affordable treats.

You made it half way through the week already! Get yourself (or a dear friend) a little treat whether you have 5, 10, or 20 bucks.

$5 and Under

1. CariKraft
2. heatherjeany
3. accentonvintage
4. electriclime


$10 and Under

1. kaylah7
2. FreckledNest
3. sycamorestreetpress
4. 2pear


$20 and Under

1. ethanollie
2. ethora
3. Hettle
4. goodbloom

shop update.

I can't complain about the weather in Connecticut the last week or so. All of the sun has allowed me to get lots of photos for the shop. You can expect to see at least 3 new things each and every day! Here is a peak at what you might find:


Today I'm working on a set of mixed paper journals with BINGO card covers. Before found paper co., I had another shop on Etsy and these were my best sellers. A few of these journals from my past shop:


I am hoping to finish up the new set of journals today, and will share some pictures later today or tomorrow!

flea market finds.

I was once again able to go to the flea market, making it two weekends in a row! I think I enjoy the drive to the flea market almost as much as the flea market itself. When I lived in California going to the flea market involved driving on a generic freeway and parking on a side street near an industrial park. Going to the flea market in Connecticut involves meandering through tree lined country roads and pulling into an old fashioned drive in movie theater. There is what the drive to the flea market looks like. (The iced coffee was for the drive to the flea market, and the Gatorade was to refuel after the flea market!)


There is always lots to discover at the flea market, as long as you are willing to search and dig and then wash and clean. Here are a few of my favorites from this week.


I usually hit up the flea market with my partner in crime (otherwise known as my cooperative boyfriend). However, I was flying solo today so I decided to drive around and see what else was in the area. The estate sale I was looking for fell through, but I saw a sign for another flea market!

Excited for two flea markets in one day, I pulled into the lot, but it wasn't quite what I expected. #1 - The sign said it was indoor and outdoor. There was no one outside. (Those two cars in the background were at the restaurant in the back of the parking lot.) #2 - The indoor portion appeared to be in this large, scary warehouse (see below). Since I was there I gave it a try and peaked inside. It only took one peak for me to realize it was more of a death market than a flea market. It was a massive room piles of junk everywhere, but no people. Needless to say I did not enter to further investigate. I still have no idea what was going on, but wish I had snapped a picture inside for all of you to see. Creepy!


Hope you had a wonderful weekend, and enjoyed some flea marketing if that's your kind of thing!

new week, new shop - The Cozy Farmhouse

I love Mondays because they bring along a new week, a fresh start. I decided to start each Monday with a brand new feature called "new week, new shop". Each week you'll be introduced to a up and coming Etsy shop (50 sales and under) and the fun owner behind the shop. Why not start your new week with a little treat for yourself from one of these up and coming shops? I promise you'll be tempted!

Up first is The Cozy Farmhouse! You may recognize one of her gorgeous flower pins from last week's "friday favorites". She gathers fabric flowers and dollies, along with some thread and tulle, and creates the most lovely hair accessories. Her self-described style is chic, feminine, and vintage-inspired.


The creator behind these hair pieces is Ann-Marie of Southern California. A quick glimpse at her inspiration bulletin board below will tell you a lot about her - her fondness for 1950's aqua, love for scrapbook paper, and affinity for travel. I know we would be best friends based simply on her love for Chipotle burritos. (Sidenote: How could Connecticut not have a Chipotle? It's a shame.)


I know her flower pieces are meant to be worn in your hair, but I think I like just seeing them on display! You would definitely want to leave yours out on your desk or dresser when not in use.


Still not sure if you need one of her pieces? Check out these product close ups and you'll be convinced.


For more of The Cozy Farmhouse, check out her shop and blog.

friday favorites.

Now that we are starting to have some sun in Connecticut, I find myself drawn to bright and summery finds!

1. nonsuch

2. TheCozyFarmhouse
3. OldFashionedButGood
4. VintageSongbird

Hope you all have a wonderful summer weekend! I hope to be able to take lots of pictures this week, and have some big updates in the shop starting Monday!

cheesy goodness.

You won't see a lot of cooking posts from me. I am not a natural cook. However, I tried this recipe from some random Costco book and had to share. It's pretty simple and oh so good. (Because I am a vegetarian I passed on the steak that goes with it.) Check out the recipe for all of the details, but here are the basics:

Cheesy Chili Lime Potato Wedges

Step #1: Mix olive oil, lime juice, grated lime peel, garlic powder, chili powder, and onion powder in a large plastic bag.


Step #2: Cut potatoes into wedges. Coat with your lime mixture and add some salt and pepper.


Step #3: Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes. Take out about 5 minutes before done and add cheese.


Step #4: Enjoy your cheesy, citrusy potatoes!

blog love.

One of my morning rituals is opening up my Google Reader and browsing my favorite blogs' updates. I was shocked (in a good way!) to see this post on poppytalk yesterday morning:

Considering it was about 6:30am when I saw it, I had to look twice to make sure it was my shop, but it was a great way to start the day!

Speaking of blogs, here are a few of the favorites I check each morning:

Paper Cakes Finds
[page after page of fun finds, many from Etsy]

oh happy day!
[no question, the best party and display ideas]

vintage indie
[absolutely love the shop tours!]

inchmark
[handmade everything - parties, gifts, and more!]

pink of perfection
[a good mix of beautiful things]

Feel free to share your own favorites! I always love discovering new blogs.

color swatch book.

I always find myself drawn to the same color combos, usually something that involves aqua. In order to broaden my horizons a bit, I put together this little color swatch book. The next time I'm gathering products for a blog feature or working on my scrapbook I can reach for this little book and have lots of different color combos to pick from.

It was easy to make and allowed me to use some of my favorite supplies - hang tags, paper scraps, and vintage buttons. Here is a quick step by step:

Step #1: Gather paper scraps and punch out 1" circles.

Step #2: Ink edges of circles using black ink.

Step #3: Play around with circles to come up with your color combos. Glue three circles per tag.

Step #4: Sew vintage buttons to the center of some of the circles. For some tags I only used a button on the middle circle. For others I used buttons on the outer two circles, and even left some tags without buttons.

Step #5: Place all of your tags on a binder ring and you're done! I like using a binder ring because I can easily add new color combos that come to mind, or remove color combos that I'm sick of or have used quite a bit.

A few pages from my color swatch book: