Visiting "Fixer Upper" Territory

We were on our way back from San Antonio when I convinced the husband to stop in Waco so we could visit the Magnolia Market.

The Magnolia Market is the retail shop of HGTV's newest sensation, the Gaines family. Chip and Joanna Gaines (aka the cutest couple in the world) have made all of us Texans very proud with the success of their show "Fixer Upper," which is currently filming its second season. I pretty much speak for everyone else I know when I say, "We love that show!" We DVR every episode and get really excited to see what house they will tackle next.

I figured these two would be too busy to actually be in the shop when we visited (Have you seen how much stuff they have going on?), but we did get to meet their adorable children, who are also featured regularly on the show. As soon as we walked in, I saw them manning their little farmers market.

Here we have Ella Rose and Duke making faces for the camera while selling eggs, cucumbers, jalapenos and tomatoes from the Gaines family farm. Drake was sitting by the cash register, but I didn't see their youngest daughter (Emmie Kay). Lest you think I'm a major stalker, I found out their names in this Design Mom profile from a couple years ago, pre-HGTV fame. That link has photos of their home before the farmhouse that is featured on the show.

The husband studied the products very seriously.

I really wanted to buy a t-shirt, but they were sold out. The cute sales girl told me I could buy one online, but they are sold out there as well. Bring back the t-shirts, Joanna!

My big purchase? A dozen eggs from the Gaines family farm stand, of course. I really wanted one of the magnolia wreaths below but was feeling a little poor after the trips we've been taking lately. The eggs were better for the budget. :)

Obviously they have more stuff if you're lucky enough to visit in person, but these are my favorites from their online store:

]I was trying to figure out what I like so much about the show, and I think I've narrowed it down to a few key aspects:

1. Joanna and Chip are really cute to watch on screen and seem to enjoy working together. It's great to see a married couple treat each other so lovingly (and be so funny, too).
2. I love that they do a full home makeover in each episode so I don't have to wait for the next one to see the finished product. Instant gratification keeps me coming back each week!
3. They are from Texas, and the homes they work on look like some of the homes we have around Dallas. As opposed to say, the other HGTV shows who are based in Canada, NYC, Los Angeles, etc. It makes their projects much more relatable for us. 

So, do you watch Fixer Upper? Do you like it as much as we do? Why do you like it?

Let's keep supporting them as much as we can so HGTV puts more great shows like this on the air!
 

Happy Feet

We're upgrading our sofa's feet with some high heels, thanks to a special purchase at the flea market in Atlanta!

How pretty are these chunky wooden feet? They are literally double the size of the standard feet that came with our Rooms to Go sofa. I love 'em! At $3 each, I just couldn't resist. (You should have seen me stuffing these into the husband's golf bag for the flight home. Ha!)

I've never switched out sofa feet before, so I hoped it would be easy. It literally took less than 5 minutes to take off the old feet and attach the new ones. It's amazing how much taller the sofa is now. It's like a throne! I think it looks much more expensive and has more presence with this simple $18 upgrade. Plus I like knowing that no one else has the same sofa as we do!

I'm not sure about the finish of the feet, though. I'm thinking about staining them a dark expresso color like the first feet on the sofa. What do you think? I can keep them the same, stain them dark or paint them black. I'd love to have your opinion. I haven't done anything yet because I'm not sure what I want, so I'm totally open to your ideas!

Thrifting at the Flea Market in Atlanta

I just returned from a wonderful, relaxing trip to Macon, Georgia, for a family reunion. My cousin, who has always had fabulous style, has an immaculate home on a serene lake. Her house is filled with scenes like this:

Of course we started quizzing her about where she gets all of her gorgeous furniture and home accessories, and she told us that most of it is either family hand-me-downs or items she bought at the flea market in Atlanta. You know my ears perked up when I heard "flea market!" The thrifting stars aligned and, sure enough, the once-a-month flea market was happening the same weekend we were visiting! Our whole group of female relatives piled into the Tahoe (I sat in the trunk), and we trooped down to Atlanta to check it out.

It's called Scott Antique Markets, and I thoroughly enjoyed walking around and checking out all the treasures. It's probably a good thing that we flew to Atlanta and I was unable to buy anything that wouldn't fit in my luggage!

I did manage to buy a few really random purchases, but we only had a couple hours to shop and I didn't even get to look at the outside part of the market very much because a big storm was rolling in. Here's what I do know: It costs $5 per person to park. It's open the second week of each month. There is a section that is more high-end with authentic antique pieces (we didn't go there) and a more affordable section. The food was really tasty – the Greek place had the longest lines so I'm guessing it's really good!

If I lived in the Atlanta area, I would totally go to this market all the time. I have no idea if I have any blog followers from the Atlanta area, but if so, you should totally go to Scott's and see what you can find. This is just a glimpse of what they had that day, and my cousin said it was actually a smaller selection than usual.

I'll be back with another post tomorrow to show you what I bought and ask for your opinion about what I should do with them!