{Giveaway is Closed}
I am back today with all the many beautiful pics I took while at Magnolia Market in Waco, TX a couple of weeks ago.  It was such a thrill to get this invitation from Kilz and I was so honored and blessed to be one of the bloggers invited to meet Chip and Joanna Gaines (read that post if you haven’t, I met them in person!!) and get to see her new paint line up close and personal.
When I arrived that first day, we were staying at the Hotel Indigo, a really nice hotel, by the way. Â It’s only 2 blocks from the Silos, so I made a beeline there as soon as I checked in. Â It was President’s Day, so the line to the bakery was pretty long that particular day, but the next day it was much better. I’m sure that the bakery is doing all sorts of business since it’s relatively newly opened. Â I can attest that the cupcakes are THE BEST. Â I wish I had room to bring home a dozen, they were so delicious.
Getting to meander around the property at the Magnolia Market and Silos was just so surreal and fun. To see it on TV and then to be there in person, there were just no words to describe how neat it was. Â So hopefully these pics will do it justice and I’ll describe it all for you. We were fortunate to get a private tour of the upstairs rooftop deck and the offices, so that was a fun vantage point too.

I was snapping pics left and right as I neared the Silos. Â So very neat to see them in person and to see how the whole area is laid out. They have done a wonderful job making the Silos and market a destination for people to come with their families, hang out, enjoy the food trucks, shop and eat cupcakes.

The bakery is right on the corner of the property and it’s not that big so people line up down the sidewalk waiting to get their turn at the cupcakes and tasty treats. Â We’ll come back here in a minute.

There’s a great photo opp spot by the Silos and lots of people were getting their picture taken.

Like me and these 2 fun ladies, Rhonda and Brittany. Â We had fun hanging out together. Â Brittany is a long time blog friend and Rhonda is a new blog friend, who was so much fun. Â The last thing we did at the end of our time there was get cupcakes and sit outside on the patio for a break.

Under the Silos is a huge stage and this is where Silobration was held last Fall, their anniversary weekend to celebrate the opening of the Market 2 years ago. Â I love those rusty Magnolia letters on top, how appropriate. The stage is also useful with picnic tables and eating during the day.

Those rusty letters up close.

We got a really gorgeous view of everything when we went to the rooftop for a private tour of the offices and building, including Chip’s office. His office overlooks the big green space you’ll see in a minute.

You can see how far down everything is. Â I just read that one of the Silos will open sometime this year and it will house Chip’s hardware store. I think that will be so cool to see!

Coming out of the offices to the rooftop deck and astroturf. They have astroturf all around the market and grounds which is a pretty neat idea. Â Don’t have to worry about keeping grass alive and people can play and lounge on it.

A beautiful view downtown Waco from the top of the Magnolia Market building. The garden shop is in that top back right corner.
Here’s a little tidbit for you! I loved the music coming out of the speakers on the grounds of Magnolia & I asked our guide about that. It’s a hand picked playlist from the Silobration last year & its called Silos 2017 on Spotify. I found it & have been listening & love it! Check it out!

There’s the view from Chip’s office. You can imagine how this makes him happy, the sight of people lounging and playing on the “grassy turf” below. Â I didn’t get a great shot of the food trucks, but there are several food trucks that line the whole market sort of in an L shape to the very back of this pic and to the left. Â Food and coffee, it’s all covered.

Another peek down to the Bakery on the corner.

This is a good shot of the sidewalk and the checkerboard stones and astroturf grass again.

The bakery turned out so cute, I just loved it!

The Silos Baking Company, popular destination for all.

It was pretty small and crowded inside, so I didn’t get a good shot of the bakery, but you can see all the baked goods lined up back there. They hand you an order form when you walk in and you check off what you want and then they get it all boxed up for you. Â Joanna describes her wish for a French bakery feel for the bakery and she totally achieved it. Â You can read her blog post about the bakery and see all the pics for yourself. Â It’s gorgeous! Â Did you know Joanna has a blog about every house they do on the show? Â I’m going to start perusing this more often to get a better look at her designs.

Someone told me not to miss the bakery bathroom, so I promptly went in there and looked at Joanna’s toile black and white wallpaper in this space. Love, love it, so pretty with the white subway tile and those tin tiles on the ceiling.

And then it was time to sample a cupcake. Â I had heard from several people on Instagram to try the Lavender/Lemon cupcakes, so that’s what I did. Â I was not disappointed! Â I decided I had to try and bring one home to Mark, since he is such a sweet-aholic (like me!) so I had them pack up 2 Classics, which are chocolate with delicious white buttercream icing. Â Oh my gosh, were they good! Â We both loved every bite of them. Â I had people asking if they ship and I don’t think they do, but wouldn’t that be nice?

We were sitting on the patio and I saw these two little cuties sitting on the stools and what a picture that made! Â Their black striped shirts were the perfect complement to the sign and ambiance of the bakery.

Back to the grounds, there was a lot of metal beams that hung out from the Silos and instead of tearing them down, they converted them into swings for the kids. Â It had just rained so it was muddy, but I can imagine how much fun this is for the kiddos.

A little further over you can see the picnic tables with black and white striped awnings over them. So nostalgic and just perfect. You can see the food trucks to the back there.

Another shot of the Silos from the grassy area. Â How massive are they? I read in their book that when they went to buy this property, the owner insisted that he didn’t want the Silos torn down and Chip assured him that they had no intention of getting rid of the Silos. What a landmark and backdrop they are for the entire Magnolia Market. Â They make such a statement!

You may remember the barn raising in one episode and this is the structure they built. A covered pavilion for eating and these old beams were recycled into the barn.

Another shot of the swings and picnic area.

Over to the right of the grassy area are adult swings, so nice to have for a little bit of a break.

An old vehicle looks right at home here at Magnolia.

Back in the right corner is the Magnolia Seed and Feed, with plants and pots and garden supplies.

Finally we get to the Market, which is just across from the bakery.

Inside the market on our upstairs visit, we saw a beautiful mural painted on the stairwell.

Right inside the market door was this beautiful display, all ready for spring.

Inside the market is all sorts of beautiful farmhouse-style accessories, exactly what you’d expect to see from Joanna.

Joanna was very generous and gave us all gift cards to shop with and ship home, so we had a lot of fun doing that. Â I’ll show you what I got later.

There’s a kitchen set up with white subway tile inside the market.

All nicely displayed with open shelves and all sorts of pretty things to set on them.

Everything was displayed so well as you can just imagine. Â Joanna has such good taste and I love all the houses she designs and decorates.

These faux tulips really caught my eye and I picked them up to make sure they weren’t real. Â They weren’t, but they sure did look real. Â I bought a dozen in white to bring home.

These lanterns were gorgeous too.


These weren’t really fresh flowers, but all faux. Â Totally realistic looking faux!

A hanging bicycle looked adorable in the shop.

More of those pretty faux tulips. Â This color was extra springy and pretty, but I decided on white for my house.

Down the steps in the market is this huge space with lots more to see.

Chip’s Corner which I hear will be moving to the Silo.

I wasn’t surprised that Demo Day was spelled out in Chip’s corner, since that is his favorite day!

Joanna’s new paint line has a nice display in the Market.

Such beautiful colors!

Joanna also has her hand in children’s bedding and clothing with Matilda Jane.


Metal letters for sale.

Signs dot the walls.

And T-shirts are really popular. Â I don’t usually buy T’s for myself anymore, but I had to get a Magnolia Farms long sleeve gray T to bring home and I got Mark a couple as well.

I picked up 3 stems of the cotton stems to decorate with.

And see these pretty metal vase holders? Â I got a Large and Small one of these that I’ll be using in my spring decor.

Magnolia hats

The guy that works with them on the show, Jimmy Don, makes these pretty metal signs. Â I love that they have such down to earth folks working with them.
It was such a fun time getting to visit the Market in person, eat a cupcake and hang out with Chip and Joanna that day. Â I will never forget my time in Waco and the entire visit. Â It feels like such a blessing to me that I get to do these types of things….things I never would have imagined would land on my plate.

As I flew out that evening, this beautiful sunset was outside the plane and I couldn’t help but be so very grateful for the blessings that God continually bestows on me. Â Beauty is everywhere if we look for it. Â A sunset, a gorgeous market and bakery, and in the smiles of people everywhere.
Thanks for coming along with me on this journey! Â I couldn’t wait to share it with all of you.
And I’ve got an exciting giveaway to share too! Â Joanna was kind enough to give us signed copies of her book as well as a copy of her Magnolia journal magazine, and I have an extra Magnolia workshop apron that I’m going to give away! Â I had already bought the book for myself and read it before I got there and got it signed as well.
One of you will win the signed book, magazine, and workshop apron, so all you have to do is leave a comment on this post. Â What inspires you the most about Chip and Joanna and the Magnolia story? Â I’ll choose a winner in a week and get your package out to you! Â I am so glad I get to share this with one of you!Â
Update: Â The winner is Mica Craig, who has been emailed and notified! Â Congrats, Mica!




Thanks for taking us along on yet another fun adventure, Rhoda! I love that the Gaines reflect that simple, yet profound childhood key to JOY-Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last. Their Faith is obviously the foundation of their lives, others (their children, family and their community) second and themselves last. What a remarkable and refreshing witness! I love your shopping choices!! But how, oh how did you resist those peachy-orange tulips?! Ha! 🙂
I love that the Gaines’ story illustrates that with hard work the American Dream can still be had! You can start with an idea & desire & go as far as your efforts will take you. Small businesses are the backbone of our American way of life . It is reassuring to see this uniquely American ideal is alive and well and still thriving!
What a terrific opportunity, Rhoda! I love how Chip & Joanna have stayed true to themselves through all their successes most of all. Beyond their own success, they have exploded tourism in Waco. What a gift! So glad you had the chance to see it first-hand.
Thank you so much for the great story and tour of the Silo’s. I am a big fan of Joanna and Chip but live all the way in Pennsylvania and do not know if I will ever get to visit them in Texas. Your pictures and story made me feel as if I was right there. I recently read Chip and Joanna’s book and love them even more. What a sweet couple and I wish them lots of success. Thank you so much for the great story and now I am hungry for a cupcake!
Again, Rhoda I am so glad you got this opportunity. I must say I am jealous, but was excited for you and you share it so well. I felt like I was right there with you, the only thing I missed was tasting that cupcake. 🙂 I love the way Joanna decorates, so clean and down to earth. You have many of the same styles. I was a little surprised that you liked the fake tulips as I did not think you liked silk flowers/plants.
Joanna is an inspiration to us all… the way she lives her life, her marriage, her convictions are inspirational. Your blog was a great read! I loved the little boys at the painted wall eating in their stripped shirts.
Thanks
Andrea
What inspires me the most is their love for God, each other and their family!
I love everything Magnolia. Chip and Joanna have created such a wonderful brand, not only for themselves, but also for Waco. It’s truly amazing!
What about the Magnolia story does not inspire!!!! Great post, R.
Thanks so much for sharing your trip with you readers! This destination is on my “bucket list” for the near future. They are such a talented couple that has been blessed so richly! Their shops are wonderful!!!
It is wonderful to see this young couple who are an inspiration and how they share their faith with us. They have worked hard and been blessed and continue to spread their love and talents.
The thing that inspires me most is that Joanna and Chip live out their faith in Jesus.
I think I had commented last week about being there at the same time you were. And Oh my goodness was it busy on Monday, President’s Day. I sometimes have a little claustrophobic problem with crowds so we left and my sweet husband went back with time the next day and it was much better. I loved it and am so impressed with what the Gaines family has done for Waco and Waco seems to appreciate it too. Love your pictures!!!
I guess I have to live vicariously through your trip. Thanks for sharing.
I am so happy you got to enjoy Magnolia! Your pics are perfectly enjoyable – and that cupcake….yummy. I’d love to read the story too! Thanks for entering my name too!
What a fun trip! I just got a chance to see Joanna’s new magazine The Magnolia Journal and loved it too.
Thank you for the beautiful pics of Magnolia at the Silos. I think their love of family, home and Waco with down to earth living impresses me. I hope they never lose who they are and what is truly important with all this new found fame.
I love their integrity and values.
I love that they come from humble beginnings and seem to not be changed by fame. They are so adorable and I am usually laughing at Chip during every episode. I love Joanna’s style and I love that for Chip it was love at first sight. I also love that they are animal people and love the farm.
no chevrons, no turquoise..lots of goodies!
The entire Magnolia and Fixer Upper story appeals to me because of the family centered concept of home and their commitment to the local area while visiting with all of us over the country. The decorating items are not fancy -sturdy and go with everything you have. I am happy with my planked ceiling in the sun room – done before it was made popular due to the lack of drywall after a hurricane. I now say it is shiplapped!