Thrifting!

Hey guys! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I had a relaxing yet productive and exciting weekend. I ate lunch with my dear friend Stephanie who was in town for a bit. It's always great catching up with friends you haven't seen in so long. I had nearly every class in college with Steph so it was nice to catch up with her. Thanks, Steph!! :)

This afternoon Kevin and I spent a couple hours perusing a new antique store. It was a GIANT antique store (for those in the area, it's called The Brass Armadillo) with lots of vendors and a wide assortment of goodies. I brought a few treasures home with me, and found many others that I would have LOVED to purchase if I had a bigger home.

Here are the items that didn't make it home with me...today:

A very cool feather hat that would have made awesome wall decor in a closet or bathroom

So many cool *overpriced* handkerchiefs in this basket

Words cannot describe how much I loved this lamp! However, I wasn't willing to pay what the price tag was asking.

I loved these colorful pastel dishes. Maybe someday.

I really loved this radio! It was bright teal and worked! I even had Kevin thinking it was cool. But the $28 price tag scared me away. I was on the hunt for some DEALS!

A very pretty serving plate!

I was looking all over for canisters for flour, sugar, etc. and this one ALMOST made the cut. I had plans on purchasing it but after walking around and coming back, I changed my mind. I still may go back and get it someday. Four sturdy canisters and matching salt and pepper shaker for $25. Did I make a mistake passing it up?

I really liked this coat but Kevin said it looked ridiculous on me. I couldn't find a mirror anywhere so I had to take his opinion.

Alright so I didn't really have intentions to buy this dresser but I did love the colors on the drawers!

If I had a house and a full-time guaranteed job, I really would have considered buying this one. It's a refurbished corner cabinet for about $200.

Now that I have tortured myself again showing you things I didn't buy but wanted to, here is what I actually did bring home:

A pretty peach towel with some lovely embroidery for $2

Some very well priced ($1.50) vintage handkerchiefs for our wedding (use still to be determined!). The photo is a little dark, but the purple is very pretty with crochetted edges. The yellow is see through with tiny white polka dots. And, the blue one is a very pretty bright blue with a floral design. Anyone have any ideas of what I should use these gems I've been collecting for??

This might have been my favorite purchase of the day! I can NEVER find vintage jewelry I like but I love this turquoise necklace. For $1.50!

This was another favorite. I have been wanting to start collecting kitchy salt and pepper shakers but have had trouble finding a good set to start with (there are always HUNDREDS of salt and pepper shakers at antique stores). How much more perfect does it get than MASON JAR salt and pepper shakers?!

They are smaller than they appear in this picture, about 3 inches tall.

Kevin found lots of goodies, too, but nothing he "had" to have. When we purchase a home antiquing will be much more fun, and dangerous, for us. His man-cave will be well stocked with old beer signs.

Do any of you go to many thrift/antique stores? Anyone in Iowa have any recommendations? I always love finding new places to go. I also was looking forward to this post so I could spread the love of thrifting! There are so many AWESOME things out there and it's a great way to spend a few hours on the weekends.

Mini Thimble Flower Pots

Hey guys! I feel like I have been slacking on my crafts lately. I have been subbing pretty much full time and then working out after that, so I don't get home until 6 most nights. After dinner, job searching, etc. I just don't have the energy to craft some nights. I need to start a relaxing hobby that I can do while lounging, like embroidery or crocheting.

However, I want to give the people what they want! This is something I made over the summer and it has been one of my favorite things to make to date and I can't believe I haven't blogged this craft yet. I originally saw it made as a necklace, but I didn't like it as a necklace so I made it into a mini decoration. (You may notice some drill holes, just ignore those!) I didn't take step-by-step pictures, but it's VERY easy.

Here's what you need:

This was a very inexpensive project. The thimbles came from Hobby Lobby for $2 for 3, embroidery floss is <$1, and the pins were $2 for a box (as you will see I used only about 15)

Steps:

1. Pick the colors you want in each thimble. I used a variety but I think it would also be cute if you did one color per thimble.
2. Fill thimble 3/4 of the way full with hot glue (Be carful! That little thimble will get HOT!)
3. Arrange your flowers how you would like them. You will need to hold them in place for a few seconds while the glue dries.
4. Cut about 1-2 inches of embroidery floss, depending on how much grass you want.
5. Top off the thimble with another layer of hot glue. Be careful not to get the glue on the pins.
6. Quickly put the embroidery floss in the thimble before the glue dries. It may help to use another pin to push down the floss in between the flowers. Keep messing with it until you get your desired look.

I think these little flower pots are cute little details in any room! I love them. I keep mine in my bathroom on my vanity.

When I was taking pictures of these guys in my bathroom and editing them, I chuckled to myself at just how many crafts are on one single vanity.

If you're a new visitor (WELCOME!!!!) here are the links for you to explore :)

Burlap Jewelry Display
Fabric Button Earrings
Mason Jar Inspiration (as many of you know, I'm collecting vintage mason jars for guests to drink out of at our wedding. Until them, I'm putting them to use!)

Thrift Store Finds

When Kevin and I were in the Amanas with my family back in November, we revisited our favorite antique store. This is where we found a bunch of mason jars. We also found an old shutter and small plates for our apartment that I haven't shared with you yet. 

Our shutter is hung by our kitchen. Right now it's holding engagement cards. :) I made the paper tree next to it. See how I did it here! (Aaand another collection of mine, wine corks. Hanging onto them until I come up with something awesome to do with them.) The shutter was $10. We didn't paint it or distress it or do anything to it. However, it could probably use some dusting.

These tin plates caught my eye amongst a bunch of junk and I fell in love with them. I love the mustached man and the colors. We're using them as a drip-catcher on our stove for placing spoons when cooking. Only $2 for the set!

This was another thing I bought at the thrift store in Des Moines with Andrea (where I bought this magazine holder and these vintage handkerchiefs). I don't know why but I have been wanting to buy a jar of buttons for awhile now. It's weird, I know. I found this one for $3. It's keeping my sewing machine company. 

There you have it! I love antiquing and thrifting. That's all there is to it.

I think this describes me pretty well.

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