Oh Magnolia! We took a road trip down here for spring break – we have lots of cousins that live in Texas and we used to live here, so it was such a fun visit. Of course we had to come to the Silos! They were everything I thought they would be after seeing them on Fixer Upper and hearing about them, it was exactly how I’d pictured it to be.

We had perfect weather and went on a sunny April Monday afternoon:

Tip: if you enter from 8th street side, there is free parking. As you drive in, everyone else around wants to charge $10. You can just google Waco Brake & Clutch Supply, it’s right across the street.

First, we hit the bakery!! Lots of yummy food trucks all around, but dessert first please:

The cupcakes were $3.99 each and they had order cards they had you fill out while in line to keep everything running smoothly:

I waited in line to get into the bakery bathroom, I didn’t even need to go and just took pictures :)

We loved the cupcakes! So dense and moist and the frosting was sweet perfection. Our favorites were the nuts & bolts and carrot cake. I would skip the Elderflower drink, we thought it tasted like dill pickle. Everything is so well thought out from cards they have you fill out with your order to the boxes and wooden forks.

The garden is charming:

they were just bringing out spring plants:

They have covered pavilions to sit under with wildflower boxes – We got a yummy bacon grilled cheese, herbed fries and a biscuit from Milo to share because we had already filled up on cupcakes.

And then we hit the store!! Everything is so beautifully displayed and it’s just fun to walk around and look.

So what did I buy? My awesome sisters gave me a Magnolia gift card for my birthday so I got a t-shirt (of course!), a collapsible basket, telescoping photo stands, metal sign holder, a wood beaded cake stand, and the cutest little cream pitcher to add to my collection. It’s not inexpensive, but I also don’t feel like they were insane prices either.

It was so worth going! A few things:

* mean people don’t come to the Silos! Everyone that works there and visits there is so nice and friendly, it’s so fun to see where everyone is from.

* All the employees I spoke with said come between 2-5 p.m. on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday to beat the crowds. Most people come right when it opens at 10 and then stay until 1 or 2 and weekends are crazy, be prepared for long lines.

* is it kid friendly? Yes and no. My kids loved the lawn area and running around, swinging and throwing the football, but my youngest only lasted a few minutes in the store so my daughter was an angel and took him out to play. We waited in line at the bakery for 25 minutes, but they keep everything moving really well. At the store we really didn’t have a line. I could have stayed there for much longer but most of my kids were ready to go after an hour or so.

* what about food? There are food trucks there, but many were sold out by 1 p.m.  We don’t have a Freddy’s near us, so we went there ♥ Other recommendations were Torchy’s Tacos and Cafe Homestead.

Other places you can drive by:

* Harp Design Co. 808 N. 15th Street

* Joanna’s original Magnolia store 3801 Bosque Blvd.

* Read their book before you go. As if you don’t feel like they are your next door neighbors, it gives such a tender look into their roots, how they began, the hardships they faced, what drives them, their dreams, and their faith.

I just love seeing what they’ve done for downtown Waco. Anyone who owns property around the Silos has got to be loving their crazy increase in property value. The drive from Dallas-Ft,Worth area was gorgeous in the spring with all of the bluebells and wildflowers and was so GREEN! We went on to Temple, TX to visit family and that drive was beautiful. I saw lots of women on girl trips – I would have loved some more time to explore, but was so, so glad we had the time we did.

Have you been?

Hello! I want to share our recent stop at Deseret Industries -- Hailey helped me make our very first Facebook Live video there! Be patient, filming was a little rough but we love DI and wanted to share our finds with you!

Deseret Industries is a thrift store but you can feel good about shopping at and donating to DI knowing that you’re contributing to job training for others in your community. All store associates are given skills training, career counseling and assistance to move into a permanent career and a life of self-reliance.

I  love their drop off – just drive up and the friendly employees will unload your trunk and give you a tax-deductible receipt for your donations. Remember to donate before the end of the year for your tax deduction.  I love that you don’t even have to get out of the car!

The stores are clean and well-organized and hundreds of items are brought out to the floor daily so you never know what treasures you’ll find! It truly is a bargain hunters paradise.

So, remember DI for your Christmas shopping – I love that it helps you stretch your money especially in December when there is lots of spending going on.  Instead of $30 for new snow boots, how about $2?

Why buy brand new books when you can gently used ones for just a dollar or two? Books make great gifts!

Name brand clothes! J Crew Sweater $6

Hudson Jeans $6

A perfect place to make meaningful gifts. This picture frame w/ a mat will hold a family picture for my husband’s office, only $1!

A new laundry sorter that my daughter desperately needed for her bedroom $6

These are the pillows I mentioned in the video – even if you don’t like the covers, buy them for the down inserts! Can’t beat $3 for nice down pillows to put in your own covers.

They carry new items with tags as well. These beautiful white dresses for weddings, baptisms, special occassions were only $8!

They have new furniture! Chairs were $49, table was $200

So remember Deseret Industries when you are out and about crossing off your list, maybe I’ll see you there

I’ve been on the lookout for a console table for our front porch to be able to decorate with the seasons. This one came up yesterday on a facebook yard sale group. There were a lot of people interested, but I’ve found an email/text with the phrase: “I can pick it up today and pay cash.” with a smiley face, your name (if you are a woman) and your phone number/email has proven to be the best for scoring items.

It shows that you will show up (they want it GONE!),

that you have the money (you won’t try to to talk them down or pay with a bad check),

that you are a woman (sometimes important if the seller is a woman she won’t be concerned if she is alone), 

you are friendly. (smiley faces = friendly),

and they can contact you easily with the method they prefer.

When contacting them: if they seem younger, texting always seems to win. If they are older, CALL. They usually prefer good old fashioned talking on the phone.

Best places to check:

* Craigslist in your area

* Facebook yard sale groups -- search on facebook the name of your community, your county, or the largest one that is close to you. For my old town, it was called Montgomery County Yard Sale. There are usually more than one. Request to join the group and the postings will show up in your facebook feed. It is a group of local people that post their things they are trying to sell online. You must be a facebook member to join. Warning: people are quick on these sites! Don’t wait if it’s something you really want. It’s always good to reply on the listing that you are interested in it, and send a private message as well to show you really want it.

Online classified ads -- remember how we used to check the newspaper for classified ads? Most are online now.

Those are my tips -- what about you? Any tried and true tips for scoring awesome items online? I am off to paint that table…