Hopping {& Hoping} For Spring!

Despite our focus on furniture/decor and interior decorating, our paper garlands are pretty popular.  This sort of surprised me.  We first made a simple scalloped, three-dimensional garland at Christmas time to use as garland with your vintage inspired Christmas decorations, but after Christmas we got requests to make more.  Recently, our butterfly garland hit the front page of Etsy and we got several orders in a handful of minutes.  One woman, who was ordering the garland for her twins' playroom inquired if we had anything boyish (as one of the twins was a boy).  Nope.  We didn't.  So I  went in search of a more "boyish" shape to string into a festive garland.

Apparently spring is still speaking to me, despite it's refusal to actually arrive around here.  Nothing says spring is on its way around my house like the croaking chorus of frogs that hatch behind my house in the a forest pond early every spring.  This year they were busting out the music in the beginning of February! This is what I hear every night from my back patio. . .

And while I would certainly love to get back to painting furniture and decorating things, it would help if spring actually showed its face around here.  It's nothing but cool weather and pouring rain as far the eye can see.

Which makes refinishing furniture and painting projects less than comfortable. . . because I do those things in my garage.  My cold, unheated garage.  But I have plans--big plans!  Hopefully in the next month or so, my dad is going to come visit and help us build a shop/garden shed--with heat!--to make this job a little more of a year round thing.

In the meantime, I need to get to work finishing Signe's room makeover and wrapping up some things headed for the shop & etsy.

Do you shop on Etsy?  If so, what kinds of things do you find yourself searching for and buying?   Here are a few of my favorite shops:

Vintage Goodness:

{Vintage} Photography:

Happy Shopping!

White Love and a Birthday Sale!

Though some people may argue that white is not a color, I argue that not only is it a really GREAT color, it makes a very powerful statement.  Before we opened our etsy store I had not heard of treasuries.  Almost immediately after setting up shop our items began being featured in treasuries.  The best treasuries make a beautiful collective statement.  But I always get a thrill when we are featured in an all white treasury.  This kind of treasury is speaking my language!

Curator: The Wrap Around Porch

I had to share this treasury because I figured if I could stare at it all day, you might like to also. For those of you with etsy stores, do you use treasuries often?  I have only made one, but when I see our things featured in such lovely collections it makes me want to rush out and make one. . . or maybe go out and buy myself a birthday present! (This curator has created a couple other treasuries worth checking out also.)

Speaking of our etsy store and birthdays (since mine was yesterday), we are having a sale Now through Sunday in our etsy store.  Take 10% off your purchase with the coupon code: Spring.   And if you see something that has already been sold that you would like to purchase, send us a message--we may be able to re-create it and include it in the sale.

Happy Birthday to me and happy shopping to you!

***If you are local, Camas Antiques is throwing its own birthday celebration this weekend to celebrate 7  years in business.  Our items will be 10% off there as well.  Friday and Saturday cake will be served and the first 50 customers each day will receive a gift, courtesy of Camas Antiques. ***

It's All About Appearances. . .

Wednesday, late in the afternoon a crack in the clouds opened and a few heavenly rays of golden sunshine found their way into my kitchen.  They spilled across my table and beckoned to me.  I had just spent the better part of the day cleaning out my office--no small undertaking--and I decided I deserved a little break.

I snatched up my latest copy of Country Living and collapsed in my yet to be slip covered dining chair, right in front of the glass back door to get the maximum amount of sunshine.  In moments I was pouring over lovely homes, feeling as though the sunshine filling the cheery rooms on the pages was actually warming my cheek as I flipped the pages and sipped ice water through a straw.

It was, however, short lived.  The bus arrived and dumped off my adorable and very chatty daughter.  By the time I had helped her with a few things and returned to my magazine, the sunshine was gone.

Pillow available on Etsy (Butterfly wreath also on Etsy)

I have a thing about pictures.  I love to look at them--in magazines, on photography blogs--and I love to take them.  Often I get an image in my head and I must work until I capture it in a picture.  Sometimes that means setting up elaborate displays like when Lisa and I decided to throw a Harvest Party.  It wasn't really about the party, it was about taking pictures of the party setup.

White Ironstone for sale at the shop

I sometimes get so caught up in staging the things I am taking a picture of, I might get carried away and spend more time than necessary to snap a few pictures and post something on etsy.  Because really, I am trying to make an impression, sell someone a story, give them a glimpse at someone else's life--hoping they will buy into the whole package, not just the item. . .  like I do when I flip through my favorite magazines, or browse my favorite shops on etsy.

Paper garland at the shop and on Etsy

Take yesterday for instance.  Lisa and I had sewn a few aprons.  Some for the shop and some for esty.  When it came time to photograph them, I had a vision of working in my kitchen, filling a vase with flowers while wearing a cute little apron. That was easy enough.  I had some flowers, so I put them in a white pitcher and staged them next to me.

White Swiss Dot Apron (picture must have worked--I listed it last night and it sold last night!)

But then, when I put on the white and red apron, it made me think of Valentine's Day and baking a surprise for someone special. . . so I HAD to bake a cake. . . and add it to the picture.

I have sort of had a butterfly thing going.  I got hooked on some butterfly art last fall and have been waiting until now to start bringing some more into the shop.  So I added a couple candy melt butterflies to the cake--it just felt more Valentine-ish that way, without resorting to hearts.

In the end, the cake is hardly a big feature in the picture (though from this angle the lint on the floor is!).  But I think it adds something.  I am no expert on staging, by any means (or photography for that matter)--but I sure have fun doing it!  And the kids didn't care what I was doing it for if it meant they got cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert.

Christmas Bazaar

This year is flying by, and trying to prepare for seasons and holidays BEFORE they actually arrive has Lisa and me working overtime.  For the last week or so we have been crafty ladies making Christmas items for a local Christmas Bazaar and the booth.  We set up at the bazaar today, which starts tomorrow, and next week we are filling our booth in preparation for the holiday kick off on the 12th at Camas Antiques.  Here is a little preview of some of our Christmas Collection.

Lisa worked so hard embroidering snowflakes that I sewed into pillows:

We sort of have two themes going here.  The blue and white and silver/gray. . .

German Glass Glitter Snowflakes

White metal stars embellished with metallic papers in bronze, silver, and blue and dusted with glass glitter.

Gift tags 

The second collection is more vintage inspired and is mainly in shades of cream and black and beige with a few accents in red:

I LOVE how the music sheet balls turned out. . .

And Lisa worked hard making sheet music snowflakes that we dusted with glass glitter:

We also made sheet music gift tags and vintage looking tags with stamps that said "Celebrate the Season," "Merry Christmas, " and "Joy to You." Along with the sheet music wreath you can see in that first picture of this collection.

I have to say, despite my love of white and pale turquoise, I LOVE the sheet music collection.  And since my own Christmas decor is all white and silver in the family room and red and white in the living room, I think I can work some in.  The only red accent we currently have at the bazaar is the apron in the background which I didn't take a good picture of.  I will be making another one and will be sure to take a picture, because it was darling.   

Now back to work! Next week we have to fill our booth for the Camas Antique Holiday kick off.

If you are local, stop by the bazaar (Put on by Vance Family Soy Candles) all Fridays in November and the first three Fridays and Saturdays in December:

Hand Made in Vancouver, U.S.A.

Seasonal Bazaar

11514 NE 65th Ave.

Vancouver, WA  98686

Chalk It Up to High Expectations

I tend to expect a lot out of my decor, or my functional pieces for that matter.  Either way, I want functional items to look good and beautiful items to have a useful function as well.  Add to that my compulsive need to make lists and it's a short jaunt to. . . the lovely framed chalkboards we have been creating recently.

I picked up some fun frames here and there on the cheap, because everybody loves a great frame.  Really, they have so many uses.  I like to hang them around things like the wreath in my daughter's room (also available in our Estsy shop).

Or layer them on my mantel.

Not to mention actually putting pictures in them.

But as I stared at the huge wooden frame I picked up at the Good Will for a song, it suddenly spoke to me. . .

"Make me a chalkboard!" is what it was saying. So I, of course, complied, after we painted it white, naturally.  But a beautiful frame and a useful chalkboard, while a great combination, could only be bettered by the addition of ONE more function. . . so we made it magnetic.  Then I forgot to take a good picture of it before we sold it at the market--so I snapped a quick one before the new owner hauled it off.

That large chalkboard garnered so much interest, we quickly set to work making more.  And since several people expressed interest in a smaller version, we made several smaller sizes.

This lovely little gilt frame became so much more attractive in its second life:

I particularly like the added trim of blue on this double framed chalkboard.

And in case you need to leave tickets or schedules or any number of things along with your message on the board,  do so in style with one of our felt flower magnetic clips (coming soon to the shop).

I can just picture these lovelies guiding the way at a party, listing the menu at brunch, welcoming guests, or, as is the case with at least two chalkboards in my house, filled with to do lists.

Now that is my idea of marrying lovely form and useful function.