Friday I'm In Love

Things that made me fall in love this week ...

1) I had an item make it to the front page on Etsy!  My 1950s yellow Swiss dot fabric was used by Amyswicks in a treasury chosen for FP.  The number of favorites for items & the shop views went absolutely through the roof.  Little victories, but so exciting to me!

2) On Tuesday afternoon I finally got around to sharing Pee Wee's Big Adventure with my 12 year old niece, Madison.  I was 12 in 1985 when it was released & went to see it with my two best friends, Suki & Rue.  We were properly obsessed with anything & everything Pee Wee related after that.  I was so elated to see Mads enjoying it right along with me, I had forgotten just how amazing it was & was touched to get to share it with her.  Her very first observation, "That looks like somewhere you'd live Aunt Poppy."

by MonsterGallery & soon to be hanging in my living room

3)  Artist & ever awesome Natalie Perkins from Definatalie.com & Definatalie.tumblr.com has been sharing some amazing artwork lately, much of it related to her campaign against the invalidation of ugly.

4)  Imagine perfume by Lollia.  For Christmas I was gifted a bottle by my sister, she also got me the tall perfumed luminary.  It's an intensely dreamy scent, very light ... slightly floral (Lotus blossom); creamy (rice coconut milk) & well rounded.  It makes me feel very girly; my person & the studio both smell like heaven.  The packaging is just as lovely as the fragrance.

5)  This would be the haircut I am swooning over lately.  I think I may go from my normal level 4 mocha back to my natural level 5 auburn, but finding a cut I like is the hardest part.  I'll keep most of my length, but I love that these layers will let my hair be curly on days when I don't feel like straightening it & those bangs are damn near perfect.

Beth Ditto of Gossip & super awesome fatty fame

Upcycled Vintage Owls

We have had an uncharacteristically dry fall & winter here in Northern California.  I hate to complain about all of the sun, but I like rainy days.  Love them in fact & it saddens me that they have been very few & very far between so far.  Never one to lose an opportunity though, I have been taking advantage of the sunshine by painting.  Specifically owls.

I found one of these cute little cast iron owl trivets at a thrift store for a quarter over a year & a half ago.  I painted it to cover the layers of grime & rust & discovered that it was the cutest thing ever to set my tea on (& it looks so cute on the kitchen wall in between cups of tea).

After that I would just find them everywhere (sadly no more were that cheap) ... estate sales, thrift shops, rummage sales, flea markets ... & was compelled to buy up every last one of them.  Like I need that many owl trivets, no matter how cute.  Good thing other people thing they're cute too, they sell very well in the shop & I just enjoy sprucing them up in bright colors & taking their picture.

Aren't they just so darling?!  Apparently  rain is headed our way & it is so chilly outside I wouldn't be surprised if the storm brought some snow as well.  I guess I finished up my painting just in time ... we'll keep our fingers crossed.

Thrifted Finds # 4 : Saturday Sun

I joined my friend Megs & her daughter (my goddaughter) Amanda today for a few junk sales & some Saturday afternoon thrifting.  I grabbed a huge Ziplock full of vintage cake decorations from the 50s & 60s; among them were these sweet wee pink bird candle holders.  I have a few of their yellow cousins in my cupcake decorating cupboard already, so I was delighted to find these darling pink ones.  I added two sets of 6 to the shop & both sets have already sold!  Crazy.

I'm glad I kept 12 for myself.  It's just so much fun running a little vintage shop on Etsy that sometimes I forget I am a vintage collector as well as a vintage seller & later regret selling things I would have loved to keep.

They looked so sweet perched atop some vintage spools of pink thread!

I have yet to decide whether this little sweetie will stay or go.

I love the look of these guys, sweet & simple in lovely icing colors.

Megs was hunting for a chest to use as Amanda's hope chest.  Do girls even have these anymore?  Amanda saw the one my parents made for me on my 14th birthday & freaked out after I explained what it was & what it was for & she decided that she had to have one of her own.  Mine is black with a tufted black & white polka dot fabric lid which is decoupaged with a huge Guns N' Roses poster on the inside.  She's looking for something a little less rock & roll ... we didn't have any luck today, but we'll keep hunting.

I found some more amazing things for my home & for Bliss & Vinegar Vintage though ... like this amazing, never used ThermoServ daisy beverage set.  A mint pitcher (with the large gold ThermoServ sticker still on the front) & six mint tumblers.  It will make its way to the shop, I haven't got the space to store it ... even if it is truly brilliant!

Straight from Kitty's kitchen on That 70's Show.

My find of the New Year ... so far ... has got to be this plate.  Though it isn't really a plate as it's made of tin & could hold a very large turkey, so it's more of a platter.  It's giant in fact, measuring a whopping 19" across the middle.  It tested the limits of my largest plate hanger, but I wrangled it on without losing an eye & it now graces the kitchen wall beside the front door.

So very darling with its scallops & hearts & other details.

There are no maker's marks to be found, so I don't know much about it, but there are little initials next to the gentleman's boot toe that read, "TE".  I don't suppose I need to know much more about it than the fact that I LOVE it however.  It is staying put.

I took our tree down after I came home this afternoon.  Oh, how sad to tuck all of my holiday goodies away for the entire next year!  It was such a busy December that I feel like I didn't have enough time to just sit & enjoy our decorations.  Chucky's favorite part of the tree was the tiny blown glass caravan & his second year in a row stocking stuffer Spam single serving packet (it has now been tucked away for next year's stocking as well - its expiration date is well into 2013).  Traditions are important.

Linking up with:

Thrifted Finds # 3 : Long December

December was a busy month; for me personally & for the Etsy shop.  Unusually sunny weather has made the yard & estate sale season last months longer than normal so the usual slow months never slowed down.  Add three nieces out of school plus holiday decorating, shopping, wrapping, baking, crafting, cooking, etsy packaging & shipping, etc to the mix & you've got one busy girl!

There have been quite a few amazing estate sales very close to home, many bursting at the seams with items I adore.  These are a few of my favorite little finds from an estate sale in Oroville a couple of weekends ago & each one is a testimony to the fact that politeness can go a long way.  I was horrified by the behavior of the majority of other shoppers at this sale.  People were pushy & loud, rude & grabby ... I had my basket to fill & hung back until the rest of the crowd moved on to other rooms.  My fella was so annoyed by the behavior of people that he went outside to drink his coffee & wait for me to finish up.

a triple tier stand & lots of smalls ... some for Etsy & some for me!

some tiny figurines, each one no taller than 2" ... <3

small resin squirrel made up of little rock chips ... so odd, I love him.

little worried ceramic bulldog.

a vintage egg basket full of lovely Xmas kitsch for my Kitschmas wreath stash.

After I was all done gathering my goodies I made my way toward the checkout table where my larger items were waiting in a pile with my name on them.  The gal running the sale was so sweet.  Apparently Chucky & I weren't the only people who had noticed the rudeness of sale-goers ... she thanked me profusely for being so patient & polite.  Then she gave me a screaming deal on my loot, but she wasn't done ... nope.  She took 50% off of that amount!  Gave me the Sunday discount a day early, just to thank me for being a nice person.

Moral of the story:  Be Polite.  At all times.  Especially when you are rummaging through the home of those who have just gone through a death in the family or a loved one entering a rest home.  Those are traumatic times for folks & watching rude, pushy strangers dig through their possessions can't make the process any easier.

Now, I've got to go gaze at that silly little squirrel some more.  I'll link up with the following :   

& You In Your Autumn Sweater

One blustery day was all it took to shake the leaves (& a few small persimmons) from my favorite tree on our property.  The dogs & I were out hiking around & there were a million tiny, delicate lawn mushrooms.  The tree outside of my kitchen herb window is just starting to turn; it's always the last, but puts on quite a show.

mushrooms, persimmon leaves & fruit

seed pods & changing leaves

Elvis was quite intent on having the wee mushrooms I picked up

He was convinced they would be delicious

Our little friend Weasel was visiting for the week

Oonah-belle ... my beautiful Plott Hound; hypnotized by the mushrooms as well

Inside the house isn't nearly as lovely as outside; its all clutter & cleaning projects that make me wince ... like my carpet needs a serious cleaning.  Ah, the joy of owning three large dogs & living out in the country without the blessing that would be hard wood floors.  There is too much to do to prepare for the holiday & I haven't got enough hands to juggle it all.

There has been good thrifting lately & a wonderful yard sale I stumbled onto while driving home from grocery shopping yesterday afternoon.  I found some lovely dinner plates & a large stoneware platter for a quarter apiece.

I love all three ... they may end up hanging out for a while

Brown paper packages tied up with strings ...

I ordered some tiny plastic trinkets from High Pie to spruce up my Etsy packages.  Tiny sparrows & roosters of all different colors & some multicolored wee Matryoshkas too.  So sweet!  I like the bit of whimsy they add to my shipments, I hope my customers enjoy them!

Dear Chucky (aka Santa)

Dear Chucky, this year you can find everything I want or need on Etsy.  I made it easy for you, this here is my Christmas List.

1. How perfect is this garland! Cut-outs of real vintage snow globes ... it needs to be on the wall above the desk in my Etsy room.  From RawBoneStudio

2. My favorite animal as far back as I can remember is the Hippopotamus.  I've been dreaming of a ukelele to take along on trips when my guitars & banjo are just too bulky.  From NearsightedOwl

3. I love umbrellas & I love this retro turquoise blue & I love handled trays.  All that love in one place, it could just overwhelm me.  From 77Street

4. To hang on the wall next to that sweet little cuckoo clock.  From UncommonShop

5. The perfect handbag. Lime green, glitter, snappy clasp, diamonds, & aqua.  From RetroRedone

6. My late 80s Smith & Corona model isn't even jealous when I speak of replacing it with this sexy beast. Look at those keys!  From BrooklynRetro

7. To pin on the lapels of my numerous cardigans & blazers.  From VintageUnderTheSun

8. To hang on the wall next to that darling German papercut.  From TrussellandDodd

9. Because my lime green set can't be worn with everything ... plus, pepperminty swirls!  From theriveriseverywhere

10. Tom's gravelly rasp is my favorite of all sounds; this would become my new favorite piece of jewelry & I would forsake all other necklaces.  From FableAndFury

11. Wouldn't it look lovely on my button shelf? I thought so too.  From EarthSeaWarrior

12. What girl doesn't need a vintage Movie Monsters lunchbox? Really, m'love, just look at it, it's perfect!  From PastPoisons

13. Little Red & I go way back.  From peacenluv72

14. This would surely have those 4 tiles that are missing from our vintage Deluxe edition (from when I was a kid) that my parents gave to us last year. I would be so happy to have them all & that little bag is swell too.  From SydVintage

15. Oi, too much cuteness. I can't even look at them without squealing & they would really go well with my vintage Matryoshka collection while making sure my craft books stop falling over.  From TwoStrayCats

16. For my sewing projects ... all that felt just waiting for my little hands to sew & stuff it!  From BenzieBazaar

Sale in the Etsy Shop

Now through Monday at midnight everything in the Etsy shop is 20% Off!