An Easy Way to Manage Craig & His Lists...

As I was perusing a few of my favorite blogs this morning, I read a post at Maple & Magnolia that highlighted a great tool to use in conjunction with Craig's List (as an aside, if you've never read her blog, she has a beautiful one.... and finds some of the most awesome things!).

It's called Craigseasy.....

It's a free tool that basically lets you view your search results in IMAGE format (provided there is one attached to the ad), versus the LIST type where you have to click each individual listing to see the photos.

There was only one result found in my area (Smallville...) for my test search of "vintage industrial", but if there were several, they would all display on the page.

I like it because if you search using terms like "vintage" or "antique" it can take a while weeding the real from the not so real if you have to click on every link to actually view the listing.  This way, you see the photos FIRST and can go from there!

It takes less than a minute to load the application and you're off and running!

If you'd like to read the full article   my top 5 tips for finding craigslist treasure! that I came across this morning on Maple & Magnolias' site, just click Here.

Now get out there and let me know what kind of treasures you find!

Summer... It's Just Around the Corner...

We've decided to put our little beach cottage in a weekly rental program this year....

Much as it pains me to do it, the boys are getting older and our schedules during the summer months are getting crazier.  And with our 16 year old trying to get a "real" job this summer, getting all of us together at one time seems unlikely.

We gutted this house down to the studs and have put so much of ourselves into it that renting it out is going to be difficult.

I hope the families that visit enjoy it as much as we have...

And if there is an open week.... we'll be there!

I'll be working on some small projects to get the house ready and will share things along the way.

Hope you are having a good start to the week!

How We Do Shiny....

If you read this post ( We Don't Do Shiny... ) you'll know what I'm referring to.

But, short story, when my girlfriend asked me what my man gave me for Valentine's Day... "something shiny?", I responded that we don't "do" shiny (or bling) for V-Day.

But that's not entirely true....I did receive something shiny...

Two more pieces to add to my vintage Guardian Service collection (read here).

It may be a tad cumbersome wearing it on my finger or wrist.... but I'll figure something out!

Hope everyone is having a great start to the week!

A New Meaning for Wireless....

While cleaning out some stuff in storage, my man recently gifted me with this...

I've gotta' tell ya'.... I'm not sure what the "wireless" refers to!  Did the "earlier" version have wires in the bag?

But that would hurt, wouldn't it?  I mean, you're using this 'cause you have a headache to begin with....

Maybe they were originally made with wire mesh?

And apparently, there were issues with misplacing the washers in the previous version.... is "Non-Losable" a word? (according to my friends at "spell-check".... it is not)

But no matter.... I'm just glad to have the "Genuine" ice bag.  No knock-offs for me!

Hoping you all have a wonderful weekend...!

We Don't Do Shiny...

My girlfriend asked me the other day what my man got me for Valentine's Day.... "something shiny?".  We don't do "shiny".... or bling on V-Day.

But I am loved extremely well, nonetheless.  And yes, he's spelled Valentine wrong not once but twice..... and even tells me so on the inside of the card.  Makes it all the more special to me... thanks Carson!  And the answer is "yes- any day of the week"...

His brother "disappeared" after he got home from school and later surprised me with these... Red roses and what looks like azaleas (but they're not.... can't remember the name now.... I know it starts with an "A"). Thanks Davis.... I love you, too!

And my favorite flower from my favorite man.... Oriental Lilies.  And they smell wonderful!

Fading white lilies and roses...

And a lovely surprise from the girlfriend...

As for shiny...well there was a little bit of that, too - just not of the type she was referring to.  I'll post about that on another day!

For me, nothing "shines" brighter than knowing you are loved!

Spicin' Things Up....

Sometimes my kids crack me up.  My two youngest are 14 & 15 (soon to be 15 & 16).  Up until the last year or so, my youngest has always had to be told to take a shower every day.... not sure why, but apparently hygiene was low on his list of priorities!

Thankfully that's changed (I think it has something to do with discovering girls...but I digress).  He loves him some Axe body products, but that stuff is not cheap!  A couple of years ago, my Uncle Merrill took both of the boys for a week over the summer holiday.  He hooked them each up with a "ditty bag" of their own.

*As an aside.... not sure why we call it a "ditty bag", but I always have.  It's the term my father uses and apparently my uncle as well.  Maybe it's a military thing... maybe we're just weird.

Anywho....my uncle hooked them up with a "toiletries bag" complete with electric razor, toothpaste, brushes & floss, and a bottle of his personal favorite.... Old Spice.  Carson now loves him some Old Spice! (my thanks to my uncle.... much easier on the wallet!).

When we were in Mass. over the holidays, my man brought this home for the boys.

It was his father's and he has many a fond memory of his dad using it when he was little.

And my sons?  They love it 'cause it was "Pep's".

Decorating.... Sometimes it's like a rash.....

Maybe it's just me, but sometimes I just get the "itch" to change things up.  It starts out as something simple, but then the more you touch it, the the more it spreads.

Kinda' like a rash....

The other day I decided to re-arrange the stuff on my Hoosier cabinet.  I pulled out all of my favorite serving pieces that I like to use every day, and just started to play around.  I wanted to put out some of my silver plate pieces, so I grabbed one of my soap dishes to hold them and they fit just right!

But then I needed something else.... a runner or something to put everything on.  Out came the sewing machine and I whipped up this runner with left over drop cloth and a one of my napkins (love this Waverly print, but can't seem to find the fabric on-line... if you've seen it, please share!) for the ruffle.

Once that was down, I didn't like the look of all of my cookbooks hanging out.  Back to the sewing machine.... and I whipped up this little curtain in matching fabric ( from 2 napkins sewn together).  Much better...

But then I realized I didn't have a tension rod small enough to fit... so I pulled one apart and cut it to length.  The little rubber feet are holding it in place.

The little "milk bottle" is actually a re-cycled Starbucks coffee drink bottle that I spray painted white, and created a milk label for.  It's one of a set of three I made, and is just right for holding small bouquets of flowers...

I'm much happier now.... but nothing is ever a "one-step" process for me.  I guess that's why when my man asks me "what did you do today?".... my answer of "re-arranged the Hoosier cabinet " gets me that "and.....???" look!

At least he doesn't verbalize the "what else?" part!  The look says it all!!

Linking to...

Coastal Charm...
Wow Us Wednesdays...
AKA Designs....
Catch As Catch Can....

A Girl's Gotta' Do...

I love having fresh flowers in the house....

Especially when it's the middle of February and my garden beds are looking like they'll never recover...

and the grocery store puts tulips on sale...

and $10 gets me 3 vases of flowers to put where ever I want.... even if they only last a week.

My man is the "just 'cause" gift kinda' guy.  He'll bring me something on random days for random reasons.  Just 'cause it's something I like or I've mentioned in the course of a normal conversation.

Flowers are not one of those things.... that's something I buy just for myself!

But it makes me happy... and so does he!

Putting Your "Guard Up"...

In addition to my obsession with vintage glassware (read here) and my thing for china (read here), I have recently started my search for this...

This is Guardian Service Cookware.  The first time I had ever seen it was at my man's parent's house.  At the time, I didn't get the opportunity to cook with it (his father was the "head chef") but I did notice that they were the only pots & pans his Dad used.

I did a little research on my own, and found out quite a bit...

"Century Metalcraft Corporation of Los Angeles, California manufactured Guardian Service cookware from the mid 1930s until 1956, when the plant burned down.  Independent salesman sold GS cookware similar to the way that Tupperware was sold during the 1960s.  A hostess would host a party at their house, and invite several of their friends over.  At these dinner parties, the GS salesman would prepare a delicious meal for the guests, all in hopes of selling them some of the GS cookware.

GS cookware was considered to be an expensive set of cookware during the 1940s and 50s.  It would cost about a month's pay to buy the full set.  In today's dollars, that would be about $2,500!  In many cases, the dinner party guests would only buy one or two pieces."

You can read the complete run-down here. 

I found my first piece (pictured above) by chance at a local consignment shop recently.  I'd been stalking Ebay for a while, but just couldn't justify the prices (combined with shipping) that were out there.

I paid $15.95 for the pot & lid and both are in mint condition.  I've found several of the same, in worse condition, for sale for $35 to $45, so this was the deal goin' on!

But the best part is definitely in using it!  We've gotten used to that oh-so-wonderful-Teflon (that is anything but!) and the over-priced celebrity chefs hawking their wares, that we often look past what was used in the past!

This stuff cooks like a dream (and food doesn't stick!).  It's heavy, retains heat, and cooks more evenly (quicker) while being safe to use on the stove and in the oven.

The piece I have is one of a set of three, that when put together form a circle.  The shop I found it in had 2 more pots (sans lids) for $9.95 each.  I might have to go back and get them.... maybe Ebay has cheaper lids!

So what pages do YOU take out of someone's past?

M&D Are Lovin' Me...

My parents have begun a little "de-cluttering" of their own.  When that happens, I'm usually the recipient of some pretty cool stuff.

Case in point...

They gave me this coffee grinder a couple of months ago and I've had it sitting around, just waiting for the right place to put it.  Yesterday, I happened to look up.... and there was the spot!  Looks like it was meant to be.

Thanks to my loving M&D!

A Room to be Proud Of....

At least that's what I'm telling myself.  And my children are as well... though they wonder where they're going to put the Play Station (considering we don't have a TV in here yet, that's still a ways off!).

I finished the last piece last week... this is the love seat that I reupholstered to match the "slouchy couch" that you can read about here.  Both pieces were originally a faded green plaid that were hand-me-downs when I got them five years ago.

The black dresser shown against the wall (above) was my first project using Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint.  It started as this...

And finished off with this...

I've had this chair forever.  Originally dark walnut stain with a red crushed velvet upholstery, I painted this as well and recovered it with fabric remnants I found at Wal Mart.

My man made the foot stool and I covered it in drop cloth fabric and transferred the image using one from the Graphic Fairy's site.

I made the window treatments from drop cloths, too.  They replaced the original ones I had made from vintage bark cloth (seen here).  The french-inspired wall piece is actually a stenciled bamboo floor rug that I framed and re-purposed.  The two smaller pieces of artwork to the far right are watercolors my 15 year old painted for my man & I for Christmas.

I've had the antique shoe trees forever.... they were originally in my bedroom closet.

The ottoman was also recovered in drop cloths.... the pleating for the skirt took me longer than recovering the actual piece.  But I'm glad I did it.... it makes it stand apart from the couches.

This is just an old produce box I found for .50 at a garage sale a while back.  I painted the it black and waxed the image on the end.  I use it to hold extra blankets.

The folding child's chair was a garage sale find too.  I gave it a white wash with ASCP, distressed it, and applied a light coat of wax.  The bears are, well..... we'll just say I have a thing for teddy bears.  We'll leave it at that!

The rug is one of the few things that I bought new, but I'm so glad that I did.  At first, I wasn't sure about the dark rug with the dark painted furniture.  But once I got it home and put in place, I absolutely love it!  It's just the pop of color the room needed.

Eventually I'll have shelving or a bookcase made for the alcove behind the black chair (thanks Man of Men & DB).  The wall above the dresser has been left blank for a wall-mounted flat screen TV, but that's several months off yet.  

There are a few odds and ends that I want to add.... I just haven't found them yet!  But for the most part, I'm just happy to be done!

Linking to...

Imagine the Impossibilities...

Furniture Feature Fridays...