10/7/10

For That Age Old Conundrum

Noted
I was driving down Glenstone the other day and passed Anton's Coffee, a perfectly charming coffee shop/diner from long ago, and wondered why I'd never aimed our car in their perfectly charming direction. I was thinking this whilst coming back from a trip to FM Store, a surprisingly large interior with bolts upon bolts of upholstery and designer fabric, gorgeous trims, and quilt backing in all kinds of colors. (I didn't even know that you could get quilt backing in pretty colors unless you used a bed sheet!) I had always thought it was one of those stores with stock from the 80's that they'll never get rid of but keep plugging along because it's what they've always done, and thus had never been in there before! Well, they have some perfectly fantastic Amy Butler fabric for about $4/yd and the place was crawling with interior designers and their clients. Shame on me.
My Latest Bright Idea
Feeling inspired to try a few more new things in this perfectly charming little city, I decided to make a list of some doorways we've never haunted because as soon as anyone asks 'What should we do?' our imaginations shut down and we only remember places we've already been. All of the above places (minus Thai Peppers but it's been about a year) are places we shall try out before the end of the year or as long as we're feeling adventurous. And then we'll brainstorm a few more.

This to-do list is just a piece of smooth, pre-cut lumber from Lowe's that I sanded down and coated with primer and three coats of chalkboard paint. I was planning on anchoring it to the wall in the kids' room but I like it more as a traveling piece. A large tablet. A throwback to caveman days if you will. It's currently propped up in a safe place so it won't land on anyone's head and the list may or may not be transferred to something if we choose to use our 'tablet' for an art project instead. I like making up my own rules.

What are some places you've always wanted to go that you always forget are there?

xoxo,
Rachel

p.s. My old Halloween yarn wreath has finally made it's debut, as well as some white pumpkins and a few wooden acorns from Hobby Lobby. I've added the fawn and birds for a woodsy feel and have some garland ideas that I'll be sharing elsewhere later this month. Have you decorated for Halloween or Autumn in general?

29 comments:

Mooninmygarden said...

Lovely photos, I just love the idea of a "traveling to-do list". Thanks for sharing.

Lesley said...

nathanael greene park is a beautiful place...and it's huge. your boy will love all the ducks and there is a butterfly house. it's my favorite park in springfield! my puppy and i visit it often. :)

Ellejay said...

FM Store has to be what I miss the most about living in Springfield! (besides my love of the $1 Jewelry Galore, Thai Xpress & RVA, of course!) I stocked up on just-in-case fabric before I moved away last spring!

Nicole Coffin. said...

oh you are so right with this post. i am a hairstylist and i always feel so bad when people ask me, "so what is there to do in this town?" because we always end up at the same old places, most of which aren't even local businesses! it's awful. we have been trying to eat at all the local diners so we can say which one is best. we always make it a point to go to our local pumpkin fest, but this year we are adding apple picking, haunted houses, and the corn maze to our fall list. your chalkboard is really cute. i really enjoy your adorable blog. great inspirational post!

Sophie Slim said...

Awesome idea!! When ever me or hubby struggle with ideas we go geo-caching (www.geocaching.com), and it takes us to the awesome-est random-est places in our city! love it!

thearthurz said...

Caspers is a MUST!! Lovely little dive. The FM store surprised me as well. Never dreamed it would be as lovely as it is!

Anne said...

This is a fantastic idea. I would love to have a similar board, although the OCD me would have to have it affixed to something. I seriously think I will work on this idea this weekend. Thanks for sharing!

Mandy said...

Great post~ inspires me to leave the house a bit! =) We moved to this little town almost a year ago, and your post makes me realize how few places we've been that aren't target and hobby lobby! And love your board!

Amanda said...

We are temporarily living in a new town in West Texas (my hubby is military). I've already discovered the best thrift store of my LIFE and have a list of more vintage/antique shops and cute downtown district to discover. My mom comes to town next week and that's what we plan to do the entire week she's here!

I added a black crow to my Halloween decor this year, I really like him and the baby thinks he's a pet!

Melissa Crowe said...

We have indeed decorated--my kid likes Halloween more than Christmas and has, hence, declared that we will have a "Halloween tree." This means we're painting a branch black and sticking it in a can of quick-dry cement, and according to my lord and master (Annabelle), we'll be making ornaments for it, too. Sheesh.

Kristin said...

Great chalkboard. I love the idea of writing down all the places you would like to go on a big visible list like that.
We to draw blanks whenever we decide to do something but don't know what.
I am also loving all the colors. I tried to use pink awhile back in our family room and the hubby loudly protested. :) Oh well!

Sara said...

When I'm having a crap day or when everything falls apart (like it did a little while ago), I find your blog (in addition to reading it regularly) and scroll through the front page, look at your hip pictures, and skim through the paragraphs. Relaxing. Grounding. Supportive (?). Thanks.

tamara said...

Great Idea! Its easy to miss some of those local treasures no matter where you live.

Fee ist mein Name said...

That's what I'm planning to do in my hometown since ages. I've live here most of my live and there are so mäny places I haven't seen yet. My plan is: One place a week :)!

mama*thayer said...

oh i love the fm store! i've actually made a couple of trips to springfield just for it! now i'm thinking of making a quick trip down....

Lexi said...

What a treat to run into you yesterday! You and your family are just as darling as I knew you would be. I am usually not the type of person to just go up to someone, but I am so glad I did! Maybe it was the "witch's hat" giving me confidence ;)
I've never went into Anton's either...although I think it would make for great pictures.
We have definitely started the fall decoration, as we missed out last year--our house was a disaster zone with the kitchen in full out remodel mode. So this year we started the fall decorating early :)
I ADORE FM!! Although it gets me in trouble b/c I tend to buy fabric without a project in mind and end up with..umm..lots of fabric and no projects.

courtney.janelle.sews said...

I can't believe you've never been to FM or Anton's! I love love Anton's, it's mine & Mark's favorite date-place. Especially on a Saturday/Sunday morning after a particularly brutal Friday/Saturday night, haha.

Sara said...

Just made some of these: http://zemphira.blogspot.com/2010/09/fabric-acorn-tutorial.html

Had some perfect vintage fabrics for these! Now our Autumn decorating is complete. :)

Katie said...

I love that board and is portable-ness!

We just bought some mini pumpkins from the farmers market - perfect for decorating!

Jenni said...

What a great giant tablet! Love it! My girl and I watched Great Pumpkin no less than 3 times yesterday as we set up Halloween decorations. So much fun! And we still have plenty of time to do some holiday crafting!!

Roxanne said...

The rest of my house really needs a good scrubbing before I bust out the Halloween goodies! Perhaps that will happen this weekend and maybe I'll even pop into this ultra-sketchy looking thrift I've never been in, but always want to.

Regina said...

The the large chalkboard. I made a smaller version a while back and love it. :)

Anonymous said...

Anton's is by far my favorite breakfast place in Springfield. But, beware, it's cash only! I've gotten into trouble a couple times going there when my friends had to bail me out!

Here in town, I've really wanted to try the Gastro Pub and Big Momma's.

Casper's and Nathanael Greene park are also amazing. Go into the Japanese garden. It's where they have the Japanese Fall Festival and the Kite Festival in the spring!

amanda said...

Great idea, I love the way people are really putting chalkboard paint to use!

K. Davis said...

wow, jealous about the Amy butler for 4 dollars a yard! and I thought I get fabric cheap here in Korea!

Anonymous said...

I love this! My husband and I were just talking about making a list of all of the things we want to do, so when we're having trouble figuring out a plan, we only need to consult our fabulous activity list. After seeing this, I now know that it needs to be on a chalkboard.

Shelby said...

I just LOVE the FM store. I could spend hours upon hours in there! They really need to expand to a larger location. Also, nathanael greene park is so lovely, probably the most beautiful in Springfield. You should try and go in the spring when they have the Japanese festival. The sidewalks are lined with paper lanterns and there are lots of fun activities going on. It's a blast!

Anonymous said...

Antons is the best. When I lived in Springfield during college we went all the time. I try to make a trip that way whenever I'm in town.

Anonymous said...

Antons is the best. When I lived in Springfield during college we went all the time. I try to make a trip that way whenever I'm in town.