Antiquing for our anniversary

After a summer of busy travels and lots of football madness we decided to stay close for our anniversary. I introduced my hubby to the idea of a stay-cation, and we decided to hit a great historic shopping district not too far from here. 

If you ever get a chance to visit Gardner's Historic Village give yourself a few hours and explore freely.

In the old mill at Archibald's Restaurant original gears and products are on display and woven into the shopping experience. 

I adored the different sections of decor and ideas

Love the signs and colors

The painted wood walls and cottage looks were lovely

The shops range from decor to Victorian clothing to toys and whimsy.  

We ended up with a few exciting things.

This super cool repurposed shelving was a MUST in my husband's eyes

I fell for this romantic mini dress (okay, think sweater tights and high boots????)

but that's not all..

the dress form was also on sale, because the store was closing to become a restaurant.

I can't wait to shabby that baby up and use it around the place!

We added a few necessary accessories to the hutch and we're ready to go

On the way home we stopped at another great consignment store called Home Again.

It was beautiful also, with a lot of great priced items.

We ended up grabbing a few more little things from there,

but we were pretty worn out at this point.

On the home front we have a new little friend to keep the kids busy...

so all was well for our day of celebration.

I kind of liked having a day to shop and enjoy each other's company some place far enough

to be 'away', but close enough to not cost much to get there.

I highly recommend the stay-cation shopping day.

Marriage has it's rewards, right???

My Goodwill Grab

While on vacation I stopped into the local Goodwill on a whim.

I had a great time browsing books (bought 3), handbags (bought one fun tote),

and of course, the furniture.

I found this little nightstand which I HAD to have.

(Sorry kids, I am not sure how we are all getting home now)

The style is similar to some furniture we had growing up,

but mostly I love the lines of this little dresser.

Best of all, it was $6.99.

I decided to go the easy route, and bought a vintage white spray paint

that boasted "no sanding or prep work needed".

I was happy with what 2 coats of paint gave me.

I was in a panic, because I could only remove the top knob for painting.

After one coat, though, I saw that the spray paint really filled in nicely around the

lower drawer pulls, so I guess I got lucky on that.

This will probably end up in my reading nook,

a place to stash all my notebooks and highlighters,

but for now I am enjoying it in the corner of our breakfast area,

where it can hold my (fake) Scentsy.

I love the final product,

and this has inspired me to take on more makeovers for around the house.

This may move around a few times before it finally finds it's permanent home,

but for now I think it's a great start.

Feeling ready to makeover your own little piece?

I used Krylon Fusion Gloss paint in Dover White.

Be sure to link up your post in my comments so I can come peek!

Flea Market and Funky Junk Finds

The blog world has opened my eyes to the possibilities of decorating and connecting with other women who care to create. I love the Funky Junk blog for all that it does to push home decor out of the box ( and give a more masculine feel to the world of Shabby and Vintage decor).

I went to my FIRST flea market while in Colorado this weekend- and hubby was in tow, not too excited about the vans oozing with junk- but a good sport, none the less. Before I knew it we turned a corner and eyed this vintage STOP sign which my hubby could not bear to let pass by. (And it was not exactly cheap).

We were told by the vendor it was from the 40's, and after a little more research I have learned that most stop signs with additional words above and below the STOP are probably dated from the 20's-40's. The earlier signs were yellow, though, so I am not sure where this fits in.

We also spotted these super cool and funky surplus trunks

thanks to Funky Junk inspiration me and my son agreed these would be awesome stacked by his bed as a nightstand with a cool light and clock. Would you believe we got both of these for $25 ? I was a little giddy over that. (Note to others- remove your funky trunks before you try to tour the Air Force Academy. The guards did a double take at these in our trunk and shook them to make sure they were empty. Oops!)

A blog post by Stacy's Shabby Shoppe also had me enjoying some mommy ME time at a local antique mall where I found this super shabby ladder.

I am envisioning it in my reading nook with a few cozy quilts tossed across the bars and maybe a magazine or two slung on the rungs. It isn't in my corner yet, but my Mother's Day gift did find it's way to it's spot.

Speaking of Mother's Day, I know it's been a month, but I have to just say I loved just relishing in the day with my boys, and really loving what it means to be a mom.

I am going to share a little card my youngest tucked into my hands the day after Mother's Day as he was getting ready for school.....

it made me cry like a baby... who else but a mom is loved like this?

linking up today with Romantic Homes blog.....the links are all so fun!

Around the House

Well.....I hit a local antique store after reading about it on another blog. I was feeling a bit bluesy with all the changes of the school year and the drama that kids can bring to it, so I probably was an easy retail target that day. One thing I found that I am in love with is this little weathered parlor chair.

I wanted something with a touch of vintage flair to it that I could set my Diet Coke, iPad, and magazines on when I go for a long soak. (A bath is an escape around here). It is sturdy enough I can use it while slipping on my socks and shoes so it is perfect.

I am still in dire need of more decor around my sanctuary spot!

All the windows in the antique mall reminded me I had a few more in the basement of my old home. I ran home and grabbed one to bring to my new house.

I love the little flakes of blue that survived the high pressure shooting of the hose.

I did have a few other things on this armoire top, but I liked the size of this window better, so I swapped them out. With a few little touches I am liking this one better for the space.

I have added glass ware and bottles to my vintage 'to find' list, now that I have this little place to tuck a few more.

This next corner (I know, not decorated yet! Oh, the possibilities, right?)was one of the selling points of the house. I have always wanted a reading nook of some sort, complete with an outside view and plenty of shelves. This is a little wing in the Master Bedroom area.

Now that I have the space, I just need to add the shelves and outside landscaping to complete my corner! I got a shelf for Mother's Day, but it wasn't here yet when I snapped this photo. Let's call it my "before" photo and I will show you more as I get it done.

This weekend was the first day of our yard clean-up.

Have you ever looked at a pile of weeds and thought "wow...every thing in that pile was pulled by an (aching) hand." This truck full was a lot of work. We probably won't begin our landscaping until next spring, just due to some of the major stuff that needs to be done and we aren't ready to get to it yet.

But I do have my happy place on the porch.

I am anxious to get my house where I want it to be but life is reminding me....it's all about the process.

Little by little, we decorate our life

Spring Tag Time

One of the bonus benefits of being from a large family, who is also a creative group of women, is the instant artistic swaps we can organize. One quick Facebook message will start a tag swap for a dozen of us at a time.

I just finished my spring tags to exchange with sisters, nieces, and my mom.

I love the idea of running patterned and colored paper through the printer.

This tag background is from the free image gallery at Ceremony.

I love how it turned out on this paper.

After finding some sort of mixed media vintage image that I was excited about, (not hard at Moonlight Journey) and some spring sentiments, I could start assembling the tags.

Funny, I was so in love with that birdcage, and then I just covered it up.

Oh well, part of the process is loving what you do step by step.

Adding a few more tidbits and an ink stamp or two, and I am finally liking the final image

The quote comes from the following poem

If I Had my Life to Live Over Again

I'd dare to make more mistakes next time.

I'd relax, I would limber up.

I would be sillier than I have been this trip.

I would take fewer things seriously.

I would take more chances.

I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers.

I would eat more ice cream and less beans.

I would perhaps have more actual troubles,

but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.

You see, I'm one of those people who live

sensibly and sanely hour after hour,

day after day.

Oh, I've had my moments,

And if I had it to do over again,

I'd have more of them.

In fact, I'd try to have nothing else.

Just moments, one after another,

instead of living so many years ahead of each day.

I've been one of those people who never goes anywhere

without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat

and a parachute.

If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.

If I had my life to live over,

I would start barefoot earlier in the spring

and stay that way later in the fall.

I would go to more dances.

I would ride more merry-go-rounds.

I would pick more daisies.

Nadine Stair,

85 years old.

What would you do differently if you did it over again?

Silly Things

by Curly Girl Designs

"It just seems silly to me, that's all "

This is my husbands response to a girl's over night book club.

I have the best book club, with the best ladies, and we have the best talks. We hit Park City for mexican food (my favorite), lots of chocolate, lots of shopping, and endless talking. I am not kidding, we stayed up until 2am. We discussed our books, we discussed our lives, we discussed religion. I am inspired by the determined and caring women I know.

Even though a man may not have the need for a night away to feel recharged, every single one of us women relished it. On the way home my mom and I stopped into a local little shop called Cherry Lane that we both had been dying to see. (We were probably always with our husbands so we figured we would go later).

It was eye candy and feminine dreaminess of the highest degree.

Wall to wall filled with frills, sparkles, handbags, scents, and more to fill your silly girl dreams up to the brim. My mom bought a gorgeous pink handbag.

Fans of vintage inspired, shabby chic sweet, beauty supplies and stationary will not be disappointed by this little shop. I grabbed a tote (to replace my grubby one that tends to be my favorite) and a few cards, including the Curly Girl one above that hit ironically close to home for me.

If you are in the area for Conference, graduation, skiing- whatever- and you are near Provo this is a little shop you might not want to miss.

As much as I love to escape for a day or two, all it takes is stepping into the house to be reminded my duties await. I have to just get back to work and be grateful for the time I had with the girls.

Before bed I snuck in a little more girliness.

Me and my mermaid soak in bubbles to soothe our sleepless night woes away. Did I mention I love my new giant tub?

Anyway..... I am glad I can believe in what may be silly to another

if you don't want to see me be silly

close your eyes

Weekend Finds

So, you know I was falling flat for spirit and inspiration last week. I even declared myself officially grumpy and pouted on the couch. I am not sure why. These things do happen.

But, on mommy's day out, I found some great finds that reminded me of the simple things in life

First a stop at the bakery

That lovely heart sugar cookie you see is now probably stuck somewhere between my intestines and my thighs, but it was delicious.

Then surprising find of vintage inspired Valentines

These are made by Punch Studio, and I found them at Barnes and Noble after browsing through all the Somerset Magazines. Is it just me, or is $6.95 for a box of 24 an incredibly great deal? I was a little giddy over that- but after working with my other materials I have for the Valentine swap they aren't quite right. I will hold on to them for the future.

I browsed the aisles of our local thrift store. looking for some fun mismatched china ware. At the local antique store a saucer and tea cup can run $8-$15, and I just don't want to pay that much. I noticed a man with a full cart of various goodies, rummaging the shelves and looking at labels with a magnifying glass. In spite of this "professional" I still scored some great things.

I started stacking these pretties in my cart, not yet sure if I would buy them all or not, when suddenly a woman came up to me, just raving about the plates I found, and how she used to have similar dishes, and she couldn't believe they were just on the general shelf of dishes. That caught the magnifying glass man's attention, and he, too, peered into my cart, and said. "Wow, you have some great finds".

At that point, I decided I would just buy everything I had in the cart (at 50 cents to a buck an item, why not?) and felt pretty happy (although I am not sure why). I must admit, I left them in the car until hubby left for work. He is not the biggest fan of second-hand stores. (if you are reading this i love you babe and love me for who i am)

Now I have a few more pretty pieces to mix and match with my china for our Valentines Brunch Book Club. I love a reason to host!

On the fashion front, this weekend I am drooling all over this Spring line by Chanel. I don't live a life where I would parade around in these beautiful garments, but if I did, I may show up to the next party in this

I got the new Style.com app on my iPad and so I now sit and browse the fashion shows whenever I have a minute. It is a great app, if you're into that kind of thing. Perhaps I can beg the dentist to turn up the happy gas and dream myself in the fashion world today while I get my root canal finished.

Wish me luck

and live beautifully today

Inspire Me

Today is a rare day. I have nothing...I repeat NOTHING on my calendar until tonight. Normally I schedule these days to clean up, catch up around the house, or catch up with my DVR. I don't want to do any of that.

I want to look at lovely things that make me feel romantic

I need to find inspiration for my Valentines Swap

last year's Valentines were fun and romantic

And Bergdorf Goodman is inducing day dreams of romantic hair, boots, lacy clothing, and a bike ride in the spring

So, while the house may sit untouched for today

In my mind I have been very productive

Arts and Craftiness

I have not been able to create anything for a while. That makes me a little bit crazy, so I like it when I have an excuse to cut and paste and stamp.

Our show recently opened and I was determined to make a little somethin-somethin for the other "wives" of the brothers in the play.

(Me and a few of the "wives", plus one brother that can't resist a photo op. We are in our Egyptian costumes, which are just too fun too miss.

ANYWAY I found some amazing graphics for an amazing deal at the Cute and Cool shop of Itkupilli, and so I made these little tags by using her graphics, adding a saying, and topping it with my favorite stamp.

I stuffed little bags with the tags, some chocolate (a backstage must) some gum (an onstage must) and a few crackers in case anyone needed a snack.


These were surprisingly easy and I will definitely be using this idea for future friends/sister/neighbor treats. I am always happy to find a simple thing to pull together that looks cute. I got the luggage tags at Staples and the bags at Hobby Lobby.


I am also happy to say the EAR is completely better ( who would have thought earwax could put you in bed?) but due to the disgusting details, I am not posting about that. I am feeling SO MUCH better for a few reasons (different post), and instead of telling my friend that cuts my hair to just 'trim it', I decided to actually get a new style. I know people say cutting your hair isn't that big of a deal, but I feel like a new woman.

AND PS- my kids started school yesterday!!!! Shhhh, don't tell...
I may just read blogs all day