Well guys, when you saw the title of this blog you may have been thinking to yourself "is she still working on that house?" The answer to this question is yes, yes we are.  This little house has been quite a labor of love for me.  If you are new to The Southern Merc, and you have missed the story on our Alder Street Renovation, you can catch up by clicking any of the links below! 

Alder Street Social Club
Alder Street Renovation
The Floors
The Porches
The Living & Dining Area
The Kitchen

It has taken me a little while to get the bedrooms and the bathroom "photo ready."  I have moved the furniture several times, rearranged the pictures several times, and have finally decided this is as good as it gets for now!

We'll start with the guest room.  Unfortunately, I did a terrible job documenting our progress in this room.  What you need to know about the room before we started working is that it had a dark, orangey-brown wood floor, walls and ceiling.  Here is what it looked like when we started working on the house.  We closed up a window on the side wall and made the window on the back wall larger. 

Here is the same wall today.  The picture over the bed is hanging where the window was that we closed up.  I chose a pretty light gray by Sherwin Williams for this room called "Aloof Gray".  The trim and ceiling are "Ceiling White" by Olympic.

You guys know I love a well-made bed - in fact, I wrote a blog on that topic!  These vintage embroidered pillow cases that say "Good Morning" and "Good Night" were just what I needed to cozy up this guest bed.  

I try not to clutter my house up with too many collections, but I just can't help myself sometimes! In this room I used vintage jars to house my collections of old dominoes and vintage thread spools.  

The closet in this room was a nice size but only had one small door, making the space hard to use, so I had the opening widened.  Luckily, there was a door from the bathroom that we did not need that matched the original closet door to make a pair.  The antique glass door knobs are not original but I thought they made a nice touch!  Little details like that make nice upgrades to any home, large or small.

This little bookcase is full of family pictures.  I love displaying old pictures, it is so comforting to me to walk in and be surrounded by loved ones that went before me.  

Y'all, what can I say?  I like pictures too much!  Haha!  You can also see in the picture below on the left that there is a mirror and hooks for the convenience of our guests.

This is the little hallway area that connects both bedrooms and the bathroom. When you walk into the hall from the living/dining area, the guest room is to the left, the bathroom is straight ahead and the master is to the right. 

Now, on to the bathroom!  Just in case you forgot, it was disgusting.  You can see the panel box was in the bathroom, so we moved that out to the hallway when the wiring was replaced.  We moved the window to the right so it would not be partly in the shower.  The flooring had to be completely ripped out and replaced. Hopefully, it goes without saying that we replaced all the fixtures!  Ha! 

This is our very small bathroom now!  When you embrace living in 980 square feet, you have to make use of every inch!  When we bought the house the washer /dryer hook up was in the kitchen.  Rather than give up much needed closet space in the bedrooms, I decided to go with a stackable unit and put it in the bathroom.  It is certainly not luxurious, but it works for us!  As long as we keep up with the laundry and keep everything in its place, it doesn't feel too cramped. 

Even the smallest of spaces deserve some special details.  I couln't really find a ready-made shower curtain that I loved so I splurged on some fantastic fabrics. Dad helped me make this no-sew cornice board, and Aunt Janet was quick to lend a hand in sewing my shower curtain. 

Keeping essentials like q-tips, bobby pins, and cotton pads in pretty containers on a pretty tray helps keep your counters looking good while still having everything you need conveniently located.  

Next on our virtual tour is the master bedroom.  I call this the master because this is the room that Matt and I chose to be ours but it really is exactly the same size as the guest room, just with two closets.  This room had been used as a nursery about 30 years before we bought the house!  My dad actually put up this wallpaper for our neighbors at the time when they were preparing for their first baby!  Funny how things come full circle.  Dad did an excellent job hanging that wallpaper because it was a pain in the you-know-what to get off of those walls!

This is my beautiful, peaceful bedroom now!

The walls are painted "Misty Lake" by Valspar.  The trim is the same as the rest of the house, "Ceiling White," and the ceiling is the same as the living area, "Spare White" by Sherwin Williams.  

The chandelier is vintage and is my most favorite light fixture in the house! We have low cielings so I didn't have many opportunities in the house to use a hanging light fixture.  Since this one hangs over the foot of the bed, it keeps us from bumping our heads!

I hope you have enjoyed keeping up with my home renovation!  It has taken a little while to get things settled, but I love a work in progress!  I have been working on the yards this year so that will be the next thing on the list to share!  

If you like what you see in the house, check out the store!  It is full of beautifully currated items that speak to my southern style!

If you have been keeping up with what's happening at The Southern Mercantile, I would love to hear from you. Let me know what you think of the house and if you have a project of your own you are working on! 
​-Roxie

I was truly blessed growing up to be a part of a family that traveled.  Since my parents were both school teachers, we had plenty of time in the summer to pack up and hit the road!  Keep in mind, my parents were school teachers, so these were not glamourous vactations full of ski trips, water parks, restaraunts and hotels.  Our road trips consisted of tent camping (thank you K.O.A.), dinners from the cooler (a.k.a. cooler crud) and finding all the cool stops along the way that were free or cheap!  ​While our trips may have been a strain on the family budget, they were full of fun and happy memories (somehow you forget the stressful times when it is over).  My brother and I were really lucky to have gotten to see so much of the United States of America!

From Mt. Rushmore, Devil's Tower, and The Grand Canyon, to a tour up the west coast of California, Oregon, and Washington.  We visited the world's deepest hand-dug well in Greensburg, Kansas, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, an Indian Pueblo in Taos, New Mexico, and the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde, Colorado. 

​Every once in a while, usually in the fall, we got to go to places like Disney World and Sea World!

Of course, as a teenager these trips got a little embarrassing.  We were getting the car serviced in California on one of our trips, and I realized that my dad was wearing a tie-dyed tank top, shorts, fanny pack, and Mickey Mouse socks with sandals.  We were quite a sight!

​Y'all, this blog would be too long if I named all of the fun places my family traveled over the years!  We usually landed in Colorado for a week or so somewhere along the way to visit with my grandparents and play in the mountains we all still love so much!

Being able to travel and see so much of our beautiful country did so much to help shape who I am today.  I am a southern girl at heart, but I am sure you can tell by touring my home and reading my other posts that my style and personality has been heavily influenced by sights and experiences I was exposed to on our journeys!  What a priceless treasure, to have been able to soak up different cultures, styles, people, and landscapes.  Thanks to my adventurous parents for being willing to load us up and be away from home for weeks at a time.  Your kids are better people for it!

In honor of all of these nostalgic feelings this summer, Tara, Jorj and I thought it would be fun to spread the southern love across the whole country!  During the month of July we want to get a new Facebook "like" from at least one person in every state!  So, if you are reading this, and you don't already follow us on Facebook, head on over and like our page!  If you are a Facebook fan already, we hope you'll tag a friend from a far away place and help us reach our goal!  

​If you are heading out on a road trip of your own this summer, we hope you have safe and happy travels!  Share a picture with us along the way!
​-Roxie

I found myself on the road again last week, and at this point in spring I am beginning to feel a bit like a traveling gypsy! This time we loaded the trailer and headed to North Augusta, SC for Vintage Market Days of North East Georgia. (go figure) The show was hosted in a horse arena with no air conditioning and a dirt floor. The ambiance of this venue was nice for this type of vintage sale, but this girl doesn't like to be hot or dirty so it was a bit of a stretch for me!  

Gaining inspiration from the quickly approaching summer, I brought lots of fun travel/outdoor themed vintage finds.  We loaded in maps, coolers, thermos', and camping equipment.  

I'm a sucker for vintage kitchen items!  We always have to show up with a few of our favorites, like rolling pins, cannisters, enamelware, and milk bottles.

You can never go wrong with trunks and suitcases!  These aluminum suitcases are the first I have found and you can tell by the stickers that they have been well traveled!  There are still a couple left so you may see them pop up in June at our next show!

Vintage Market Days of Greater Atlanta will be our last show for a few months.   If we haven't gotten to meet you yet, we would love to see you in Atlanta!  You can click HERE for more information. Be sure to join our email list, if you haven't already, to keep up with our travel schedule for the fall!

A couple of weeks ago we headed to Braselton, Georgia to set up shop at the Braselton Antique and Artisan Festival.  We had a beautiful start to the weekend with warm, sunny weather.  Perfect for an outdoor venue.

An outdoor set up is a little different for us.  A tent, dirt floor, and no walls posed a small challenge that we eagerly met.  The outcome of this design challenge was a success as we ended up with a charming little space filled with cool vintage finds.

We embraced the atmosphere of being outdoors and brought plenty of garden items, vintage tools and porch & patio decor.

We livened up our space with silk sunflowers and a good assortment of our faux pot plants and succulents.

This was the first show that we were able to show off our line of dresses from Mata Traders.  Mata is a fairtrade business that provides women in India and Nepal with employment.  They provide a fair wage, as well as support in learing life skills to better care for themselves and their families.  We are thrilled to be partnering with this company!  Check out their website for more information about their mission and check out the selection of beautiful dresses in our store!

Tara and Roxie enjoyed getting to model their favorites!

Necklaces, by Sweet Auburn Studio, made from vintage pocket knives are the perfect accessory sass up our dresses by Mata Traders.  We are thrilled to be adding Leigh Ann Harris, the designer and creator of Sweet Auburn, to our talented list of Southern Mercantile Makers!  You can check out a selection of her work in the store and, don't worry, there is more to come!

These sweet gold bells are our new favorites!  They are perfect to hang in the garden, in a wreath on your front door, or group on top of your favorite lantern. They are in stock and available in the store!

While we had great weather on Friday and Saturday, our luck ran out on Sunday. It rained ALL day.  We made the best of it and had a good time, until the very end! That's just the chance you take with an outdoor venue!

Our next travels will take us to Augusta, GA and then to Atlanta. After that, we'll be taking a little travel break until the fall.  If you haven't made it out to see us yet, we hope to meet you in the coming weeks!

Happy New Year Southern Mercantile family!  I love the New Year.  It has become very symbolic for me over the years.  I love the idea of a fresh start, a new beginning, a time to wash away the yuck and start over!  I live the life of retail so by the time the new year rolls around I am completely exhausted.  My house is wrecked, my shop is wrecked, my body is wrecked, and sometimes I feel like my very soul is wrecked!  A year's worth of hard work, community involvement and loving a world that is sometimes hard to love has finally caught up with me, and I need a break!

Savannah, GA, might be my favorite Southern city.  A visit there just feels like going home.  A dozen New Year's Eves and one honeymoon later, you can definitley say this is a favorite spot for Matt and me.  The beautiful architecture, rich history and bustling downtown never disappoint.  This lovely city is so creativley inspiring to me, I always leave feeling refreshed and excited to get home and start cracking away at the year ahead of me.  

​This year we started our trip with a delicious New Year's Eve lunch at my favorite restaurant, Belford's.  We have eaten here many times over the years, and I have never been disappointed!  The atmosphere is perfect, and the food is absolutley delicious!  If I were a restaraunt, I would be Belford's!  

A couple of cocktails, some fried green tomatoes, and we were ready to conquer a little shopping!    

After lunch I made my yearly pilgrimage to The Paris Market.  Talk about creative overload!  This gorgeous store is brimming with the interesting and unusual.  I always love to check out their displays and see what they put together.  We all got a little treat from the coffee bar to sip on while we shopped. Topped this off with a stop in Anthropologie, and my day was almost complete!

After an afternoon of good food and good shopping we headed to our hotel to change clothes and head to dinner.  We kept it simple this year, no big party or fancy five-course meal.  Just some much-needed down time with good friends. Matt was feeling a little silly, but here we are enjoying a nice dinner at Sam Snead's Tavern.

After dinner, it was back to the hotel for cocktails and counting down until midnight!  My current favorite cocktail is a Kentucky Mule.  Secret confesion: I Love bourbon.  This mix of bourbon, ginger beer, lime, and mint was the perfect choice to sip on while ringing in the New Year!  You can find the recipe on our "Happy Hour" pinterest page, courtesy of saltandwind.com.

Even though we kept our plans simple this year, the symbolism is the same.  I am thankful for this time of new beginnings.  My birthday is on January 8th, so it really is the beginning of a whole new year for me!  I don't make resolutions because, let's be honest, why set yourself up for failure?  I do love to take this time to regroup and re-evaluate as I prepare to start another year in the journey of my life. What a good feeling to know that I can leave behind the failures and short-comings and focus on becoming a better version of myself. New year, new me!

I am truly ready to see what 2017 has in store!  I hope this New Year finds you excited to look ahead.  May God bless you as you navigate a new beginning and a new you!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!" 2Corinthians 5:17

Christmas is my most favorite time of the year.  I know, you must hear that a lot.  I can truly tell you that when November rolls around, I am ready to start decking the halls and wrapping presents.  Yes, I am one of those people, and yes, I do love Thanksgiving and fall, but who says you can’t already have a few decorations up when you sit down to carve the Thanksgiving turkey? 

Part of my love of the Holidays comes from owning a small, retail store The Shoppes at Fourth and Cherry in Ocilla, GA.  This is the time of year that my shop looks the prettiest.  Ornaments and twinkle lights have a magical way of transforming a space and, of course, there is always lots of glitter!  Sales are good, so the normal worries of small business subside, temporarily.  People coming in are usually happy and excited to pick out the perfect gift for the special folks on their list.  Cakes and casseroles are being picked up, children are counting down the days to Santa and we can’t wrap gifts fast enough to keep up!  I am usually happily checking off names on my list and finding great joy in picking out gifts that my special folks will really love.  This time of year is usually so exciting!  Usually.

To be perfectly honest with you, I am struggling this year.  I am not super sad or depressed, just having trouble getting into the spirit of the season.  I am low on Holiday cheer.  I have found myself not super excited about Christmas shopping or wrapping presents. (Check my temperature!) I have struggled to throw together a Christmas party for my Shoppes family, an event I usually look forward to all year.  I have not put up one single decoration at my house.  I am also pretty sure that I am not the only one who is experiencing a holiday cheer deficiency this year. 

I am surrounded by so many who have lost loved ones, are dealing with illness, or are going through a divorce. It seems extra hard to summon your Holiday cheer from within when you are feeling burdened by the state of the community around you.  Burdened by the fact that there are not enough hours in the day to call or send notes to all who are hurting.  Burdened by the fact there are more foster children than I can count from my community that will be wishing they were home this Christmas, in their own beds and wishing they had family to love and take care of them.  Basically, burdened by the needs, both spiritually and physically, of my community, and feeling like there is not enough of “me” to go around!  It seems selfish to focus on gifts and parties when there are so many who are hurting and in need.​ 

​So, what should I do about this holiday cheer problem?  Be a scrooge and just not celebrate this year? Just let Christmas pass and pretend it is not happening?  Well, I don’t think that is the answer to the problem at all.  There are people that need me.  They need me to be cheerful, to greet them with a smile, and to show them the love of Christ, no matter how I am feeling on the inside.  I know you have all heard the phrase “fake it til’ you make it.”  There really is something to that.  The act of going through the motions, even if you heart is not in your task.  I believe that if you keep putting one foot in front of the other, keep showing up and being faithful, your heart will catch up with you eventually.    

I have decided that I will keep singing my favorite Christmas songs. I will keep greeting folks with a smile, and be as loving as I can be.  I will write notes and visit with as many hurting folks as I can.  I will keep collecting shoes for foster children and praying for their comfort and peace this holiday season. 

 I will have a great time at our Shoppes Christmas party and celebrate our 14th year in business together!  I will take great joy in wrapping my gifts and giving them to my loved ones.   Most of all, I will remember that my life is not my own, my time is not my own, and this Christmas season is just that, a season.  This season of my life will pass and another will follow.  My purpose here on earth is to love and to share the good news of Jesus.  To be burdened and aware of the hurt of those around you is essential in being able to encourage and love those around you. ​

If you are feeling burdened this year by life’s circumstances, take heart in knowing that this season may pass, but Christ is sovereign and eternal and his love is with you always.  Go home and put a wreath on your door.  Take some goodies to your neighbor and put on your favorite Christmas music.  Spend some time focusing on those around you, and I promise, your heart will catch up.  Even as I was writing this, a very sweet foster mother in town brought in a bag of shoes and a coat for our clothing closet.  Don’t you just love those little encouraging “winks” from God, to remind you that He is standing right with you? This sweet act of kindness inspired me to go home last night and decorate my mantel, hang up our stockings and put a wreath on the door!  

I looked ahead to December 25th in my daily devotional book, “Streams in the Desert,” to find a little inspiration for this blog.  I love the power in the simplicity of this thought:  Let us be glad and rejoice today, because He has come.  And let us remember the proclamation of the angel: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord!” (Luke 2:10-11)  

Let’s be about the Lord’s business this holiday season and in the coming year. Let’s make it a point to be aware of the needs of our community and see that burden as a blessing, not a curse.  Opportunities to share the "good news of great joy," the love of Jesus to a hurting world!    
​

My Dad (to whom we lovingly refer as "The Wizard") would tell you that this step is the most important one. He has a 10ft tall faux Frasier Fir that he puts over 1100 lights on every year. You have to put your sunglasses on just to enter his home through the front door. I am not as patient as he is, though I do believe you need a well-lit tree. If you have a pre-lit tree, then just plug in and you are ready to roll, unless of course some of your lights won’t come on! If you are putting your own lights on your tree then start at the bottom of the tree at the back and begin to work your way around. You also want to run the lights up and down the branches as you work your way around so that your tree has lights in the center as well as the outer branches. Remember you should have no more than 3 strands of lights connecting to each other. If you have a large tree you may need to run an extension cord up the center of the trunk to start a new strand of lights. If you end up with extra lights at the top of the tree you can run them down the center of the tree to help illuminate it from the inside out. 

Step 2: The Topper 

Many would save the topper until last but I like to put it on before I do anything else. If you choose to use a classic simple topper then this will not take you long. If you like to have a bow at the top of your tree, it is good to put it on first so you can place the tails where you want them without having to worry about bumping your ornaments. I like to put unusual things in the tops of my trees. You will see from the sample pictures that the sky is the limit! From wooden reindeer to chandeliers, we are willing to try anything! ​

If you choose something like a chandelier that lights up, you will need to run a separate extension cord up the middle of your tree to the top to plug the topper in. Do not plug this item in to your lights! If you choose to use a bird’s nest, or bird cage, wooden cut out, etc. you will need to affix it to the top of the tree with a little floral wire. If you will wrap the wire with floral tape first it will not damage or scrape your decorative items and will be easier to work with. Sometimes I also like to add large branches, or stems of berries in the top of the tree. These will usually secure themselves in the braches but if you have trouble, just grab your trusty floral wire. 

I hope this little tutorial was helpful! Try out these tips and post your pics to The Southern Mercantile Facebook page. We’d love to see your handiwork! 

Don't forget to stop by our Holiday category to take a look at our Christmas selection!

The Southern Mercantile was thrilled to be a part of the annual "Mistletoe Market" this year in Perry, GA.  We had a blast getting to set up a mini Southern Mercantile store.  Here's our finished product, what do you think?  

We introduced our favorite soaps in our favorite scents.  These shea butter soaps from France feel like such a treat!  Who can go wrong with lavender, white gardenia, sage and mirabelle.  These soaps are now available in the store and they make a perfect hostess gift or stocking stuffer!  Click HERE to shop!

We had the opportunity to meet new people and make some new friends! We served our special "spiced percolator punch" as a special treat to those who stopped by.  It was such a hit, we're sharing the recipe below!  

Our Maileg bunnies, angels and mice were a huge hit!  We have restocked our "Littles" category and they are all available now!

One of the highlights of the weekend was getting to meet James Farmer!  We just love all of his books and have carried them in the store for years.  You guys can nab one of your own by clicking HERE!  

Next weekend we are headed to Jacksonville, FL to participate in the "Vintage Market Days of Jacksonville".  If you are in the Jacksonville area drop by and visit with us!  We'll be hitting the road to some new places in the new year, so we'll keep you posted on our schedule.  If we're ever in your neighborhood we would love to meet ya!  

Hot Spiced Percolator Punch
(makes 22 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 (64 fluid ounce) bottle unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1 (64 fluid ounce) bottle cranberry juice cocktail
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed

 

• 2 tablespoons whole cloves
• 4 (4 inch) cinnamon sticks, broken
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Pour the pineapple juice, cranberry juice, and water into a clean, well-washed coffee percolator. Place the brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and salt in the basket of the percolator, and assemble the coffee percolator. Cover, plug in the cord, and perk. Serve hot.

Be sure to join our Recipe Club to have access to all of our wonderful recipes!  

The entrance to your home is very important. Whether you are welcoming guests through your front door, or you think back door guests are best, the entrance will form your guest’s first impression when they walk up to your home.  I think choosing the right exterior door color is the first step in making sure that the entrance to your home conveys your family’s personality before anyone ever steps foot inside.  

When choosing a color for your exterior doors, don’t overthink it!  Doors are small and easy to paint.  You can change your door color once a year if you want to.  Painting a door is an inexpensive project that will give your nest a whole new look!  I have a friend in town that changes her door color all the time.  In fact, I should have interviewed her before writing this to ask just how many colors it has been since she moved in.  (Yes, Candace, I am talking about you!) It is so fun to drive by her house and see a beautiful new color waving at you from the front porch!

​You may want to try something bold, if so, here are my favorite picks right now for a bold front door:

​If you aren’t feeling so brave, here are a two hues that will give you a softer color pop:

​ I am a believer that your doors should all be the same color.  You may have different style doors in different areas of the house, solid doors, French doors, etc. Painting them the same color will give the outside of your home some unity and consistency.  I do have one exception to this rule.  If you think you want to try a wild and crazy color on the front door to make a real statement, but you are not sure you can commit to this color on every door, then keep the other doors very simple.  Black doors are great on most houses as a neutral and you can always paint doors your trim color, a white or off white. I hope this has inspired you freshen up the outside of your home and try a new look!  Remember, it's just paint.  You can change it if you don't like it!  Happy painting y'all! 

Tara, Jorjanne, and I got a chance to hang out with our friend Carey this week to get a lesson in boiling peanuts. We had a ball spending the morning with him on his back porch, learning how he has perfected his methods of this very old, southern tradition of boiling peanuts.  

If you have never had boiled peanuts, then I would say you are missing a real treat!  My dad, on the other hand, would tell you something entirely different! (But he is technically not a southerner, so we'll let that pass!) My husband, Matt, can eat his weight in them.  It is a good thing Carey keeps a freezer full because Matt will tell you that boiled peanuts are best eaten on Carey's back porch.  

Many folks where we live will gather up their boiling peanuts straight out of the field.  While these are delicious, this method requires a little more work, like pulling the peanuts off of the vines and washing them really well!  If you want to skip the hard steps, you can buy raw peanuts at the grocery store during peanut season.  We got ours from our local Harvey's grocery store. They had already been washed but still required a little more rinsing to get most of the dirt off.

We picked out the bad nuts that were not worth boiling and any stems that were still in the bunch.

You will need a large stock pot, filled with enough water just to cover the peanuts.

We cooked ours outside, but you certainly don't have to.  Put your pot on the stove, turn the flame up, and just wait for them to boil!

Carey's secret ingredient is ice cream salt.  Just kidding!  He used it because that is what he had, but you can also use regular salt.  You will start with about two cups.

And so we wait....

Tell a few stories......

Tell a few more stories..... 

When the peanuts came to a boil, we let them cook about 30 minutes.  After thirty minutes we gave them a test.  They weren't quite tender enough so we let them cook a little longer. 

Just in case you have not eaten them before, to eat a boiled peanut, you will bite or crack the shell open to to reveal your juicy warm peanuts!  You will need an extra plate to collect your empty shells.

Carey likes to cook big batches so he has plenty to put in the freezer.  After letting the peanuts cool in the pot for a little while, we dipped them into gallon bags and set them out to cool a little longer.  

When you are ready to enjoy your peanuts from the freezer, pull them out and put them straight in a pot with some water.  You don't need to let them defrost. Bring them to a boil and just let them cook for a couple of minutes, and they'll be ready to eat in no time!

While the end product is delicious, the best part of boiling peanuts is the company!  The act of boiling peanuts is meant to be social.  A time to visit with friends, relax and enjoy life!