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