It Feels Good to Get Some Stuff Done

I love MaryKateMcDevitt on Etsy. Her whimsical illustrations and sayings are a playful nudge to be more productive; and I have to say that today I had a very productive day. Today I:

• Made banana and walnut pancakes


• Did a load of laundry


• Caught up with an old friend


• Inventoried my fabric stash looking for fabric that could be used for baby shower gifts


• Worked out (and sweated a lot)


• Watched the season finale of Top Chef


• Made pizza


• Sorted almost a years worth of bills and statements


• Started and finished filing my taxes (happy to say we are getting a refund!)

Hope your Saturday made you feel good!

Etsy Inspiration: Fresh

I am not a good blogger. Sorry. Lately, as with my sewing, blogging has been put on the back-burner. I don't know if it is because my mind if full of all the change that I am preparing for (we are going to be moving in a few months) or if I am just "tired" of keeping up. Regardless of the reason why, I am still here and will continue to post when the mood strikes. I know that is no way to build a "reader base" but that isn't really my goal. I think my goal in blogging is just to have another way to express myself creatively. I have found that my creativity only comes out when I am fully rested, do not have other things preoccupying my mind, and have no pressure to be creative. I am feeling relaxed this morning. Maybe it is the warm weather, the trees budding (I live in north Florida and it already is getting green), and having nothing I have to do this morning. Whatever the reason, the mood has struck, I think I'll do an Etsy post. I have been searching Etsy for some special things. Take a look at the fresh pretties I found:

SatinandBirch

ara133photography

GimCarry


tamar

frumafar

claylicious

Have a happy weekend!!!

Let's Play Dress Up

Do you ever just wish you had a reason to dress up? If I did, I would get a little black dress like this one from leasvintage:

Then I would add some amazing jewelry from GingerHollow, like this:

or this:

I would top it off with an amazing clutch from LemkaB:

and heels from starletvintage:

I just love playing dress up on Etsy.

Let's Play Dress Up

Sometimes it is fun to window shop online. This is what I feel like wearing tomorrow:

from paperdollvintage

from SmallEarthVintage

from persephoneclothing

from Iciernia

from indai

Happy Labor Day Weekend and a Front Page!

Thank you to thesacredmuse for creating a lovely "Dreaming of Fall" treasury that made the Front Page! It gave my shop a lot of hits! Yippee! I will be dreaming of fall while my hubby and I are heading out for one last beach vacation his holiday weekend. I hope your Labor Day is relaxing and fun!

Craft Show Complete!

The craft show that I attended last Friday was a lot of fun. I enjoyed meeting other "crafty people" and exploring a new place. Thomasville, GA downtown is so cute and quaint! I didn't sell very much at all, but that is ok, because now I have plenty to stock my esty shop and the brick and mortar store. Here are a few pics of the event.

Handmade Maggie at Textures

Tracie Kelly

Platypus File

Handmade Market

Beautiful Etsy Inspiration:

from slightclutter

from larimeloom

from warmnfuzzies

from matilou

from anothershadeofgrey

The Little Things that make Life Sweet (or Unsweet)

It is funny how something as small as the glass you choose to drink out of can make your day. The small things really matter. For example, I always drink my morning tea from a certain mug on Saturday. I save that mug for Saturday I guess because it is my happy mug. I want to savor the relaxing morning. It is the only morning of the week where I am not completely zombie-like after waking up earlier than my body says I should have. On Saturdays I wake up feeling refreshed. I want the mug I use to drink my tea to match my relaxed state. It makes me happy.

It is funny how the little things can make your day. How great do you feel when you hear your favorite song on the radio, wear some new shoes, put a single rose from your garden on your table, pop a bag of popcorn with your rented movie, smell the earth right after a rain, or get an unexpected card in the mail? Sometimes the little things just happen to us; sometimes we create them.

Last week I bought a new cup. This one is not for my hot tea, but for my iced tea. Julie Guyot is an artist that sells her wares along side mine at Textures. I have always admired her work. Each of her pieces has such whimsy. She uses a lot of color, just a touch of vintage, and some unexpected elements. I love her style. Her items are perfect for creating that happy mood. I bought the tumbler above for those days when I need to create "a little thing" to make my day.

What are some of "the little things" that make your day?

Etsy Inspiration: Line Drawings

I often wish that I was the kind of person that could sit down with a pen and a piece of paper and create something simple in concept yet so detailed and intricate in design. I am amazed by these talented Etsy artists: Icing Cake Stand by EstherCoombs

Camille Brooch by latenightdrawing

Flora Cafe Au Lait by meArtDesign

A Bit of Paris by artquirk

A Letter for You by byrheea

Behind Liberty by Chantaldefelice

Florals of the 70s

I love the bold florals from the 1970s. It is so funny how about 10 years ago, I would have thought these patterns were so tacky and now I can't get enough of orange, avocado, and brown flowers! I am drawn to them and often wish for a cabinet full of vintage tablecloths to sew into bags and accessories. Do you love them like I do? Here are some inspiring flowers from Etsy:

Grace Handbag by MadebyLoulabelle

Pillow Case by plonkahome


The Pure Clutch by humade

Linen Belt by pouch

Fleur Street Bag by EllaOsix

I Heart Etsy: Retro Office

I love wasting time searching through etsy for the perfect items for treasuries. Sometimes though I don't like to wait for the magic numbers 222 or 333. Now that I have a blog, I can create personal "treasuries" of my favorite items. These six items are inspired by my latest vintage find...this faux leather briefcase. Here are some great classics that would be the perfect addition to your organizational needs.

Retro Briefcase by gingerscraps

Turquoise Stapler by halfpintsalvage


Postal Scale by TheVintageCabin


Vintage Utility Pencils by SweetLoveVintage

Steel Box by shrimpsaladcircus

Floral Clipboard by AllThingsArtsy

Nine Key Calculator by AMradio

Pretty Sweet

Katy from Winsome Hollow just notified me that she featured some of my vintage wallpaper on her beautiful blog. It is just a lovely and inspirational blog. She also sells her wares on Etsy. This is one of my favorite items that she has hand stitched:

song - wool and fabric soft house