Ollie Young

Oh, he's wonderful.

Tiny little toes.

So happy for Michael and Staci.

Love.

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Thrift Report: Secret Store & Hoosier Finds

I feel awful about this, but I have a secret thrift store in town. It's relatively undiscovered and I love the things I find there. I try to be really helpful when it comes to thrifting and blogging and all that... but a girl has to have at least ONE secret, right? :)

So, at this store, I usually only find one thing at a time, but I stopped by last week and found several great things!

Ooh I love clocks like this. I have one in my booth currently but it never hurts to make sure I have another waiting in the wings! And I can't pass up fun, geometric scarves in great colors! I found two packs of crewel kits - yes, that IS a hedgehog pincushion!! And then I found a Kentucky puzzle that is made by the same people that made our Nashville puzzle!

I'm pretty sure I've had my eye on the below dress for months and finally snagged it! (Beth Mathews, I think it's calling your name!)

The weekend before last, Andy & I drove up to Nashville, Indiana (Did you know that existed?) to spend the weekend with some of my best friends from college. The town is really cute and the house we rented was within walking distance of all the shops and restaurants. We had so much fun browsing and shopping and just spending time together!

Nashville, IN is known for antiques and artisan stores but not many of them were really floating our boat. We were walking around Antique Alley when Andy spied a record/vintage shop. It was so great! I found a few awesome things and Andy bought thirty 45s! They were 3 for $1 and it was the perfect opportunity to stock up for our jukebox.

I asked the shopowner if she had Kenny and Dolly's Christmas album and she did. For $2! It is my absolute favorite Christmas album ever and I have one that I got at Goodwill but it's really scratched up and didn't come in the jacket. I am slightly tempted to break out my new copy and play it even though it's July! :)

I also found (non-vintage) Dick Van Dyke Show and Mad Men books. They are both really fun to look through! The Dick Van Dyke show is one of my favorites!

The Mad Men book has beautiful vintage-inspired graphics. The pages are filled with recipes, etiquette guides, and everything you need to know about living within the world of Mad Men.

We also ventured outside of town to check out some of the local flea markets. They were pretty much a bust and we almost didn't stop at the last one, but I'm so glad we did! I found the below owl vase and kitchen clock! Both totally my style and such great deals. I am hanging on to the owl and considering keeping the clock for our kitchen... We'll see!

I also found the most adorable fawn s&p shakers but somehow didn't take a photo before I put them in my booth, unfortunately.

There ya have it! Some recent finds! What have you found lately? :)

Linking up to:
Apron Thrift Girl

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Friday Fun: Huxtable Hotness

Thanks everyone for your sweet comments about Ollie and being an aunt! Sadly, we didn't get to see him because Staci went back to the hospital to have her foot checked out because it's still swollen. I haven't heard the verdict yet so I'm keeping her in my prayers. It must be stressful to be a new mom and have to deal with medical issues!

Today's Friday Fun post takes us back in time and features one of my favorite TV shows ever. I just discovered a highly entertaining website called Huxtable Hotness, in which the author watches every episode of The Cosby Show and dissects each character's wardrobe.

image source

The members of the Huxtable family made pretty distinct clothing choices and it's fun to look back at them and think about the impact they had on the series. You knew you could always expect to see Cliff's sweaters and college sweatshirts, Clair's classy lawyer outfits, Denise's funky, artistic ensembles, and Theo's trendy teenager look. (Sorry Rudy and Vanessa, your clothes don't really stand out!)

It's also fun to see if any of the 80s clothes could be worn today. Interestingly enough, some of them could. :)

Check out Huxtable Hotness if you're looking to waste a LOT of time and be entertained. :)

P.S. Happy Birthday to Andy!!! I love you and I'm so excited to celebrate with you today!

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I'm an aunt!

As an only child, I was never sure if I'd be a "real" aunt. Happily, I married a guy with a brother! Last Thursday, Michael and his wife Staci welcomed Andrew Oliver Young into the world! (Yep, he's named after Andy!)

We spent some hours before his birth at the hospital, we heard Ollie's cries from the waiting area, and then I had to go let Lucy out because we had been gone too long. When I got back, I got to hold Ollie for a few minutes before he went to the nursery. Due to being out of town and a crazy week, we haven't gotten to see him again yet.

BUT, tonight we are going to see him and snuggle him and give him kisses. He is so tiny and so sweet. It's so hard to believe that there's a baby in the family now! I have very little experience with newborns so it will be fun to learn!

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Favorite Finds: Maddie's Chairs

Well, well, well... what do we have here? A Favorite Finds post?? Anyone remember those?? :)

Favorite Finds fizzled (how do you like that alliteration?) because it was really hard to find a new contributor each week. I nagged my friends, I wrote bloggers who never replied, and I scoured Pinterest for people to contact. After almost a year, I gave up and decided to move on. BUT, it might not be over. Please, if you have any interest in participating, email me. It's painless, I promise.

Now, on to Maddie's Favorite Find! I discovered Maddie through my good friend Carly who lives in Denver. Maddie runs Thriftary, a fun blog full of thrifty and design-y goodness. She just moved into a new house that she will be unveiling soon and I can't wait to see what she's done with the place! We know one thing that will be making an appearance - her chairs! She tells us all about them below.




What is your favorite find and where did you find it?
My favorite find is a set of chairs that I was forced to take from a seller on Craigslist. How does that happen, you ask? Well I was looking for a free couch in my college days, and the family I finally decided to pick-up from told me that I HAD to take these 4 chairs if I wanted the couch for free. They got me! I hated the chairs at the time.. Little did I know I would be writing about them 5 years later haha.

What is your relationship with Craigslist - are you an avid C-lister or casual browser?
Ummmm... YES. I'll take AVID for 1000. I am literally on Craigslist every day. I have a process. I start in the "free" section like a true self-proclaimed Cheapskate. I use search words like "Charming" or "refurbish" or "character" to see what I can find (a good score would be old doors, cool lamps, reclaimed wood). Then, I move onto furniture. I use a lot of the same search terms, but most days I will set my price limit at $150. Then, if I'm feeling saucy, I move onto antiques. Some days, I will even up my price maximum to like $300 if I'm feeling like a dare devil. Yea. I know. I'm fierce.

Did you have to do any repair/restoration? How have you put your own personal touch on them?
Absolutely. The best part about these chairs is that I have re-painted and re-upholstered them 3 TIMES. Yup. I captured one of the makeovers on the blog. You can check it out here. You can even kind of see the nasty probably disease infested seat cover underneath that was the ORIGINAL. Don't worry. I disinfect them every time they get a makeover :)

Any other details we should know?
I feel like I can be super funky and risky with them because, after all, they were free! Every year and a half or so I change the fabric on the seats, and re-paint the rest. It's really a tradition now, I suppose.

Why do you love buying vintage/secondhand?
I LOVE the feeling I get when I can bring new life to something old. Sometimes I wish I was more of a tree hugger, or like a vegetarian or something cool... but on most days i'm not. Thrifting and recycling, though, is one way that I really feel capable of contributing to a lesser carbon footprint. And the satisfaction of buying something new for your home or your body, is NOWHERE NEAR as thrilling as when you make it.

I agree, Maddie! Thank you so much for contributing to Favorite Finds!

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Wanted: Pet Owl!

I might be really behind - maybe you all have seen this already, but if not - you will love it!

There is a YouTube star named Promise Phan who gives herself amazing makeovers to make herself look like anyone from Angelina Jolie to Princess Jasmine to Adele. Her transformations are unbelievable!

She also, incredibly, has a pet owl who is adorable. Check out the video below of her sweet little owl:


Doesn't it make you want to run out and get one?? I know that's not realistic at all, but it's fun to think about having an owl buddy. :)

Things have been slow around here - I will pick things back up soon. I have lots of fun goodies to show you for the booth and a dining room update and some new art that I got at an estate sale and life updates... Coming soon!

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Owl Really: New Blog Design!

I am so excited to have my first professional blog design! I play with Photoshop and designing and with all the tweaks I have made over the past year, my blog looked like a mish-mash of designs. I wanted something sleek and professional, so I contacted Kaelah and she worked me into her schedule! I love her design work and Honeybean and I'm so honored to be one of her clients!

Blog before:




Blog after:



It is much cleaner and sleek. I love it! Feel free to click here to see it full-size and in action if you are reading in an RSS reader!

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Vintage Mini Books

I was really inspired by Elise's mini-books and decided to put my own spin on mini-books!

I am now working on making books with images from vintage children's books as the cover and various paper inside!

I'm not sure how well they will sell in the booth, but if you're interested in one, let me know! I have been toying around with the idea of re-opening my etsy store to sell paper goods, ephemera packs, and these little notebooks. What do you think?

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Thrift Report: Bags & Crewel (of course!)

I found a few things last week on an impulsive thrifting stop. :) I actually found a lot of random things for myself like a belt, some paper for my scrap stash, ribbon, etc. I love finding crafty things at the thrift store!

Below are items that are going into my booth - except I am not sure I can part with the kite crewel-work! If we ever raise a kid, I kinda want to do a kite/Mary Poppins-themed nursery so I might hold onto it just in case.

Messy photo of 2 fun shoulder bags... I love buying and selling these! They are just such a great size for overnight trips or for airplane carry-ons! I also love buying vintage books on manners and charm! I like watching old game shows and remember Arlene Francis as a panelist on many of them. Couldn't pass up this book about "The Magic of Charm" by her! And what a fun sewing-inspired embroidery piece! 

And the kite kid is ADORABLE!!! Love him. 

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Wit & Whistle: Hobby Compatability Quiz

I have really enjoyed discovering new blogs lately! I am loving Wit & Whistle - everything from her content to her design to her photo processing is so great!

I was impressed with her recent post in which she created a Hobby Compatibility and Creative Dating Guide! She encourages you to print out the guide and mark the hobbies you are interested in, then have your partner do the same. You can discover a lot about your significant other by filling out this form! Andy & I haven't filled it out yet, but we should!!

I think this is such a fun idea to get to know your partner better and discover new hobbies together!

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Just a little pick me up...

It's been a weird week and I'm feeling a little drained so I wanted to post a pick-me-up for myself and anyone else who may be in a funk. I took this photo of Lucy this morning and it might be my favorite thing ever.

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DIY: Easy Gnomes by Shakti Dove

I recently discovered a new-to-me blogger, Shakti Dove, and I love her blog! She posted the most adorable, easy, and free DIY gnomes:




Can you even handle how cute they are?? Now I just need to wrestle some sticks away from Lucy since she pretty much controls the sticks in our yard. :)

I fell in love with Shakti's blog when I saw that she washi taped a stick to her fridge and she said:

Has my husband noticed that there is a stick taped to the fridge? No, he has not. But when he does I think he will understand.

Reading that made me feel like I had a kindred spirit out there in the world. :)

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New Vendors at the Tennessee Antique Mall

There are some exciting updates at the Tennessee Antique Mall! Some new vendors have moved in and I know them!

First up, Rae has opened a case at the mall. I'm so excited that she's starting this new venture and that she's in the same mall as me!

This is the top shelf of her case which happens to have my two favorite items in her booth - the paint by number painting and the framed piece of embroidery.

She has so many fun things - check out the rest of her case:

Don't you see like 10 things that you would want?? I do!!

Secondly, a guy named Gerald emailed me in May to ask about my experience at the mall and I told him it was great. We emailed a bit, I visited (and loved!) his booth in Bowling Green and now he has moved into the TN Antique Mall and I'm happy to have another dealer similar to my style in the mall.

I love this vignette! I am really drawn to school-related items so the globe, pencils, and school desk are really speaking to me.

Really great items including a fun in/out organizer, a hat/wig carrier, faux bois canisters, a midcentury slat bench (!), and an amazing teal patio light!

Check out those great yellow chairs! And the luggage hanging out under the bench! And I really like the portraits hanging above the leather chair!

Welcome Rae and Gerald!! Can't wait to see all the goodies you guys bring in in the future!

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Thrift Report: Tiny Estate Sale

I didn't shop very much last week - we were so busy! But I did squeeze in a tiny estate sale and found a few things I really like!

I picked up some linens, a calligraphy book (I love vintage "how-to" books and I am working on acquiring some new skills and would love to learn calligraphy!, and a book of Irish stories (I love Irish things!).

I love these linens! They are an interesting size - someone said the bigger ones were luncheon napkins, someone else said they were placemats. I'm not sure what they are, but I think they're going into my fabric stash so I can make something out of them!

 

Did you find anything good?? :)

 

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Owl Really Booth Updates: July 2012

June was pretty bad in the antique mall (so was April!) and I'm really hoping July is more promising. (On a related note, if you're in the area, come shop! :)

Here are some overview photos of how my booth looks this month. Pretty full!

I found some 4x6 zip-close bags at the store and went to work filling them up with the flashcards I had been collecting. I also created sets of vintage handwritten and printed recipes that I bought at an estate sale months ago. I bagged up the buttons and typewriter keys I recently bought as well!

I figured the fondue set would look much better out of the original box it was shipped in, so I pulled it out and displayed it on a Guinness Book of World Records from 1974. And here's the green chip & dip set I mentioned before but didn't have a photo of! AND a beautiful red leather bag that I have seriously considered keeping... but for the time being, it's in my booth.

We have something for everyone at the Tennessee Antique Mall! Come shop! 654 Wedgewood Ave, Nashville, TN.

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DIY: Simple Decorated Trays

Looking for a really simple project?? Here's one!!

I picked up a few trays at Goodwill awhile ago, not sure what I was going to do with them. They ended up being really handy to hold some of my plants on my stairs! I knew that I wanted to update them, though, so I broke out the craft paint.

The smaller tray had an image that still showed through after several coats of paint (I could have used primer, I suppose!) so I decided to use some new duct tape I recently bought to cover the bottom of the tray. (This tray holds tiny plastic pots with holes in the bottom for drainage, so I think it will be easier to wipe down now that there's duct tape on the bottom!).

And now they hold some of my succulent pots!

Don't pass by an old tray next time you see it at the thrift store - it could be really handy and cute once it's painted!

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Thrift Report: Atomic Sputnik Light

Happy 4th of July! In honor of the holiday, I bring you a light that reminds me of fireworks! :)

When I got to pick at the private estate, I found this amazing light fixture. Brodie had actually texted a photo of it to me weeks before and I excitedly wrote back that I wanted it. He wasn't sure if the family would part with it or not, so when I showed up to shop, I tried not to get my hopes up.

Our contact there called her sister and nieces to make sure they didn't want it. They all said no, but I was still trying to be really cautious. I tend to get my hopes up and then get disappointed, so I was trying very hard to play it cool over this light fixture.

Finally, toward the end of our shopping spree, she asked me if I wanted it. Still not believing I actually got to buy it, I said that I thought so. It finally hit me that I really did get to bring it home and I was so excited to pay for it and cart it off to my car.

Aren't those light bulbs crazy???

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with it. I want to hold onto it because it's amazing but I know that it's in high demand on ebay. I wish I could replace my craft room light fixture with this, but it's a finished attic and the ceilings are way too low. I am toying with the idea of putting it in our dining room, but we would need to update some of the decor. I just found out (3+ years later) that Andy thinks one of the walls I decorated years ago looks like an old lady's house! And not in a cute vintage way! Ha! I knew I didn't love it anymore but he never said he didn't like it! :) My style used to be more "pottery barn" than playful vintage and I've been working on updating the house to reflect that. Guess I have more work to do! :)

Oh and if I kept it, I would just put cool round bulbs in it... The spikey lights are not for me!

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Blog Crush: Elise of enJOY it

Not to sound like a blog stalker, but I wanted to introduce you to a new blog crush of mine!

I'm not sure how to put this, but there are a lot of blogs in the world and there are many bloggers whose lives seem so perfect that they can make you feel badly about yourself. (Sidenote: if someone makes you feel that way, unsubscribe! Don't put yourself through that!)

Elise Blaha is not one of those bloggers, though! I found her blog last month and have been super impressed with her outlook on life and her unique content. She is so crafty and I am so inspired by all her projects.

She writes in a very down to earth manner and is honest about struggles and life. She doesn't try to make her life seem like a magical, perfectly stylized fairytale but you can tell she genuinely wants to enjoy life among beauty and things that make her happy.

Also, I aspire to have as many plants as she does. :) She has the upper-hand though, living in Southern California with great weather and tons of light filtering into her house!

Check out her blog and dig around and find a new project to tackle!

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Thrift Report: Ann Arbor Finds

This is what I found in Ann Arbor! I actually had to find a bathroom scale the last thrift store we went to in order to weigh the items to make sure they wouldn't send our suitcase over 50 pounds and unfortunately, after we shopped a bit on Saturday, our suitcase DID go over. I pulled a couple things out and carried them on. Oh, the life of a traveling thrifter! :)

I found this game, Malice, at a little shop called Such A Find. It looks like a pretty fun game! I think you rate yourself on the qualities on the card while the other players also rate you and they get points for matching your rating.

I don't know if this is rare or not, but I have never seen a vintage House Beautiful before. It's from 1955! It's a little musty but I'm hoping the smell will air out.

I found more magazines, too. The below magazines were only 50 cents! I am used to seeing them for at least $2 at estate sales.

The horse scrapbook has never been used! It is probably going to my booth next week. I bought the belt hardware in the amazing craft section of PTO and hope to make my own belt soon! And I can never resist getting things that represent vintage Nashville/old school country. I picked up this songbook of "Country Songs and Stars."

If we had more time and suitcase space, I would have loved to have shopped more! But I am really happy with my finds - can't wait to page through the magazines!

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