What to do with free Part 2

I really can't say enough about how thrilled I was to get some free ornaments from a coworker. Sure, they're just cheap plastic but but I've been able to use them in about 6 different spots in my home!

The shelf above my kitchen sink is always changing. I couldn't wait to make it a little holiday-ish. After lots of decorating and re-decorating, I think I finally have a winning look. These are cute little sundae cups that happen to be heirlooms. They were the perfect size to hold these little guys.
A little vignette of Christmas colors ... you can't go wrong with milk glass and I added my little Willow Angel for an extra touch of holiday charm.

The third vignette in more Christmas colors. I'll be able to leave this up past Christmas, it's a little more "wintery" to me.

Hello, you! Anyone remember this little guy? I decided to buy him after I posted about him here. His cheeks match the ornaments perfectly.
On another note ... have you ever Google'd yourself? I did, well my blog name at least. I wasn't surprised to find my blog and Etsy shop but I did find this. Its a little write up picturing a set of mugs that are currently for sale in my shop. Thank you for the free advertising! Google yourself and see what's out there. It's kind of fun. And scary.

What to do with free

A coworker of mine gave me some cute little plastic ornaments in very bright colors. I loved them! And free is always good! I knew exactly what I would use them for ...

More to come.

How do I love thee ...

I took a break from thinking about Christmas and discovered my new true love ... vintage paint by numbers paintings. I found all of these on Etsy, of course, and if money wasn't an option believe me when I say I would have a wall full of these.

I don't know what it is about them. They're charming, artistic, colorful. And it took a lot of patience, I'm sure, to create these masterpieces. Its hard to pick a favorite, as they all have a characteristic about them that I adore. I did manage to choose 5 that I would gladly take for the start of my Multiple Paint by Numbers Wall.

Now I'm curious ... do they sell Etsy gift cards?! What a great gift that would be!

Inspiration in unlikely places

Keeping up with my last posts, I have one more post about my holiday decor inspirations ... at least until I actually do some of these projects!

I didn't blog myself last year, but I kept up with a few. One of the projects I saw was this wreath, inspired by the decor at Starbucks - who'd a thunk it? I saw the first tutorial here and today, I found a couple more! I like this project because you can really make it to fit your own decor and color scheme. You can opt to use ornaments or not ... imagination is key!

My to do list is really filling up here ... luckily, I've got the feeling that I'm easily going to be able to coordinate all my decor from room to room! Wish me luck!

Beauty on a budget

I hope someone can relate to me ... I'm completely consumed with diy and budget holiday decor. I am trying to spend as little as possible, but come up with some festive goodness for my home. Luckily, a brainstorming session through email with my mom has produced a good sized list for things to do!

Something I found to add to it ... these beauties made out of simple, simple twine. I don't know about you, but I'm dying to recreate those trees! So organic and rustic ... and so simple. Do you love it?

What are some of your budget decor ideas this year?

Giveaways!

I love these vintage scales ... what's not to love, right? As much as I don't want to let you know about this I'm dying to get a leg up on the competition! This can be yours, given graciously by Michelle at Vintage Junky. Click on me for the link!

While you're giving her blog some much deserved love, check out her Etsy store here. You won't be disappointed.

I'll make a confession. I literally look at Michelle's blog and store everyday for inspiration. I'm sure that once you visit, you'll be hooked too!

Kitschmas

There's something about vintage Christmas decor that is very appealing to me. I think it's the kitschy charm and the fact that they just don't make things like they used to.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around seasonal decor ... it's an investment, isn't it? But, I just love the warmth of holiday decor. If I do decide to "go all out", I'd love to incorporate some of this vintage kitsch. Check them out at Etsy, along with the other great holiday decor selections!

Are you still trying to wrap your head around your seasonal decor? How much is too much?!

Stranded on an island

My mom and I have been talking about kitchen gadgets and accessories a lot lately. One of our latest topics of discussion was extra counter space. I'm sure no matter how much you have, it never seems like enough. I have plenty, I suppose ... but an island sure would be lovely!

I found this while perusing bhg. Looks fancy, don't it? Well, it's just an old dresser! I mean, really ... why didn't I think of this? I love the extra storage the drawers offer and that you can add accessories, like the paper towel holder and hangers for utensils on the sides. I think this blue for an accent is absolutely wonderful, too. I can't say it enough ... this is such a good idea. Goodwill, here I come. Please produce the perfect dresser for me. I want an island. I have the perfect space for you.

Etsy Holiday Guide

I love to cook. I hate to shop for the food to cook. I love to do projects. I hate to shop for all the supplies for the project. I'm creative, but some days ... I just don't have it in me to actually create something new.

Yes, the above statements are all true. Sometimes it's asking way too much to get my butt in the car and on the way to the store. It'll only get worse with each day we get closer to Christmas. Last week, I showed you a few goodies from Etsy to kick of my Buy Handmade (or Vintage)Challenge for the Holiday Season. This week, inspired by the flower kit I showed you, I looked a little further in to the world of "kits".

Any and all of these would make great gifts for your most creative friends. Any and all of these are perfect solutions to "not feeling creative and don't know what to make" and/or "not wanting to fight the crowds for your patterns and supplies". Yup, you can either give these as gifts as is or go ahead and make them ... everything (patterns, supplies, etc) is included, all at very affordable prices. My kind of stuff!!!

First up is a super cute holiday kitchen towel kit. Great gift for a hostess (if you decide DIY) or the chef.Next up, for all the knitters out there - pattern and yarn is included to make this adorable little pear.

This cute little trio of embroidered Christmas trees can be yours ... so many ways to display it and also a fun gift for your artsy friends.For the coffee fanatics, make them their very own cup cozy! I think these are simply adorable and eco friendly, too!
If you've got a fashionista friend who has everything, make her a special hair accessory! You can pick from a few different patterns what you'd like to recreate, so the possibilities are endless.You really can't go wrong with these kits. Take a look for yourself ... there's waaay more where these came from!

You gotta have ...

Faith.

And, no, I'm not talking George Michael.

"As we grow older, it becomes difficult to just believe. It's not that we don't want to, but too much has happened that we just can't."

I, like so many of you, try to keep my blog about thrifty finds, decor and projects but sometimes you just feel compelled to take your post to another level. It seemed like as soon as I turned 25, something clicked ... like "hey, you're really an adult now!" My ways of thinking have changed tremendously and I find myself trying to better myself daily.

Upon a little reflection, I realized my faith is ... lacking. The quote above sums it up and I'm sure, at more points in our lives than we may realized, we've all felt like that. Now, I don't want to turn this in to a sermon. We all have our own beliefs, we all pray to someone or something, we all need to have faith in someone or something. I've personally chosen to put my faith in God and wanted to share a scripture I found after Google'ing 'faith'.

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ." - Phillipians 4:6-7

See, I worry. And worry. And, yep ... I worry. I tend to think of all the bad that could happen, which usually prevents me from enjoying the present. So today (and probably for the rest of my life!), that's what I'm working on. Inspiration in a different form, if you will.

"The smallest seed of faith is better than the largest fruit of happiness" ... Henry David Thoreau.

What do you do when you need a little personal inspiration?

(Un)creative

Yup, that's me.

So I didn't feel like a complete slacker, I thought I'd at least let you know about some new goodies in my Etsy shop.

Go on over and see if there's anything you need ... ya know, cause we always need something, right?

Features and Fun

It always makes me happy to have convos from Etsy. This morning was no different. I've been featured in a Treasury! Well, not me ... but you can see my Ironstone coffee pot featured here. I'm going to have to look into these Treasuries a little more. They are a great way to feature similar items - kind of like what I do with my One Word @ Etsy posts.

Moving right along, I must admit my obession for Man Shops Globe, which I reviewed on this post. I am completely in love with the show, the concept and now - the anthropologie website and catalog. I got November's catalog yesterday and ... ok, well I'm speechless. Just look!

You can shop the catalog here and see the other little bots that are sure to melt your heart ... and get your creative juices flowing. I mean, really? How fun would these be to make?!

We are all creative in our own ways, but WOW do I wish I could have come up with this! There's so many things I'm itching to recreate. Let's hope I can find the patience and time to do my to do list!

What's on your creative to do list?

How early is too early ...

to start thinking about Christmas?

I said it about Fall, but really ... isn't Christmas the most wonderful time of the year? I think so. I've completely bypassed Halloween and Thanksgiving - to me, it could be December 2nd. My mind has been focusing on Holiday decor, gifts, diy projects, and recipes galore.

I'll try not to bore you with Holiday cheer, but I do have a goal this year. If you read my blog, you'll know I'm a huge fan of Etsy. As a seller on Etsy, I now look there for gift ideas. Whether it be handmade or vintage, I know I can find something for someone. That said, my goal is to inspire and possibly nudge you in the right direction ... support my fellow Etsy sellers and buy handmade this year.

My One Word @ Etsy posts will now be weekly installments of gift ideas, stocking stuffers and all around fun stuff that's available to you with just a few clicks of your mouse.

To get the gift guide started, I've found a few things that definitely could be on my wish list!

I love this paper flower kit ... how real do these look?! A great gift for the bride to be who wants handmade and creative touches for the big day. I love to cook - and I mean love! I love to stare at the various spices in the grocery store, too. Why not get the chef in your life some great tins with yummy spices they might not have?

This is a gift that might not last until Christmas. I found these shampoo bars the other day and I'm pretty much in love with the idea. If I buy them, I'll let you know how they do, but in the meantime stock up on these for cute little favors or stocking stuffers.

Happy shopping!

Back. And armed and dangerous.

I haven't blogged in a while ... and I don't have a good excuse for it either! All that matters is, I'm back now. With lots of photos.

I had to go to Michael's last night for some supplies and decided to stop by the Goodwill that's across the street. Am I glad I did? You be the judge. Most of my purchases will be listed on my Etsy shop soon, but I might not be able to part with some.

I loved these coffee mugs. I think the pedestal and handle are what did it for me. Another mug. Loving the rooster. You'll see a little more of this later.

A creamy ironstone gravy boat. Complete with gravy ring around the rim... no kidding.

Another creamer. This had a tag from an antique store on the inside ... wonder how it got to Goodwill?

Loved this, Tiffany blue goodness. Bowl? Ash tray? What is it?

I squealed a little when I found this tarnished champagne bucket. I love me some polished silver, but I think I'm gonna leave this guy as is.

This little plate matches the mug from above. The print and colors are so appealing to my eyes!

And a cute little bowl to round out the bunch.So these little garden tools ... I don't know if they are old or not, but they had some chippy goodness going on. Another multiple ... these great little flowers are kind of screaming for a paint job.

Last but certainly not least. I had a good feeling that this was Nippon and it is. A little sugar bowl that is staying with me. No matter what. The best part? It was f-i-f-t-y -- c-e-n-t-s.

Like what you see? Check back and I'll let you know when they are available for sale!

Wish List Party!

I couldn't let this party go by ... I started my post last night but didn't like it, so I decided to sleep on it. I'm kinda glad I did. I checked out Michelle's Wish List and (no surprise here) we had a lot of the same wishes! I didn't want to copy, so I decided to use to truly use this post on me! I have this 'thing' ... a trait/flaw. I'll see something I want to try, read through the tutorial then back out because its got too many steps. If I do go ahead with it, I normally end up completely flustered. I know practice makes perfect and if I started out positive, I think my results would be better. So, my wish is to be a little more open minded ... or maybe adventurous ... not afraid to try new things. Whatever you would call it!

Why is this important to me? Because I love this. Organic, homemade soap. Seriously ... I can't stop looking at the stuff! I've never really used any of it before, but my goodness it looks like it would be fun to make! So why haven't I? Too many steps. How cute is this?!
Not sure what I would do with all this soap ... use it, sell it, give it as gifts?

Be still my heart ... I love this crumbly goodness.
I wonder what it takes to just do this? I'd definitely need time, patience and the "I'm doing this because I want to" mindset.

Be sure to visit the other particpants (by clicking on the party button) and let me know ... have you ever made soap? And even better, what's that thing you want to do that scares the you-know-what out of you?