Happy List

The other day I got lost in blog world.  I came across so many interesting blogs about vintage, thrifting etc.  I just couldn't even stand it!  Vintage Vixen had a list of top 10 UK blogs that were FAB!  Congrats to her for being on that list!! 

Going through those blogs and other faves, a lot of people always refer to "Happy Lists".  You write in a journal a list of things that you appreciate or what made you happy that day.  It is a good exercise, because if you always focus on what you DON'T have you will always come from a place of lacking.  If you focus on the things you DO have, or what makes you happy you will always feel fulfilled.  It is good to do a list when you are having a bad day or you are around people who aggravate you........kinda like people who suck your good energies right out of you or are to negative....eeewww!

Seems a no-brainer, but it is one of those things that are easy to talk about doing, but never do. 

So today I start one...and will continue to do weekly and even daily!  You can have fun with these lists, they don't have to be soooooooooo lengthy, or stuffed in a journal.  If you see an inspiring picture on the web print it out and jot 1 or 2 things on it, and hang it up to look at it for random bursts of happiness. Print a picture of your favorite flower, celebrity, food etc. Possibilities are endless...........

1. My upcoming trip to Florida!!  (I already printed out a list of local thrift shops to visit)!

2. Wine.

3. Twisted Sisters cupcakes.

4. New found favorite Vintage Blogs.

5. New inspiration from those blogs.

6. Local estate sale that I will be going to tomorrow!!!

7. The smell of coffee.

8. Family & Friends.

I feel good already!!

Ciao!

Coupon Craze

Every time I turn around I am into something new. Coupons are nothing new, however I really never used them. I would cut them out, organize them and then forget about them. By the time I went to use them they were expired. They were not really worth my time anyway since I bought mostly generic.

One of the food stores I go to are now starting to double coupons up to a dollar and doubling dollar coupons on Wednesdays! That is a savings! I figured I would go try this out. I gather a few coupons on items I wanted and headed out. When I got to the register my total was $23 and then I gave her my coupons and the total dropped below $17. Not bad for a few things right?

I learned today from my fellow friends and co-workers that you can stack coupons! Meaning if I have 5 coupons (store/manufacture) for a $1 off of lets say Gain detergent I can use all 5 of them on one bottle. If that product is on sale combined with the 3 coupons.....wow!! What a savings. If I go on a Wednesday armed with all this, since they double dollar coupons.........holy crap!!! Lets say the price of Gain is $12. I have 5 coupons so that is $5 off. Gain is now $7. Now if I use these on a Wednesday with the coupons being doubled ($10 instead of $5 off) it really costs me $2 for the detergent!

The more I educated myself on this the more excited I got! I started realizing how much money can be saved doing this. My goal is to save save save and put the money I saved from food shopping away for my jewelry creating, big estate, thrifting days!

Ciao!

Cancer Awareness

I think we all know someone who has cancer. It is a disease that too many people have. As a gift to one of my co-worker's mother, I made her a bracelet. She was recently diagnosed with cancer. I believe they caught it early enough. I am sure she is a little racked by all this so I made her a surprise gift.

I hope every time she looks at it it gives her positive energy and the strength she needs to deal with everything she will be facing. The best thing you can do when life throws you curve balls, is embrace it. Be positive. It will only make you stronger.

It is harder to do than you think, but it can be done. It is a mind set. When you feel like you have a bad day and all is loss, it isn't.

If you think it is, click on the below picture here:

I came across this blog yesterday and I was so impressed and touched with his attitude and outlook on life. It changed mine.

Love your life.

Focus on what you have instead of what you don't.

Don't be caught up with labels and worrying about what people are saying.

Anyone saying anything negative is not worth having around you.

Wear Your Hardware

Once in a while my husband goes through the mundane task of cleaning out the garage. Trying to make room for his bikes and bar stool racers. As he was building his trash pile, I saw old slatted doors in the pile. The hardware caught my eye.



I have a big love for skeleton keys, key plates, old keys of all shapes and sizes. Maybe it's the allure of stories of past lives the key holds.



I knew I could come up with some sort of design. It did not take me long. I just grabbed a few beads and wire and whipped something up.



I am wearing this piece today and as I was out and about I got a lot of compliments on it. I have been meaning to make another one to put in my Etsy shop.



What ever it is you design, YOU are your biggest advertiser. Wear your stuff. People will gravitate to you and ask you about your pieces. Have business cards on hand to pass out!

I did not do anything to the finish of the key hole. On my next one I may....not sure yet.

Ciao!

Calm before the storm

Yesterday the east coast had a 5.8 earthquake. Some areas felt it more than others. I thought someone dropped something heavy on the second floor of the building. Overall no big deal and no one was hurt that I know of. I guess we are getting hit with a hurricane this weekend. Maybe that is why we are having such calm and pretty weather right now.

The weather was beautiful last night. It was breezy and in the 80's. A nice break from the 90+ heat and humidity. After work my husband and I sat outside by our firepit having a few beers.

He made this fire pit by hand, scrolled the legs and everything! The stone is left over tile from our backsplash in our kitchen. We broke it up and put it on top! This patio is off of our original patio area and sits on top of hudge granite slabs. I LOVE IT here. You can take any space in your back yard or porch area and make it unique and beautiful. A far away retreat in your own back yard.

What I usually do every summer is hang skrim off my main patio. Skrim is a gauzy material that is great to hang outdoors. It dries fast and you can see through it. This plant below was not this big in the beginning of the summer. It had a few stems hanging down and now look at it. I almost goes around the whole top area!

The skrim gives the patio area a tropical feeling, perfect for summer nights. It looks great with candles and tiki torches lit at night. I keep it like this well into the fall! :)

Nice to sit outside and have vino as well.......my fave drink!

Estate Sale

I found an estate sale the other weekend close to home! We were getting ready to head to the beaches in NC, but I managed the time to go check this sale out. It was in a very ritzy, artsy area and I could not miss it!




Oil lamps! Love them. I have a handful of them. These two were the ones that stood out to me the most. The one lady next to me had a green one that I really wanted. I hoped that she would of changed her mind and put it back on the table, but no luck. We were saying how they do not make these anymore and lamps like these are precious! I use them as decoration and outdoor light on the patio. I may resell these two.

I love dishes and pill boxes. I like to display them randomly throughout the house.

This is an omelet cooker I guess. I grabbed it because it was different. This was rarely used. The one lady said she has one and LOVES it. She uses it all the time. It will go in my vintage camper!!!

I am not a smoker, but I love old ash trays. I use this to hold random beads and jewelry. I love the flowers! I hope to find one of those ashtray stands. Remember them?

They had a great piece of furniture. A green old dresser. I wish I had the space for it. I really need to have a big barn to house all my findings. I also found an old floor lamp, and a unique fish/knife scaler. I have a lot of fun going to these sales. You can find many unique things that you can display around your house and add flair!

Ciao!

Wanderlust........and Gypsies

The other day I read a post on Misfits Vintage's blog about wanderlust. We all have it. We want to travel and see the world and meet fascinating people. I get like that, specially when I watch Anthony Bourdain. I just want to travel and hob nob with the finest people and talk about life over a good glass of wine.

But I can't travel the world, not at this point anyway. But you can satisfy your own wanderlust on a smaller scale. You learn so much about life and yourself when you go out and meet people, join groups, scower blogs. You can travel so far away right in the comfort of your own living room. This past month I have come across some pretty cool blogs from other parts of the world. These people have inspired me, reminded me of things, and given me a boost in an area of my life that needed a jump start. We all

After reading Misfits Vintage blog, her wanderlust reminded me of gypsies and how I like them and how I like Gypsy Rose Lee.

My mother use to call me Gypsy Rose Lee when I was little. I used to walk around with a bunch of jewelry on...all "gussied" up. Gypsy Rose Lee was one of the most famous strippers. During a raid at Minsky's Burlesque house she told the police that she was not naked, she was completely covered by a blue spotlight. Strong and witty! My kind of chic. She was also an actress and author.

I would love to pick up and travel on a whim. I envy the people who do. I do my share of traveling however. Weekends here and there with friends. I've had a busy summer this year......yeah!

Make sure you settle your own wanderlust....whenever it hits you. Don't forget to travel. It does not have to be to a far away country, it can be in your own town!! Take time for yourself, get to know yourself through others. I think sometimes we get caught up in mundane things in our life and forget to live uninhibited. We forget about our own desires. We sometimes let peoples negative energy squash our positive energies.

Don't let that be you......don't get caught in a slump.

Go......let your hair down, wear something outrageous DO something and GO SOMEWHERE!!!

Ciao!