I find myself in thrift and antiques stores on a regular basis. Not just because of Giggle, though the hunt for vintage items to upcycle is one driving factor, but I also just love to hunt for those lost items that are screaming to be useful once again! I often think I should consider opening a shop to sell all those vintage finds…I’m sure my husband would be happy to see some of my treasures go! But I just can’t pass up the fact that antique stores and flea markets offer up one-of-a-kind treasures you truly can’t find anywhere else…and often times at bargain prices! So with the holidays coming, I’ve taken plenty of quick trips to the antique mall to stock up on all the necessities for my Giggle creations…and along the way you can bet I’ve spied a personal favorite or two! On my last trip I did find a sweet holiday treasure tucked away in one of my favorite booths…a Halloween bunting! I’m not really sure how old it is but the price tag made it too hard to resist! Unfortunately, since I’ve finished my decorating already I didn’t exactly have an idea of where I was going to use it! But I loved it so much I was determined to find a place to display it…and I surely did–on my garage sale bar cart! I do love to dress up my bargain cart for the seasons…it’s really easy to do without lots of effort! I’m not an expert on cart styling…in fact, I don’t really know what exactly should even go on a bar cart! But I rarely follow decorating rules anyway so I guess it doesn’t matter! Any beverages or snacks can be served from a rolling cart…it can even be used to store serving pieces too pretty to be hidden behind cupboard doors! So let me share how I styled mine for Halloween…with the help of my bar cart bunting!
haunting holiday cart…
have you ever purchased something just because you love it–even if you don’t know what to do with it? whenever i find myself in this predicament i take a slow walk through my house looking at every possibility…even if it seems a little odd. often times the odd ones turn out to be the best! i hang tissue garlands from my bar cart all the time so why not the bunting? it looks festive and also hides the wine rack on the bottom!
i used a silver bowl to hold some festive napkins. it looks pretty and reflects the sparkle from the twinkle lights…something that i keep on the cart all year long!
paper straws always make a whimsical addition no matter what beverages are being served! and an old ice bucket can hold some bottled beverages like beer, soda or waters! when we’re not entertaining the lid can go on…full or empty, it makes a cute addition to the cart until the next time guests come calling!
i also like to include a small container to collect caps and other tabletop trash…the spooky candy bucket is the perfect size!
i love all the stripes…from my new bunting to the paper products! that was a lucky coincidence! if you own a bar cart or a small table to serve treats from, you can spruce it up for the holidays with simple items you may already own! and though my bunting was a lucky discovery…you can create something similar with a length of fabric gathered together at each end and draped across the front!
keep your eyes peeled when you go thrift shopping, you never know what you might find…like a ruffled & slightly tattered