Fun Finds and Thrift Store Love

I have been waiting - very impatiently - to show you some of the Fun Finds that my husband and I found last week. I thought I would share them with you on this Talk about Tuesday! I have wanted to participate in this for a while, but by the time I get myself together it is like Thursday! Anyhoooo.... We were on a "date" of sorts....we had the Princess with us but she was being REALLLY good....It was a very nice day!! We had lunch at one of my favorites, and then we went to about a half dozen Antique, Consignment, and Thrift Stores. And surprisingly, he seemed to enjoy it as much as I did!! He said it was the company....isn't he sweet....I think he was just trying to get lucky if you know what I mean! Some of my fabulous finds are going to the shop, and some have come home with me to live in chaos like the rest of us!

OK, enough talk...let me show you what I found!! It makes me excited just remembering what I found...I am pathetic I tell ya!!! This is not everything....I don't want to overwhelm you!

First were these Lovely Linens!!! One of the many things that gets me really excited is finding Vintage Linens!!! I got all three of these for less than $20!! I have no intentions of parting with these!!! One has a little hole and one has a pretty interesting stain on it but I am sure I can get it out. The bottom one is in really good condition - just a little faded. I personally don't care what they look like at this point because I LOVE THEM!!!

Next up...this lovely little collection of mugs! I really liked the brown ones for my house, even the hubby was eyeing them up, but we parted with them already and they reside nicely above the Espresso Machine! They are a nice size - pretty vintage - and in PERFECT condition. Notice that there are only 5 of them? That is because I DROPPED one and broke it on the way to the register!!! The lady tells me that she has more and will bring one down to the shop for me. Then those sweet little tea cups next to the brown ones, well they are just sweet and I really liked them!! The blue willow mugs in the bag are great for Cappuccino's. They also are in really good condition!!! In fact I served to Cap's in them yesterday! They were all such a great price that it made them even prettier!!

NOW...Seriously.....do you see these SWEET little tea cups!!! I saw these and almost jumped out of my skin! This is only one of them, it is a set of four and man are they beautiful. One of them has a pretty significant crack in the plate but the rest are really nice! They are all hand painted with this little Asian scene, the insides are this beautiful iridescent white and all in all they are just beautiful!!! Have I mentioned that they are beautiful?? These, much to my chagrin are being sold at the shop. I can't keep everything.....I have to keep telling myself that!

I had picked up these three little pins a little while back and not gotten around to post them, but I really like them too!! The little pansies are made from ceramic and the black one is hand painted on wood. Very pretty!! The white one is just fun! I thought it would make a cool ring. OK, that is it for this trip. But....I have more from this past weekend!! You have to wait a bit longer for those!! They might just include a lovely white pitcher, a mint condition vintage jewelry box....and some really, really fun jewelry finds!!

Hey there stranger!

Oh...My....Goodness!!! It is now the 12th of September and I just realized that my last post was in April...exactly 2 days before we opened the doors to our very own Coffee Shop & "store"....it has been a complete roller coaster and seems like years since May 1st! Let me give you a brief re-cap!!
1. I haven't done one complete "craft" project since April!!
2. My daughter has 6 unfinished "spring" outfits....good thing that Fall is just beginning, guess I have a jump start on next spring!!
3. 3 - yes 3 members of my family have broken bones! All one week apart we have broken two left wrists, and one left foot. Thank you very much, I will be seeking damages from the moo-cows!
4. Our shop is super cute and growing every single day! We started off with the notion of having an antique consignment and vintage boutique "store" and have since decided to have a retail gift/home decor & accessories store. It is so much more fun!! We have several lines that are made right here in the U.S.A - Love that!!

5. The list goes on and on!! But, I am going to make sure that I keep up with my blog and my crafts. I hate that some days I am so tired my poor little brain can't be creative!!

I have once again discovered that the only form of sanity in a family with kids/school/jobs, etc is ORGANIZATION and PLANNING!! There is going to be time spent this weekend planning dinners & lunches for the next two weeks. The farmers market only has a few more weeks left so I need to stock up on all our fresh homegrown produce. The squash is starting to become more plentiful, apples are ready to be made into applesauce, and the potatoes are HUGE this year!! Because working 80+ hours a week is just not enough to keep me busy, I have it set in my mind to make applesauce and sweet potatoes to be canned and saved for Thanksgiving and other dinners this fall/winter.

OK, off to try and get some sleep - that darn coffee doesn't make itself!!

Let's talk GREEN...

I have this REALLY exciting - REALLY fun - REALLY cool news!! Maybe you picked up on it in my post from yesterday???? We have a new business!!! We bought a coffee /Antique Consignment Shop! It is going to be more like a coffee lounge/Antique consignment/retail of handcrafted items shop by the time we get it open. I am so excited - I haven't been able to sleep in days....When I say "we" I am referring to my mom and I. We make a good team...she has a great eye for the antiques and merchandising, and I can do all the other stuff!

So, why green you say???? Well, did you know that coffee beans are actually GREEN before roasting??? If you did know, good for you! lol.. I didn't, I am certainly NOT a coffee expert, just your regular coffee, little splenda (or Agave) and a dash of milk kinda girl! I really don't like that "St**bk's" kinda coffee - too bitter, but I will drink it if the caffeine is necessary!! Anyway, back on track here....We went today and toured the Roaster, and sampled this great brand of coffee, Cafe Pronto, it is such a nice coffee. The people were awesome, and so supportive of our new venture - really exciting!!!

We also are being GREEN by bringing in local artists, recycled goods....aka Antique Consignments! The good stuff people, not the dusty crap we pull out of grammies attic! LOL. I have been on Etsy, shopping away...making wholesale arrangements, consignment arrangements for jewelry pieces and larger items. It is so much fun, I love it! We are going to bring in as much "talent" as possible. I love the idea that we can use handcrafted items to fill our shop! I could go on for hours about this, it is a concept that I really love! I have one girl who is making "shopping" bags out of old vintage/recycled linens! Talk about cool!!!!

Miss L is going to be the smallest Coffee chick ever!! I am going to try and get some aprons made before next week....o yeah, did I mention that we take over on May 1st???? Talk about being on the fast track! She is going to be part of the working class before she even gets to her first pre-school class! She can remind me of it daily when she gets older, the same way I remind my mother that she let me man a produce stand on a major roadway at the tender age of 10 - all by myself!!!! Hello People!!!! Although, I get much more mileage out of the "I fell out of the car and you kept driving...." reminder. No pun intended!

I am going to start a NEW blog for the shop - I will hopefully get it up and running by the weekend. Check it out at here.

I have been tagged....

I literally jumped out of my seat when I clicked the Heather link on Jen's blog....boy do I love her!! I enjoy stalking/reading her blog on a regular basis!! I have never been tagged before - so this is my first time...I hope that I get it right! Oh, yeah...and I hope that somebody actually reads it, lol!!! 6 quirky/non important things...pretty much my whole life falls into this category, but I will try to shave it down some!

1. My mom and I just bought a coffee/antique shop....neither one of us know the first thing about using the BIG espresso machine!! And, really I would not be one of those moms who has lots of free time on their hands..lol..4 kids, 11, 10, 7, & 2!

2. I fell out of the car when I was about six, my mom kept driving...for about a block....felt like a mile! I tease her to this day about it!!

3.I am never caught up on laundry!

4. I secretly long to be "June Cleaver" from Leave it to Beaver and make lunches, bake cookies and have dinner for my hubby and children - WITHOUT - all the modern day stresses!! Let's not forget vacuum in heels!!

5. I loved waiting tables! It was fun, even when you have jerky customers!

6. I am pretty sure that I have adult ADD....I can produce the unfinished projects to prove it!

ONE MORE FOR GOOD MEASURE....
I sweep obsessively when I get nervous or stressed or their is dirt on the floor....no wonder I never complete any projects!


So....the rules:
1: link to the person that tagged you. 2. Post the rules on your blog. 3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. 4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. 5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

Here are the victims of my tag....they don't all know it yet, but we are friends....lol!! OK...I can only do four...I don't have that many cyber-friends!
Betz, Jennifer, Jaime, Crop Girl

Let me go warn them....lol! Thanks Jen, I really enjoyed being tagged!!!

What to do....the Potty Training Blues!

What do you do when your two year old has decided that she will no longer wear the diapers that have the little blue dog on them???? Or the magenta dog, or the green dog....It took me a few diaper changes to figure out what the problem was, but once I did I kept thinking I must be wrong - or at least crazy!!! Not only does she have NO interest in going "Potty" on the potty, but she refuses to wear the diapers that don't have the little purple kitty on them! I figure that with 34 diapers in each pack, 4 different characters to rotate through the odds are not in my favor! Yesterday, I changed her diaper and explained that we were going to sit on the potty and wear our big girl panties....she proceeded to have a major diva fit...stomp over the the diapers...whip through the stack until she found the kitty... lay down, and stomp her little foot at me! Not only does she stomp her foot, drop her shoulders and exclaim..."Gaaa" (which I am sure means God - thanks to the older siblings) but she stomps away and throws her arms up!

Seriously...when did come to live with us??

I started trying the "Potty" thing kind of early since the little darling is allergic to most, let me rephrase that, all commercial diapers, and now she doesn't want anything to do with it!! I bought the organic diapers for a while, then I was forced to purchase the "Luvs" one day because Whole Foods was out of her size again..they worked, and now...no kitty...no diaper!! YET, she doesn't want to use the potty!!! What am I going to do?? I thought that maybe I could go back to the organic diapers because they obviously don't have characters on them, and we can just stick "kitty" stickers on them!! Gotta be creative and a little crafty!! Then when she decides to move on from the kitties, we can choose a new sticker! LOL!!

OK...not your typical "crafty" project, but I will let you know if it works! I am off to find some potty training advice on the Internet! It seemed easier the first three times!!!

Ohhh, Ohhh, wait till you see my new finds!! I will take some pictures for you tomorrow!! AWESOME buttons, some great costume jewelry that I plan on turning into rings...and then more treasures from my grandmothers stash!! So exciting just thinking about it, my potty training blues have almost passed!!

Can you say Pack Rat?

Today I spent the better part of the day moving/emptying my mothers storage unit that she rented after we cleared out my grandmothers house...the other half of the day was spent putting things BACK in trash bags that my curious little trash picker daughter pulled out of the bags! She is a mess...it is truly an inherited trait! I go through and throw away and "someone" in the house will pull it out and act like it jumped out of the trash all by itself!! Crazy how this seems to happen! Anyway....moving all that stuff was a little like an adventure....stressful, fun and a little overwhelming! There were some great finds in there! Buttons, vintage notions, beautiful fabric, some fun retro/vintage fabric, UNBELIEVABLE/FABULOUS vintage patterns!!! She was a VERY talented seamstress!! Great silver pieces that I plan on using in my office and studio!! Old jewelry - looking to make more fun rings, tons and let me say again TONS of mason jars! They will come in handy for the big ol' garden we have started. Plus, the greatest selection of cookbooks....my grandmother wasn't a great cook, but my grandfather sure did buy her a lot of cookbooks! He was such a hopeful man!! LOL! I had almost forgotten about all the great "stuff" my grandmother had. I am going to work my way through a bag buttons I found and start sorting through the fabric to see what I am going to keep and what I am going to purge!

Look for pictures soon...gotta run!!