She Didn't Have To, But She Did

This past week I had a lovely surprise from my mum. She brought home this vintage lamp for me! I couldn't have been more excited! Right now I am still in debate where she will go! Don't you find it funny how certain things are gender specific? 

It came home with its original shade but it needs a little facelift. I might just fork out some cash for a new one. Finding replacement shades is one of the most frustrating tasks. I'm just hoping I don't have to drop an arm and a leg for one. Honestly, I think I might be a lamp hoarder. In the basement I have a workspace area and I have lamps everywhere! They have taken over! At the moment it is "under construction" until I find a proper way to store them all!

This  lamp has been sitting on the counter all weekend looking back at me wondering its fate. I'm on the fence, what do you think: Should I paint it or leave it natural?

Weekend/ Drawer Transformation

These haven't left my feet much this weekend. Too bad I can't wear them to work.

 This little guy is in recovery for the next week after being neutered on Tuesday. He's doing great but biting at the bit to get going at full speed. It's been a challenge not being able to take him on walks, he is being monitored all the time so its been interesting being his chaperon. I'm scared to say what will happen when he releases all this energy he has bottled up this past week. I have a feeling he will be running around the yard full speed ahead for most of the day!

Saw this lamp at an antique mall and its uniqueness intrigued me. Vintage ruby red anyone?

Vintage sewing bag turned handbag.

I have a quick little re-purpose tutorial for transforming a dresser drawer into a jewelry draw. For those of you who know me, I have an obsession with vintage jewelry. I have a quite a few pieces and was having a hard time wearing it because I kept forgetting what I had. So when I repainted an old server last summer, I was lucky it had 2 small drawers on the top I could transform into drawers for my jewelry. This is really simple and the result is great! All you need is a:

good pair of scissors

a piece of foam that fits the inside of your drawer

your choice of fabric about 6 inches bigger on each side than your drawer

(I used purple velvet)

a pack of sewing pins

Once you have cut your foam to fit snugly in your drawer, take the velvet (nice side up) and wrap it around the foam. Tuck the edges underneath the foam and smooth the fabric. Voila! Here is a shot of one of my finished drawers, I used the sewing pins to keep my bracelets and earrings in place.

This dresser used to be an ugly green before I painted it. I really like how a bold pop of color turned out. The firecracker red really complements the blue sky in my room. As you can see I have two boxes on this server. I wanted there to be a change in textures and style. Have you done any DIY's lately?

Charleston Finds

Hello there! I'm back with photos of the items I bought yesterday on my road trip to Charleston. Most of these were found at Copper Eagle, a great little antique mall! The owner was named Rachel too, which I thought was interesting because I've never met a Rachel that much older. The things I bought were quite random. I've started collecting McCoy frog planters (this is my second). I think people started staring when I squealed with delight! It will be perfect in the kitchen at the sink for scrubbers. Vintage alligator bag will be coming to work with me tomorrow. The aqua bird planter was a last minute find and I couldn't pass up its sweetness. Believe it or not but my Mom owns this same cookbook and we cook out of it religiously! It has the best chocolate cake and poppy seed coffee cake recipes in it! I'll be sure to share later. I'm sure my mom found that one either at yard sale or antique mall. Finding another one was jackpot!!

 

 

 The little inlaid box is actually a toothpick holder, the detail is unbelievable! Black checked apron caught my eye, just something whimsical. The round cow tile will be gifted. I'm thrilled to have found this bracelet, it was in a booth going out of business and I almost didn't see it. It always takes more than one round to make sure something isn't missed. Since I forgot my camera yesterday, this was the best I could do, a camera phone pic at the antique mall.

Tunic: Target (old). Mustard pants: gap (old). Boots: Born, found here. Bag: Thrifted. Watch: Target, similar here. Bracelets: Ten Thousand Villages.

I will have to get a better picture of these boots. They are so comfortable, I wear them all the time! I could wear them all day long and they go with everything, black or brown. What are your go to shoes in winter? Tomorrow we are expecting snow, I'm not sure how I feel about that.  Just downloaded MyFitnessPal on my iPhone. It's a journal that documents what you've eaten and calculates calories. Try it out, it's very eye opening knowing  the actual content of many foods. 

A little Road Tripping

Took a little road trip today with my momma, we headed south to Charleston for some antiquing. As soon as we were about 10 minutes away I realized I forgot to bring my camera, so sorry for the poor quality these are off of my camera phone. Recently I haven't had any luck in antique shops, but I was surprised how well we did!! Here are some photos from the different shops we hit and wants.

All of these photos were from Copper Eagle Antique Mall. They had a lot of really interesting pieces. I was drooling over the Bakelite silverware. I'm always a sucker for trying on vintage hats,it amazes me how women used to wear them on a daily basis. It's a fun fashion statement I would love to come back, it's so classic. Coco Chanel would be proud!

 

We went into a vintage clothing store and they had the motherload of unique purses. I love the brass detailing on this one, I've never seen one like it! There's just something about old books I am drawn too! If only I had a place for this chandelier!The next place we went was styled so beautifully, it was more of an antique boutique. The store owner had an eye for beautiful things!! I might have to go back for the industrial storage cabinet! It's so neat how the front looks similar to a safe. She did a great job with the front of her store as well!

Whew. Sorry for such a long post. Tomorrow I will be back with what we bought and what I wore. What are you currently collecting? And where are you heading for antiquing excursions?