Vintage Spirit - Gecko Green Side Table

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vintage-Spirit/167007886661867

Here is my latest finished item. The table is made of pine and is a great height and size to fit several places, not just beside the couch. Let me know what you think!

Handpainted Furniture with Vintage Love

Love, love, love these pieces of furniture! She paints undertones and then sands down the top coat so it will show through. I love the doorknobs on the first one the most. She also adds rhinestones for a sweet touch that is an unexpected sparkle. They are for sale on Etsy if you love them that much!

www.etsy.com/shop/lyssajoan



A day in the Historical Downtown square of 'Old" Mckinney , TX

I spent the afternoon wandering around and letting store fronts pull me in. I told myself that I would go in to every shop that spoke to me. Let's just say, they did a lot of talking. Here are my tips, ideas, comments, and opinions on what shops are hidden treasures, overpriced, or just plain cute. Read on if you like, or just enjoy the pictures I was able to sneak in.

First Stop: Antique Mall

Definitely the best one I went into all day. The place was HUGE. Most of the booths had great prices, and I would say about half of the booths had something that caught my eye. This place has been around for 19 years and appeared to have a loyal following, as the owner was chatting it up with the regulars. I spent over half of my time in here alone. One could easily get lost. The upstairs was more trinkets and was less appealing than the ground floor, but since the ground floor had so much, it really didn't matter.

Second Stop: Patina Green

This shop was neat because it was a bistro and little boutique all in one. They had shabby seating available if you wanted to order and eat there, fresh produces, fresh cheeses, and the back was full of linen covered couches and chairs. The tables were decorated with silver place settings, silver embossed spoons, and white dishes. Way cute. Totally expensive. It would be a fun little place to have lunch with some girl friends on a weekday to avoid crowds. It was a long and narrow shop and that is my only complaint besides the prices. Their blog has more info, so here is the link if you would like to see more. http://patinagreen.typepad.com/patinagreen/



Third Stop: Heirlooms

Heirlooms was a mix of new and old. Another small store that had the layout of an Antique Mall. Most of it was uninteresting to me but of course it depends on the timing of new merchandise. Fun to look, and that's what I did. I did love the books they had on display and wanted them just because the covers were so neat and colorful. They were around $30 each which is more than I wanted to pay for decoration, but they were definitely old and in great condition.



Fourth Stop: Smitten

This was the most fun place to look out of all of them. It was a dream shop. Silvers, white and black all together, velvet ribbon displayed all together for sale, lots and lots of glittery initials and ornaments left over that were beautiful. There were some really big pieces of furniture for sale that had a primitive look but it was all well over $2 grand. They had some neat Valentine's Day cards already out and even had tubes of glitter for sale. Upstairs was dedicated just to bedding, with old duvets, and pillow cases. The motto for Smitten is "reduce, reuse, re purpose". They had everything decorated to a T, even the little sea shells were scrapped with smaller shells, who would have thought???

Fifth Stop: Special Things

If you are looking for vintage jewelry this is the place to go. There are 2 huge display cases, and about 3-4 small ones that are full of mint condition broaches, necklaces, pins, earrings, and beaded clutches. Not a single one was missing a stone and they were all beautiful. The prices I saw were definitely up there, but not necessarily unreasonable. You would pay less at a trade show, but may not find the quality. I wasn't able to get a picture inside, but it was like stepping into a timeline of a closet for the last 100 years.



I would say shopping in the Historical Downtown McKinney was a fun way to spend an afternoon. Hope this helps navigate your way, but it is only one square, so you can do the whole 4 blocks no problem.

This vintage rose gold mother of pearl ring is $149 on http://www.vintageyard.com/. The mother of pearl looks better in one of the other pictures on the site, but I think this is so neat. Rose Gold is a new favorite... loving the watches with the Rose Gold/Rhinestone mix.  

Yoga for your New Year

Trying to think of a way to hold yourself accountable for that weight you want to lose and some extra peace of mind? Yoga is everything it's cracked up to be. There are many places to take yoga, but this is the one I just happen to stumble upon thanks to a friend. Sunstone Yoga has a lot of locations around Dallas and Austin. They have a very affordable trial of 30 days for $30. It's unlimited classes, the room is 90-98 degrees, 60% humidity, and they supply the mat's and the towels. To keep yourself going they even have a 60 day challenge in which you take 45 classes. Sunstone also rewards you for milestone classes starting with your 10th class and going up through 500. Each milestone you reach is rewarded with a band of a different color. You can also get yourself a yoga towel the length of your mat, the color of your choice, and embroidered with your name. Mine was a Christmas gift, thanks Dina!
www.sunstoneyoga.com

Here is a neat link that shows you how to make your own snowflake garland out of newspaper.
http://mayamade.blogspot.com/2008/12/newspaper-snowflake-garland-tutorial.html

Snowy Day

Snow today only one hour after it started. It snowed fast and furious for about 3-4 hours and by the time it was done everything that had color was white! It was beatiful. Look how big the flakes are. They were HUGE... a perfect Sunday!

Hidden Treasures on Etsy

Chantilly dress on Etsy from RiverOfRomansk's shop . Only $60!

JHomersham's shop and only $40!

70's print dress... I would TOTALLY wear this with some cowboy boots. It even has white lace on the back of the sleeves.

Ranunculus. Here is my favorite flower in the whole world. It's vintage at heart. They would be beautiful for centerpieces at a wedding and would bring a graceful rustic feel no doubt.

I don't know much about them because they grow predominantly in South America. They are poisonous to animals that try to eat them (sorry Willow), are easy to grow, and are perennials. These are my next mission in terms of planting this spring/fall. How can you not just love them!

Inizio (beginning)

Today holds a first for me. I am diving into the wonderous world of blogs, blogging, bloggers... am I now a blogee???  There is a whole world of ideas out there just waiting to be found through the search box of a search engine. I want to be a little spec like the rest and share my ideas with whomever may discover them. I have been inpired by creative ideas that amaze me and I am selfishly hoping I can take them to another level for myself while brainstorming and sharing through this outlet. So here's to inspiration, creativity, and a passionate desire to craft!