Thank You Giveaway!

I've been writing this little blog for just under three months now. I had no idea how much fun it would be and I certainly never expected people, other than perhaps my immediate family, to actually read it on a regular basis. Next thing I knew I had a few followers. That was kind of exciting! This week I hit 100 followers. You guys just blow me away! You read, you comment and you inspire me!

This whole blogging thing happened because I've teamed up with some friends to explore a little adventure called Elizabeth & Co. In just two weeks, we're going to have our first Vintage Tag Sale! We are so excited, but also exhausted. I've basically spent the entire summer in the garage painting. At the end of the day, I love sharing my projects with you. Your feedback is so helpful and I learn so much from what you do and create. So a huge thank you to all of you!

Obviously, you deserve a giveaway!

I thought I'd share with you one of my very favorite Etsy shops - Handmade by Molly. The girl works magic with fabric! She makes the most adorable jewelry cases, mini totes, glasses cases, craft organizers and roll up market bags. They are all so nicely made and her fabrics are so soft and beautiful. You can even choose your own fabric combinations.

I love the vintage buttons.

Look inside

Megan discovered Molly when she was searching for gifts for her bridemaids last summer. Each girl picked her own fabric and the sweet little monogram made them extra special. They were a big hit!

Chirping Birds on a mini tote.

Blue Wallflower, does this pattern look familiar?

A little craft organization.

And my personal favorite, the roll up market bags. They are pretty, useful and environmentally friendly. Mine goes with me everywhere! And I love giving these as gifts to my girlfriends. It's fun to pick a fabric to match their personality. Megan loves yellow, so she has one covered in lemons. It is just too darn cute!

And it really does roll up. Perfect for all those little treasures you find at the flea market!

So, I am giving away a market bag in the blue wallflower pattern because it matches my blog!


The rules are super simple -

The giveaway is open to all followers, old and new. Just leave me a comment, any comment at all.

If you'd like an extra chance to win, head on over to Molly's shop and check it out. Then come back and tell me what you liked best (you'll like it all).

That's it. You may enter through August 31st. A winner will be chosen at random and if you are the lucky winner, I'll send you a lovely market bag - Handmade by Molly!

And guess what, Molly writes a blog too. Not only does she have an amazing talent with fabric, but she has teamed up with her sisters and cousins for a little thrifting adventure of their own. They just had their first vintage sale this summer. A girl after my own heart!

Thanks again for stopping by. I love sharing the adventure!

Best Find Ever!

I haven't been to a yard sale, flea market or tag sale in weeks. I've been in my garage focused on one thing - painting, painting and more painting! My husband's goal is to get his car back in the garage by Labor Day. My goal is to get my car back in the garage before the first snow. But this weekend I felt the need to see what was out there. Don't you always feel like you're missing something if you're not out there?

My husband even tagged along this time. He'a a good sport, but does have a little trouble with the quick stops. You know, you are heading to an advertised sale, but need to stop at three other sales you just happen to see along the way.

So, we made it to a few advertised and a few unadvertised sales and a small flea market. I found a few goodies along the way. No furniture, but maybe that's a good thing.

Our last stop was a little sale (unadvertised of course) in a parking lot of what looked like a warehouse. I had to yell "pull over" at the last second. Poor guy, I really keep him on him on his toes!

And there it was - maybe my best find ever!

Remember when I did the little blue end table for Ryan and I lined the drawer with a map of Baltimore? Ryan has always loved maps. He's an engineer. And he loves living in the Federal Hill neighborhood in downtown Baltimore. ... Well Ryan, you won't need that little map in your drawer. You now have the most amazing map of Baltimore!

I should mention that it's big.

Really, really big. ... Like 50" x 68", take up a whole wall big!!!

It's a cool pull-down projection map and it's in absolutely perfect condition - no tears, no cracks, no fading.

It was marked $45, but when I mentioned that was out of my price range, the seller countered with $10! I hadn't even started negotiating yet!

I can't find a date on the map, but it is clearly old. I guess I need to do a little research. But regardless of what I find, to me it's priceless. I get really excited when I find just the perfect thing for someone. ... And this map is absolutely perfect for Ryan!

I'm linking to...

No. 438

I love anything with numbers and letters!

Today I was thinking about what to do with a few pieces I got at different sales in the last few weeks, two galvanized buckets and a nice big galvanized tub. They were in good shape, but not too pretty or interesting on their own.






I painted the outside of them in a soft blue from Sherwin Williams called Blue Heron. I did not paint the handles or the top rim. Next up, some easy stenciling. I wanted to play with No. 438, the address of the house for our upcoming Tag Sale.






I first traced the stencil on paper just to get an idea of spacing. When I was ready to paint, I positioned the stencil with painter's tape. I poured a bit of paint on a Chinet paper plate. They just seem to work really well for blotting. I dipped a foam stencil sponge in the paint very lightly, then dabbed the excess on the plate to blot. Less is definitely better when stenciling. Then I used a dabbing motion to apply the paint to the buckets and carefully removed the stencil. Here I used a nice dark blue. I did this project in assembly line fashion - the N on all three pieces first, then each following letter or number. By the time I got back to the first piece, the paint was dry enough that it didn't smear and I could stencil the next letter. I painted the base color the day before and the stenciling project took under an hour.






I'm going to use one of the buckets for a trash can in our bathroom.



I painted a little shelf the very same light blue color. Here's the before - yuk.





And the after - pretty. ... I think they will look great together in the bathroom.

And the tub is perfect for on the front porch, filled with flowers of course. Our Tag Sale is in September, so maybe some chrysanthemums.

I think these pieces are cool, super functional and now have some real personality!

An update since this post was originally written - My daughter Megan noticed that my blog suddenly got really popular in Utah. She did a little checking and discovered that Salt Lake City news station Studio 5 did a story on curb appeal and included a link to this post! You can read the story here. Not sure how they ever found me, but I am really flattered and very excited! If you are a reader from Utah, thanks so much for stopping by!

I'm linking to...

Shabby Chic Hutch

This hutch was a Craigslist find. I purchased it from a young couple who were moving and didn't have a spot for it in their new house. It belonged to the wife's grandmother. She recalled her grandmother storing her spices on the shelf with the little railing and so she did the same. She even collected spices on her honeymoon to start her collection. It made me feel a little sad that she was selling it. Didn't she want to keep her grandmother's hutch? And I knew it could have a fresh new look, while maintaining the memories.

This is my daughter Megan's hutch and my inspiration. Everyone loves this hutch. People keep offering to buy it. It is so pretty and the white makes everything just pop off the shelves.

And I was ready to use white again. I've been using a lot of color lately. I kept it very simple, no glazing this time. Just a few coats of fresh white, a light distressing and a coat of wax.








These curves are my favorite detail.





So soft and feminine, perfect for a shabby chic finish.








And here's the spice shelf with the little railing.





Pretty new knobs.

And here she is complete, ready for more spices or a lovely set of dishes.

I hope the grandmother and grandaughter would be pleased!

I'm linking to...