At the Flea

I just spent a lovely morning with my dear friend Michelle (of Petite Michelle Louise).  If you've read this blog for a while, you know we love to meet and scout out tresors at nearby flea markets and thrift stores and of course THE event of the year - At Home with White. 
Today was a gorgeous day and the flea market offered lots of vendors and smiles. 
Here's what I found 'AT THE FLEA'...

A pretty vintage white apron, old scrabble letters and sheet music:

The titles of the sheet music resonated with me.  During Lent the cantor at our church sang an achingly beautiful rendition of 'Abide with Me'.  'Ave Maria' always brings tears, and I couldn't resist 'Dear Little Boy of Mine' for my own dear boy.

These letters will be used for crafting...

Sewing treasures are always hard to pass up at the flea market.  I can't imagine the work that went into this vintage beaded embroidery piece...

Such intricate detail...the result of much patient work...

Along with that beautiful piece, this trim was a terrific find:

It is a soothing gray color with vintage wear:

Michelle and I are sharing this trim because there was so much of it! 
Here we are at the end of our morning, all smiles:

(Michelle, me)

We laughed as we also surprised each other with unique finds found in our travels.  I knew Michelle would appreciate a one-of-a-kind pink chippy doorknob I found at my local thrift store, and she knew I would love this old tarnished creamer etched with an 'S':

It's sitting prominently on top of my dining room shelves:

Thank you Michelle - I had a wonderful morning with you!

I think there are enough 'white-ish' finds in this post to share over at White Wednesday this week and plenty of vintage finds to share at Vintage Inspiration Friday.  Hope to see you at these parties!

Autumn Somerset Life!

Autumn is around the corner, and so is the next issue of Somerset Life magazine.  I'm so thrilled to announce that my work will be featured in this issue! 

I got caught up in the excitement of my blog being included in the summer issue, and decided to submit a Christmas craft.  It felt a bit odd making a styrofoam Christmas tree in the spring, but I had such fun with it.  Here's a sneak peek of my article in the autumn issue, courtesy of the Stampington website:

I think I must still be dreaming...
The issue hits the newsstands October 1st, but stay tuned for a giveaway of a copy here.  It may just have to include some angel wings, too.  :)

Curious Collecting

I'm sure many of you have heard of 'Curious Sofa', the amazing store run by talented Debbie Dusenberry.  I've saved so many magazine articles featuring her famous store and vintage-style home.  She is truly a master at styling and collecting unique vintage finds.
Although the Curious Sofa brick-and-mortar store was closed a while ago, Ms. Dusenberry has maintained an online store of the same name.  I love browsing there from time to time, and finally made my first purchase!
Feast your eyes on these neat old salvaged balusters I ordered ...(the two framing the cabinet door):   

I got 4 balusters in all.  The other two are leaning against a window on this nearby console table:

I'm not sure where they'll be permanently displayed, perhaps all 4 together.  They do add character, as do these vintage linens from Curious Sofa.  They have beautiful detailed edging...

I think these will look nice in some fall displays around here.  Here they're prettily piled on my chair:

As we start to turn the corner toward fall, I start turning toward baking.  I'm looking forward to the upcoming apple season and the scents of cinnamon with apple.  For now, I baked a quick bread for a summer breakfast:

Wish you could all join me here for tea...

Sharing with White Wednesday.  Have a great week!

You too??

After being published in the summer issue of Somerset Life, I decided to take time this summer and visit other folks featured in the issue at their blogs, especially ones that were new to me.  I'm still working my way through the issue, and finding new discoveries to delight in. 
Recently I visited Heather at Audrey Eclectic, whose terrific 'Blogs with a View' article is found right after mine.  She is a talented painter of beautiful folk art filled with nostalgia of bygone days.  I love her humor, talent and fondness for the past.  It all shows in her romantic artwork, drawing out a wistful smile. 

I was the fortunate recipient of these lovely postcards of her work, after winning them in a giveaway on her blog:

I'll be using these postcards in my Christmas decor:

Turns out Heather and I have things in common - an appreciation for Scandinavian style, love of Jane Austen & mystery books, habit of hoarding old magazines, and most importantly, daughters with the same name and age!  It's fun to 'meet' someone so nice in blogland and have a 'you, too??' exchange. 

Make sure you visit Heather and see her new listings of Jane Austen inspired postcards.  Sigh...

(photo courtesy of Audrey Eclectic)



 I'm so appreciative of opportunities to find folks like Heather and share common experiences across the miles.  Thank you Heather! 

Lazy Days of Summer

Summer days are winding down and I'm trying to appreciate all it has to offer, mainly time with my children before school begins.  I've also managed to squeeze in some extra hours to create.  Here are some new pillows from my 'Present Pillow' collection:

Cameo pillow

(vintage lace and cameo button)

(matching lavender heart sachet)

I fell hard for some cornflower blue velvet ribbon, and used it in these designs:

(I think this pillow has a romantic prairie style about it)

(matching lavender heart sachet)

Most summer days I make time to enjoy our garden (that sounds better than backyard).   I sip my tea at this peaceful table while I watch our children play (sometimes I even join in). 

This vintage plant stand always makes me smile.  I'm looking forward to warming it up this fall, with pumpkins, gourds and such:

I love how chippy our shed is getting:

I'll be sharing some of these whites with White Wednesday.  Hope you're enjoying these lazy days of summer, too!

Colorado and Crafting

Hello friends!  I'm back from a spectacular vacation and celebration in Colorado.  My sister-in-law got married there on Saturday, and it was such a beautiful wedding.  What a blessing to celebrate her wedding and spend time with my husband's BIG clan, as we enjoyed the Rocky Mountains.  I'll share some pics of the trip at the end of this post, but first I'm contributing some whites to the White Wednesday  party this week.
I've been crafting and sewing some new items for my Etsy store. 

Here's a pile of pillows and a pair of sachets:

This pillow is made with a cute monogram printed fabric:

I absolutely adore these little sachets.  I used vintage cocktail napkins (found on this flea market trip) for the sachets, filling them with a muslin insert of lavender:

The edges of the napkins were hand-sewn together with pale blue embroidery thread:

I originally made this white linen pillow for the shop, but have decided I can't part with it...

There are some of these small angel wings ornaments in the shop, and I plan to make more large sized ones.  I'm happy that they have been selling quite well!

This tiny craft store frame showcases some vintage wallpaper.  I may embellish the paper with some glass glitter and also list it in the store soon:

This white basket I used to cart the goods was a thrift store find not too long ago.  It was only $1!

Such happy whites...I'm looking forward to seeing more over at White Wednesday.

I'm sorry to say my camera battery died before my sister-in-law's wedding, so I don't have photos of that gorgeous day.  But here we are enjoying a hike around Lily Lake near Estes Park, Colorado.

The views were glorious, and this female deer came so close to us after taking a quick splash in the lake:

What a great vacation, but now it's time to gear up for fall.  :)