Nothin' against a big town. . .

. . . but I can breathe in a small town!

Okay, one John Cougar Mellencamp quote is enough. . . What? You didn’t notice? What rock are you living under? [insert bad rock 'n' roll pun here.]

Seriously though, as much as I love bustling cities, great transit design, and bike lanes, there is something about small town charm that just gets me. Maybe it’s the way strangers smile at you and automatically feel like family. Or the way everyone takes their time. Or because everything is perfectly mismatched, chipped paint, faded colors, and all.

Whatever it is, Bell Buckle, Tennessee has it. The town is tiny (less than 400 people!), but it has heart. The southern cafe in the center of town is surrounded by antique shops. It comes with a fantastic chalk menu, like any great restaurant:

Complete with fried corn fritters and a live radio show on the weekends, Bell Buckle Cafe is a well-hidden treat. A trip around the block will have you stopping into at least a half dozen thrift & antique shops, one complete with an ice cream bar. Good luck resisting the sherbet!

It was such a good day for a drive through the country, thrifting, ice cream, and my favorite part of summer slowly coming to a close: tights! So perfect for layering and mixing textures:

Although I would have been perfectly content leaving empty handed, we did pick up a few good finds. Two awesome Robert Lyons prints:

I love them so much! Does anyone know anything about the artist? I did some researching, but it didn’t give me much to work with, unfortunately. Lastly, I picked up this super classy apron for just five dollars:

It’ll be nice to have a year-round apron (my other one is holiday cat themed!) to wear and will also be perfect for the cake decorating classes I am going to start soon. So many great finds and positive things going on lately!

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