Recent Vintage Finds

I was in Venture, Ca recently with some friends and we checked out some antique and thrift stores in downtown Venture. There was one antique store I could have spent hours in. There were cases and shelves full of stuff! Gorgeous oak furniture, tons of ceramics, china and a vintage handmade quilt I would have loved to have brought home. In the end I settled on a few treasures.

I LOVE crochet and I needed pretty hot mats so I couldn't resist these beautiful hand crochet hot mats. I have them hanging in my kitchen when not in use.




Since moving, I have been slowly decorating my daughter's room the way I want it. I fell in love with these plaster wall hangings and didn't think twice about getting them. The little girls on the front are so sweet. They were such a great price too! I adore antique shops.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Vintage Coffee Percolator!!

After losing a battle on eBay for a retro coffee percolator I found this vintage coffee percolator with a "Buy it Now" option and snatched it up before someone else did. I would still LOVE to have a more casual retro percolator but this beauty will do just fine until I can get my hands on one.




It will be great to use at baby or bridal showers and I'm even thinking ahead to the Christmas party I want to have so I can show it off! Fun Fun!!!




This cup of coffee this morning was delicious! I was a little nervous at first because I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I was pleasantly surprised.


Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Granny Square Pillows

My new favorite things, Granny Square Pillows!!!! Crochet Granny Squares evoke a familiar nostalgia. When I see a Granny Square crocheted with brightly colored yarn, a warm fuzzy feeling comes over me. My heart leaps with joy as I admire each colorful row of stitches. I like to think that as a grandmother crocheted a granny square she was hoping that it would bring comfort to her loved ones.






I've been trying to decide on a fabric to re-cover some sofa throw pillows but I can not find the right pattern or color combinations so I think Granny Square pillows will be the perfect solution. I can choose the colors I want and it's inexpensive. I just need to make myself do it!

Jello!!!

The word "Jello" screams retro! It's fun, colorful, inexpensive, yummy and nostalgic. Who could ask for more?!?!

I prefer things to be as unprocessed as possible so I decided to make jello from scratch. Here is the Knox Gelatine brand recipe for jello.

4 packets of Knox gelatine
1 cup cold natural "no sugar added" fruit juice
3 cups boiling natural "no sugar added" fruit juice
2 tablespoons sugar or honey (optional)

1. Sprinkle gelatin over cold juice in a large bowl. Let sit for 1 minute. Add hot juice and stir until gelatin has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Pour into mold or a 13x9x2-inch pan.
2. Chill for 3 hours and cut into squares or shapes.

There are vegan alternatives to gelatin I would like to try out even though I have no problems with gelatin.





I ordered some great vintage Jello and Knox cooking booklets from amazon and eBay. Most were under $2.00!! I will post some pictures of the booklets when they come in the mail. Can't wait to try out some fun jello recipes and share the results with you.

Easter dresses

My nana was a wonderful professional seamstress and always made Easter dresses for the young girls in our family. I wanted to continue that tradition by making matching Easter dresses for my daughter Amelia and myself.




I'm going to take this vibrant and colorful linen fabric and make a vintage dress for myself and a sweet little dress for Amelia Jean.







Now the difficult part is to decide between these two patterns.




Dare I wear white gloves???

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I love porches! They are the epitome of the South and they beckon Spring.

Growing up in Virginia we always had a porch swing. There is something comforting and familiar about it. A simple pleasure that many don't get the chance to experience.

Now that it is warming up I am in search of wicker furniture that I can paint a sunny yellow! I can't decide between a wicker sofa, chair and coffee table set or a wicker table and chairs for dining al fresco. Decisions, decisions....

Working on my blog

Since my computer died a few months back I have to wait till my husband gets home with his laptop so I can fix up my blog and make it more spring like.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone