Winners,Washer and Dryer Woes and Sales...

Thank you to everyone that entered my giveaway!And to all the new followers I gained while doing this "hello"*waves spastically *.The lucky duck for this giveaway is the ever so adorable Vintage Chinchilla!Please leave me your address in a comment (don't worry I won't publish it just erase it after I've written it down) and I can send you off your goodies!

As much as I'm loving my new home and making it my own my one lament is that it didn't come with a washer and dryer.My best advice to anyone buying a home is make sure you have a few grand saved for fix it ups and things you need.We spent all our money just getting into the place leaving nada for anything else.I don't drive which means my husband has been taking the laundry to the laundry mat.

I love my husband and he's a great guy but..well...laundry is just NOT his strong point.I know some of you fellas are perfectly competent in doing laundry but my hubs is not on of them.Clothes come back damp,unfolded and wrinkled.Its killing me.Oh and in the almost 3 weeks I've been back he's gone once.And he only look one load!Hahaha!I feel like a brat complaining.The poor guy works all the time and I know his days off don't want to be spent at a laundry mat which is why I hope I can get the laundry duties back in my hands again.

How amazing would it be to have this pink washer and dryer?!No,I'm not looking for a vintage washer and dryer but boy are they pretty to look at!No,what I need is just a low priced set in plain ole white with one of those fancy "energy star" stickers on them would do just fine.


My saving for a washer and dryer fund has been slow going.I thought I'd do a sale in my Etsy Shop since I didn't do one for black Friday/cyber Monday like a lot of other etsy sellers did and help it grow a little quicker hopefully.This sale is a short one.Its on now until Saturday Dec.3rd at 11pm CT.If you'd like to save 20% on something you had your eye on there is now time like the present.

500 Followers GiveAway...

Wowza! 500 followers,thanks ever so much to all my readers!Alright,technically at 507 but for those who have been with my blog since the start you're well aware that I'm not exactly prompt with these things.I try but fail miserably.Buuuuut hey I had the excuse of moving into a new home this time around,that's a good excuse,right?No?Ok,tough crowd,geeze! ;)

I'm back in the Midwest and it feels good!After being in southern California for a year and 1/2 I almost forgot about 4 seasons.I'm in the great white north with lots of snow,I thought I'd do a snow inspired giveaway.Thus all my goodies for this giveaway are white!For one lucky reader you get a Robinson's pillbox hat,a hankie,2 pairs of earrings and a darling Avon poodle decanter.All of it vintage naturally as this IS a vintage themed blog..mostly.sometimes I ramble on about other things.Its what I do best(SEE,I'm doing it RIGHT NOW!).



Here are the rules:Obviously be a follower of my blog.I want to to go over to my Etsy shop and tell me what your favorite item is.I'm using you,my fellow vintage lovers, as market research as to what I should keep my eyes out for when vintage hunting.Leave your favorite item in a comment and you got yourself one entry for the drawing.If you like me on facebook that will count as a second entry.If you've already liked me let me know and I'll make a note of it to put you into the bowl twice.I'll do a drawing and announce the winner on Friday.This is open for all my readers so international readers please don't feel left out.

The internet is a big freaking place and I appreciate the friends I've made through it,sharing a little slice of my world with you all and getting to see some of yours.Good luck to everyone and once again thanks for reading!

One Room Down,Many More to Go...

I left California behind in the wee small hours of the morning on Tuesday.Its been a whirlwind of boxes ever since!Heidi's room is the only thing I got 100% down.All the other rooms are either in need of furniture or in the middle of dry wall.I'll save the wacky world of wall paper this place has/had for another post though.The house is darling and I couldn't be happier!I was a little off on the history though so I thought I'd correct myself now.Originally I was told the house was built by the government in the 40's for soldiers returning home from WWII to work in the mines up here.Turns out it was built in 1936 by the government just to get soldiers up here for work.But onto the room!

Heidi is the type if girl that will play with a dump truck while insisting that she wear a tutu.When it came to her room though she wanted 100% girlie so that is what she got.Ballerinas,chenille,and pink up the wazoo and of course all of it with vintage!


close up of right above her bed:


close up of the curtains:


The rooms are small so I told her that her room would be for sleeping,reading and she could have her ceramic tea party items up there away from her brothers 2 year old hands.They have a play room down stairs for their big stuff and most of their toys so it works out.The dresser I scored at a thrift for $15.00!


The matching night stands I found at Vintage 101 for $20 each and you may remember the lamps were a dumpster rescue back when I lived in Indiana.


These prints I picked up in Indiana from my friend Jan's shop.



and last no room is complete without a pink hamper to put your dirty tutu's in at the end of the day!


Alright,I'm off to tackle more boxes and make sense of this hot mess but its good to be home!

Time to Wrap it Up...

I'm so excited!What has seemed like forever in the making is finally falling into place.Yes,here is a light at the end of the tunnel,I am going home!I thought I'd planned for when it was going to happen,my husband getting the house was the big first step but the rest of it really came together a lot faster than expected and its caused mild issue with my etsy store.

We thought we were going to have movers do this all but it turns out they're MUCH more expensive than we ever thought.The option to DIY became increasingly obvious.My husband is flying out next week to load up a U Haul and drive it back with all our stuff and our dogs.



Here lies the problem,the kids and I are not set to fly out until almost 2 weeks later!That would be a lot of time from the customer point of view to have to wait for an order and I just can't afford to close up shop so I came up with a drastic plan.

I'm going to try and sell as much as I can before the move and the day before I leave just mail(hopefully VERY little) the rest to my new place.But how do you get people to really be interested for this to happen?Make them an offer they can't refuse.Thus,my shop will be 50% off from Oct.28th(now) till November 3rd 11pm PST.

I can't wait to be home!After 6 months away from my husband and only getting a teaser of being back for less than 24 hours when he comes in next week I can't wait to return to some normalcy in my life.It sounds cliche but we often don't know what we have till its gone and this time away from my husband has been hard on us both.When you get married to just sort of expect that the person will be there every day as a part of your life and when situations come up (be it family emergencies like mine,deployment,jail)you realize you take simple pleasures like falling asleep together,seeing each others face,a hug when needed for granted.

Even though care-taking for a family member was honestly a lot harder than I thought, it was also a very humbling experience.I know when I get home I will be in a much better mindset,much more positive and grateful.I'll stop before I get too much more mushy on you all.But I can't wait to be singing this on a daily basis ;)

Berries and Growing Out Bangs,Take 2...

Earlier this year I started the process of growing out my bangs I've had for 15 years.I got them past my eyes and then RAN back to them!At first I cut them long but then the last time I trimmed them I did really short Bettie bangs.It was after this that I decided "no,you can do this!"Thus I am starting the process of attempting to grow them out.I've said it before but really there should be support groups for these things.Especially when you've had a look for so long.That is the problem though I hate being stuck with just one look.



Yesterday I wore my berry celluloid necklace.I love the punch of aqua and the color of the berries almost matches the blouse I wore perfectly.I love these necklaces,they're so fun and I deeply regret having sold so many over the years.Like my bowling pin one.Still haunted by that.


And here is my bangs not pushed to the side.Normally I'd be trimming them as I do like them very short but temptation WILL be resisted this time around.


here is a close up of the blouse,yesterday I meant to do an outfit post but ended up spending most of the day at the Halloween store.


Speaking of being at the Halloween store.Heidi can't commit to a costume idea yet so we go there about once a week to "inspire" her.This week I have to say I was totally terrified of her costume pick!Luckily she didn't like the smell of the plastic once she put it on.Unfortunately she doesn't share my deep seeded hatred of clowns.Is it bad parenting if I make her watch "It" and show her John Wayne Gacy art?Cause they played a big part in my childhood developmental hatred of clowns.

Somebody Up There Likes Me...

Yesterday and today I seemed to have really good luck finding cool things!Lately I've been trying not to look at things as "good" or "bad",sometimes its just perspective.Yesterday when I went to get the mail I let the dogs out with me so they could handle their business.Lug does his normal annoying thing and takes off about 7 houses up the block and then trots his way back home "blessing" any tree,car tire,pole or mailbox that crosses his path on the way.I hate when he does this but yesterday it worked out in my favor because as I walked up the street to grab him I noticed that 4 houses up from us the neighbor was throwing away this!Awesome gravel art!Just tossing it to the curb.So thanks Lug,your normal annoying habit helped me rescue this lovely bit of vintage.






Later on I went to an estate warehouse and scored some great vintage pieces!Hats,jewelry,dresses and knick knacks.Oh and this Barbie case!


The place had a ton of dolls which they used in some of their Halloween decor.



Some Christmas stuff had been put out too.I LOVED the box for the Christmas ornaments.


This is one of the dresses I picked up.I got them all listed except a hot little 60's cocktail dress that needs a hem repair.


Today as I got the kids dressed and put on their shoes I noticed both of them seemed to have grown!I just bought them new shoes 2 months ago but you know kids,they're always growing and sometimes faster than we'd like them too.So I did something I shouldn't have.I took them to Nordstrom Rack.Yes,you know what that means.Mommy got herself a pair of new shoes too.I found these awesome Poetic Licence for 50% off what the normally retail for.


My closet is full of $2-$15 items I've thrifted but my shoe habit is a bit more expensive and unfortunately I have like Carrie Bradshaw shoe lusts but MY salary,thus Nordstrom Rack IS my friend...just not a friend when I'm trying to save,cruel temptress in those cases.

Bracelets and a Brooch...

This week I did pretty good on finding lots of vintage costume jewelry.Lately I've been staying strict with not buying for myself and ONLY inventory for the shop.I failed with 3 items that I'm hoping you'll agree in understanding why I don't want to part with them.Anything vintage heart,vintage lock and key is hard for me to part with.Naturally a heart lock bracelet had to stay with me!



The danging dice brooch was a lucky find and I could use all the luck I can get right now so its sticking with me.



and last but not least was this lucite confetti clamper bracelet!I had sold one just like it a few years back when I needed the money so I figured it was good karma coming back to me.



I did put a lot of new things in the shop though!AND I'm having a 30% off sale until Monday at 11pm PST.Trying to build my moving fund jar quickly.I haven't seen my husband in 5 months now its killing me!Seriously bravo to you military wives I don't know how you do it!

Hmmmm,what else is new this week?Oh I joined Pinterest!I'm kinda addicted I won't lie which is the very reason I avoided signing up for so long but now I'm there so if you are let me know.I need more people to follow!

Other than that nothing too exciting.Still trying to kick the trail end of a cold.Back to snuggling with equally sick kiddies and watching The Wonder Years on Netflix.

Awesome Atomic ...

This post is short and sweet but I just thought I'd share the awesome shower curtain I scored!I'm trying to save money for the move but also pick up a few things for the house we'll need once we're moved in and when I saw this I knew I had to have it.



I'll definitely post photos of the bathroom once I'm all moved in and have it set up with this baby in it.I need to start expanding my color scheme though.I realize I'm overdosing the house in aquas,haha!Our bedroom is,the kitchen will be aqua and red and now aqua has found its way to the bathroom.

Munsters,Poodles and Pyrex,Oh My!

I haven't been doing a lot of vintage hunting lately which has been hard.I'm trying to save money and I don't know if its because of the Halloween season but around these parts all the prices have gone up making it hard to get anything for the point of reselling or heck even for personal collecting!I did get some cool things yesterday though.


I picked up a few vintage poodle figurines from the estate of a woman that had over 500!I'll be listing some in the shop,others I couldn't let go of.Like these.Well,more so my daughter told me that I'm keeping these for her.Ok dear.



This Pyrex fridge dish in the Gooseberry pattern I got for my friend Dana who has a pink kitchen,I live vicariously through her.My husband has told me I could have a pink kitchen again but I've invested too much into aqua and red to start over.I think I've mentioned that before...I repeat myself sometimes.


This poodle oil and vinegar set I adore!I keep telling myself I'm not going to keep it and that it will make it into the shop.We'll see who wins.


and last but not least my personal favorite (and sorry guys this one is sticking with me) is a 1964 Herman Munster!He doesn't talk anymore but I still love the guy.So does Heidi though and she won't give him back,hmph!

Dressing Up When Dressing Down...

My grandmother use to tell me that you didn't have to always dress your best but at least dress well enough that you'd never be embarrassed if you ran into an ex-boyfriend or a girl you didn't like.As much as I like to idea of grocery shopping in ballroom gown attire its not really practical is it?Having kids I know that feeling all that much more.But its really easy enough to make casual still look stylish so why not do it.

I don't own tennis shoes,ballet flats are my "comfy shoes".Hoodies don't exist in my closet when there are more cardigans than I can ever think to wear.And accessories!They really are the finishing touch.I'm just not entering the stage where I can wear them again without my son trying to rip a necklace or earring off.

Scarves a lazy hair days best friend.I picked up this one at a thrift store for a $1.00 and the red dangle screw back earrings also were $1.00!


I'm also rarely outside without sunglasses.Just a smart habit to get into ladies.I'll be 30 in a few months and you start to notice those fine lines creep up.I don't want them deepening at all.These are my Jackie O replica sunnies,they're the only non-vintage sunnies I own.


here is a close up of the fabric of my pants,these are also thrifted.Acutally my whole outfit is minus the shoes!


With kids and dogs I rarely get an outfit shot without one or all of them in it.Today was no exception to that rule


But I can cheat and crop kids out sometimes,hehehe.

Proud New Home Owner....

The day that took what seemed like forever in the making has come.Yesterday my husband got the keys to our new home!For as many months as I spent searching online and calling and never quite finding the right one oddly it was an ad in the paper with no photos just a phone number to call that ended up being "the one".This house found us more so instead of us finding it.

I apologize for the quality of the photo.My husband snapped it to send me before he had to go to work early in the morning.Its was built in the 1940's(I don't have the exact year I'll get back to you on that),1,500 square feet 3 bedroom Colonial revival cape cod cottage!It has a finished basement which will work as my husbands music studio and a study which will be used as my Etsy room.This home was originally built by the government for soldiers coming home from WWII to get them to come work in the since closed mines up there.I look forward to giving the outside a brighter coat of paint and some flower boxes.It needs a washer and dryer and a new roof come spring time first though.



Remodeling will be slow going but I'm looking forward to making her all my own.Also look forward to sharing the process of restoring with all my fellow vintage lovers.The kitchen was modernized which is a shame but I can bring her back.She has a window above the kitchen sink which was really all I had as a "must have" for my kitchen.Hey,a gal needs a view when doing the dishes!

With what we had sunk into landing her now starts the process of saving for movers and plane tickets home.My etsy shop is currently having a 30% off sale to celebrate reaching its 1,000th sale so now is a great time to go grab something if you were interested!Sale is on till Monday at 11 PST.Helping me lighten my moving load is appreciated.Oh this is going to be hard for me to NOT buy new inventory until I move!Yikes!I'll just stick to vintage jewelry since its easy to pack up,haha!The thrifting in the town of my new place is nothing less than magical so expect me showing off lots of cool things plus cool things hitting the shop as well.

The backyard is HUGE!24,000 square feet of grass for the kids and dogs to go nuts in!I'll have to get that fenced eventually.I have each one dog and one child that are good about staying in their limits and the other dog and child that are not good about it at all!We're in the outskirts of town so I know the kids will see lots of deer.And hopefully no fisher cats!I've been warned they're pretty populated this year and they're not very nice.Feel free to Google it if you have to,I did.

Browns and Yellows...

Today I stopped by an estate warehouse.The constantly have new items coming in.Always good chance that what you saw last time will be long gone this time around.I didn't take photos of all of it but I did notice a lot of items on this visit where in various shades of brown and yellow.Seemed fitting for Autumn.

I loved this piece but couldn't see it going with anything I owned.





This set was definitely style over comfort.

this stroller had a sold sign on it.I stared at it for awhile wondering who bought it.It gave me a weird vibe that I didn't like.Does some vintage pieces ever do that to you?



I picked myself up these carved wooden screw back earrings for $1.00.What I REALLY wanted to pick myself up was the Heywood Wakefield dresser set they had in there but shopping with $5.00 won't get you those unfortunately =)

Lug Doesn't Work For Free...

Hmmm,where to start?I did a LOT of thrifting this week and I'm a horrible blogger because there was so many cool things I could have shared with you but I didn't.Which left me with not a lot to post about this week so outfit post it is!

Started off the day as per usual.Made the kids breakfast and while they ate worked on editing photos and catching up on blogger which I've neglected this week.Actually it occurred to me that I've never went through my following list and I decided to clean it out.Anyone that hadn't posted in 4+ months went later gator.Shocked that I had blogs on my list that hadn't post in 2 years,yikes!These things require my reading glasses which though I love I don't wear as often as I should.


By noon building blocks and books had lost their appeal so it was outside to play.Which requires a switch to sunglasses for this mama.


I've had this dress since pre-kids so I'm happy it fits again.The cardi I got at an antique mall back in Indiana.


and of course my trusty ballet flats.Are you bored of seeing them?Yeah 95% of my shoes are packed up already sorry.I'm NEVER going to get rid of this ballet flat tan line at this rate!




Since Ollie sneaked in some shots I felt it only fair to include one of Lug Nut.He was however rather displeased with me when I told him to "sit" which he did and quickly realized there was no treat in my hand for his efforts.Sorry Lug.Yes,that is him glaring at me.This photo amused me so it inspired the title for this post.

Prayers For Roxanne..

The kids let me sleep in this morning.I woke up to my son kissing my face.I smiled and reached for my phone to see the time,9:30am!And then there was the missed text from 6am this morning from Tess letting me know Vince had passed.My heart shattered and the tears ran warm down my face.I hugged my babies.

Those of you that remember my past blog posts about him know that 4 years old is just too young to leave this world and yet that is the reality.For those of you that are new to my blog Vince had brain cancer.I apologize for not updating everyone more but wanted to be respectful of the families privacy as his health declined.I've known for a while it was getting bad so I felt awful ignoring the inquiries I'd gotten about him but didn't want to over step my bounds as I'm sure you all can understand.

I could say a lot.I could ramble on and on I'm sure but as it is ,its hard to see the computer screen through the tears that have come and gone all day.Vince is just a smidge older than Heidi and I keep watching her thinking "what if she wasn't here anymore?Just gone!" and it makes my heart break that much more for Roxanne.

Vince,you are...were an awesome kid.You fought hard.You endured more pain than any child ever should.In the end the cancer was more than your little body would handle.Some things are bigger than us.Your death is so much bigger than me.I don't understand it.I know life isn't fair.But your passing makes me realize this all that much more.I find comfort knowing you're no longer in pain though.I'm not in the same faith but I hope your God holds you close and you're with friends and families passed before you.Remember to watch over your little brother and your Mother.A warm breeze in her hair to remind her you're still there kid.

Before my titles and tags for Vince were "praying for Vince".Vince doesn't need them anymore though.He's moved on to better and bigger things.Instead now I ask for prayers for Roxanne.

Roxanne I hope you know how much support you have and how inspiring you have been to so many of us.You are truly a pillar of strength.I have been a mixture of sad and angry all day.It was very humbling to hear you say you were trying to show Gods love and grace through this instead of anger.You're a better person than I.I'm happy in the end he got to pass at home with you and his father there for him.



I just wanted to share this sad news with my fellow readers that have taken the time to care and keep this family in your thoughts and prayers.It DOES mean something.In a world so jaded and self important taking the time out for someone else has become a rarity so its not in vain and it is appreciated.

Nothing takes away the hurt of losing a child.It is the greatest injustice a parent can face is outliving their offspring.For those of you with kids,hug them extra tight today.It is unfortunate that bad things have to happen for us to be reminded of how grateful we SHOULD be.Vince,you might have only been 4 but you've taught me that lesson.Looking at your photos,your eyes portrayed to me that you were an old soul,you were definitely wise beyond your years little man.I'm just sorry you couldn't stick around to enlighten us all a little more.

Right There in Black and White....

My entire outfit today was black and white so I thought it'd be fun to do the photos in black and white also.



Side shot

Other side shot...ok really I'm just being vain at this point I'll stop

close up so you can see the cute rhinestone and stud detail on my sunnies

Thank you Nordstroms Rack,I love thee and thy cute hugely discounted shoes!

Heidi blowing bubbles,she's basically a pro at this.

Ollie waiting enthusiastically to attack the bubbles

Thanks Heidi for the full outfit shot kiddo.

Lug Nut mad at me cause I sneaked on him sunbathing and startled him,he stood up displeased and sleepy.

Also displeased with my picture taking was Wayland.When I told him to say "cheese" he said "shhhhhhhhh"


Some more on the dress.That little number was a thrift store score.If it looks like a maids or waitress dress its because it is probably one or the other.Its an "Angelica".For my nursing friends that may ring a bell as they do a lot of scrubs but the company has been around since 1878!Its nylon so its an easy toss in the wash for me.Unlike yesterday when I was wearing my vintage silk bowling shirt and my son decided to run up to me with his hands covered in sweet and sour sauce and use me as a towel.If you ever see moms in sweatpants and shirts.It may not be because they gave up on their looks,it might just be that they can't afford to keep up with their dry cleaning bill anymore! ;)