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?

Dream job?

I saw the previews for a program on the Sundance Channel and I'll tell you, I'm in love. Man Shops Globe is probably a good answer to the question 'what's your dream job?' Keith Johnson is the Buyer at Large for Anthropologie. He scours the world for pieces to be sold in stores and that they can use for merchandising purposes.

He goes to flea markets, thrift stores - just like we do! He finds one of a kind pieces, some that need to be refinished - just like we do! Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, right? I'm sure it's stressful, hard work at times but to me ... it sounds like a dream come true!

Be sure to check out the Sundance channel and the website for a little more info. For now ... enjoy a few pictures of some of Mr. Johnson's finds.

This bed is something he found on the road in Paris. Get a closer look at Anthropologie.

One Word @ Etsy 8

I participated in a chili cookoff today and since it's been super cold in the Midwest, I thought it would only be appropriate to dedicate an Etsy post to: CHILI.

As always, click on the picture to be taken to the store! Keep warm!

What's for dinner?

My menus came in the mail today and I couldn't be more excited! I didn't think I'd like them as much as I do and I cannot wait to frame them. I'm really hoping to find some neat scrapbook paper to put in the frames ... has anyone seen anything diner-ish out there?

I have a wide variety of menus ... breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and cocktails, all with lovely graphics and fonts. And the prices?! Meals for 40 cents! Those were the good ol' days, huh? So, take a minute, look over the menu, and enjoy a trip down memory lane.

Enjoy your weekend!

Paint it black

I'll admit ... I don't have a lot of all black decor. Ok, more like none. I prefer colors or wood. I wear black almost everyday, but for my home? I feel like its too modern. That's why I was especially surprised when a couple of my most recent Goodwill finds screamed "PAINT US BLACK!"

The results? I love them ... and want to keep them, but would feel like I needed to change the rest of my decor. So, you get a sneak peek before they go in my Etsy shop this weekend!

I found this great (plastic) wooden key. I thought about painting it almond or pebble and doing a little sanding, but I had the inkling that black would really set it apart. I also found this frame that I am completely in love with! Same situation ... I debated between leaving it as is or painting it one of my favorite got-to colors but I just knew that black would suit this. In between coats, some of the gold would show through so I considered gilding it a little after I was finished. But jet black? Oh, so chic!
A while ago, I hinted at a little project I wanted to do with these parts. Its been rainy the past few days, so I haven't been able to finish but I'm excited for some sunshine and a reveal!

Until next time!

A picture's worth ...

I'm a little jealous of professional photographers. I try to take creative photos and I'm getting better, but I still like to use my friend Photobucket. They have a lot of effects you can use to edit your photos ... sepia, grayscale, soften, and a couple of my favorites - old photo and inkstamp.

We have a big pile of old wood at our house, so I thought it would be an interesting backdrop for some pieces I revamped over the weekend.

This is a wooden key that I repainted black ... edited with the old photo effect.

A close up of the detail of a frame, in the inkstamp effect.
Here's a shot of the whole frame ... can't decide if I want to keep it or not!
While we're on the subject of photos ... what's your method for taking pictures and editing them? And - does anyone have advice on how to make my photos larger for my posts? Also sometimes they are clickable to make them bigger on a new page, sometimes they aren't. Any helpful hints?

Ramblings ...

Today is Tuesday. Duh, right? I normally do my 2 posts on this special day of the week, but today - I'm going to squeeze everything into one. It was my first day back from work after 4 days off. I ran an errand right after work, then cooked dinner, cleaned (including scrubbing down the kitchen cabinets) and now it's "me time".

Ok, on to more blog related ramblings. Yesterday, I was very pleased when I checked my convos on Etsy ... I was featured on another blog and the lovely writer sent me the link! Go here to check it out.

I was also able to squeeze in a few projects from some goodies I purchased at Goodwill and when I went to my favorite art and antique mall.

I loved this little frame and the picture inside isn't bad so I'm torn ... leave it as it or do something fun?

I was so happy to find some of these letters ... now on my dresser, in front of a picture of Mr. C+D and me!

I love these vintage shoe stretchers ... I found them in the same booth with the letters. They are chippy and wonderful!

I mentioned some projects ... well, guess what? None of them had anything to do with my Ten Days Challenge. In fact, as much as I hate to do it - I'm ditching the whole thing. I'm still waiting on my menus to be shipped to me and those were the basis for my whole kitchen redos.

Oh, and I went to Hobby Lobby to look for supplies for the apothecary jars. I was a little frustrated but decided I'd give it another try so I might pick up the supplies tomorrow or Thursday.

I know, I know ... these are not good excuses but I've learned that I just can't be motivated by a list. I'm jealous of people who are but its not me. When it needs to be finished, I'll finish.

If you've been able to keep up with this post at all - KUDOS to you! My mind is in 1000 places tonight! :) This week, I'll have some photos of more projects ... the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Ok, just the good.

One Word @ Etsy 7

Yesterday was my 25th birthday. I like to celebrate my birthday in a big way ... I usually have at least 2 birthday dinners, lunches, cakes - you get the picture. This year was no exception! I had an awesome dinner at Fogo de Chao with Mr. C+D, dinner and antiquing with my best friend, and dinner and ice cream with my parents. Lovely!

So, to wrap up a great birthday weekend, here is my (belated) One Word @ Etsy post!

I really love vintage greeting cards. The graphics and fonts are so cute!

Since I'm on a vintage photo kick, I thought this was adorable - a little birthday boy!
A little charm, 25 for my number of years and grey hair ... times about 100. :)Aww ... a birthday puppy!

The birthday girl makes her own cake ...

So ... when is your birthday and how do you celebrate?

Decisions, decisions

My 10 things in 10 days is proving to be more challenging than I expected. I bought the wrong kind of plate hangers I needed for this project. I was unsure of the whole thing, but got good feedback from you so I decided to go on with it. Well, after fussing with it for waaay longer than I anticipated .... I'm throwing that idea out the window.

Feeling a little discouraged, I figured I'd better do a "trial run" of another project before I got really aggravated!

This is the interior of the cabinet above my sink. Its a small space, but I've always imagined taking the doors off and decorating this space. I found the tea set and gravy boat at GW ... Ironstone Lemon Federalist and I love it. I fully intended on selling it.
But, I decided this is the perfect project to justify keeping it!
My only concern? Is this going to look too busy if I have 3 shelves of decor?

Love, love, love!
Regardless of my decision, I'm going to either paint or paper this cabinet white. I think that will help smooth everything out and at least I can get a better idea of the final product.