NumberNineteen

Caught My Fancy -- April

It's hard to believe that we are nearing the end of April (well, that flew by, didn't it??) but here we are.  Right now, I'd like to hurry up May & the first part of June and then have July and the first part of August last a.very.very.long.time.  Summer vacation can't come soon enough...!  Onward to the fun things that have caught my fancy in this quickly moving month....

source: The Blond at the Film

Old Movies - I have been loving old movies recently, especially anything from the 1940s.  Have I told you that if I could go back in time, it would be to the 40s, without a doubt?  I started watching movies from this list that I somehow missed in my old-movie-loving youth.  My favorite so far is The More The Merrier, which can be found on youtube if you do some searching (and don't mind watching it in 10 minute increments).  Very cute, very funny, lots of chemistry and a fabulous 1940s apartment that I'd move into any day.  Are there any old movies, especially from the 40s, that I need to see?

Catios - Did you all know that this is a thing?  It all started as an observation that we should build a little screened cat box onto one of our windows because Dexter loves to be outside, but it's not safe with all of the birds of prey that live around here.  Something like this:

I was trying to describe what I was talking about to Glenn and looked up 'screened porch for cats' in Google.  Oh my gosh.  It turns out that this is a new thing for cats, called "Catios"!  Not just a box attached to a window, but entire jungle-gym type structures that take up a yard!  My favorite is this one, that is like a tree house for cats:

 

Style On Target - You guys know that I love cute clothes on a budget and I really love finding blogs that give me great ideas on how to find them.  Style on Target is one that I just discovered.  She posts cute outfits almost every day that feature at least one item from Target as well as pieces from other affordable stores.  And -- BONUS -- she posts updates on weekly sales happening at favorites like Loft, Old Navy, J. Crew, The Gap and (of course) Target.

That is it for links.  I've been spending my time watching old movies, catching up on PBS period dramas and gardening.  I'm itching to go to another flea market, but I don't think that there is another happening until the first week of May.  I'll keep you updated!

 

 

 

Personal Mother's Day Gifts

sources: The Grommet, Silhouettes By Elle, Big E Jewelry, Modern Vintage Market, Formia Design

When it comes to Mother's Day, I really like personal and very sentimental gifts.  I love the idea of giving something that means so much and could well become an heirloom.  I've been tooling around the web, looking for the perfect gift idea and I found some that I'd love to share with you.  I'm posting this now because all of these items are custom made and the artists need lead-time to have your gift done in time for Mother's Day.

Clockwise from top left:

Fingerprint Necklace - Nothing is more unique to an individual than their fingerprints. How wonderful would it be to have them next to your heart?  This would be so sweet with a baby's fingerprint.

Hand Cut Silhouette - I love silhouettes, especially of small children.  I think that the simplicity of them captures the innocence of childhood perfectly. They are such a nice personal touch for any room.  There are a lot of silhouette artists online, especially on Etsy, and I'm really drawn to Silhouettes By Elle's style and detail.

Signature Bracelet - I shared Big E Jewelry's signature bracelet about a year ago and I am still so in love with their jewelry. They will make a bracelet or necklace from any handwritten signature or short phrase.  You could have a bracelet made from the signature of a beloved one who passed away or someone who is still in your life but you want to honor.

Recipe Tea Towel - You know that I love old family recipes in their original handwriting. I recently found out that you can have them made into a tea towel!  There are several companies that make them and I really like Modern Vintage Market for their style and reasonable price.  How great would it be to have grandma's best recipe made into a towel for all of her grandkids?

Jewelry From Kids Art - Check this out!  Formia Design will make your child's artwork into gold or silver jewelry!  Earrings, necklaces, rings, key chains (Father's Day gift idea as well...!), you name it.  Their jewelry is definitely the priciest item on this list, but reasonable for such a detailed and unique item.  I'm contemplating a charm for my bracelet :)

I hope that this gives you a few ideas for unique Mother's Day gifts.  I won't say what I'm giving this year, because a certain person may be reading this!

 

 

A Spring Weekend

It's been a spring weekend that hasn't felt much like a spring weekend.  We got snow yesterday. SNOW.  In April, in Virginia.  My plans had involved going to a tulip festival and a flea market on Saturday.  I had to re-think that.  But, I did capture these pink tulips in front of our house on Friday.  Luckily, the snow went away very quickly and no damage was done to my bulbs.

We had friends over for dinner last night and this morning, I baked a cake for a co-worker's birthday.  I've made it before, so I know that it's going to be good.  But, check it out from another angle....

Whoops, kind of lopsided....!  But, as my mother said when I was little, "it's all the same in your tummy" (see, Mom, I was listening!).

We framed the little painting that I got at the flea last week and hung it in the front hall.  This may be the fastest that we have ever gotten a new picture up.

Other than that, it has been a quiet weekend.  We are running a book fair at school this week and I need to work on finding a caterer for the teacher appreciation lunch at Hope's school, so I'll be busy soon enough.  Let's all hope for warmer weather and lots of sunshine so that it starts to feel like spring for real.

Traditional Design on a Dime - Inexpensive Sources for Blue and White Porcelain

source: Splendid Sass

I've been in love with the look of blue and white porcelain forever.  Before Pinterest, I clipped pictures from magazines of rooms featuring ginger jars and now my boards are full of images of blue and white stacked shelves. For a long time, I thought that those blue and white beauties were out of my reach, price-wise.  However, I've found a few sources of really affordable porcelain that I want to share with you!

Of course, my favorite sources for blue and white pieces are fleas and thrift shops, but you can't count on finding what you are looking for.  Luckily, I stumbled upon my next favorite source a few years ago, One Kings Lane.  I'd know about the site for a long time, but I only recently realized that they have great blue and white pieces at a fraction of what you'd pay elsewhere, usually about half of other sources.

 From upper left, clockwise: Bowl $35, Jug, $49, Ginger Jar, $55, Jar, $39, Lidded Jar, $29

They have so much more than I show here.  For the past few years, I've asked for one jar a year for Christmas.

Another great source for smaller bowls (around 6-8" wide) is a Chinese import store in Manhattan called Pearl River Mart.  Their brick and mortar was closing down when I was there in February (sniff, sniff), but they still have a full selection online: Pearl River.

Clockwise from top left: Aijsai Bowl, $7.50, Blue on White Bowl, $7.50, Kyo Bowl, $7.50

Here are a few of the places that I have them scattered around my house:

If you love the look of blue and white as much as I do, I hope that these links help you satisfy your wants while not hurting your pocketbook!

 

 

 

 

The First Flea Market of The Season!

April is here and that means the beginning of flea market season!  At the very least, I'll be out on the first Saturday of every month for the flea held in a parking garage in Arlington and hopefully, I'll be able to hit a few others as well.  I might even try to go to the big Lucketts spring market that you hear about all over blogland. 

I did really well this month in Arlington, as you can see from the photo.  The green shelf ($4) will go in Hope's room, to display her art class ceramics.  I love the color, but she wants to paint it purple (of course). 

I love this sweet little painting ($15) of a reservoir in Massachusetts.  That little red-roofed house!  I'm going to re-frame it and put it up in the front hall.

The pewter pieces ($8 for both) have already found a home on the dresser in the living room.

The little blue bowl/cup (does anyone have any idea what a little bowl like this was originally intended for?) is perfect for holding a vanilla candle.

The ironstone cheese keeper and blue and white transferware bowl are going into my etsy store in the long run.  I'm actually working on changing the focus of my store, but am still gathering the wares that I want to make the store what I envision.  I'm excited to share the changes, but am still working on all of the parts that will pull it together.

Yay!   I love flea market season.  When I'm at a market, I'm in my happy place :)