Glittery Goodness

I found this etched glass hurricane at a consignment shop last year and keep it in the center of my dining room table.  It makes for a simple holiday display.  I just fill it with acorns, vintage ornaments, candy etc. and I am well underway with my holiday decorating.  For Easter, I have filled it with vintage inspired glitter eggs.

I raided my stash of plastic eggs and found some clear glitter flakes

 I had used for making snow globes with the kids.

One coat of spray adhesive and a quick roll in the glitter flakes gave me exactly the look I was hoping for.  The benefit of spray adhesive is that if you miss a spot, 

you can spray that spot again and dip it back in the glitter.

Shoe Shopping

I have a little rule of thumb for the vintage finds I buy for my etsy shop.  

I only buy items that I have a place for in my own home. 

If they don't sell, I can enjoy them myself.

Of course, when a woman is shopping for shoes, 

all sense of self control goes out the window.  

I saw these vintage shoe forms at an estate sale and snatched them up.

They are beautiful top to bottom.

Such amazing details.

I got the courage to part with them and listed them in my etsy shop.  

Two of the three have already sold.

This little lady has been shipped to England to live with a photographer. 

 I think she has found the perfect home.

Kitschy Cuteness

Can you think of anything cuter than this little blue bird?

How about two little birds?

I found these irresistible little salt and pepper shakers over the weekend.

And while I have you drooling over kitschy cuteness.  How about this mug?

They really mean half a cup!

Winter Storm Nemo

New Jersey fared better with winter storm

 "Nemo" than we did with hurricane Sandy.  

After a full day and night of snow,  the sun came out 

and the roads were able to dry out for the most part.  

Perfect for a cozy few days indoors.  

I think the honeybees would agree.....

Creative Quick Fix

Everything I ever plan to do gets put on my "to do" list.

The bad news, I have a long list.

The good news, "make necklaces" is right up 

there next to "call insurance on surgery bill".  

Sometimes crossing something off my list

 involves a little guilt free fun.

I've been collecting vintage clip earrings with the hopes of making necklaces.

 I finally found the perfect chains.

A quiet hour in my day and a little creative energy

 was all the motivation I needed.

Cross that item off my to do list!

One Cute Couple~The Levins

My friend helps organize a local concert series done
 in a coffee house setting (but with wine of course!).
I have been meaning to go for over a year now.
Saturday night I was introduced to this
adorable couple and their upbeat music.

Their music "combines harmony-driven acoustic 

folk rock with wistful overtones of the 1930's."

They were so engaging, as much fun to watch as to listen to.

Each song was a surprise with cleverly written lyrics.  

My favorite, this one about a "special relationship"

 you can't live without...

The Levins

Loose Change

The next time I am in the checkout line at the thrift shop and the line is not moving because a woman has dumped her purse out on the counter to hunt for loose change, I will wait patiently with a smile on my face.  The other day, that woman was me. 

Two weeks into my New Year's resolution to only visit the cash machine once a week, I made the mistake of going into the thrift shop with no money.  As luck would have it, I spotted these Westmoreland milk glass candlesticks.  Could you find $2 worth of loose change in the bottom of your purse if you were in a bind?

And then, could you find another couple of bucks worth of change between the seats in your car so you could run back in and get this beautiful Hemingray insulator?  Please remind me next year to think twice before making such a bold New Year's resolution! 

Linking with:

Apron Thrift Girl

Just a Little Taste

My husband's birthday is the first week in January.  

We are usually feeling a little "full" food-wise this time of year.  

We have spent the last few weeks finishing off holiday leftovers

 and eating every last cookie, piece of peppermint bark and bag of 

candy that found their way into our house over the holidays. 

 And now-it's time for cake!  

I thought the traditional log version of an

  old-fashioned ice box cake would be the perfect solution.

It's fun for the kids to make, super tasty, and small enough that there 

wouldn't be any left to tempt us to continue eating the next day.

Ingredients:

• 1 package Nabisco chocolate wafers
• 1 pint heavy whipping crew
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2-3 tbsp. powdered sugar

Whip together the heavy cream, vanilla and powdered sugar 

with an electric mixer to make a heavy whipped cream.  

Cover the top of each chocolate wafer with the 

whipped cream and then stack sideways to form a log.  

Cover the whole log with the remaining whipped cream

 and refrigerate overnight (or at least 5-6 hours).

Some Christmas Crafting Eye Candy

Each year, I make a few wreaths to be sold at a local fundraiser.  

My friends Karen and Liz started a performing arts program for kids

 with special needs and the "Festival of Wreaths" is their main fundraiser.  

It's a wonderful organization and a fun event.  

Plus, how can I resist an excuse to run to the craft store, heat up

 my glue gun and put off addressing Christmas cards for one more day? 

 I love how this lollipop and gumdrops wreath turned out.  

A lady bought it for her kitchen.  

The anal retentive crafter at work...

I'm not good at casually throwing something together and making it look fabulous.  

A woman did fall in love with this one and is mailing it to relatives in Alaska.

My favorite.  

Some cookie cutters, felt blanket stitched cookie ornaments and polka dots. 

 I make this one every year and it is a crowd pleaser.

Linking with:

Debbiedoo's

Christmas Cuteness!

A routine trip to the thrift shop can often turn emotional for me 

when I come across something handmade.  

Why did someone's creative efforts end up in a 

discard pile headed to the thrift shop?

Was it an unwanted gift from long ago?

Was someone cleaning out a dear relative's stash and making

 the hard decisions as to what to keep and what to let go?

  This little pillow was just such a find.

  It stopped me in my tracks.

  And then I grabbed it, of course.

  I couldn't resist such cuteness and the 

           chance to preserve this little handmade gem.    

Linking with: Debbiedoos 

Mockingbird Hill Cottage      

15% off in my Etsy shop!

~Happy Shopping~

Enter code BLACKFRIDAY or CYBERMONDAY 

for 15% off anything in my Etsy shop.

I'm sure there is someone on your list 

who would like something vintage...

Boston Terrier Doorstop

Or vintage inspired...

Vintage Inspired Playtime Aprons

 Happy Holidays!

Time to list it...

I have been selling my vintage finds on Etsy for over a year now.  With each item I list, I hear the usual voice in my head tempting me to "keep it, keep it, keep it" right up until I finish editing the listing and push the publish button.  I recently listed this pair of wooden newel post caps.  For once,  there was no voice in my head tempting me to keep them.  Don't get me wrong, the detail is hard to resist and I had already displayed them on my bookshelf.  But, I did hear a tiny voice, the tiny voice of my 6 year old telling her brother to "look at the wooden boobies", and I knew it was time for them to go.

Linking with:

Apron Thrift Girl

Thrifty Love at Cap Creations

Coastal Charm

Common Ground

Junkin Joe at the Cottage Market

Field Trip~Leesburg, VA

Each year, my aunt stops at our house for a visit on her drive down from Vermont to Virginia to see family.  This year, I decided to leave the kids with my husband for a few days and hitch a ride with her.  How could I resist the chance to spend a day antiquing in Leesburg, Virginia?  I had a list of shops I was dying to check out thanks to some of the inspiring blogs I follow.  My friend,  Mary Alice of the beautiful blog Chateau Chic also gave me a list of shops to visit in her hometown. 

photo credit: Such Pretty Things

My first stop was The Old Lucketts Store.  Just inside the front door, I was treated to a real life encounter with the dealer space I admire each day on the inspiring blog Miss Mustard Seed.  Marian is one of the many dealers at Lucketts and I was thrilled to see her finds (and Milk Paint) in person.  It was surreal to be in the space that I look at online each day as I drink my morning coffee.  I love Marian's can do attitude and her eye for decorating.  If she was a rock star, I would have to admit to being one of her groupie's.  If I had run into her, I'm sure I would have acted like a silly star-struck kid! 

I checked out all the vendors in the building and couldn't resist this bowl and linen runner.  The bowl is very weathered, but the blue goes perfectly in my living room

 and is a tricky color to find.

photo credit: On A Whim

Next I headed to On A Whim right down the road.  Hard to miss.  The shop looks just like photos I have seen posted by blogger friends.  Such fun finds in this shop.  All so well displayed and reasonably priced.  I found a few things...

My house has a large entryway with a brick fireplace and I am always on the hunt for black accessories for the mantel.  These black onyx candle holders are perfect.

And this guy was begging me to take him home.  Not an old find, but fit right in with the vintage vibe of the shop.  A perfect birthday gift for my friend who is an Anthropologie fan.  The rest of my day was spent in downtown Leesburg touring a handful of antique shops and grabbing a yummy lunch.  Definitely worth the trip and, thanks to blogland,

 I didn't miss a thing.

Good Enough to Eat...

Is it any wonder these wooden rings caught my attention at a recent estate sale.  

Amazing colors.  As bright and tempting as a roll of lifesavers.

And just as irresistible all stacked up on their wooden base.

At just under 5" tall, this little vintage stacking toy had me at hello!

Linking with:

Apron Thrift Girl

Coastal Charm

The Real Deal

We were in Massachusetts over the weekend enjoying an early taste of fall.  We went exploring and found this amazing pumpkin parked downtown in front of a row of shops.  Needless to say, it caught the attention of everyone that was passing by.  

Hard to believe, but it is made of styrofoam.

We found the real deal later in the day and decided that

 the best things do often come in small packages.

Patience is a Virtue...

Patience is not only a virtue, but can be quite valuable when thrifting. 

 Last week I was short on time (and patience to be honest) when I saw this cute pitcher at my local thrift shop.  I had to pass it up.  I couldn't face the long checkout line. 

Fast forward one week and I am back at the thrift shop.  It is 10am. 

 I have not learned my lesson to avoid the morning hours.  There is good news, the little cottage ware pitcher is still waiting for me.  There is bad news, so is the long line at the checkout.  Isn't it strange how somedays you can deal and some days you can't?  Today I can deal and decide to wait in line...patiently.  The lady in front of me was in no hurry.  After she paid, she continued to ask to see things in the display case behind the register.  Her daughter, who had driven her, was so frustrated that she went to wait for her in the car.  The rest of us would have to wait it out.  I decided to check out the items in the case.

This little corn pitcher caught my eye.

And this cute teapot. 

 I had time to kill, so used the Etsy app on my iphone to do a little search. 

 What a great find.  Two pieces of Shawnee king corn pottery for $9.

Patience, when thrifting, can really pay off!

Linking with:

Apron Thrift Girl

Coastal Charm

Common Ground

Win One of my Laundry Day Aprons

Click on over to Cathy's adorable blog Cap Creations, 

and enter to win one of my child's laundry day aprons.

Giveaway Link.

I first met Kathy through her Thrifty Love link party and have joined in to celebrate her reaching 1,000 followers.  She is hosting a week of giveaways with multiple entries available on each item. 

 Cathy also has an adorable Etsy shop featuring hand stamped custom

 jewelry and vintage lovelies. 

Speaking of shops, I also gave Cathy a 10% off coupon code for my

  Etsy shop to share with her readers.  So, check it out!

Truly Local Honey

This Summer I shared a few photos of my favorite farm stand right down the road from where we vacationed in Massachusetts.  Beyond the yummy tomatoes and sweet corn, what captured my heart was the fact that it was an honor stand.  Such a good old fashioned treat to visit each day while on vacation.  We found a handful of honor stands while vacationing this summer and they all charmed me.

But, I must admit, I have a new favorite.  It is this adorable honor stand my husband and son built a few weeks ago to sell their homegrown honey.  They have brought a little of that old fashioned charm we enjoyed so much this summer, back to New Jersey.  Lemonade stands are a common sight on our street, but a honey stand is not something you usually come across in a residential neighborhood!

The neighbors have enjoyed watching our bees this past year 

and have all been anxious to get a taste.

They are my son's best customers.

And I will say, everyone has been "honorable" so far.  Everytime 

a jar or two disappears, my son finds money in the cigar box.  

Needless to say, everyone is quite charmed by his little honor stand.