Simple vintage goodness.

Islay Grimes Cast Stone Sculpture 

Simplicity is beautiful. 

Find him here.

books... by their cover

I see out there in the blogosphere that it's "book week"... makes sense to me: autumn, nesting, cozying up to a good book and a fire in the wood stove. And I have been doing my share of nesting. But I have to tell you the truth, I haven't been reading any books lately. Reading on the computer, yes, reading magazines, yes. But I've been collecting books, from thrift stores, garage sales and friends, for a long, long time. They are treasured possessions.

And I am definitely known to buy a book solely for it's cover.

So, here's a few of the books that I have not been reading....

circa 1948

circa 1939

circa 1938, signed 1st edition 

circa 1956

circa 1949

Aren't they wonderful?

Star of the Sea Rummage Sale

Yes, people are still talking about the

Star of the Sea Rummage Sale!

The annual event, held in the catholic school gym, just concluded with "free day" last Friday and I went no less than 5 times in 4 days. I must begin by saying that the volunteer ladies who run the sale are vintage classics themselves. Completely adorable. Above is just a small portion of my finds.... my favorites: the Peterboro picnic basket, two absolutely perfect vintage rattan lamp shades, silver iced tea spoons (this score triples my tiny collection!), loads of vintage sheets and linens, two super fab homemade vintage housewife dresses, vintage patterns, a vintage ice bucket and soooo much more.

I probably spent, all told, $25 in my 4 day rummage spree. But even better than the deals, it just got me jazzed. Downright giddy. I actually left the house early before work (unheard of) to get in line on the first $2 bag day! This will be an official annual event in my life and is just a delicious slice of small town goodness.

That lil' bit of treasure-seeking adrenaline created a small creative storm of which we shall see the fruits of soon... because this beautiful machine below and I have once again, made friends after a somewhat lengthy fall-out.

fits & starts... so true in so many areas of my life and happily I'm in the midst of a sewing fit!

a sweet holiday weekend

The long weekend was as sweet

as this Oregon strawberry...

strawberry muffins and skillet jam were made

long walks with the husband and dogs were enjoyed

fireworks over the river were witnessed...

and a new annual tradition was born:

St. Mary's Star of the Sea Rummage Sale, oh my....

But more to come on that.

from tired to inspired

Let's be honest, some weeks are more interesting than others. This past week, frankly, left me tired and uninspired. I choose to blame the stretch of insomnia I've been struggling with, but I know that some weeks are just like that. Tired and uninspired.

What always inspires me and lifts my spirits though is collecting vintage treasures and I have been searching high and low in thrift and antique stores for charming vintage jars to serve as spice jars. I stumbled upon this set of 15 pre-war jars quite some time ago and love love love them. I had no idea then how difficult it is to find vintage jars with their original lids so I am ever more grateful that I bought each and every one. Problem is, I need about 15 more in varying sizes to fill this fantastic antique shelf that *will* be morphed from super cluttered yet functional spice shelf to super cute and functional spice shelf. The shelf sits in our dining room just around the corner from the stove so "super cute" would be super cool.

The question remains... do I spray paint the lids to create a cleaner, more uniform look or do I leave the rusty lids in original condition? I figure at this point, safety isn't a concern- I mean what is unhealthier flaking off into your herbs and spices- rust or spray paint??? Seems like a toss-up to me. So, stay tuned: one happy and very inspired day we'll revisit the spice shelf with the complete "before and after" makeover. In the meantime, the search continues for more vintage glass jars. Until then, super cluttered yet functional will have to suffice.