vintage fabric

My collection of vintage fabric is slowly growing. Every time I frequent the thrift stores in town I scour the racks for vintage sheets and pillow cases. Every once in a while I'll come across actual yardage, but that's few and far between. 

This week was a good week. A pretty pink and orange floral pillowcase, an orange and yellow floral sheet, a couple yards of blue checked (large and small checks) and a small blue floral fabric. I also scored some awesome blue and green plaid. (I'm thinking of making a poncho for Elle with it maybe?) 

I love vintage, it makes me so happy!

thrift store haul

Today I'm sharing a few new additions to Ella's vintage/handmade wardrobe. All these items were thrifted while we were on vacation in New Hampshire or at our local store here in town. Each item was also under $3.50, can't beat that!

 The sweetest smocked flower print vintage dress. 

Orange + teal citrus flower print w/ ric rac AND eyelet?! So sweet. 

Blue + red plaid dress with red ric rac. Sized perfect for next summer's Independence Day.

Long sleeved mushroom + polka dot top. Perfect addition to her Fall wardrobe. 

There are SO MANY great finds out there, you just have to have a keen eye, and my #1 thrifting tip, GO OFTEN!

using vintage in real spaces

You may remember the trip I made to the antique mall (part 1 & part 2) not too long ago. The whole reason I went in the first place was because I was looking for some wire baskets. I love the look of rusty, bent metal. Here are just a few photos of interiors with wire baskets that fueled my search.

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Aren't they amazing? Perfect for storage and perfect in modern, vintage, country and pottery barn-esque interiors.  While there I managed to find a few different options. I knew I was looking for a basket large and deep enough to hold Ella's stuffed animals. I found an old poultry/dairy farm basket which fit just what I was looking for.

It was rusty, old, slightly bent, and the perfect size for housing stuffies. The bonus on this basket was that it has a powder/light blue metal plate on the front with the name of the farm on it. It's my favorite part of the whole thing, and makes it extra special. 

Poor mouse, he looks like he's being smothered in there. 

Finding vintage pieces and actually using them in your home can be harder than it seems. Often I'll find something that I love, but hesitate buying it because it's not practical in my space. 

My advice when wanting to add vintage pieces into your home decor is to find the right ones, and make sure that they have a purpose in your home. Pinterest is a great resource for inspiration in how to place vintage items in your space. If you need a jumping off point I'd suggest starting there. Remember, if you use them or see them on a regular basis you'll love them all the more. 

thrifty finds

We have a few thrift shops in town that I frequent. I'll usually get around to checking one of them out each week and I usually find some great stuff. On today's trip I found some great vintage fabrics and the most amazing cream and pink chevron knitted blanket. 

The grey/green/yellow striped fabric on the left is a knit. The fabric on the right is your standard cotton and in the same amazing green/yellow colors. I'm not sure what i'll use them for yet, but they are both great additions to my fabric stash. 

Seriously, whoever knitted this blanket is amazing. And whoever decided to get rid of it, a big THANK YOU to you too. It's in great condition, no holes, runs, or fraying. It's really quite large (queen size maybe?) and is soft and heavy... oh and I only paid $2.99 for it. Got to LOVE that!! It's hanging over Elle's crib in the pictures below, and since her room is the only one in the house that has pink in it, it may just stay in her room...we'll see. 

Do you frequent your local thrift stores? Any amazing finds? Please share!


Linking up at Thursdays Are For Thrifters, Beyond The Picket Fence, & House of Hepworths.

shopping vintage-pt. 2

As promised, here is part 2 of my adventure at the local antique mall. Enjoy!

i don't advocate smoking, but that plane picture would be darling in a boys room
//
vintage type writer

the first photo is a vintage display rack. i hesitated buying it, but it would be amazing for all my hair goodies!
//
another vintage type writer

vintage picnic baskets // library index card case

great vendor display // vintage globe + suitcases

striped kitchen jar (<3 this!) // vintage baseballs

shopping vintage

Unless you live under a rock I'm sure you've heard of Pinterest by now. It's seriously addicting and a well spring of ideas. While browsing I came across some vintage wire baskets used in home decor and LOVED the aesthetic it gave. If you want to check them out (and you do, they're amazing) you can see them in this board (and follow me while you're there!).

Anyways, I decided to take a trip to one of the local antique malls and see if I could find any of these wire gems. While I was there I snapped some photos of some things I think would make great additions to homes decor with a vintage flair, and picked up 2 baskets (one of which happens to be in the last photo). This is part 1 of a 2 part photo heavy post. Enjoy!

vintage bocce balls // vintage pyrex

vintage shirred girl's dress // that collar is amazing

vintage wood box // assorted metal letters + antlers

vintage fan // vintage yellow phone

vintage typewriter // old dairy farm metal crates

{weekend fun-sutter street antique fair}

This weekend we ventured out to the antique faire on Sutter Street. I live 5 minutes from Sutter St, and let me tell you, it sure is a gem. A dozen antique stores, coffee shops, and boutiques that are wonderfully curated. I wish I could live in several of them. I'll tour those for you another day...

It's the same street that hosts the Thursday night markets in the summer which I'll have a booth at (so excited for that!). Here's a little visual recount of our fun perusing through all the vintage and antique goodies. I had to have real self control with not buying several pieces, but hey, that's how it goes living in 900 sq ft (a full to the max 900sq ft may I add).

Onto the photos:

 

Well, wasn't that fun?! Happy Monday!

{cachabons & vintage}

I've been waiting patiently for nearly a month for a small package to arrive. These little cachabons are all the way from China, and aren't they amazing! The muted but vivid colors, the size {they're so tiny tiny}, they're just perfect! I got them from this amazing Etsy shop. Seriously this shop has the BEST stuff for jewelry and hair clip making ever, plus they are reasonably priced. The only negative, the turnaround time is rather long, but hey...it's coming from overseas after all.

I'll be adding these little beauties to some clips with other vintage trims, and bows. Remember my recent score at the thrift store? I have plans for those vintage notions, big plans. When i'm done I'll have 6 pairs of the cutest clips ever. I wont be posting them in the shop until after my boutique in November. So whatever {if anything} is left I'll put them up for sale then. And of course I'll be sharing the finished product with you all when they're completed!

{pretty little thing}

Remember that lovely little stash of goodies I scooped up at the thrift store the other day? Well I put them to good use and here is the result: A lovely little pink onesie with a vintage fabric appliqued bib and vintage lace trim. Isn't it the prettiest little thing? I'm having a fun time using all of my finds and have a few other designs in the works. I'll share them with you all soon. Now I'm just debating whether to let the Little Lady keep it or put it in the shop. What do you think?

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!