the table top that Jim Bell made for me that really transformed the piece.

If you need a custom table built or anything made out of reclaimed barn wood, Jim Bell is your guy.  He is one of the nicest guys that you will ever meet and his work speaks for itself.  Happy Shopping!

Barn Wood Designs, LLC
Jim and Joni Bell
913-908-5554
jhbell2@yahoo.com

Fixer Upper #2

You know the saying, "one man's trash is another man's treasure!"  Well I wholeheartedly believe that and I love re-purposing items to give them new life.  A few weekends ago, I was helping my mom and my first cousins go through the remainder of my grandma's house to get ready for an upcoming estate sale that we are going to have this summer.  My grandma passed away back in September 2011 but she kept EVERYTHING!  And I mean EVERYTHING!

As I was helping my mom, we were going through and dividing up what people wanted in my grandma's house.  I was very close to my grandma and we talked every day up until she passed so I wanted to take some sentimental items of hers.  I ended up taking a rosary, some pictures, four chairs, and a black mirror that I re-purposed for my guest bedroom.  Here is a picture of my guest bedroom that I like to refer to as our guest suite:

The white floral bed frame is my childhood bed growing up and I purchased the mirror above the bed (as is) at Restoration Emporium at the West Bottoms in KC about a month ago.  I am kind of obsessed with the color coral so I turned the guest room into the perfect girly room that I would have wanted growing up.  Since I already had a mirror that I purchased for above the bed, I took the frame out of my grandma's black mirror and spray painted it the same exact color as the mirror above the bed (this happened totally by accident-I went to Lowe's and apparently picked out the same spray paint color that the mirror above the bed was painted).  True story!

Here is my grandma's mirror that I re-purposed and displayed in the guest bedroom (shown below).

I think that the empty frame looks nice and in the future I might get a letter "H" for Hamilton, spray paint it coral, and put it in the center of this frame.  I find it interesting how this black mirror that my grandma picked up at an estate sale could be transformed into such a great piece for my guest bedroom.  I really feel that I gave this piece new life by re-purposing it!
 

The Magnolia Market

So those of you who have followed my blog are probably well aware that I am obsessed with the HGTV show Fixer Upper!  Well now you can shop at The Magnolia Market and buy items that have been featured on the show!  I have already purchased three things from The Magnolia Market and they are AMAZING!

Here is the link to The Magnolia Market:

https://shop.magnoliahomes.net/


Happy Shopping!

Charm by Restoration Emporium

Restoration Emporium is my favorite store at the West Bottoms in KC.  Recently, Restoration Emporium bought the store, Charm, and they made it their second location.   Charm features re-purposed furniture and pieces from local artists in KC.  Charm recently had their Grand Opening event and outdoor flea market this weekend so ofcourse I had to go and check it out.

I love rustic decor and I snagged this cute chicken wire basket.  I think that it is so cute and a girl can never have too many baskets!

Another piece that I got from Charm is rustic art that goes really well above my restored wood table that I bought at a flea market.  For some reason I was really drawn to this piece and I thought that it would work really well in our basement above the table.  This is the piece that I bought (as shown below) for our basement and I am kind of obsessed with it.

I definitely recommend checking out Charm.  Charm is located in a rustic home and it is filled with amazing restored pieces.  It is such of a hidden gem and one of my favorite places to go.  Happy Shopping!

Charm by Restoration Emporium
Chrysalyn & Jeff Huff-Owners
612 E 135th
Kansas City, MO

JKLM Finishes

Another one of my favorite KC businesses is JKLM Finishes.  Julie Matthews specializes in painted furniture, painted interiors, faux finishes, and custom cabinetry.  She re-purposed this antique chair for me and I love it.  The character of the chair is so pretty and you can tell that it is a vintage piece.  The blue/gray color that she chose looks great in my formal dining room.  The upholstery for the seating of the chair is also very fun.  This piece also looks really nice next to my blanket ladder and my Happy Habitat blanket.  If you need furniture re-purposed, I highly recommend Julie Matthews from JKLM Finishes.  She is very reasonable in her pricing and she does amazing work.  Happy Shopping!

JKLM Finishes
Julie Matthews
913-424-3638
juliekm59@gmail.com

Faux Bois

So about a year ago, I became obsessed with anything faux bois (wood grain pattern).  I love how natural that it looks and my eye is really drawn to it.  I purchased this Williams Sonoma cake stand (as shown above) and I have had many compliments on it!  I love how natural the wood grain pattern looks but also how it can be dressed up for any occasion.

 I also recently purchased new casual dinnerware that matches very well.  The Lenox Park City Collection  (as shown below) is from Bed Bath and Beyond and these pieces go very well with my faux bois cake stand.

This dinnerware collection is great for entertaining as well as for everyday use. These plates are very durable and they are also dishwasher safe, which makes them great for everyday use.  I also bought a 5 piece place setting of the Lenox Park City flatware to use for entertaining as well as some serving platters and a serving bowl (as shown below).

I always emphasize that when decorating to buy what you love!  I think that is the key to decorating because if you don't buy what you love, then your home will not reflect who you are as a person.  Always go with your gut when decorating because if you love it, that is all that really matters.

Barrel Designs

I love rustic decor!  I also love how something can be re-purposed to look rustic yet classic at the same time. Barrel Designs is owned by Tyson and Genine Gilbert.  This talented couple also designs and builds all of Barrel Designs pieces. All of their designs are handcrafted from aged oak wine barrels and their timeless designs can be enjoyed for years to come.  Here are some additional images of their pieces as shown below.

Another piece that I am totally obsessed with is this amazing rocking chair!  No other rocking chairs can compare to this one and it is definitely on my wish list!  

I highly recommend Barrel Designs because all of their pieces are beautifully handcrafted and the timeless design of each piece can be enjoyed for years to come. Happy Shopping!  

You can find Barrel Design pieces at: 

The Winged Lion Inspired Home  
300 Poyntz Ave., Manhattan, KS  
785-341-3718
  
Website: www.barreldesigns.com

Tyson and Genine Gilbert
305 Deer Run Drive 
Mountain, Home TX 78058 
Phone: 210-414-6959  
Email: info@barreldesigns.com
 
 

Orla Kiely

I really love Orla Kiely!  Orla Kiely is an Irish fashion designer who has recently started selling her products at Home Goods!  With summer quickly approaching, I really wanted some plastic drinking pitchers for when we grill out on our deck this summer.   My husband and I have a lot of friends who come over to our house for dinner and most times they bring their young kids along with them.  Our house is pretty kid friendly and the kids love to run around our house and entertain themselves.  My husband still has a lot of his childhood toys that his parents saved for him and the kids love to go through and play with them.

However, while I pride myself in having fun dinner parties, I quickly realized that I am a total failure when it comes to having child-sized drinkware.   When I got drinks for our friends’ 3 and 5 year old boys, they couldn’t pick up our super tall turquoise plastic glasses.  It was a total failure so I recently picked up some child-sized Orla Kiely plastic drinking glasses from Home Goods.  I also snagged some cute Orla Kiely plastic plates and pitchers from there as well.   Now we are ready for grilling out this summer and our young guests will finally have child-sized drinkware that they can actually drink out of.

www.orlakiely.com/usa

The Curious Nickel

So another one of my favorites is the lovely Lindsey Nichols and she owns The Curious Nickel! This lady is not only extremely talented at what she does but she is also one of the sweetest gals that I have ever met.  I met her about two years ago at a local KC event and she still amazes me with the unique prints that she comes up with.  This girl can do it all from re-purposing furniture to taking her artistic talent and creating some of the most amazing prints that you will ever see!  She can also do custom work and her prints are great for any occasion.  She can do prints for baby showers, bridal showers, weddings, you name it!  Ofcourse, I have several of her prints in my house and Joanna Gaines from HGTV's show Fixer Upper bought some of Lindsey's prints while she was in KC presenting at the KC Home Show.   Lindsey has an etsy shop and she also sells her work at Restoration Emporium, which is down at the West Bottoms.  Here are some of Lindsey's amazing prints that Joanna Gaines from HGTV's show Fixer Upper purchased at the KC Home Show as shown below.

Here is another custom piece that Lindsey did for a client's office and I am kind of obsessed with it.

  She also recently designed some KC Royals and KC Chiefs prints that are pretty fabulous as well.

I highly recommend Lindsey Nichol's work.  She is a good friend of mine and I even tell people that she is my personal "graphic designer!"  Feel free to check out Lindsey's online etsy shop or email her directly to order prints today.  She does custom work and her prints are a great gift for any occasion.  I highly recommend her!  Happy Shopping!


Etsy Store:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/thecuriousnickel


Email Lindsey:

lindseykaynichols@yahoo.com

Westside Storey

Another great store in the KC area is Westside Storey!  This amazing gem is owned by Chris Harrington and they sell local KC products.  One of the lines that they carry is Charlie Hustle, and I must admit, I am kind of obsessed!  Since I get invited to many baby showers (I must be getting old), I snagged some adorable Charlie Hustle baby onesies while I was there.  You can't get much cuter than a Charlie Hustle baby onesie and they were a big hit at the baby showers!

They also sell really cool t-shirts at Westside Storey as well as many other KC favorites.

I highly recommend Westside Storey because it is an AMAZING store in a great little neighborhood in KC.  It is definitely worth checking out!  HAPPY SHOPPING!


http://thewestsidestorey.com

Chris Harrington
Owner

1701 Summit St, Kansas City, MO 64108

(913) 238-3865

Made In KC Now Open At Prairie Fire

http://www.thisiskc.com/2015/05/made-kc-opens-prairiefire/

Made In KC is a new store at Prairie Fire in Overland Park, KS that features local KC products!  I checked this place out today and it was AMAZING!  I bought some really cool coasters there that were made by Brass Tacks KC, whose products are made out of salvaged lumber from KCMO. I love them!

Made In KC was an idea developed by Tyler Enders, Thomas McIntyre and Chris Harrington and the store is now open in Overland Park!  They carry top KC brands including Charlie Hustle, Bellboy, Convivial Production, Sandlot Goods, Janesko Jewelry as well as others.  This store is definitely worth checking out!  HAPPY SHOPPING!

http://www.madeinkc.co

Made In KC
5501 W 135th St
Overland Park, KS

Sandlot Goods

So I tend to gravitate towards creative people.  I used to work at the Art Institutes in Chicago and I am so mesmerized by artists and how talented they are at what they create.  I was a recruiter at the Art Institutes but I loved working with the students there and seeing their work firsthand.  So when I moved to KC, I became fast friends with Katy Bird, who is the co-owner and designer of Sandlot Goods.  Chad Hickman and Ryan Hill are also co-owners of Sandlot Goods and Chad introduced me to her at a local event in KC.  Katy is a true artist and her ability to sew beautifully made handbags and purses out of leather truly amazes me. Here are some of the purses that she handcrafted, which are shown below.

Katy and her team also love locally made products and sell "Made In KC" items.  Ofcourse, I am all about locally made products and I had to buy my hubby this amazing "Made In KC" t-shirt.

Ofcourse, it did not stop there.  I also love gender neutral baby clothes and they have the cutest "Made In KC" baby onesies.   I bought several of these for good girlfriends of mine for their baby showers.  They were a big hit at the baby showers and since these baby onesies are gender neutral, they can be used for years to come.

Some other items that I have from Sandlot Goods are these cute leather coasters as well as this very useful leather credit card holder as shown below.

Sandlot Goods is such of a great company and their products are of top quality.  Sandlot Goods has so many amazing products and they would be the perfect gift for any occasion.  I highly recommend them.  Happy Shopping!


http://www.sandlotgoods.com/


Katy Bird
Co-Founder, Designer

Chad Hickman
Co-Founder, Business Manager

Ryan Hill
Co-Founder, Photographer

Neil Ryan
Creative Director / Brand Manager

Pinterest

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https://www.pinterest.com/bethhamilton83/

Maddy Nash

I am always looking for a great handbag!  Or clutch!  There are so many handbags to choose from and they are a perfect gift for any occasion.  If you have been reading my posts, you know that I love to support local KC businesses and one of my favorite KC company's is: Maddy Nash.  Not only can you customize your own bag down to the fabric, but she has tons of fabrics and handbag styles to choose from.  Maddy Nash is owned by Charity Ohlund and her company is named after her two sons, Maddux and Nash (how cute is that).  Charity is one of the nicest gals that I have ever met and she is so talented at what she does.

I met Charity at a local KC event called "Chick Events." After seeing her collection, I had to buy a handbag because they were super cute.  The handbag that I bought was the: Fabric Foldover Clutch Purse With Custom Label, which is shown below. 

The interior of my purse is yellow and I was so psyched that I got to pick out a custom label for the inside of the purse. She had several custom labels to choose from and being the feminist that I am, my custom label reads "Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History!"  I love it!  It is so fun!  Anyway, check out Maddy Nash.  I have included her website and contact information below.  Her handbags are top quality and she has versatile pieces that would be a great collection for any wardrobe.  Happy Shopping!

www.maddynash.com

CONTACT INFO:
Maddy Nash L.L.C.
5400 Johnson Drive, Ste. 230
Mission, KS 66205
info@maddynash.com

Rustic Decor

I shop everywhere!  And I mean everywhere!  I also love to buy from local KC businesses because I feel that they put a lot of love into what they create and I like to support locally owned businesses.  For those who don't know me, I am not the kind of girl who only shops at specific stores or only buys brand names!  Instead, I go out and buy what I love!  I also don't like to copy off of other people.  I have my own brain and I know what I like (even if that means my mom and sister come over and hate on the things that I buy and say that they are weird).  It is my house and I live in it and I have to be happy with what I see around me.  I am, however, inspired by Joanna Gaines and her rustic style.  However, I like color in my house.  So my house is a good blend of rustic and color.

As I was looking for some rustic decor for my farmhouse kitchen, I found some pieces in an unlikely place:  Kohl's.  Kohl's has this new brand that they carry called "Natural Home" and I scored some great pieces for my kitchen for pretty cheap (since Kohl's always has good sales).  Here are some of the items that I scored from Kohl's shown below.

I really think that a farmhouse kitchen needs galvanized steel to make it look aged.  So I got this cute galvanized steel bowl and letter holder (that I put our security system in).  Another great find was this wood cabinet with chicken wire that I am kind of obsessed with.  I had my husband put it on our wall by the kitchen and it is perfect for storing and displaying all of my spices.  I also purchased this amazing ruffled valence in ivory from Kohls and I displayed it on a copper rod above my kitchen window.  I think that all of these items really tie in together and they were all 50% off at Kohl's, so I really got a bargain.  Happy Shopping!

Farmhouse Kitchen

When we bought our new home in the Winter of 2013, I loved everything about it...except the kitchen cabinets.  They were oak and I wanted to warm them up with a cream color to create my own farmhouse kitchen.  To buy brand new kitchen cabinets, it can cost between $15K to $20K and that was just not an option.  Luckily for us, we have nice cabinets-they just needed a little love.  So as fate would have it, I found this amazing couple named Eric and Brenda Deeter and they own MorningStar Faux & Decorative Finish Studio.  They live in the KC area and they are the nicest, most down-to-earth couple that I have ever met.  They listened to what I wanted and my kitchen turned out amazing.  Eric and Brenda put a lot of love into what they do and they are professional painters who transformed my kitchen into a beautiful space.

I have learned many things from watching HGTV over the years and one of the most important things that I have learned is that: kitchens sell houses.  Updating your kitchen cabinets and having them professionally painted is an investment, especially for resale value.   I get so many compliments from friends and family who come over and I would strongly recommend hiring Eric and Brenda Deeter for all of your home restoration needs.


http://morningstarfaux.com/

Eric and Brenda Deeter
MorningStar Faux & Decorative Finish Studio
Phone: 913-441-5508
Email: infaux@morningstarfaux.com

Fixer Upper

I watch a lot of HGTV and I am obsessed with the show Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna Gaines!  I actually had the opportunity to see them speak when they came to the KC Home Show.  They are such of a down-to-earth couple and I love watching their show!  One of the main things that I love about Joanna Gaines' decorating style is that she is not trendy and she decorates in a way that she will be happy with her home 20 years from now!  She also emphasizes to buy what you love because you could create a beautiful home and buy expensive pieces, but if you don't love the pieces that you buy then it won't turn out to be as great as it could be.  Joanna Gaines has a very rustic style and her and her husband, Chip, spend a lot of time at flea markets.  They live in a beautiful farmhouse in Texas that they built.  Their farmhouse is amazing and their living room really inspired me because they have these two arched gable vents above their couch as you can see below!

I will probably buy some arched gable vents in the future to create a similar look but I was very inspired by this look so I did my first diy project!  I found these really cool arched windows but they were in a very bright "green giant" green as you can see below.

I did not love them in their original state so I bought some Annie Sloan chalk paint and painted them.  I then distressed them with a distressing sponge that I bought at Hobby Lobby.  After I put on a clear sealant, they were complete.  I think they turned out really well.  I am so glad that I did not distress them first and remove the original green paint because the green comes out a little bit and it makes it look really antique.  I also really like the copper metal design inside the arched windows because my husband and I recently renovated our kitchen and we have copper cabinet hardware and a copper light pendant that hangs over our kitchen dining table.  We have a farmhouse kitchen with cream cabinets that are glazed to give them a rustic look.  If anyone is wanting to do their first diy piece, I strongly recommend Annie Sloan chalk paint because it is so easy to use and you don't have to sand down your existing piece before you apply the chalk paint.  It is important, however, if you do use chalk paint that you buy Annie Sloan's clear or black sealant so that dirt and dust does not get into the piece that you painted.  Overall, I was very happy with my first diy piece and I think that Chip and Joanna Gaines would totally approve!

Nice Save

Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandma!  My Grandma Rosie was a very hard-working woman who was probably the most influential person in my life.   She taught me so many things that I could write forever about and one of them was that  "one man's trash is another man's treasure."  She would emphasize how wasteful that people were and how they would  throw perfectly good things away instead of re-purposing them.  Some of my fondest memories are those of my grandma and I getting up super early in the mornings with the local newspaper highlighted of all of the garage sales, estate sales and flea markets going on that day.

She had a rule that I could only buy something if  "I could not live without it," which is probably why she was so great at saving money.  Throughout the years, we would go to many garage sales and my love of garage sales, estate sales and flea markets continue to this day.  I just recently went to a local flea market and scored this amazing antique Davis sewing machine table that I instantly fell in love with.  The top of the table is made of handmade wood and when you push the pedal with your foot, the antique wheel on the table base still turns.  I thought it was pretty amazing and it works well in our house. The husband and wife team who created it really put a lot of heart and soul into re-purposing it and it turned out beautiful.  That is what I love about this piece.  It has been given new life and I have been lucky enough to find it and have it for my home.

The couple that I bought this piece from are Dusty and Traci Feuerbach and they have an etsy store called Nice Save.  You can see some of the other items that she and her husband  have salvaged and re-purposed.  Check out their store because they are amazing!  Happy Shopping!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/NiceSave