Friday Find: Seams To Be

With November wrapping up, it's time to bundle up and prepare for the chilly winter temperatures of December! No better way to winter-it-up than with some chunky amazing crochet goodies from Etsy's Seams to Be (link)! Here are a few of my faves:

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Oh my! All those jewel tones, texture, and added layers of warmth! I'm in love - and let's not even get started about how much I love that giant pom pom! OoOo! Don't take my word on it - take a browse for yourself. Oh and while you're at it pop by Lyndsay's blog (link) and check them out in action! Happy Friday! 

The joys of pendants!

I'm still swooning about the sweet bargains I got at the last vintage fair here in Victoria (link) and in that pile o' finds were a few pendants begging to be given a new life! I picked up some chain and findings at the bead store last weekend and with a few snips, cuts, and bends those pendants were ready to be strung! Hooray! Take a peek:

Lovely! I'm totally digging how pendants hang on nice long chains and since I added relatively small clasps and jump rings you can just slip the pendant off and switch it out! Yay! Just like that! Apparently I'm more drawn to gold than silver since all the pendants I have to swap with are 100% gold tone:

Yeah! I really like how each of the pendants has a different feel and style so they'll work into loads of different outfits in my closet. Now I just need to remember to rotate them and not just wear one for months (a trend I often get stuck into)...what do you think? Which is your fave? 

More Saturday Earrings

So a few Saturdays ago (ok, more like 7) I shared one of my favourite super easy craft projects.  Once you've gathered supplies it takes all of 30 seconds and leaves you with one gorgeous handmade pair of beaded earrings (link)! Hooray! Well apparently my earring making wasn't out of my system yet since I ended up getting more beads and wires and whipping these babies up:

Ahha! Totally different that my original pair right? I mean look now not the same they are:

Yeah! Those beads are way greener and smaller than my original pair and the hoops have doubled in size! Wowee! Okay, okay...they are essentially the same earrings...but they do have a different feel to them! This time I even limited my overzealous earring making and only ended up with two pairs! Go me! 

Hooray! Teal and Green! I'm so wild! What will I come up with next? 

iCat

I am such a sucker for cute.  Fraser has even fully embraced my cuteness addiction and sends me cute animal pictures each morning while he is away.  I even find myself surfing the internet for cute kitty pictures and sit there giggling at all the adorable fluffy kitties! Oh my! I find myself constantly surrounding myself with cuteness and think one of these iCat earphone jack covers would take me to the next level. Just take a peek:

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Eee! Boy are those ever cute! Too bad I doubt they'd fit on my phone with its case on (which is totally necessary for how clumsy I am) but if you're interested in them you can pick them up here (link). I'm not totally sold on the $23 price tag on these - but they are certainly entertaining. Under closer inspection I'm not sure I'd want one of those kitties near the bottom with their little fuzzy balls showing...which...is atomically accurate I suppose but nothing I'd like to see on a daily basis.  I'll stick to swooning over the first three kitties for now! What do you think? Are you a fan of cute? 

Need More Cheer

Every week Hetty and I try to spend a morning together to go for a swim, catch up, and run whatever errands we'd like company for! So far the hang outs have been extra successful but this past weekend it started with confusion. While we were kicking away during aquafit Heather asked me what was upsetting me because apparently I sent her a text telling her we needed to go downtown to help cheer me up. Why yes - trips downtown are very pleasant but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why I would have sent her that message and why I couldn't even remember doing so. What the heck!? How odd.

After finishing the swim, showering off the chlorine, and getting spiffed up for our outing we headed to the heart of the city for some fun browsing and tea. We also needed to make a stop at Escents Aromatherapy (link) because I was out of my current favourite scent:

Cheer! It's the perfect autumn and pre-xmas subtle smell to fill the house with and I've been loving coming home to that perfect mix of benzoin and orange! It also became abundantly clear that this was the "cheer" I texted Hetty about it had nothing at all to do with being upset. Haha. How silly. We then had to explain our realization to the poor uninterested Escents woman and apparently now you have to hear about it in this blog post too! Note to self - stop thinking people know what you're talking about when you reference Escents oils by name. Alas. I refilled my ultrasonic aromatherapy diffuser and have been enjoying my new bottle of cheer all day:

Mmmm! Perfection! I also picked up a fresh bottle of "Christmas Joy" but am leaving that one sealed until my tree is up.  I also found out from Hetty that the girls at work think I am obsessed with xmas and although I am a fan of some seasonal festiveness, I am a little curious if that has something to do with all the "Christmas Joy" I've been raving about...

Sunday!

After a jam packed Saturday I am really looking forward to a restful Sunday today. I don't know why I always seem to shove too many activities into my weekends but today is going to be all about healing up for a busy week ahead! Since all my R&R apparently doesn't give much time to lengthy blog posts - here's a picture to perk up your day! Behold - Pinny the swimming cat:

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Oh my, that expression is priceless! I wonder if I look that intense when I'm swimming in our pool...doubtful. My eyes aren't golden enough. How has your weekend been? Any big Sunday plans?

Holly Frolic

My pal Tara messaged me a while back about using my little cilliated bacillus drawing to spruce up her biology society holiday party tickets! I've been friends with Tara for years now and figure a little festive smiling support would be great for McMasters! Isn't he darling in a santa hat?

Yay! Thanks for sending me the finished product Tara! It has definitely got me in the holiday spirit and since my roommate Jim put up the xmas lights last night (which, by the way is totally out of character for grumpy Jim since he's usually a grinch), I am ready to get the festiveness under way! Perhaps I will even manage to get the majority of my holiday shopping done nice and early this year while I'm at it! Fraser and I are having a quiet xmas alone so I will have to be somewhat organized so those parcels are in the mail early enough! Hooray! How is your holiday planning coming along? Any exciting post-thanksgiving plans for my pals to the south? 

Friday Find: Made Mary

Today we peek into a world of amazing felt ball garlands thanks to etsy's Made Mary (link)! After painstakingly struggling to make my own felt balls, my appreciation has grown for how much love and care goes into each one of those little fibre friends and Made Mary strings them together perfectly to make glorious decorations like this one: 

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I love the different effects each colour combination makes and would be thrilled to hang a string of these on my xmas tree! Heck, they'd be great hanging just about anywhere! Not into garlands? They've got lots of other fun goodies in the shop too - like paper suncatcher strings, scarves, and fabric swatch calendars! Oh my! Now to decide which colour I like best...any thoughts? 

Hooray for Winnings!

Being an avid internet lover - I read a ton of other blogs out there on the internet. My blog list is actually pushing the 500 mark so I guess I should say that I "skim" a ton of blogs and actually "read" more like 100 of them.  Well a few weeks ago I popped by Gypsy in Japser (link) and saw that she was hosting a giveaway for some of Vernellies (link) sweet lip balms from her new shop The Hive Botanicals (link)! How lovely! Two of my favourite blogs linking together for free awesomeness...that I ended up winning! HOORAY! Nicole was nice enough to throw in a super cute felt flower brooch she made too! Check out my sweet parcel goodies:

Yay! Thanks Nicole for the wonderfully generous giveaway (and bonus flower pin) and Trisha for making such lovely natural vegan lip balms! So far I'm really loving the vanilla one the most and it has worked wonders on my lips! Perfect timing for the dry skin causing winter months ahead! Hooray! Happy Thursday! 

Round Four at the Vintage Fair

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of attending another one of Victoria's lovely Vintage Fairs! This was the fourth fair I've been to since moving to Victoria and unlike my past visits I decided to go solo to this one. Okay, so that "decision" wasn't a very hard one since Fraser is still away on practicum, Jim was recovering from a pub crawl the evening before, and my  vintage loving gal pals were all busy - but it turned out to be a ton of fun attending alone! I got to take my sweet time searching through all the treasures and did't have to worry about holding anyone up. I also had a few nice conversations with some of the sellers there and got a peek into how they run their vintage businesses! How cool! It turned into one heck of a rad Saturday and I got quite the hall of bargoons! I think my treasure hunting skills have really improved with age because I came home with a huge bag of goodies! Let's check it out - starting with the necklaces:

I seem to have really gone for the neutrals at this fair and am trying to be more practical with my finds.  When I found something that tickled my fancy I'd check for flaws, think about how it would look on, and plan out how many outfits I could work it into (while keeping the price in mind).  Since I clearly have an accessory addiction (and if anyone took a gander at my dresser and the multitude of jewelry stands on top of it you'd have a better understanding of that), I try to stick to pieces that will add to the collection and bring some quirky vintage flair to my wardrobe.  Let's be honest here - my goal in life is to be an updated version of Jessica Fletcher and trips to the vintage fair certainly take me one step closer on that one! Haha! Next up on the finds reveal - some pins!:

I'm such a sucker for flowers! It was hard avoiding the masses of bedazzled rhinestone brooches on this round (that all seemed extra tacky) but I think it ended up well. I'm really loving the texture and detail on the cross stitch pin and think it will be great on a cardigan! I was thrilled to find the white poinsettia brooch too since most of the enamel metal ones I find are uber american and are always red, white, and blue. White is a little more subtle and  I love how it will work into some festive holiday outfits! Hooray! Next up are the pendants:

Okay, so I need to take a trip to the bead store to get some chains to finish up these beauts, but that sounds like the perfect afternoon project for the sake of new necklaces!  The two oval ones are sure to make it into weekly rotation and I got the little bear because it reminded me of a gold bear pendant my Grandma used to have! I think the anchor will be cute when I take off that top ring and thread it onto a nice long silver chain! How fun! Last up is the gold electroplated leaf that is totally not vintage but is lovely all the same. I actually bought one of these in silver last winter for Lindsay from a little shop in Fan Tan Alley and was happy to get this one a good $23 cheaper! Score!

My next find has a bit of a story to go with it.  While I was searching my life away at the tables a customer stopped by to say hello and introduce me to his wife.  He isn't a particularly an over friendly or talkative guy so I was a little shocked that he approached me but was pleased nonetheless. We had a pretty awkward moment where I was holding up a quite ridiculous piece of costume jewelry which he looked extra confused about and disgusted by and replied with, "So....you like...jewelry?" Yup. Sure do. And what was that one particularly ridiculous piece you wonder? Why a bright gold scaly snake bracelet of course! So awesome it deserves its own picture!

Yay! Every girl needs one of those right? It was just too memorable to leave behind! Now to figure out what to wear it with...

Last up on the vintage finds reveal are the bits and bobs of other goodies that really didn't work in with the other pictures I took.  I rarely leave a fair without falling in love with a good doily and can't wait to make a craft project out of this extra delicate one.  I also scored a set of 50 cent green bangles, a coconut ring, a lacy looking silver ring, a sweet silk scarf and a skeleton key! What deals! 

Even though this Vintage Fair was the stocked up with loads of xmas goodies and was holiday themed, as you can see from my finds above, I didn't actually buy anything very festive.  I suppose I'm just more into getting the costume jewelry than expensive fancy glass ornaments that have no special meaning to me. However, it was fun to check out and all the decorations and it did sort of make me want one of those silver tinsel fake trees! It was a little difficult to avoid total sensory overload too because those booths were packed with stuff:

I actually ended up getting 90% of my purchases from the bargain table that was covered with masses of disorganized stuff. I'm sure this sort of treasure hunting doesn't appeal to anyone without some patience but I just loved searching through all the junk! Just look at those bins:

I methodically went through each basket of goods and picked up anything that really called to me. Near the end I went back through my bin of finds and discarded anything that wasn't going to immediately make my life more awesome and bolted out of there before I was drawn back in. Whew!

Overall the Saturday was a success! I found so many amazing treasures and after a good scrub and sanitation I'll be throwing these into rotation!  After looking over all my finds again I am most excited for this lacy pearl necklace I snapped up! It was in the first shot I showed you in this post but since it's my favourite I thought I'd take another one so you can soak it up in full glory:

Isn't it just dying to be paired with a nice jersey black dress? OoOo or maybe a high waisted pleated skirt, tucked in blouse, and cardigan? Oh my! It's pretty much a classy doily for my neck and I couldn't be more pleased about it! Yay!

How about your thoughts? What do you search for when you're thrift shopping? Any tips? Could you have resisted that snake? 

Collar Roundup

Detachable collars are all the rage these days and I've been dying to jump on that trend train and make one for myself! I haven't decided exactly what type would suit me best - but  there is certainly no shortage of free DIYs here on the internet! Check out my top seven collar blog tutorials:

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7)

Oh my! I think what I end up coming up with with depend quite heavily on what kind of supplies I can round up, but I may just need to use a few different techniques (i.e. fabric sewing, felt, and crochet) to make a nice assortment to add to my wardrobe! What do you think? Have you ever made or worn a detachable collar? Which do you like best? 

A Mini Moo Miracle!

I know I've been talking about my best bud Lindsay a lot on here lately - but she's seriously the best! In fact, two Mondays ago I came home from an early shift at work to find her cutting up a ribbon party in my living room:

Oh what a colourful delight! There was even Doris Day playing and before I knew it I had some wonderfully finished (with very minimal effort from me) mini moo bookmarks:

Hooray! With all the joint pain I've been suffering from this fall I haven't been very physically able to do much crafting at all (poo) so it was so lovely to have her supple fingers and wrists assist me in making piles bookmarks:

Yay! It's mini moo miracle! There was no way I could have done all the punching and knotting on my own and now I have plenty o' bookmark/gift tags to give out with all my etsy purchases! Yipee! Happy Monday! 

Dumb Ways To Die

Happy Sunday! Today I've brought you a very cute and catchy video! Take a peek:

Did I mention how disturbing and odd it is? No? Well...it is one weird video...but then again I'm not about to dip my privates into piraña infested waters either. Yay! Adorable life lessons! Which is your favourite dumb way to die? 

The Ultimate Caturday

Good news bloggy pals! I have the most wondrous caturday link of all time...BEHOLD - live streaming kittens:

AMAZINGLY AWESOME LINK!!!

Ah! Cuteness overload! Not fulfilled? How about this:

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Yay! Kittens! I can't decide which one of those kitties if my favourite, but I'm feeling a tie between "about to attack" and "lazy eye"...what do you think? 

Friday Find: Ladybird Likes

Today's find is a lovely little etsy shop called Ladybird Likes (link) that is full of bits of wood, repurposed vintage fabric, pretty paper, and lots of love! I am a particular fan of the collar clips, although since I rarely wear collared shirts but have loads of cardigans (seriously - you should see my closet) I think they would make perfect sweater clips! Just check out the cute little black kitties:

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Eee! Adorable! Not a cat fan? How about these other goodies I'm swooning over:

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Oh my that owl pin is cute...and those minty hearts, or the moons, or that pretty delicate butterfly! OoOo! So much niceness! Don't take my word on it though - check out the shop and see for yourself (link)! Happy Friday Lovelies! 

Instant Business Cards

The folks over at More Design Please (link) shared an amazing idea for an instant business card that I'm dying to try out. Bring on the key ring sized self inking stamp:

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Isn't that concept just lovely? It would be so convenient and extra memorable too! Oh I don't have any cards on me - let me just stamp this random piece of scrap paper for you. I'm sold. I like it even better when a little cuteness is added too:

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I haven't quite decided how to work all the letters of "scientific culture" into a circular 3/4" shape but when I do I'm jumping all over this one. What do you think? Are you a stamp fan? 

Umbra Stitched Fireplace

This will be the first year in my entire 28 years of existence that I won't be going home for xmas.  Unfortunately it just isn't going to work out this year so instead of Dad reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and hanging our stockings on the fireplace, Fraser and I will get the chance to come up with our own festive traditions and have a quiet time together instead.  Fraser and I keep talking about the nice things we can do to make the holidays special and I think this amazing cross stitch fireplace I saw on Umbra's instagram feed would be spectacular:

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Maybe we could add some little hooks at the top to hang our stockings and listen to some jazzy Charlie Brown tunes around our "fireplace" and xmas tree! Heck - Fraser even suggested making a cardboard fireplace to put around our tv and then find one of those roaring fire dvds to set the tone of things. Oh the possibilities! What sort of traditions do you enjoy during the holidays? Do your activities involve the fireplace? 

All that Glitters is Gold...Dinosaurs?

This past weekend was wonderful.  My wonderful best bud Lindsay decided to schedule a last minute trip to visit and I got to have three solid days with my female soul mate! We finally got a chance to catch up, we explored the shopping highlights of Victoria, and even got a good start on our xmas shopping! I discovered the absolute joys of the Oak Bay Pharmasave (don't know it 'til you've tried it - it is a one stop shop of amazingness) and can't wait to go back when they've finished putting out their huge order of stock that was had blocked off what looked like the best isle! Woo! We also did a mandatory stop at the Milkman's Daughter and their glittery t-rex was back on display:

Hooray! I saw him ages ago with Cindy and when I went back to photograph him to share on the blog he was gone. Apparently his anti-camouflage sparkly-ness didn't cause him to become extinct, he just had a little bought of hibernation.  Isn't he darling? I may have purchased a big plastic stegosaurus a few week backs to glitter up but haven't been able to find the spray paint Fraser put away somewhere in the (disastrously cluttered) craft room. Alas - that one will remain on the back burner until December....

Best of all - amidst all the site seeing, eating, shopping, and catching up I got to have some  great "how the heck am I going to fix my life" discussions with Linds and I've got one heck of a solid plan to try out!  It is so wonderful to have a second opinion on all of life's little problems and Lindsay is so great at coming up with workable goals to aim for! Yay! Here's to better health and sanity! I'll be sure to let you all know how I do on my life to do list...

Review: Snail Mail My Email

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a publisher to review a new book that was written to reignite the lost art of letter writing, called Snail Mail My Email! I jumped on the opportunity since, as many of you know, I am a huge advocate of heartfelt mail and have written loads and loads of posts rambling on about it (link). A few short days later I was sent an advance copy and was even more excited about the project when I got to see it in printed form:

The premise is quite simple. Ivan Cash, a San Francisco artist and ex-advertising exec, decided to set up a website inviting anyone to electronically send him a memorable email they've received that he would write out by hand and and mail it back (usually with some sort of artistic embellishment, for free. He then compiled the most heartfelt and entertaining letters in the book for your enjoyment. 

The project was a hit and over 10,000 people sent emails to Ivan to receive in artistically interpreted and heartfelt physical form.  Ivan realized he could  no longer do this on his own and over 200 volunteers helped send out masses of amazing post.  The letters ended up spanning the globe and reaching more people than he ever thought was possible!

Now onto the good stuff - the book and the letters! As I mentioned earlier, I was already pretty thrilled and excited about trying to bring back the wonderful thoughtfulness of handwritten letters, but the finished product certainly did not disappoint. I loved flipping through the hundreds of glossy colourful pages and absorbing all of the different cute, silly, and romantic messages.  I sort of felt like a post mistress reading other people's incoming postcards (or at least that's how I imagine matronly old post mistresses) and snooping at such unique and creative letter creations. Here's a peek at just a few I was particularly impressed with:

It is truly an inspiration to bring back the post (and pen pals while we're at it) and remember to take time to share thoughts on paper.  It gave me lots of ideas for jazzing up my own letter writing as well which is wonderful for a crafty gal like myself and is an excellent source of motivation for getting those letters in the mail! Hooray!

I really feel that Snail Mail My Email is a fantastically artistic and positive spin on the Post Secret books (link) that gives you all the joys of appreciating the written word in mail without any of the negativity associated (to me at least) with secret keeping.  It's so sweet to see what messages people would rather have received in physical form and really makes you think about pulling out some stationary and taking a moment to make a message more memorable. Hooray for post!

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and highly recommend it to anyone who wants a peek into the softer side of humanity to flip through, admire, and read.  Heck, you could even order the book online from Amazon and start your own trend of lovely mail when it arrives at your door too (link)!  

As icing on the preverbal cake, there was an adorable little @ symbol snail logo they created for the book and feel like he sums up the premise (and a cute and appealing way) so perfectly:

Now if only he had a little smile....

Much better. There we go Ivan - next time you take on this project ad a little gimpy smile to your logo snail and you'll be golden! 

Meet Earl II

A few weeks ago I was rearranging some lamps in the living room (since I received a lovely metal 80's ikea lamp to match the other I got as a hand me down from my Aunt), and finally pulled my new pal earl (the second - as we already have a felt earl the squirrel hanging up) to enjoy! He is quite the little scamp and full of dreamy white ceramic detail:

Oh do I ever enjoy myself some non-living forest creature pets on the house! Earl II is especially darling with his little tray of acorns:

Hehe! In fact, Earl II is actually decorative, friendly, and fun - since he came as a stacking game to see how many acorns you can pile on before they topple over:

...and trust me..there are a ton of acorns...

I've actually got an Earl sized box of the extra acorns hiding in one of my wicker cubbies just in case someone is feeling like taking on some stacking but I'm happy to enjoy him as a very quiet decorative pet instead! Hooray! Welcome to the woodland themed house Earl II! Nice to have you! 

Infinite Cute!

Happy Caturday! I love any excuse for posting cute cat pictures and this one really takes the cake. While Fraser is away on practicum he's been sending me cute cat pictures each morning to help perk up my day. He sent me this gif a few days ago and I was so fond I thought I'd find it on the internet to share with all of you! I mean who doesn't love an infinite game of ping pong between my two favorite coloured kitties? 

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Ahaha! Boy does that ever make me laugh! Today I've got a wonderful Saturday planned including homemade crock pot cider, crafting, treats, and some much needed catch up time with my best pal Lindsay! Hooray for long weekend visits! What do you have planned for the weekend? 

Friday Find: Pouch

Today's find comes from the extra wonderful UK and is full of amazing handmade homewares made from a combination of vintage and new materials.  I am particularly drawn to the adorable (and useful) lavender rabbits - just look at these darlings in teal:

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Aren't they cute? I've always been fond of lavender sachets and I think one of these hanging in my closet would be the perfect way to freshen up my clothes and repel any pests too! It would even be neat to keep one tucked away in my undie drawer so when I get dressed in the morning a little happy bun bun could great me on my way! Hooray! Everything is truly better from the UK isn't it? 

Felt Doily Mobile

I've always been a fan of mobiles.  I love their texture and movement and am especially fond of how they look hanging from bedroom lights so they can move and cast shadows around.  Of course they are typically limited to decorating children's rooms but this lovely felt/doily combo from Sparkle Power (link) makes me think differently:

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lsn't it interesting? I do, of course, love the materials used for this one and the textures and subtle detail are just darling! I'm sure the white on teal picture helps the cause a smidge...but a good picture can really make any craft if you ask me. What do you think? Have you ever made a mobile? 

Avocado Love!

There's nothing quite like reading through my blog roll and seeing a picture of my very own creations! Lesley Jean from Yessiree Petunia (one of my favourite vintage etsy shops I gabbed about here) bought an avocado brooch from me a while back and was a dear to write a post featuring my shop on her blog (link)! She even included a snap shot of her sporting my handmade smiling pal and he couldn't look sharper on that mustard scarf:

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Oh Lesley - you've made my day! I am always so thrilled to hear about happy customers and am even more excited to see my craftiness in action! Thanks for the feature and great picture Lesley! You rock! 

Throw in some cross stitch

As you may already know, I am a huge fan of post! There's nothing quite as thrilling as a shopping spree in a cute stationary shop and something extra wonderful about receiving mail that isn't a bill! I'd love to say I'm an avid pen pal-er but unfortunately since moving to Victoria I seem to have lost my touch, as well as misplacing my address book on many occasions. Rats. I think I need to rekindle my love affair with mail by working on my organization and when I saw this adorable cross stitched letter organizer from Camille Styles blog (link), obviously I was oozing with excitement. Just look at how darling it is:

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Ah! I have the feeling you might be able to find one of those metal mesh organizers from the dollar store and since I already have loads of embroidery floss and yarn to stitch with it would be pretty simple to execute.  In theory it would even let me be organized enough to keep letters I need to reply to in one spot and *gasp!* maybe not lose that address book of mine! Oh what a thought! For now I will be keeping my eyes peeled for letter organizers and  hope that will be enough motivation to be better at replying to all those cards and letters that are hidden in the piles of papers hiding around my house! Oh my! What do you think? Do you love mail as much as I do? 

A Bazaar Weekend

There is a church up the street from our condo that has a thrift shop in their basement.  It's only open on Wednesdays and with work and my arthritis class I never seem to be able to check it out. Rats. Lucky for me they had a church bazaar this past weekend and the thrifty goods took over the entire (enormous) church building! I was thrilled at the chance to finally check it out and brought Jim and Hetty along with me to share in the fun!

We started out in the basement (since Jim really wanted to get a cheap coffee maker) and had a great time looking at all the housewares. Jim ended up landing a nice Braun coffee machine for $5 (that ironically is the exact same model as the one my grandparents had on the farm) and Hetty and I swooned over the glassware and crystal! Although I would have loved to fill up a wheelbarrow and pushed home a huge pile of vintage dishes I restrained myself and just got a few bargain pieces:

I couldn't pass up the darling little glasses and saucer (at whopping 25 cents a piece) and am always a sucker for a good doily.  After wandering around the maze like hallways and peeking in all the organized little rooms we finally made it upstairs to the jewelry chapel. There was a bit of a line to get in (so the poor volunteers inside don't get overwhelmed with shoppers) and one determined old lady tried really hard to talk Heather and I out of going in.  "All the dealers were already here earlier," she said, "and they left with boxes of jewels - all the gold and silver is gone! There isn't anything worth buying left now!"  Sorry lady. You aren't convincing me - and why would you bother waiting in line if everything is already gone? Odd. Luckily I don't actually care if my jewelry is real gold or not and happen to be a huge fan of gold tone costume gems! Ahha! 

Now onto the finds! They had the chapel divided into nicely organized sections (boy did those volunteers do a lot of hard work!) and I loved being able to check out all the brooches, clips, necklaces, clip ons, earrings, and braceletes all neatly spread out and labeled with bargain price tags! Best of all - the majority of the goods were priced from a quarter to a dollar so everything felt like a deal! I picked up some long beaded necklaces, two spiral scarf clips, and one pinwheel flower pin for 50 cents a piece:

As Hetty and I continued down the tables (Jim bailed pretty much as soon as he got the coffee maker and took our house ware finds back with him) the excitement grew and I reached the two tables filled to the brim with giant costume earrings! Hetty knew I was squealing in joy and helped keep me calm and sort through the trays to find earrings that suited my old lady (a.k.a "I wish I was Jessica Fletcher from Murder She Wrote") ways.  I tried (yet again) to refrain from going overboard and dwindled my purchases down to ten pairs (which, by the way, was way harder than you'd think - you should have seen how many pairs they had). Take a peek at the pairs that made the cut:

Eeee! My jewelry finds ended up costing me $6 (including the necklaces and pins in the above picture) and I think I made out pretty well! Much like all my vintage finds I washed and sanitized them when I got home and can't wait to work these into my accessory wardrobe! I was thinking about doing a close up on my favourite pairs, but after laying them all out I couldn't decide which ones I liked the most! They are all so lovely! What a great day! Looks like I'll have to try harder to find the little church thrift shops in Victoria because they are much more exciting than the well searched over shops that are open all week long. Hooray! What do you think? Six dollars well spent? Which pair(s) do you like best?