Shopping in Chapel Hill

Good Monday Morning All!

After an insane week last week, I am finally back into the swing of things.  If you have been following along, you might remember that I was in Chapel Hill, NC last week from Monday – Thursday.  I got my daughter off to lacrosse camp at UNC and then was blessed enough to spend the week having “girl-time” with one of my most favorite women in the world!

We did a little shopping, a little eating and a lot of relaxing.  It was such a needed week for me and I was feeling pretty good about myself – when the the hammer dropped!  This next part is not for the “faint of heart” – I am warning you now …

I agreed to not only drive my daughter back to Atlanta, but to also take two other girls that live about 25 minutes from us.  With 45 minutes left on our 6 hour trip, I exit the freeway to head home.  I am suddenly feeling really weird and have a pretty good headache going.  I get to the stoplight and WHAMMY!!  Without out warning and without going into too many gorey details, let’s just say it was my own, real life, Wedding Shop scene in Bridesmaid’s.  I couldn’t get the car door open fast enough and “stuff” from every end was flying everywhere.   My daughter is pressed so far against her door trying to get away from me that she is almost out the window.  She is also yelling – “oh my God” over and over.  Oh – and let’s not forget the two girls in the back seat who I don’t really know.  They look like someone just shot them as they are dry-heaving and I am apologizing profusely.    I yell to my daughter – “I need your Snuggie!”  Seriously when is the last time anyone yelled that line?

I am not stopping – I want to go home – RIGHT NOW!  I put the Snuggie in my lap to catch what feels like my insides and just keep driving.  I drop off the girls and apologize to their mom and dad through a crack in the window so they are not blown over by the site and smells of my car and who are we kidding … ME and get back on the road. 25 very long minutes later …

Hi Honey …I’m home!  Poor hubs.  He was awesome.  My daughter had a 7:00 a.m. flight to NJ for a lacrosse tournament the next morning.  He washed her clothes, got her packed and dropped her off at her teammate’s house so they could get her to the airport.  Then he had to tackle “the car from hell” …. I can’t even imagine.  I love him more than ever!

I survived (although I almost died from embarrassment) and am feeling a ton better but just to let you know the Snuggie did not make it … poor Snuggie.

Did I mention that before “the incident” I got a flat tire and left my cell phone on the bumper of my car?  I recovered my cell phone (gotta love those rubber cases) and found a garage to fix my tire quick;y.  So all in all not a total cluster of a day! Ha!  Someone is trying to tell me something … I better keep my eyes wide open!

Okay … let’s reverse and pretend like this never happened.  I can’t wait to tell you about a little shop we found in Chapel Hill.  I saw it on the internet and couldn’t wait to check it out.  I was shocked when the GPS brought us to the local mall.  I am thinking this has to be a mistake … how can an antique and vintage accessory shop be in a mall?  Wow!  What a great surprise!  I took so many pictures I can’t get them all in one post so there will be a Part 2.  Hope you will come back to finish this experience.  Note:  I was taking these pics on my cell phone with the flash off – trying to be incognito.  The quality isn’t the best, but you will get the idea.  The shop was called Branching Out and it was wonderful!

This was the window … an old diving board and a mannequin diving in.  So eclectic – I knew I was going to like this place.

The store had all kinds of little vignettes set up all over … this was the garden scene.  I love the branches lit up with little white lights on the pergola.

This area had old desks, desk chairs and cool office antiques.  Love the patina on these objects and the old typewriters are so cool!

Look at the old pencil sharpeners and typewriters.  Who knew these could be so collectible and so amazing?  I have to have one of those pencil sharpeners … I am on the look out.  Why oh why did I not just buy one while I was there?  Dumb!

Another old desk scene.  The old books, typewriter and pictures are great … but the American Flag – C’mon!  Awesome!

Great old lockers – it would be so cool in a basement rec room holding games, puzzles or movies.

I have never seen these up close before.  They are antique cow tags that they used to put on the cow’s ears to identify them.  I don’t know what you use them for … but they are unique.

Cool old metal file drawers – I could use these for storing so many things.  Love them.  I am also loving the old card catalog cabinet.

The cabinet with louvered doors is great but I am like a raccoon – attracted to shiny things – and can’t help noticing the old trophies on top of the cabinet.  I wonder what my kids would think if I started displaying my old trophies from high school?

Ooooh …. then I could add some old pennants and black and white sports pictures.  How cool would this be in a boy’s room?

Just some old tin pendant lights laying around.  Love them.

I had to take this picture for all you clown lovers out there.  You know who you are.  I am sorry – but this is the creepiest display EVER!

Speaking of creepy … why in the world did they put this weird picture of this lady in the screen door.  The door is so cool – but it gives me the weebs!

This was the doggie area.  All kinds of antique dog figurines and pictures.  I thought the dog heads on top were kinda neat.

Old tin letters look so cool displayed on a shelf or on the wall.  I like when you spell something fun that has meaning for your family.

More letters  … Paris!  How fun is that?

They even had old linens.  Quilts, matelasse coverlets and beautiful toile shams.

I think those hands were used to display women’s long gloves. They are interesting.

This post is getting a little long so I am going to stop here.  I hope you are enjoying seeing this amazing little antique store at the mall.  I can’t wait to show you some more on Wednesday.  See you tomorrow for Teach Me Tuesday!

Hope your life is more antiquing heaven than projectile vomiting havoc!

Missi

**Note:  As I was writing this post on Sunday night, my son flooded his bathroom and there is now water pouring from the downstairs ceiling!**    What the hell is going on?