Wordless White Wednesday

"See Shelby Run"

p.s. - I just couldn't resist!

Oil can pumpkins

Did you see this darling pumpkin photo holder on Jane's blog last week?  Mamie Jane always has a new project ready to share using found vintage objects. She is so clever. Her talent has earned her blog a mention in the the latest issue of Flea Market Style! Congrats, Jane. 

The project is made from a vintage oil can. I see these everywhere these days. You can easily pick one up for $5-10.  So, that's what we did. Kara and I each made a pumpkin oil can to use in our fall decorating.

 The one above is mine. I added some rusty wire that had been wrapped around a pencil. And, even though acorns don't grow on pumpkins, mine got one! We finished the pumpkins off with a light spray of brown glimmer mist. I love how they turned out. Double click the photo for a closer look.

Kara liked the more traditional pumpkin shape, like Jane's. She decided to simply add a vine to hers and a little acorn too.  You really have to try this easy project.  Thanks, Jane!

Are you as excited about fall as we are down here in sunny Florida?  It is my favorite season. The weather is perfect, and I love fall decor.  As another bloggy friend said this weekend, at 12:01 on September 1st, I plan to get started! Thank you so much for your comments and follows my friends.

I hope that each of you stayed safe this past weekend. I know many of you were dealing with Irene. xoxo

We have a Winner!

Congrats to Ann at Creative Ramblings.  You have won a free custom 8 x 10 canvas from Easy Canvas Prints!  I hope you will enjoy making your canvas and that you will share the finished piece with us.  Thanks to everyone that entered the giveaway.  Look for my one year blogging anniversary giveaway coming in September! You don't want to miss it.  Have a blessed Sunday my friends.

Vintage Inspired work spaces

Today, I have a guest post written by Susi with Arcadian Lighting. Visit their website and cool blog for more information about interior design, lighting design, and beautiful light fixtures. Enjoy!

Using vintage and antique finds can turn a home office into a beautiful work space. Here are 8 examples of vintage inspired work spaces that cleverly incorporate flea market finds and function to make beautiful work spaces.

Ruche via

A few simple elements can make a beautiful workspace. A farmhouse style table works as a desk below reclaimed shutters that enclose a message board.

Pinterest via

A repurposed mirror or picture frame makes an over scale bulletin board in this charming vintage feeling work space. Love the aqua color that ties the room together. So cheerful!

Pinterest via

A work space can also be a crafting space. Tools and supplies are charmingly stored in vintage suitcases while vintage illustrations decorate the wall.

DecorPad via

A rescued and painted vintage desk and French style side chair painted in the same color create a charming, feminine work space. Every work area needs at least one good light fixture and preferably more. A vintage lamp completes the vintage charm of this work space.

Strawberry Chic via

This tiny workspace is beyond charming. The vintage desk chair and other found and repurposed items are cleverly put to work: love the drop leaf wall desk; love the bedsprings (from a crib?) turned into a message center.

Shelterness via

Vintage roll top desks and writing desks easily accommodate today's laptop based home offices. With nooks for storing bits of paper and other desk accessories, these old fashioned desks can create a beautiful work space.

Switcheroom via

If your work space or home office doesn't have a lovely view, create one with art. Art can turn any space into a beautiful space. Interesting lamps can liven up a desk as well.

House Beautiful via

A room filled with objects you love will create a beautiful space where you won't mind working. A long table or vintage desk and functional lighting, like the pendant lights in this room, are the basis for any good work space.

Thanks so much to Arcadian Lighting for writing my guest post today. Arcadian Lighting is the best source for lighting fixtures and accessories at discount prices. Arcadian Lighting has been in the lighting industry for over 15 years selling decorative home lighting fixtures and lamps online, and has become one of the top Internet retailers for home lighting products. Visit their website via any of the links in this post for more information.

More treasures found!

Here's another great find from Saturday's shopping trip. You may not know, but I  L-O-V-E vintage recipe cards.  I found a bag full for $6. The best part is that a few are in German.  My father's family is German so it gave me a little thrill. My first publication was a technique article on some altered vintage recipe cards I made for Somerset Studios. You can see what I made with my recipe cards here and here.  These are great in little stacks tied with ribbon or for making art, cards, banners, a valance for your kitchen...you name it.  Don't you love the handwriting?

I promise to scan some of these for you guys. Keep an eye out over the next week.  I also found this great little, as in miniature, music stand. Isn't she cute? Great for holding small pieces of art or ephemera, not to mention music. 

This was another 50% off item. I love this time of year when stores are trying to switch gears and get ready for a fall look.  You can really find some great deals even at your local thrift or antique store.  How about you? What has your favorite find been recently? I'd love to hear more about it.

My custom photo canvas GIVEAWAY is still going on. Just leave a comment  here for your chance to win.  Have a great week. Thank you so much for your comments and follows.  xoxo  Linking to -

Should I open it?

I found this little package of surgical gauze yesterday at our local antique store. I love to use gauze and cheesecloth in my art. I figured this is probably aged to perfection by now and it came with the brown wax wrapping and a pretty little box with a tear string.  I could use those too!

I was curious about the manufacturer though and the date this might have been produced.  So, I did some research.  Seabury and Johnson was the company Robert Johnson  founded in 1873 with his partner George Seabury before Robert and his brother formed Johnson and Johnson.  They started mass producing antiseptic gauze in 1876 or so. Seabury and Johnson's partnership ended in 1885 after many disagreements over how to run the business. Johnson agreed to not start a competing business for ten years in return for monthly compensation. When Seabury got behind on the payments in 1886, Johnson and Johnson was formed.

So, do I open my cute little package of late 1800's gauze and use it in my artwork OR is this cute little box and wrapping best preserved as is?  I just can't decide. What do you think? I'd love to hear your comments. I found some other great things while treasure hunting Saturday. I can't wait to share more.

Don't forget! Enter my giveaway here!  You could win a free custom canvas from Easy Canvas Prints.

Giveaway for YOU from Easy Canvas Prints

Ready for a giveaway? Not too long ago I won an 8x10 canvas from Easy Canvas Prints.  I really enjoyed selecting a picture and creating my custom canvas.  Their site was very easy to use. I chose to wrap the border of the canvas frame with the picture. It came out great and looks terrific hanging on the gallery wall in our play room.

Now, Easy Canvas Prints has offered to giveaway a FREE canvas to one of my readers!  You can create your own 8x10 custom canvas of your family, your pet, your artwork or maybe even a really great shot you took for your blog.  I can't wait to see what you pick.  Here's a link to their gallery for more ideas.

You have two chances to win! Here's how to enter:  1) Leave a comment on this post 2) Leave a second comment that you "Like" Easy Canvas Prints on Facebook. You can get to their Facebook page by clicking here.  You have until 5:00 p.m. next Friday, August 26th to enter. I will announce a winner that night. If you don't have a blog make sure you leave your email in your comment.  Thanks!

The rules and fine print:  The folks at Easy Canvas Prints have informed me this giveaway has to be limited to U.S. residents only and excludes Hawaii and Alaska due to shipping costs. Sorry! Good luck to you!  Thanks for stopping by and for your wonderful comments and follows.

By the shore - Vintage letterpress

Photo courtesy of:  Sea Sea Rider

My birthday gift for my friend, Jodi, arrived this week.  Don't you just love this?!  Jodi loves the beach and they have a new condo there.  She is anxious to decorate it, and I was thrilled to find this on Etsy for her. The shop name is Sea Sea Rider.  Isn't that a clever name?  Stop by to take a look at all the other sea themed items she has listed.  Hope you are having a great week!  xoxo

Simple gift and wrap

Hello all!  Here's a simple and inexpensive gift idea that you can wrap using your scraps.  My friend Jodi was celebrating her birthday this weekend. The gift I ordered for her did not arrive in time.  We did not want to go empty handed, So, my husband and I decided to share some music with her.  We burned two CDs to take to the party. Music makes such a great gift.  In this case, we chose a new group that we had introduced to Jodi this summer on vacation. We burned two CDs and I wrapped them using some scraps from the studio.

I had ordered some biodegradable Kraft wax paper bags some time ago. I loved the color and planned to use them in my art and for wrapping gifts.  I simply wrapped the CDs in some scraps of old sewing pattern paper then placed them in the wax paper bag.  I found half a sheet of vintage music from a recent project and folded it in half over the top of the bag.  I created a decorative edge with pinking shears then stapled the music paper to the bag.  After punching two holes, I ran a coffee stained ribbon scrap through and tied a bow. I wrote a little sentiment on the back and done!  Don't have the wax paper bags? Make one.  Take two pieces of wax paper and sew or staple around three edges to make a pouch.

Checkout Le Box Boutique  for more great packaging ideas and supplies.  You may want to have some of these on hand as the holidays approach.  Wouldn't a CD of your favorite Christmas music be a great hostess gift this year? I think I will make up a few and have them on hand.  I'm also thinking of doing something similar at Thanksgiving. I am the hostess for this holiday, but I want to burn a CD of Christmas music and make up several of these bags with a Christmas theme to pass out to our guests as they leave. I love the thought of them listening to Christmas music on the way home.  Take care sweet friends! Linking up to:

 

Vintage feathers and trims

 Photos in this post courtesy of:  Vintage Feathers

I stumbled upon a shop that sells vintage millinery hat trims.  The collection of feathers and fancy trims they  have acquired are from all over the world and mostly old warehouse stock.  Above, you are looking at white goose feathers. Can't you almost feel them?  Wouldn't they look lovely topping an old glass bottle or silver creamer? I'm drawn to the texture of feathers.  I find myself daydreaming about how I could use them in a project.  Check out these feather flowers -

Hand dyed feathers attached to fabric backs.  I'm sure I could use these in a project.  These are labeled on the back as Paris, France. You can see pieces of the original labels still attached in the picture.

These are called burnt turkey feathers and are early 1900's hat trims.  Again, these would be really fun for home decor or mixed media projects.  I've searched for old hats at estate sales. Many have millinery flowers you can remove. Honestly, I haven't seen too many with feathers still attached. I assume the feathers were too fragile and through the years were lost.  I do love the idea of being able to purchase some of this old warehouse stock.

I'm in love with these German hat trims. See the old labels still attached?  If you would like to see even more millinery trims from around the world then visit Vintage Feathers to have a look for yourself.  What would you do with these?  Getting any great ideas?  We would love to hear. I'm linking up to-

Gifts and goodies in the mail

Look at this sweet little pouch from Tina at Tiny Bear. Inside were small white taper candles. Tina, I love this. You were so sweet to surprise us all with a few extra winners in your recent giveaway. I'm excited to have a little piece of you in my studio now with me.

And look at this gorgeous millinery flower pin that I had to have from Vintage Supply Co on Etsy. I just love Jeanette's shop and her blog.

Jeanette thanks for the few little extras you sent along. I love and appreciate them. You know I'll be back.  So, anyone else receive anything fun in the mail recently?  Tell us all about it!  Have a great week everyone. xoxo

Back from the beach!

I big puffy hearted our vacation to Anna Maria Island. We just returned today. I hope you have all had a great week too.  We spent the week playing in the surf and sand, fishing, flying kites and eating great food with close friends. 

 The sunsets from the house we rented were amazing.  I took pictures every single night from the deck and on the beach. Lucky for you I'm only sharing a few! lol

The kids found countless things to do in the surf and sand.  On the last night, they wrote their names in the sand to mark the end of our trip.  Did I mention the good food?  We ate out several nights and cooked a few favorites at home including a shrimp boil and steamed mussels (compliments of our friends Jeff and Jodi) -

What a relaxing trip. I hate to even think about work on Monday.  Our kids start school on August 15th too. Our summer is coming to an end but we'll have these memories forever.  Hope to share some gifts in the mail and new projects this week.  Stay tuned! xoxo