More Vintage Finds

Over the last couple of months, I've added a few more mid-century treasures to our home.  The first is thanks to my mother and the thrift store near her house.  This sofa was only $49!  Although I do like the fabric, it has seen better days and is faded and stained.  I'd like to get it recovered at some point.

 

This coffee table was $8, a find from a tour of part of The World's Longest Yard Sale.

 These Boling "Changebak" chairs were free!  They had been sitting under a covered entrance to one of our church buildings for several years, and I finally asked if they were being used by anyone.  Since they were not needed, the church was happy to have someone take them.  I am currently sanding them down for a fresh coat of stain.

 Lastly, a ceramic and wood table lamp ($2), a set of 6 Vera linen napkins ($3), and part of a set of Youngstown cabinets.  This cabinet is part of a set that had to be split up a bit since I didn't have space for all of the pieces.  I do have one other cabinet with an extended top and a separate table complete with hairpin legs.  My parents kept 2 of the cabinets, so they're all in the family at least.

 A closeup of the napkins and the boomerang top of the cabinet.

 

I can't wait to go treasure hunting again!

Vintage Finds

 I wanted to share some of the vintage items my mom and I have found since I have moved.  Below is a side table I found at an antique store.  It has the typical mid-century modern style that has become quite popular these days.  It has been refinished and is a great piece.

 This is an area rug my mother found at an estate sale.  I don't know much about it other than it was made by Sears and does look fairly old because of the style of label and the wear it has.  It happens to match our bedding perfectly! 

 This is a pair of Italian made dining chairs I found at a consignment store.  They look a bit more like office chairs, but I fell in love with the subtle floral upholstery and the metal detail on the sides.

More to come!

 

Sunscreen

Last year I wrote about trying to find a cruelty-free, paraben-free, and oxybenzone-free sunscreen without spending a small fortune.  The one I went with last summer was Nature's Gate.  It ended up being just okay, but a bit too tacky.  I'm happy to report that this summer I have found one that is both more affordable and easier to use.  It is Ocean Potion Anti-Aging Sunblock, and is available both online and in stores (I bought mine at Wal-Mart).  Their products were already paraben and cruelty-free, but they recently reformulated their products to be oxybenzone-free as well. It absorbs easily and has a pleasant smell.  Problem solved.

Right Now I'm...

Feeling a little overwhelmed.  I've let my blog fall to the wayside for quite a long time now, but it's not been forgotten.  I have several posts in mind that I need to get to, mostly involving crafting and vintage finds.  Last month, my family and I moved to a home built in 1958.  It still has lots of original features such as 2 bathrooms complete with original tilework and chrome fixtures.  I love both of them as they have been well cared for over the years.  We have a formal living room that needs some seating, and I have made it a goal to furnish it in period appropriate pieces and within a slim budget.  I'd like to find as much as I can at thrift stores and estate sales.  I will post pictures shortly of a few of the mid-century pieces that we've gotten, mostly with the help of my mom who is an estate sale queen.  So, this is the beginning again for my blogging endeavor.  Hopefully I can learn this time around to be more focused and proactive.

Terrarium

Lately I've seen lots and lots of terrariums on Pinterest and various other sites. Since I have a backyard full of beautiful moss, I thought I should jump on the terrarium bandwagon. I didn't actually read any directions on how to put one together until after I was done. I have since learned that I should have lined the bottom first with a layer of small rocks followed by some activated charcoal. Since this one isn't fully enclosed, it may be okay without the charcoal. So far it still looks okay after 2 weeks. I used 2 different kinds of moss, some lichen, and a small evergreen seedling. I think my daughter's Squinkies look great in it too!

Embroidered Bag

This is the project I referred to in my previous post.  I got this bag for free and it is a great size for carrying books, craft projects, etc...   It was like a blank canvas asking for some embellishment, and the front zippered pocket seemed like the perfect spot for some embroidery.  I can't wait to get it finished so I can actually use it, but it's slow going.  I haven't decided if I'm going to fill in the circles or just leave them with the outline.  Any thoughts?

Right Now I'm...

Okay, I actually saw this on another blog which had been copied from yet another blog, and I thought I would copy it as well.  Shameless, huh?
Right now I'm...reading Shanghai Girls.  I have to saw I'm not enjoying it all that much yet, but will keep reading either until I can get into it more or really can't read any further.  I used to have a feeling that once a book was started, I had to finish it, but these days, if I'm not fully enjoying it I move on.  There just isn't enough time to spare.
...watching Once Upon a Time.  I absolutely love this show!  I watch religiously every Sunday evening and the wait not-so-patiently for next week's episode.  I didn't think I would enjoy a series based on fairy tales, but there is so much depth to each story line and character that I'm hooked. 
...working on getting more items in my Etsy shop.  There is not much to see yet as time with two young children plus my poor time management skills has not been very conducive to my productivity.
...working on embroidering a bag for personal use.  I need to upload a picture as soon as I get a chance.

Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

If you aren't making your cookies from scratch, you are missing out.  This is an easy recipe and does not require refrigeration as many sugar cookie recipes do.  I think that's what deters a lot of people from making sugar cookies from scratch.  My mom got this recipe many years ago from a good friend, and we've been using it ever since (30 yrs or so). 
You will need:
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder. 
Mix shortening and sugar until creamy.  Then mix in each additional ingredient.  A stand mixer makes this part much easier if you have one.  Don't overmix or you'll end up with tough dough.  In a separate bowl mix together approximately 1 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of sugar.  This is to keep the dough from sticking when you roll it out.  Roll it out to approximately 1/4 inch thickness and cut.  Bake at 375 for about 7 minutes.  If you like your cookies soft, then take them out before the edges turn brown.  Decorate with icing or sugar.  The ones pictured were decorated by my daughter with royal icing and lots of colored sugar.  Enjoy!

Favorite Christmas Decoration

It's quite late for a Christmas related post, but I do still have a handful of Christmas decorations lingering around my house that haven't been put away yet. Some are still out due to my laziness, but a couple are just enjoyable and I like to leave them out a bit longer. These guys are some of my favorites. Plus, they are not overtly Christmas themed, but winter themed. I got them about 6 or 7 years ago just after discovering the Marshall Field's online store. Shortly thereafter, the store was bought out and I didn't get to do any more shopping through them. They are etched glass with metal hats and sit atop a tealight holder. This started as a set of 3, but sadly last yearI managed to break one when I was packing them up. I haven't looked for a similar set yet, but it would be nice to replace the broken one. Perhaps you know where I should look for a replacement?

Yes To

One of my favorite paraben free and cruelty free brands is Yes To.  While I haven't tried too many of their products yet, I absolutely love the Volumizing Shampoo.  It smells great and leaves my hair feeling so clean and soft.  Since I can no longer find it in stores I recently placed my first online order at the Yes To online store.  Along with the Volumizing Shampoo, I also ordered the Acne Regimen Bundle to try on my breakout prone skin. 
Upon completion of my order, I was given this link to pass along to friends that gives you a 35% discount.  If you haven't tried these products before, or if you need to stock up, now is your chance.  Enjoy!

Amazon Prime

Recently my free trial of Amazon Prime ran out and I am planning to pay for a subscription.  Not only is it very nice to have free shipping with no minimum purchase, but they continue to add other perks to this membership.  The first perk added was free video on demand.  It sounds nice, but the selection is fairly limited at this point.  The most recent added perk is free Kindle book borrowing.  I'm not sure how large the selection of titles included in this feature are, but it is just another way Amazon is keeping things interesting in the world of retail these days.

All Saints' Day/Dia de los Muertos

Until recently I had not given much thought to these 2 holidays other than the day my church observes All Saints' Day and pays homage to all the loved ones the church and its members have lost during the last year.  I thought Dia de los Muertos seemed morbid and odd.  The more I have thought about it recently, I think it is a wonderful idea to give special observance to people you have known who have passed away.  I am fortunate to have not lost anyone especially close to me in a terribly untimely manner.  Take some time today to say a prayer of thanks for those you have known who are no longer with us on earth, but are in a glorious place with God.

For the Ladies

For quite some time I've wanted to share this with all of the women I know, but haven't had the nerve to bring it up in everyday conversation.  "So, do you know about menstrual cups?"  I just haven't been able to ask that in conversations with friends or family members.  So, here it is, and if you are not a woman, I hope you stopped reading after the second sentence.
Last year sometime I read about these somewhere and spent several months thinking about and researching these before making a purchase.  And I am so glad I made the switch from disposable feminine hygiene products to a reusable one.  Not only is it more economical, but more user friendly in my opinion.  If you want to hear from other women, just go here.  I ended up purchasing a Moon Cup.

If you have any questions about which one would be best for you, visit the Glad Rags website for tons of helpful information.

Halloween

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It is just about having fun (or at least it should be), and, for me, putting out some quirky decorations.  This year I added a spooky wreath to my front door.  I found an inexpensive wreath made out of pumpkin garland and added black lights, green glitter skulls, and purple spiders. 
I also made some plush bats and officially opened my Etsy store.  There's not much there at the moment, but my next project is to start sewing more plush creatures to list on Etsy. 

Amazon Kindle

One of my favorite electronic devices is getting another upgrade.  Today Amazon announced that several new versions of the Kindle are going to be released, including a color version, the Kindle Fire.  A huge plus is that the price for all of the new Kindles is even more affordable than before.  I'm not sure how I feel about the Kindle Fire for reading as it does not have e-ink, but it certainly looks nice for the other features it offers that are comparable to other touch pads.
I've had my Kindle for about a year now and have loved reading on it.  I thought I would miss the feel of holding a book, but the convenience of being able to hold it and turn the page with one hand is wonderful.  I actually put it away for a month or so after I got it because I wasn't sure how I would like using it, but once I got it out and started using it, I rarely put it away.
One thing I do miss about reading on my Kindle is that I don't get to see the cover art very easily.  The new Kindle Touch appears to have addressed this issue, and on the product page it shows the cover art of the books in your library.

Blog Mojo

Well, I've been giving the blog thing a try for a few months now, and I finally have a design I am happy with.  At first I kept mixing it up and then settled on one design for a while even though I wasn't completely happy with it.  I hope this gives me new inspiration to keep blogging and post more often. 
I also have come across a book, at the recommendation of another blogger, to help take your blog to a new level.  The book is 31 Days to Finding Your Blogging Mojo, and gets excellent reviews.  Can't wait to get started.

Little Free Library

I love this idea.  This seems especially great for low income areas and rural areas where the residents are either too far to drive to a library or don't have a car or easy access to transportation to get to a library.  Although the cost of actually installing one of these is quite pricey, there are other ways to get books to those who can't get them on their own.  What are your ideas?

Amazon

For quite a while now I've gone to Amazon.com to purchase mp3 albums because they have better prices than iTunes, and I can download my music directly from Amazon to my iTunes account.  Each month Amazon features 100 mp3 albums at $5 each.  It's is an affordable way to expand your music library if you happen to find an album you are interested in.

This month they have added another discounted digital promotion from their Kindle store.  There are 100 Kindle titles at $3.99 or less for the month.  I'm not sure if this will be an ongoing monthly promotion or not.  This is especially nice since the price of ebooks has gone up a bit recently.

Lastly, there seems to be a "daily deal" for almost everything now, and Amazon now offers a daily deal for Kindle books which can be found here.

Maybe you will find something new to add to your digital library.

Favorite

It's a little late in the season for this, but hummingbirds are one of my favorite things about summer in the South.  Lately they've been especially active, so I thought I should make note of them before the weather gets cool and they move to a warmer climate.

Around May they start to show up and remind me that it's time to get my feeder out.  I have a hook for a feeder that is just outside of my kitchen window, so I get to look at these little guys almost every time I am washing dishes or doing some other chore in the kitchen.  They are especially fun to watch when they are battling over a spot on the feeder.  They just don't want to share even though there's enough room for four to feed at once.

So, if you don't have a feeder, maybe now is a good time to get one at a discount and save it for next summer.  Here's a nice one that is similar to the one I have.  Look for one with perches so you can actually see the birds at rest for a minute or so.  Lastly, no need to buy nectar, you can easily make your own sugar water.

Have fun bird watching!

Favorite

While browsing recently at one of my favorite beauty stores, Ulta, I came across a cosmetics line I had not heard of before, Sula. There is not a large selection, but what they do offer is competitively priced at about $8 per item, and is paraben free and cruelty free (I think), oh, and the packaging is beautiful. The lipstick I tried was a long-lasting, non-drying deep plum.