Seeing Double

I'm excited to join the Multiples Party at Vintage Junky today! Please be sure to visit Michelle and the other participants ... I am 100% sure you will not be disappointed.

Jumping right in ...

I am the type of person who falls in love with something and really, really falls in love. I like what I like and if I want more than one of it, I'll buy it! Luckily, a few of my multiples are heirlooms so I haven't completely broken the bank with my fetish.

Up first, I have two heirloom suitcases that I stacked together on a table. They are the home to my collection of candlesticks.

Here's one of my tea sets I currently have on display, along with the matching tea cup multiples.

#2,

#3.

I have these two vintage bowls on display in my kitchen.

Along with 3 out of my 5 cheese graters and salt and pepper shaker.

I have a small collection of milk glass.

To wrap things up, here's a stack of thrifted books that I plan to spruce up soon!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to show the other partiers some love!

Little fish

Welcome back!

I'm sure you've heard the expression "you're unique, just like everyone else". I always chuckle at it, but for me that saying holds true out here in Blog Land. Its easy to feel like a little fish in a big pond, isn't it? Have you seen all the blogs out there ... ladies and gents doing the same thing you're doing. Some are better, some aren't - but how in the world do you get noticed?!

I had a failed project attempt. I've been working on it since Saturday night and I'll have photos for you on Thursday to get your opinions. Anyway, as I realized my grand scheme was most likely not going to work my frustration grew.

I love what I do, as far as blogging goes. It's fun for me to take pictures, put posts together, join parties ... but sometimes, I feel like that just isn't enough. I consider myself to be a humble gal but I know I've got a good eye for decorating, finding good things at thrift stores - sometimes I struggle with being creative. I want to come up with something that no one has done before, or at least that I haven't seen yet!

I want to be a little more like Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick and Kate at Centsational Girl. Those are good role models, right?

So I want/need to know. Do you ever feel the same as me? And what do you do when you feel like that? Got any tricks of the trade or inspiration to send my way?
Hope you enjoyed the photos ... they were all taken and edited by yours truly!

Tuesday Links

Happy Tuesday!

I'm pretty excited about the Multiples Party at Vintage Junky tomorrow! I've got my pictures taken and am planning to schedule my post tonight. Join in on the fun ... I looked around my casa and realized I had quite a few multiples. Maybe everything isn't exactly the same, but I definitely "collect" things as I thrift. Stop by and get the details for this fun party - and a giveaway! For my second post today, I'll fill you in on a little "soul searching" that I'm doing. I've been keeping up with Donna's Passion Series at Funky Junk Interiors, so please be sure to check it out, too. I think you'll find it inspiring and it'll definitely get your juices flowing!

Come back by tonight ... and have a great day!

One Word @ Etsy 5

Happy Saturday! The clouds have finally parted in the Midwest, at least in Indiana, and the sun in shining! Can we have some better weather now, please?

My mind is spinning a little bit today. I'm mentally going through my project list and I've got a lot of stuff going on, just like all of you. One thing I've been anxious to finish is showcasing my stamp collection. I have 3 frames, each around 8x11 in size, of vintage stamps. 3 small frames on one large wall is not very eye catching. Trust me ... I look at them every day.

I've been planning to add vintage appeal and interest to the display and frame maps from around the world. Much to my surprise, Etsy has an enormous selection of vintage maps ... now I just need to make some decisions!

I'm originally from Illinois, so I particularly like this one!

I love the colors of this vintage map of the British Isles.

I like the way this New England map is cropped.

The more I look at each of these, the more projects I come up with.

Must. hit. Publish. Post. NOW!

And the word of the day is ...

Swoon.

I don't know about you, but I follow a couple of wedding blogs. I'm an extreme romantic and isn't there just something magical about weddings? I love to look at dresses, cakes, and the wedding colors. If you aren't into wedding blogs, it's time to check a couple out. Brides and grooms these days are getting super creative and I think you'll find a lot of inspiration. From colorful inspiration boards to pictures galore Snippet and Ink and Style Me Pretty will not disappoint you.

I'm swooning ... and I mean swoooooning over this wedding. Swooning = calling your Mom on the phone at work to tell her this is exactly what you want at your wedding. I seriously cannot get these pictures out of my head.

Photo via: Style Me Pretty

The bride's brother made - MADE!!! - the alter. And I love it. A vintage window, chandelier, and a bright dresser (to symbolize the union) ... does it get better than that?!

I'm off to wedding plan! Wink.

C-ing Red

We have a red accent wall in our bathroom. At first I was reluctant about it but it has really warmed up the room and made it interesting. I'm able to decorate with reds, creams, and browns ... perfect for Fall! I made a purchase from French Logic on Etsy and decided it would look great in the bathroom.

Check out the packaging! C!
Here it is on the storage shelf ... along with my spray painted baskets, thank you Goodwill and Krylon!You know how there are things in your home that you kind of just "deal with"? Well, this window is one of those things. It's broken, due to two curious kitties. We prop this up if we want the window "closed". I decided it'd be a good decoration and our C happens to nestle perfectly in it's corner.
Since we're talking bathrooms ... what color is yours and why? Is it huge and you needed some color? Or is it small and you wanted to add height or depth? And what's the most unexpected decor item in your bathroom? Let me know!

Giveaway Winner!

I'm excited to announce the winner of my 100 post Giveaway! Thank you to all of you who already follow my blog and thank you for the awesome comments!!

Reid ... I'm glad you won. Congrats! Please check out Reid's blog if you haven't already. She's got quite the eye for thrifty finds to revamp and you'll be sure to find some adorable pictures of her children. Just shoot me an email with your information to receive the package!

Thanks again to everyone who reads, follows, and comments on Chester and Donkey ... I wouldn't be able to continue blogging without your support!

Recycled Decor

A couple weekends ago, I decided to make good use of some veggie and coffee cans I'd been saving. Armed with some new spray paint ... in beautiful fall colors,and some pretty ribbon ...

I created some beauties ... sure to spruce up your home for Fall!

Filled with lots of details.

Punches of Fall colors.These will be in my Etsy shop soon, if you like what you see!

Swing back through tomorrow ... it's Giveaway Day!

One Word @ Etsy 4

I don't know about you, but I don't plan (unless there's a party!) blog posts. Whatever inspires me for that day ... well, that's what I write about. Today's post is no different and I'm actually quite surprised at how I'm going to tie these two subjects together so easily!

It is Saturday and today's One Word @ Etsy was "rustic". I didn't get far ... page 2, to be exact and I had to make a purchase of the awesome letter C below. I got inspired by a Letters and Numbers party over at Vintage Junky a few days ago and decided to start my collection.

Speaking of Vintage Junky, she nominated me for the Honest Scrap award! I was having a rotten day, but was DE-lighted to read her post and find my name! As you know, there are rules to accepting this awards ... but today, I'm just going to do the "honest" part of it.

So, here's a little about my purchase and me!

Mr C+D and I are not married (yet, hehehe!) but we have the same initials = JC. His favorite color is red, so I knew I had to buy this!I am a crier ... movies, commercials, TV shows - I get "touched" very easily!

I have a hard time making decisions. I normally HATE to be the one who picks a restaurant, but I'm getting better!

I worry way more than any one person should (I have the gray hairs to prove it). I worry about things I can't control and things I can control. I'm a-workin' on that, too!

When I hear a new song I love, I will literally play it over and over. Its probably annoying to some, but I'm just a huge music fan.

Right now, I am unbelievably hungry for my mama's chili.

Sometimes ... ok, more times than not, I speak to people in random accents or voices. I don't know why I do it.

If I'm bored or need a good laugh, I'll search YouTube for videos of people falling. Why is it so funny ... everytime?

I want nothing more in life than to be a wife and mother ... I can't WAIT until that day comes!

I'll be blunt, I absolutely despise racism. I wish it was not even around anymore, but I know that day will never come. I just want everyone to push themselves to be more open minded.

And there you have - two posts in one! Remember ... my GIVEAWAY is coming up - get your entries in before its too late!

Still lovin' spray paint

I decided to do a little updating of some pumpkins and a gourd I got last year. They started out like this ... And went to this ... I am loving white pumpkins this year!
Here's another shot. For this one, I primed the pumpkin with white so I didn't have to use as much Almond spray paint.Had to do something with Italian Olive.

Here's another shot of the spread ... my mums are looking mighty fine, if you ask me!
Don't forget to enter my 100 post giveaway! I've added a little something to the frame that I think you'll like ... it'll be a surprise for you. Have a great weekend!

Giveaway Time!

I'm so excited for my official giveaway post! You can see my 100th post here and, as promised ... here are the goods. I wanted to do a Fall themed giveaway because I know we're all excited for everything the season brings. I made a batch of these the other day ... just recycled veggie cans, with a little embellishment. You can display this as is, or maybe with some dried grass?
A simple little frame, complete with leaves, that I spray painted in my new favorite color - Krylon's Italian Olive.

A cute little votive holder to add some light in your display.

And, a little pumpkin with flowers to add a punch of color!
Hope you like what you see ... now you need to know what to do!

First of all, tell all your friends - we wouldn't want anyone to miss out on the fun! I'll keep it simple ... become a follower (thanks again if you already are!!!) and you have an entry. Write a comment (nice one, please! :) on this post and you have another entry.

I'll draw the winner on Monday September 21st and let you know who it is on Tuesday the 22nd! Best of luck and thanks for stopping by!

Does anyone know ...

... what this thing is? Well, I do!

I found it at Goodwill ... a different Goodwill than where I found the little pitcher (below) of the same pattern. I just posted a few minutes ago that I had no clue what this was, or who it was made by. I decided to do a little research and found out these pieces were made by Libbey Glass

from the 50's to the 70's. The pattern is now discontinued.

Go here for the info and more pictures.

I'm really excited I went ahead and did some research ... I thought it was going to be a lot harder than it was, so I'd called on you to share you knowledge! Now I'm sharing with you.

Oh, and it's a dessert set. How fun!

Trying new things

Last week, my best friend (who does photography) and I decided to have a "photo shoot". She's got a professional camera, so of course her photos turned out wonderfully. We went to a wooded area by my house and I loved the scenery ... so much so that I decided to go back over Sunday night to take some photos of the projects I'd done over the weekend.

I made a chalkboard with one of my new favorite poems ... Repainted and sanded an awesome candelabra ...
And made another chalkboard ...
I can't wait until the leaves change a little more, but I love the little bursts of yellow. This is a perfect backdrop for some interesting pictures. I'm even thinking about taking my dining room table and chairs out here the next time we do a photo shoot!