Dark Walls + Bright Light

Lately I've been loving these dark walls in this dining room I happened to spy a while back on Pinterest.  I also am a fan of the exposed light bulb fixture and the many framed pieces on the walls.  This room makes me want to have lots of people over for a dinner of stew and potatoes or an amazing casserole.  I am ready for fall to role in!

Image: via little blue deer

ethanollie

Today I wanted to share with you one of my favorite vintage sellers on etsy.  Ethanollie has a great array of vintage items from bottles, baskets and flower pots to oil paintings and old linens.  It's a great shop to spend some time searching for a fun knick knack or an interesting piece that you had never thought of owning before.  I've got my eye on the white Bakelite doorbell below...

Images: ethanollie

West + Plum

If you are a fan of vintage finds, then you need to head over to West + Plum. Ellie, of the blog mint's, vintage etsy shop is a great place to pick up a small piece or cute vintage kitsch that she has found in her travels and hunts at flea markets. I snagged this great vintage embroidery piece the other day that I am going to make into a pillow for my living room. I can't wait to put it together!

Images: West + Plum

What Home Means to Me [Pin It Forward]

I’m very excited to be sharing with you today my pinboard from the Pin It Forward series that Victoria from sfgirlbybay and Pinterest have to put together. If you haven’t heard of Pinterest yet, then here is my introduction. If you like to look for inspiration online like I do, then this site is for you. It will allow you to take a picture from any website and ‘pin’ it to a board along with keeping the original source of the picture in tact. It’s like having a virtual scrapbook! A very fun and easy way to organize all of your virtual ideas and inspiration (and a great source for bloggers like me).

Now for my post. I’ve always considered home a place of refuge from the world around me. To me it is a place where family can gather and be comfortable, a place where I can get away from my daily work lives, a place to explore new interests and hobbies and a place that I have to make my own. Each home is different and has a different feel to it. I feel that as long as we make it our own, it is truly ours. Here are a few ways that I utilize my home.

Images pinned from: lovelydesign via unplggd, seesaw designs, country living, oh, hello friend via decor8, into the woods, anne coyle

I like to use my home as a place where I can create projects and where I can be inspired by what is around me. I feel that having a creative work space is essential and I will always try to have an inspiration board or desk where I can do my creative work. I also feel that my living space should inspire me. Our living areas should always bring us joy and happiness and inspire you in your daily life.

Images pinned from: anne coyle, country living, bolig, smitten kitchen, cannelle et vanille, design*sponge

I’ve been cooking since I was very young, learning from my mother and grandmother and having a fun and inviting kitchen is a must for me. I love the look of vintage items in a clean, open and bright kitchen. I also like red as an accent color because it exudes happiness and energy. I love to buy fresh strawberries at the local farmers’ market and love to bake my favorite Peanut Butter cookies. They always make my home smell wonderful!

Images pinned from: coralie bickford-smith, lonny mag via sfgirlbybay, bluebird vintage, coralie bickford-smith, design*sponge, country living

One of my favorite things to do is read a good book. When I was young, my mother made me read for half an hour before going to bed each night. She would take me to the library in the summer and sign me up for the summer reading program and I’ve been hooked on books ever since. I feel that my home will always need to have a place where I can sit down with a good cup of coffee or tea and enjoy a great story. Whether it’s a vampire ridden fantasy world, a journey on a murderous train ride or a wonderful romance in historic England, I believe that I will always need that space where I can stretch out with a good book and escape in a good story.

Images pinned from: sfgirlbybay; a creative mint, katy elliot, lonny mag via sfgirlbybay, a creative mint

I’ve never had a great green thumb, but then again, I am still learning. I remember growing up visiting both sets of my grandparent’s houses and being in awe by the fruits and vegetables that they were able to grow on their small plots of land. My paternal grandparents lived in the middle of a city and used the small sections of land on either side of their driveway to grow strawberries, corn, beans and the prettiest Lily of the Valley. My goal in life is to have a home where I too can grow some of God’s bounty. I’ve started experimenting in the last few years by growing small pots of herbs and flowers and I hope to extend that to a garden one day. How wonderful would it be to pick your own tomatoes from the garden to make a homemade bruschetta! YUM!

Images pinned from: design*sponge, please sir, the city sage, into the woods, hilda grahnat, paul barbera, making it lovely

If you haven’t noticed by reading my blog, I love old and vintage things! It’s a habit I picked up from my mom pretty young. She would take me with her to antique malls and flea markets and ever since then, I too am addicted to old stuff. I love the history behind old things; wondering where they came from and who had them before me. I also love to display my collections in new and different ways; whether it is hanging on the wall in an intricate pattern, to keeping to one color scheme or having a specific collectible, such as my vintage Scottie Dogs, together on one shelf. I love how they look displayed and how these various collections draw your eyes to them as a group and then to each individual item.

So, that is What Home Means to Me. Thank you for letting me share my thoughts with you today and thank you to Victoria over at sfgirlbybay and to Pinterest for putting this series together. Thank you also to Fairytale Wishes and Dreams for passing the torch on to me today and now I pass it on to Megan Charland tomorrow. Watch out for Megan’s post tomorrow and visit our Pin It Forward schedule to read all of the blogger’s contributions.

Vintage Treasure: Metal Muffin Tin

Today I wanted to share with you a vintage treasure that I found while looking through my baking cabinet last night. I found this metal muffin tin that I got from my grandmother a few years back when she was cleaning out her house. I had completely forgotten about it and decided that it would be the perfect accessory on my desk to hold some of my craft supplies. Doesn't it perfectly fit my tapes, twine and address stamp? I love that it has the perfect amount of cubbies for each of my items. A very cute idea indeed!

tems in cubbies: Address stamp - Paperwink, Pincushion ring - Art Nest , Red Twine - Bake It Pretty, Japanese masking tape - PrettyTape

Images: vintage yankee

Vintage Treasure: Yellow Shelf

This past weekend while I was out shopping at the flea market with friends, I spotted this cute yellow, metal shelf. The instant I saw it I knew I had to have it to hold my red salt & pepper shaker collection. The previous shelf I had was a boring white shelf and they were stuck on with a sticky putty so that they wouldn't fall off. Here they will be safe and I think that they yellow makes the red pop. Don't they look cute displayed on my new vintage find?

Picture: vintage yankee

Vintage Treasure

As most of you know, I have been taking a blogging class which has been giving me all sorts of ideas to improve and expand the blog for both your pleasure and mine. One of the improvements that I am going to make is to start a series every couple of weeks called Vintage Treasure where I feature a vintage item that I have found and researched.


Today's Vintage Treasure is a Double Decker Bus Bank that I recently purchased at the antique mall. It's vibrant red ceramic and shows a sticker along the side that reads 'British Is Best', along with the Union Jack flag. If you know anything about me, it's that I love everything British, so this bank fit perfectly into my collection. The one I purchased is a little worn, but you can see a newer version here. I've been doing some research on it and apparently on the newer versions of the bus there are more stickers on the side that read "Spur Novelties #14 Piccadilly Circus, Oxford St. Bond St." I believe mine is an older version as there is a lot of wear and tear and it doesn't look as though other stickers were in the places that the newer versions have them in. How cute is this little British novelty. Definitely a piece that I am thrilled to have in my care.

Picture: vintage yankee