Fun Stuff and an Exciting Day at Our House!

My biggest little guy headed out the door this morning for his first day of kindergarten!  He was so very excited!  I just don't know where the last 5 years went!  Wow!

Today, I thought I'd share with you something fun that came in the mail this week!  I recently used Picasa to create this collage of some of my favorite photos I had taken for different blog posts.   I then uploaded it to vistaprint.com and ordered business cards, a poster and stickers!  It was so very easy to do!  I just received everything in the mail!  So fun!

I picked up this frame with mat at a thrift store some time ago for $4!  I knew I would find a good use for it.  When I ordered my poster, I chose the size specifically for this frame.  I now have a nice, professional looking sign for my space at the shop and it only cost me a few dollars!  Yay!

I was busy all of last weekend with a wedding and then a company picnic at Lac de' Fleur.  We have one last wedding this coming weekend!  I am anxious to get out to some estate sales and thrift stores...maybe Friday!  I'm having withdrawals!  Surely some of my blog buddies have been out treasure hunting and have some fabulous finds to share?  I'm off to take a look!  I'm hoping it will tie me over until I get to go do some shopping for myself!

Thank you so much for your sweet visit today!  I hope you're having a wonderful week!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

A Bit of Summer Preserved...

All summer long, I've been drying some of my favorite roses in anticipation of this time of year...when the flowers stop blooming and the leaves in the trees start to change color.  I love to incorporate dried roses in my Fall decor.

It's so hard to admit that summer is coming to an end and Fall is upon us.  My oldest son starts kindergarten next week...a sure sign of the changing times and seasons.  Sigh...

I love the look of these dried roses in pretty little apothecary jars.  It's as if a bit of summer has been bottled and preserved to look back on when the leaves have changed and the days get shorter.

I added this pretty old dresser tray, petite tureen and vintage wedding cake topper to my space at the shop on Monday night along with several jars of dried rose buds.  On Tuesday morning, my sweet friend called from the store to tell me she was taking the tray and cake topper home with her! 

I am so glad that this darling couple are going to a loving home where they will be treasured and enjoyed!

This coming Saturday is the Vintage Street Faire in downtown Camas!  If you live in the area, be sure to come enjoy a lovely shopping experience, complete with live music!  Unfortunately I won't be there this year as I have a wedding at Lac de' Fleur Gardens!  However, I will be having a sale in my space, along with most of the other dealers at Camas Antiques!

I have exciting news to share!  On September 6th, dear Debra of Common Ground is going to spotlight my living room for her Design Challenge Feature!  I hope you will all stop by her blog that day to share your ideas on how I could make my challenge space more inviting, useful and stylish!  I can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts and ideas!  Thank you Debra for your thoughtfulness and generosity, and for choosing my room to feature!  Yay!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!  Keep cool, but do enjoy these last few days of summer!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

P.S.  I have had a few questions about my flower drying techniques.  I actually wrote a tutorial on drying roses last fall.  It was one of my first posts!  Here is the link, if you are interested... Dried Flower Tutorial.

I will be joining in these fun parties:

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Inspiration Friday At The Pickett Fence
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Treasures Found...and a Mid-Week Train Ride to Fun and Relaxation!

Before I hopped on a train last week to go visit a very dear friend up North, I managed to hit up a couple of estate sales and thrift stores!  I wanted to fill my space at the shop with new treasures before I left town for a few days!  Some of these treasures were difficult for me to part with!  I took a little break from packing my bags to play with my finds, (always makes it a little easier to let them go).  Here's a peek at what I added to my booth last week!

I just adore this handmade wooden peg doll!  She is not old, but so unique and lovely!  She was a last minute purchase at a sale not far from my home.  I hesitated to buy her...and now I think she was my favorite purchase of the day!  That's usually how it goes, isn't it?

I love putting together these pretty book bundles.  This one displays so nicely on the little wooden tabletop pedestal I recently painted and shabbied.

A pretty cameo pendant tops off the book bundle beautifully!

I brought home two of these sweet Bavarian teacup trios...one in mint green and one in pink!

I stumbled across several pair of beautiful old costume clip on earrings.  I had just enough time to put a few on pretty cards to add to my display.  These pink ones are probably my favorite!  I'll be adding more to my space this week.

This old musical jewelry box isn't in mint condition but I just love the Frenchy looking design on top...and it's pink, inside and out which makes me love it even more!

I rarely pass up a large metal basket...they are so very useful!

All in all, a successful treasure hunt!  And...don't think I didn't carry home more treasures on the train last Thursday!  My dear friend was sweet enough to take me to some of her local thrifts and antique shops!  She knows me so well!  We had a great visit and it was so nice to get away and relax!  Now, do you think I was sensible and only purchased lightweight linens and such to tote home on my journey?  Of course not!  Ceramics, stacks of ironstone and even a family of cast iron geese travelled on the train with me!  I will surely share them all with you in upcoming posts along with some other fun things I've recently picked up! 

Once home, I had to switch gears and get to work on an "army guy" themed birthday party for my littlest one who turned 3 today!  It was a busy but fun weekend and now I am ready to crawl into bed and rest up for an even busier week ahead!

Thank you so much for your sweet visit!  Have a wonderful week!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

I will be joining the White Wednesday party over at Faded Charm today!

Beach Trip Inspired Kitchen Cabinet Makeover

A weekend camping trip to Newport, OR has left me in a bit of a beachy mood!  I decided to freshen up the corner kitchen cabinet with white, silver and a splash of aqua for a bright, summery and coastal feel! 

The Glamis Castle roses are in bloom and spread throughout the cabinet add romance to the vignette, not to mention amazing fragrance!

I found a few of these sweet little silver frames while out thrifting this week.  I'll work 2 of them into a display for the shop and keep one for home for my favorite photos from last weekend's beach trip.

I have a couple of confessions to make.  First of all...I actually shimmied this cabinet out of it's corner and up next to the window in order to maximize the best lighting for photos!  I don't know how some of you talented photographers get such wonderful photos of rooms in your homes!  Do you have professional lighting equipment?  The only place I am successful getting photos is right up next to the window.

I also wanted to share that this grouping is put together primarily with badly chipped, cracked and broken china!  These were pieces that I either bought without checking over carefully enough (happens all too often) or that were too pretty to pass up in spite of their imperfections!

The teacups all have chips or cracks but came in sets with several that were in perfect condition.  I sold the perfect ones, and kept the others.  For some reason I have a hard time throwing out chipped or cracked china.  In this case, I'm glad I held onto these pieces...I am enjoying my pretty cabinet display put together with discarded treasures!

I paid $1 for this gorgeous old Limoges gold and white pitcher.  It has been broken and poorly repaired.  Thankfully, the repair shows only on one side and it was fixed well enough that it holds water and makes a beautiful vase!

Here are a few of my favorite photos from our beach trip!  It was mostly a little chilly and windy but we enjoyed one warm sunny afternoon in the sand and a lot of time wrapped up in blankets next to the campfire roasting giant marshmallows!

Thank you for your sweet visit today!  I'm sorry I'm a bit behind in posting this week!  I'm sure I don't have to tell you moms out there how much work it is taking little ones camping!  Four days later and I am still doing laundry, putting camping gear away and cleaning sand out of shoes and bags!  I am sure the memories made are worth all of the efforts!  That's what I keep telling myself!  I'm off to fold more laundry!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

I'll be joining in on these fun parties:

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Transformations and Treasures at Pink Postcard

Treasure Chest Friday at White Ironstone Cottage

Inspiration Friday at The Picket Fence

Home Sweet Home Friday at The Charm of Home

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

The Treasure I Brought Home From Barn House!

In my last post, you got this sneak peek of the treasure I brought home from the Barn House sale.  I am totally thrilled with my purchase and can't wait to show it off!

I have been hunting for just the right coffee table to pair with the antique settee in our formal living room for years now!  The lovely Isabel of Maison Douce had a beautiful display, as usual.  I spotted this table in her space amongst so many pretty treasures and knew I'd finally found what I was looking for!  Thank you, Isabel!

I haven't shown our living room in past posts, mostly because I don't feel it's reached it's full potential!  I have a lot of ideas about how I would like to change it up and make it better reflect our style and function as a more livable space.  Now, as I sit on the settee and dream about the changes I'd make in the room, I have a place to set my teacup and decorating books!

As I find new pieces for this room and make changes to the decor, I'll be sure to give you updates!  At the moment I am gathering ideas and thoughts...in fact, I've sent some photos to Debra at Common Ground, hoping she'll choose my room for her new Design Challenge feature!  Wish me luck!

Thank you so much for your sweet visit today!

I hope you are having a wonderful week!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

I will be linking up to these fun parties:

White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Share the Love Wednesday at Very Merry Vintage Style

Primp Your Stuff Wednesday

Show and Tell Wednesday at Blue Cricket Design

Transformations and Treasures at Pink Postcard