Make it Monday // 4 Vintage & Second Hand DIY Gifts

I think the best gifts are handmade - or in this case, hand assembled.  Giving vintage (or even just thrifted) finds can be a little bit more personal & can sometimes save you a bit of money!  We've been collecting vintage for a while so we've got a lot of things hanging around our house & in 516VINTAGE stock.  (ps. stay tuned for a 516VINTAGE update, there's going to be a lot of refocusing in the coming year & maybe a huge instagram sale with our remaining stock.) But if you're in to poking around garage sales, heading to your local flea market, or popping into your favorite thrift store on Saturday mornings these are some gifts to look out for:

Instant Bar

This is one of my favorite manly gifts!  You can totally do a glammed up version as well with different colored glasses & trays.  This might take a little bit of looking, but if you're a thrifter I'm sure you won't mind!  Find a sliver tray, shaker, pair of glasses, ice bucket, & a decanter - or pick just a few of these to assemble how you wish.  

Assorted Kitchen Storage Jars

We became addicted to gathering different glass storage jars for our kitchen about a year ago.  For ages we just picked everyone up we saw (some for the shop, some for us).  I'm not sure if we're done but we do currently have three of them we store pasta in.  Since you can often find one or two matching jars at thrift stores, etc creating an assortment of your own is really nice.

Craft Case or Sewing Kit

If you can find a sewing box that is awesome but you could also use a train case to assemble your little collection of craft supplies.  If you're lucky you can find a sewing kit already stocked (one of my favorit finds ever!).  But you can also browse the craft section of your thrift store - if you find one, I think a lot of them have little sections like this - for sewing patterns, notions, buttons, and other bits & bobs.  Throw in some nice shears from your fabric store, maybe even a gift card, & there you go!

Instant Mug Collection

Zach loves collecting crazy mugs & our mug rack is full of an assortment of thrifted mugs.  If you keep your eye out long enough your can find a collection of four, five, six, or ten (or twenty, who cares!) mugs.  These instant collections are great if you know someone who wants to start collecting & want to help them along or just encourage them.  Who doesn't want a cabinet of fun mugs?  Even do a his & hers collection!

Giving vintage & second hand isn't tacky at all.  To me it says one of a kind and that you care enough to seek something out for someone.  You might find something that was totally common 20 years ago but is totally unique today!

What are you giving for the holidays?

xoxo, Moe

Connect on Twitter // Follow on Pinterest

ReSelling // How We Keep it all Straight

In this brand new adventure we call selling awesome vintage stuff there's a lot we have to learn.  At first, we didn't keep record of stuff because a lot of it Zach already had & it sorta was just a hobby to do together knowing that we didn't have any room for the things we'd continue to collect.  Once we sold the first thing, we knew it was time to get serious.  So amid the bunches of receipts & Zach keeping things in his head, we knew we had to do something different.

The glorious world of vintage shopping often looks like this:

But then when we get home, it starts to look like this - less glamourous but still pretty awesome:

We're trying to get into more of a schedule...and I'm trying to keep us from going out & getting more inventory when we need to sort through what we have.  The move & renovation took a bit out of our semi-organization but we've tried to get back on track.  here's what we've done:

Created an Inventory Sheet

We sat down one Sunday night & Zach put his spread sheet skills to work.  We created an inventory sheet that tracks sales, profits, costs, investments in the shop, & payouts.  This has helped a lot!  I've actually replicated this sheet across all the shops.  This spread sheet is through Google Drive & we share it across our email addresses.  That way if ever Zach needs to access it he can & I can access it on all our devices.  Google Drive is pretty awesome like that!

Solid Inventory Nights

Once we went through & filled in the spread sheet with our current inventory, I've been making it a goal to put in solid inventory nights where we not only list the cost but also decide what to charge.  A lot of the time we talk about the price we'll list when we're our looking for inventory.  But inventory night is when we see how it all plays out.  Keeping costs low ensures that our listing prices are reasonable & acceptable.  Also, it's pretty fun to be surrounded by awesome stuff while sitting on our new carpet!  I think the spare bedroom is going to become an inventory room & I kinda like it.  Though I haven't fully decided if putting things in the closet is the right way to treat some of these pieces that deserve display.  Salt & Pepper shakers go well with bedroom decor right?

Solid Photography Days

These have been the hardest.  If you notice, and I'm sure you do, that the product photos changed a bit after we moved.  And while we were in the process of moving there was no proper place to photograph.  I tried & tried & tried but the photos came out crappy.  Now that we've got the house done there is a perfect little corner in the spare bedroom perfect for photographing!  Since I've got a lot of things besides the vintage shop going on, I try to get in a big chunk of photographing done each week.  I need to be better at this.  I would like to be on top of photographing things as they are added to the inventory sheet.  Meaning once a chunk comes in, it's photographed.  But usually I only get around to photographing enough for a decent shop update.  I'll go more into my dream schedule below!

Solid Listing Times

Just like with photographing, I make sure I have a solid chunk of time dedicated to listing.  I love Etsy's draft feature!  I can create a few drafts & list them throughout the week.  Personally I think this is best because your products stay at the front of the Etsy pages.  I try to list one or two items at a time over a period of about a week - 6 to 10 items usually.  We really want to build up the shop with more than two pages....but man that mess is hard!

Listing Goals

We've decided to set goals each month regarding how much we'll list & how much we'll promote.  I think this is a great new idea rather than just leaving it up to well I'll get some done this week.  This way it's more planned & just overall better for business.

Ok, now I want to share with you our dream vintage listing schedule:

We go on an awesome trip & come home with an awesome haul -> new inventory is unpacked grouped, etc -> inventory is taken & spread sheet is filled in -> cleaning & measurements -> photography -> editing & listing.

I guess that is everyone's dream schedule, but I really want to start working in batches rather than in pieces if that makes sense.  It's all about growing & learning  and we've got a lot to learn!

(if you're into more posts like this - inside looks & behind the scenes of vintage stuff - check out Thrift Core.  Van is pretty awesome, really encouraging, & a great all around person!)

What's your process?  What have you learned as you've gone through?

Connect on Twitter // Follow on Pinterest // Peep me at Hello Cotton

Incorporate Vintage into your Home - Guest Post on Lost & Fawned

Today I'm over on Lost & Fawned sharing three simple ways to add vintage into your home!

Head on over to Lost & Fawned to check it out!

Connect on Twitter // Follow on Pinterest // Peep me at Hello Cotton

Reselling // Collecting as a Couple

Zach & I are both avid collectors.  Thinking back on it now, when we discovered our shared love of thrifting, antiquing, and collecting, deciding to open a vintage shop was a very natural progression.  As we'd go out together hunting down the things we liked, our collections began to grow (and grow, and grow, and grow!).  On weekend dates we'd hit yard sales & flea markets finding cool things to scoop up.

Deciding to venture into reselling meant we could continue with our hobby & give fun pieces new homes (read our Vintage Story here).  I actually think reselling helped us define our collections since we were now trying to narrow down collecting only the awesome stuff.  This is the best part: we get the thrill of the hunt, get to keep a piece for a while, & then send it on to a new home.  We also get to style our collections & actually showcase them.  The whole storefront is filled with carefully curated items to tell stories.  For us, reselling is to both develop & to downsize our collections.

Because of the move the store has been falling a bit behind & we're now down to one page of listings.  That's totally unacceptable considering how much stuff I know we have to photograph!  So this week, after having primed the downstairs drywall, we decided to gather a few things & snap some photos.  I collected a lot of the bits & bobs laying around the upstairs and compiled them into a plastic storage bin.  The bin filled up fast!  Boxing all your inventory up with your other possessions & then continuing to collect means you accumulate!

We each have our own jobs with 516VINTAGE: I photograph, list, & advertise while Zach negotiates, Craigslists, & moves the heavy things!  We both pick out the items for the shop either agreeing or vetoing something.  We also both pick out things for our own, personal collections.  Zach is always looking for radios, books, & other gadgets and I'm always looking out for anything floral, bright, & avocado green.  When collecting, we not only think about ourselves but we think about styles, our shop categories, trends, & how we see the shop going in the future..

When going to flea markets, yard sales, antique stores, etc it's great to have a partner.  If you're good enough together you'll have two sets of eyes looking for what you like rather than one.  This, in fact, is my favorite Thrift Tip  (I haven't done a thrift tip in ages!).  Find a great thrifting partner & become  a well oiled machine to find the best stuff!

Zach & I usually start looking together but sometimes venture off on our own.  This venturing off gives us individual looking time but also helps us cover more ground.  Keeping an eye out individually for both our tastes is great.  But as for business, it's great to have a partner to collaborate on a purchase or veto something all together which helps narrow our collections and define the direction of our shop.  Though, sometimes, fun things sneak in like a 1980's cat handled mug that just had to come home with us!

Reselling has been a great experience for us because it's something we get to do together.  We also get to mix business with pleasure as we enjoy hunting down fun things & we get to find things to keep for our home.  The shots in this post are candid shots from a special Monday spent together cleaning, organizing, & photographing new products.  I can't wait until I have a permanent place to photograph our finds!

Do you share anything like this with your partner?  What are your favorite pastimes to do together? 

Connect on Twitter // Follow on Pinterest // Peep me at Hello Cotton

516VINTAGE Update // Our First 'Picking' Experience

I think I've mentioned before that I am not a very good talker when it comes to talking deals at garage sales & flea markets.  I just find the good stuff & Zach makes the offers.  We're a good team.

Well on Saturday we ran into a nice, yet a little terrifying but totally awesome lady who ran a fruit stand slash yard sale thing.  When we walked up, we were greeted by a terrifying Doberman who actually turned out to be the sweetest & well trained dog.  (Big dogs scare me to death!)  After some digging around, we found some cool stuff.  Then Zach got to talking.  Usually I tense up & pretend I'm not listening during this because I always feel pushy when trying to negotiate & Zach is always so confident.

We discovered that she has a lot of things she's getting ready to set out in the spring from her mother's estate.  After a failed attempt at a preview, Zach asked if there were any other places we should check out while we're in town.  She told us of a garage across the street owned by one of her friends full of junk.  Zach lit up & I got nervous.  Did I really want to dig around in someone else's junk? Would this really be helpful? We don't know these guys?  But Zach got the contact, we went to get lunch, then Zach got a call saying that the guy was home & would open the garage.

After donning our work gloves & me sweating out of nervousness, we pulled into the parking lot of an old gas station/storage unit for this family.  I was afraid we were going to find loads of dumb stuff...but we actually found some cool stuff (some of which I haven't photographed yet!):

This pretty cool Dachshund planter type deal.  I think it would look great as an herb planter or as a desk organizer.  I was so tempted to keep it for myself!  It's currently in the vintage shop.

A groovy mushroom wall hanging that seems to be made of some sort of foam.  It's 3D & the detail is really cool.  I cleaned it up a bit & the yellow just popped!  I listed it today too along with another wall hanging here.

We also found a wonderful Poloarid Land Camera in great condition even though the case was torn to shreds!  Unfortunately the photos of that are still on my card! I guess I didn't take them off!  I'll show ya later.  We found a lovely milk glass lamp & Zach picked up a cool set of shot glasses in a little case, too.

Then we hit up the Goodwill because the person we asked said that they usually have cool stuff with good character.  Since the town seemed small, we trusted that she knew what junk her neighbors would be getting rid of.  While we dont' usually buy up things from thrift stores, sometimes we pop in to see if we can find any unique stuff.

We found a solitary Merry Mushroom Mug from Sears & were sad to see that no other Merry Mushroom items were present.  But he's a good little guy to replace a broken one or just to have a single cup of coffee.  Lots of Mushroom stuff in the shop!

And these diner style mugs that I want to drink shakes out of everyday were found at the Goodwill.  Since we like story telling & memories, it's rather hard to justify things from the thrift store unless they are super unique.  To me, thrift stores are the retail store of vintage.  They're fine for everyday items & I buy things for my own collection but the real gems come from digging & talking to people!

I guess you could say our first Picking Experience was a success & I'm more open to the opportunity now.  I did open up & converse more about our brand and our venture with the fruit stand lady to see if that would help open any leads.....and I didn't feel too uncomfortable after it.  But I still don't think I could do the haggling & negotiating!

Have you ever been Picking? Where do you find little gems for your collections?

Connect on Twitter // Follow on Pinterest // Peep me at Hello Cotton

Wednesday Decor // Style Vintage Books

Usually any decor posts on Wednesday are named Dorm Dec Wednesday...but since I've graduated & we're moving on up, I thought I'd change the name.  Though we are currently living in a teeeny tiny one bedroom apartment, I am no longer decorating a dorm room & thought up a more grown up title for the the Wednesday decor inspiration: Wednesday Decor.  I think it's a welcomed change & if you pick up a copy of the Blogging Basics eBook that's now out, I talk about how change can be good for you in blogging.  Since life has this tendency to just happen you'll go through change & it's alright if your blog does to!  Blogging is about discovering yourself rather than talking about yourself anyway!

This past weekend Zach & I went home decor shopping.  We went because it was a 3 day weekend & we didn't have much to and because we hardly agree on anything decor related (I've mentioned how we've used pinterest to solve this before)!  We decided it would be good for us to go somewhere that we could pick up & move objects to see what we liked best.  It turned out to be a fun trip where we decided on bedding (yay! + a DIY coming soon!) and bedframe styles.  My favorite stop was when we decided to take a look around Ethan Allen.  I fell in love with how they styled their store!  There was an especially large bookcase filled with different book collections (the first picture below) which got me thinking of all the ways to use books in your home decor with out having them sitting neatly in a row on a book case.  It's much more interesting to have them all around you, unless your into neat rows of books!

Zach & I are always on the hunt for interesting books.  I love bright colors & shapes and Zach looks for interesting topics & sets.  Together we are a great pair of book hunters!

two // three // four
(if you could help with the exact sources, I'd love it! Some of these were found on pinterest pinned months ago!)

4 Ways to Incorporate Vintage Books into your Home Decor:

Mix & Match Collections in a Book Case //  This is perfect if you have a huge book case but not a huge book collection (yet).  Display your books in piles by color, size, genre, author, & mix in other display elements like knick knacks, book ends, sculptures, & even photos.  Create zones and display all nautical related books with shells & family beach photos, for example.  Create an ombre or rainbow effect by displaying books by color.  

Unique Photo Display //  Sometimes we find books that are a little worse for wear but the insides & the covers are in an awesome distressed condition that would make them perfect to repurpose.  We can't stand to do it, but using the book bones to make a great photo display can add to your inspiration space in your studio, create a cool entry way display, & add a bit of interest to any room.  Consider using all one color, all one genre, all one topic, etc for a cohesive look.

Display a Curated Collection // Displaying a carefully assmebled collection can say a lot about a room's decor & your interests.  In the 516VINTAGE shop, we curate our book collections currently by subject matter.  Curating a collection by more than color creates depth to a room & allows your true interests to shine through your decor.  Consider our collection of children's study books as decor to a nursery or child's room.  A collection of late 19th & early 20th century American History School books is perfect for a history buff's office

Elevate a Lamp for Better Lighting //  When I was in college a lot of my apartments didn't have overhead lighting.  I am a lighting snob: I have to have all the available lights in the room on or else I can't see squat!  I used to elevate my bedside lamp & my desk lamp on books in order to gain more lighting.  Not only is this functional but its pretty too!

Books have to be one of our favorite things to collect.  Zach can't stand to see a good book let go & I love thinking of all the hands that once touched them & all the minds that ones enjoyed them.  It's great to be able to connect with others & use books to bring a bit of warmth into your home.  Check out the 516VINTAGE instant book collections (expanding oh so soon!) because a house filled with books is a good place to live!

How do you use books in your home? Are they purely practical or do you mix it up?

Connect on Twitter // Follow on Pinterest // Peep me at Hello Cotton

Trend Tuesday // It's All in the Details

For me, sometimes the thing that sells me on a product is the attention to detail.  Not only is this important in handmade shops but in big retailers as well.  While the details on handmade items usually last longer & don't hang from poorly sewn threads, I still try to pay attention to every curve, every button, & every stitch when I am out.

Paying attention to the details in my own work is sometimes frustrating & I often forget it.  A pot won't be smooth enough because I didn't pay attention to a drip or a stitch will be missed because I am just moving too fast.  Paying attention to details encourages me to remember to slow down.  It encourages me to remember it's about quality, not quantity.  Here are some details I am loving this week:

The crochet latch detail on this back pack perfect for your back to school needs.  

From Marinsss on Etsy

The bold square handle cut outs of this serving & storage bowl.

By Pigeon Toe Ceramics on Etsy

The lovely details of the luggage we have listed in our vintage shop

From 516VINTAGE on Etsy.

Details make the connection for me.  What about you?

Connect on Twitter // Follow on Pinterest // Peep me at Hello Cotton

Our Vintage Story // A New (Old) Project

A little bit ago & probably even today actually, I've been hinting at a new project Zach & I are embarking on.  You may have noticed that both Zach & I love thrifting, antiquing, yard sale-ing, flea market-ing, & all around finding cool stuff.  We both love connecting with pieces from by gone eras.

Zach is a collector of electronics, books, & instruction manuals.  I am a collector of purses, luggage, & knick knacks.  Zach's tastes range from the late 1800s to the late 1940s.  My tastes begin in the 1950s & stretch to about the 1970s.  Together our interests span nearly 100 years of history, fashion, trends, electronics, & collectables.

For me, loving vintage all started with being raised in my Grandmother's home surrounded by pictures & pieces from my Grandparent's marriage.  They were married 57 years until my Grandfather's passing.  Growing up, days were spent at their house studying antiques brought over from France, eating at a dining room table purchased mid century, & flipping through photo books where my Grandmother grew to look more & more like myself everyday.  I was drawn to longer hemlines, higher waists, coiffed hair, & to look as flawless as my Grandmother did.  Vintage to me means a sense of family, a sense of belonging.

For Zach the turn of the century was the beginning of our modern era. Cars had just been invented, flight had just taken off, and we as a people were beginning to finally explore our world and connect like we never had before. We emerged so gracefully from our isolation into the world stage; men were civilized and women were refined. All you needed was someone's word and their handshake to seal a deal. Collecting things from this age really connects him to that time. "As the radio tubes warm up and their faint glow is the only light in the room, I imagine a family gathered around the shortwave waiting for news from the western front, or news about Al Cappone or another gangster," he says. It was a time when we, as Americans, were still innocent. When you literally had to know some one to get into a club and the secret knock opened a door to a secret room. These were very hard times, back then, but Zach aches to add a small amount of class to today's impersonal world.  This class sets him apart from a mere collector.  Zach, like me, is a connector.

Not just collectors of things, we are connectors with people.

This leads me to announce that Zach & I are taking part in a new little venture that will launch here at the end of August:

The launch of our Vintage Shop 516VINTAGE.  With a focus on luggage, instant book collections, & home decor 516VINTAGE will be updated monthly with new, vintage connections.  A focus on telling stories, on creating an atmosphere, & on giving you a way to connect with the past 516VINTAGE hopes to be a place of vintage inspiration to you.

Zach & I are going to launch 516VINTAGE on September 1st & have already started photographing and filling the shop with lovely, lovely goodies.

Another super cool thing launching in September is the Blogging 101 eBook! Subscribe to the newsletter for all Five Sixteenths info.  I can't wait for you all to see our little project!

Have a great Sunday!

Connect on Twitter // Follow on Pinterest // Peep me at Hello Cotton

Dorm Dec Wednesday // It's Jess

Have you seen the new show on Fox called New Girl? I am obsessed! Recently my room mate signed us up for Hulu Plus on the Xbox & I watched all nine or so episodes.  I am in love with their loft style apartment & it makes me yearn for my old apartment my last year of college.

Jess (played by Zooey Deschanel) is a quirky school teacher who sings to herself & is a little self conscious about her awkwardness.  After breaking up with her boyfriend of six years, Zooey's character moves into an apartment with three guys after seeing an ad for it online.  They help her through her break up & get into some shenanigans along the way.  Not only is the show hilarious, but her style is oh so cute & their apartment is to die for!

My college apartment was a hodge podge of items with an all over boho feel.  My room is still that way (though it is a total mess right now) but I've been told I need to refine my tastes, that I am 'no longer in college'.  But I love it! Hopefully I'll be able to add a bit more of myself in the common rooms in our current house.  We are only going to be there another six months though, so perhaps not.

My favorite type of decor involves color, pattern, & inspiration.  I want to feel cheerful & inspired when in my room (or my whole house for that matter).  I dislike things too matchy-matchy & love things with a vintage feel.  I am a clutter bug but I try to keep it down to relevant collections or bits & bobs displayed perfectly.  Showing off my eclectic, colorful, & sort of childlike tastes is important to me.  If you view my room I want you to know it's mine! It should be as loud & colorful as I am!

This is Jess' room in the show:

source

Don't you just love it? It's to die for! I'd like to get back to a little bit of simplicity like this in my decor. To incorporate collections with a bit of a more grown up feel, if you will.  A lot of the items in our home are from thrift stores or discount stores like TJ Maxx.  In fact, my bedspread in the pictures above is from a thrift store & I got it for like $3.  Nearly all of my sheets are thrifted, my bed frame was Katie's before we moved, my dresser was from my child hood, etc.  Our living area downstairs has two hand me down couches & coffee tables and the dining set is a hand me down as well. 

Passing on perfectly good pieces of furniture is really important to me in friendships and families.  All of Zach's furniture is brand new & a bit boxy.  I am a very organic person & Zach is pretty technical.  There aren't too many sharp corners in my house but I've run into the edge of the coffee table or dresser or something a few times at his house!

I'd really like to try out a lot of the Decor Crafts in both the Big Ass Book of Crafts & the Big Ass Book of Home Decor.  Next Monday, I always say Next Monday....Mondays are my day off & I get the whole house to myself (unlike the weekend when everyone is home).

Some inspirational things:

source source source source source source source source

How do you describe your style? Do you find it hard to decorate with room mates?

Tempted Tuesdays: Attractive Spreads - Vintage Bedding

I am totally in love with all of my vintage sheets & my new vintage bedspread.  All the colors & patterns remind me of nights slept over at my grandmother's house.

My sister & I shared a bedroom with two twin beds, yellow floral bedspreads, & the cutest floral sheets.  I remember my gramma would have the bedspread tucked up under the pillow & pulled back over so even the pillow was snuggly under the blankets!  I'd always use one of my grandpa's undershirts he wore to work as pj's(even after the wash they still smelled like him!) & got to stay up late with them watching tv.  I remember one night when the Sixth Sense was on, I'd finally gotten big enough to sleep in the guest room with a full bed, & was laying on my stomach watching it.....like a big girl you know.  I got super, super terrified & ran down to my grandparents' freaking out....I don't even remember what scared me so much!

My grandmother has slightly updated the bedding in the house since then.  The bedspreads on the twin beds are rather normal looking, she no longer has a chenille one on her bed, & the guest room bedding doesn't look like it came from a cheap motel (the whole room is green: carpet, bedding, etc....).  But I still love the old sheets & spreads so on this Tempted Tuesday I thought I'd search Etsy for some attractive spreads:

I love the fringe on this one from Vintage Goodies

This one looks like it belongs in my Grandmother's house..so perfect!

from More Out of the Ordinary

Loooove the print & fringe on this one! 

I am a suckka for floral! From Midwest Vintage Co

Such a perfect yellow on this one.  Killer colors!

from Vintagemb60

I would change my bedspread like I'd change my sheets...every month...if I had all of these! There are many things that make me weak, linens are one of them!

Happy Tuesday!

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

Look at these Shoes!!

Just got back to school & am now drinking some hot chocolate instead of unpacking.  Browsing etsy in order to delay packing even more.

Fell in love with these:

1980 Retro Sequin Shoes from Cheeky Vintage Closet

and this:

Sweetheart Pink Luggage Set

this

Flower Power Suitcase

Really, I want it all.

Ok, perhaps I will get to packing

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

Dorm Dec Wednesdays: Tin Can Organization

I love the idea of stacking to take up less space.  In a small apartment, things need to go as high as they can.  I found this cute idea for a craft room, but it would be perfect for any other room in the house:

source

I'd make a dozen & here's how I'll use them:

• In the Kitchen - organize your tall & short spice containers.  Put fruits & nuts in it as well.  We always have nuts like walnuts around in the winter time.  Even granola bars & wrapped pastries would look much better here than in their boxes.
• In the Bathroom - put your make up in different tiers according to what they are, put wash clothes & soaps with in easy reach for guests, add in your toothbrush too!
• In the Bedroom - make a two tiered one for your glasses, change & random jewelry on your nightstand.  Create one for your beau for his watch, lose change & other pocket what-nots.  It would be great for ties if he doesn't have a lot!
• In the Studio - Store bits & bobs like shown in the picture.
• In the Office - store paper clips, pens, note pads, etc. Since its magnetic you can post notes to it for reminders.
• In the Living Room - use it to display decorative accents like the yarn in the picture or store small games like cards or Bananagrams!

These are just someways to translate this craft room decor to every day decor.

Visit the original post here on Better Homes & Gardens.  It calls for a jigsaw & pipes, etc but I think you could do it the same way you would make a cake stand.  Grab some candle sticks while you pick up your tins from the thrift store & some E6000 from the craft store.  Center & glue.   

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

Tempted Tuesdays: I want to got Thrifting!

Lord knows I don't need anything else right now, but sheesh I want to go!!  There are two amazing thrift stores near me that I just absolutely have to hit up before I go home. But before I do that I really need to go through all my stuff from when I was a kid & throw/give away things.

I have loads of books & clothes & toys & saved drawings from when I was in like 2nd grade.  Does anyone have any tips for getting rid of things? How do you sort out the "needs" & "don't needs"? Believe me I will say I need everyone of those drawings from 2nd grade & notes from high school.

Anyway, back to thrifting.  If I had room this is what I'd be tempted to try to find:

recipe boxes

Ohio Art Recipe Box @ Oddity & Whimsy

sewing box

Sewing Box with the Works! @ TimbersToys

sweet teacups

Pink Teacup & Saucer @ SoSoVintage

muffin pans & other assorted tart pan things

Assorted Toy Bakeware @ CryBabe

Adorable Owls

There were too many awesome ones on etsy to pick just one!

I think I am going to make a section here on the blog about my thrift list.  Happy Tuesday everyone!

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

Fan Fridays: Thrifting on Thursday

Yesterday I headed to my favorite junk shop with on of my friends to buy some unnecessary things in addition to a new thermos.  I originally headed there for a thermos & a train case & came back with this:

TWO thermos', a set of sheets 

(not pictured because they are in the wash) 

& a little overnight suitcase.  

I found a train case there for $5 but this case was $3.  I already have a bright orange train case I use for my head bands, bangles, & all around accessories.  I wanted another one to store a lot of my art/craft supplies in since a lot of them are in shoe boxes, bags, etc.

I got another metal thermos that was a bit beat up but I paid $5 for it any way.  The other one I picked up was only a buck.  The blue one holds a lot more than the red one, but I like metal thermos' better.  Here's my old green one:

I miss her!

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!