Because I'm Old School

Confession: I have a serious fetish with stationary. It likely stems from my deep love of receiving real mail, as opposed to an email or text. Either way, I always like to have an ample supply of pretty stationary in case, on a whim, I decide to write a friend a little note to say "Hello" or send a meaningful thank you. And until recently, I've had quite the over-supply. In fact, about a year ago I vowed to refrain from buying any more until I used up what I had. And finally, that supply has dwindled down to just a few cards, making me giddy to re-stock!

After browsing some of my favorite sites, I've landed on a few designs I am completely smitten with! Turns out, I'm really digging personalized cards right now! Who knew?

Here are some of my faves:

 

Anyone else love getting real mail? How about other suggestions on where to find great, unique stationary?  I would love to hear!

photos {here, here, here, here and here}

On The Menu...

Do you remember my cyber drool fest over this? From the moment we signed on the dotted line to purchase our house, I had my eyes set on these prints for our breakfast nook. Their significant size, cheerful hue and nostalgia for my Oxford days made them a shoe-in for this room!

Well, Chris' parents bought them for us this Christmas, though because they came from an Etsy seller in England they took a while to get here. They finally arrived last week, where I instantly gave them a home! I am nothing short of in love with them!

And that means that we actually have a completed room in our house!! So without further ado, I give you the Breakfast nook:

Running Away With My Heart

With all the leftover burlap I have from my Christmas wrapping this year, I'm thinking a similar version of this little runner will be added to my craft to-do list {which just seems to be getting bigger and not smaller!}.

I spotted this table runner here. Isn't she just darling?!

Wishing you a very Merry Monday!

PS-I have so many fun things to share but have been a little busy lately with sewing cozies, home projects, early spring cleaning, work and such! Be back with regular postings soon:)

{SweetasaPea}

Drum roll please...

My Etsy shop is finally up and running! I've posted a few teasers, but please pop by my shop, SweetasaPea!

I have had so much fun creating these coffee cozies and look forward to the many future additions to my shop! Hope you like what you see and check back often as I will be updating frequently:)

Sew Long, Work Week!

Hehe-sorry for that cheesy title! I'm just a little excited for the weekend. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE parties and having friends over to our house {like, a lot}, but after several weekends of get-togethers, I'm kind of thankful for a few days of downtime! And when I say downtime, I mean a Saturday morning spin class, sewing with my mom and yummy dinners that require more than 30 minutes!

I'm looking forward to having a full weekend of making pretties to list on my Etsy shop! Yep, it's going live next week!

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

image/via

Fond Memories

I've been crushing on this print for some time now. Reminds me of the humble meals I enjoyed during my semester abroad in Oxford! I imagine that seeing it each morning in our breakfast nook would instantly bring a smile to my face!

image/via

Handpicked Goodness

The wonderfully talented sellers on Etsy never fail to spark my imagination. The "handpicked items" today are lovely and all inspired by a teal/cream pallete, which I just can't get enough of! Here are some of my fave finds today~

Pretty and useful business card holder by Etsyfabric

Fine Art Photography by NatalieFrench

Charming little greetings by OhHiShop


Vintage globe on wood base from opendoorstudio

Sheer love!

Crazy for Vintage

Remember me sharing about my obsession love for vintage Pyrex? In particular, their Crazy Daisy design? I first shared my amazing garage sale steals and then how I completed my set of mixing bowls at the Alameda flea market, but I was never able to track down a complete (and affordable) set of the charming coffee mugs.

Until this morning, that is! Call it an impulse buy or love for a great deal, but I snagged a set of four mugs in mint condition for only $14 (that includes shipping) on Etsy! I can't wait to receive them next week. And I can know move on to searching for other sweet finds as my Crazy Daisy collection is finally complete!

image/Gingersgirl

State of Mind

While visiting one of my daily blog reads, The SOHO, I came across this sweet cloth tote! It's covered with pictures of food each individual state is know for. So charming and educational!

One Lump or Two?

I am loving this print from the shop, MrPS! Can you imagine it in a fresh, white kitchen with that fun pop of clementine? So the only question that remains: one lump or two?

Have a lovely Monday!

My Vintage Obsession

During the summer months my family loves to garage sale! And now that Chris and I are settled nicely into our home, we aren't usually looking for anything in particular, just browsing. This was the case last summer, while going through a messy table of kitchen stuff I came across a green Pyrex mixing bowl that I instantly fell in love with. It was the cutest shade of green with a little white daisy pattern and had an adorable retro flair. My Mom actually laughed at me because apparently her Mom or grandma had the exact same mixing bowls and she was never really in to them.

Well, at $.50 I knew I was getting a great deal and was pleased when it suited my kitchen perfectly! A few weeks later I came across this white casserole dish with the very same daisy pattern, except the pattern was green. It felt like I had struck gold finding a matching piece, and for only $.25 (pictured below)!


Perfectly content with my two Pyrex throwbacks (which I use all the time!), I was curious to see if Etsy carried any of this pattern in their vintage section. After typing in "green Pyrex" and having 10+ pages pop up, I was awakened to a whole new world where my garage sale finds were worth something! I just knew they were worth more than the $.75 I paid for both pieces!

Of course now I am obsessed with a few pieces that I am determined to find this summer!

For instance, these coffee cups!

And I would love to find a set of these mixing bowls! The one I have has a spout, which is perfect for scrambling eggs. But these would also be ideal for all my baking needs!

I can't wait for garage sale season because really, finding them unexpectedly is so much more fun than buying them online (and cheaper)!

Dress Love

How adorable is this handmade dress made with reclaimed fabrics?! Perfect for a summer day picnic or a frolic through the park!

Oh Etsy, you have my heart!

V-Day Favorites!

In honor of the upcoming "Day of Love", I wanted to share some favorite finds for the occassion!

To wear~

This oh-so-feminine Recital Cardigan is from my favorite store, Anthropologie.

As are these pretty earrings.

Naturally, painted nails are a must for V-Day. I am loving this Chapel of Love hue by OPI.

To hear~

Sinatra's greatest love songs.

To taste~

Chris and I will definitely be popping open our bottle of Chandon's sparkling red wine this weekend! It only seems appropriate.

Hand dipped chocolate covered strawberries from Shari's Berries. A-mazing!!

To feel~

Heavanilli massage bar from Lush.

To see~

And finally, I have fallen in love with this I Heart You photograph by pinkiesister.

Have a lovely day!

Card Love!

Being someone who really appreciates the sentiment of a great card, these instantly caught my eye! Unique, silly and oh-so-sweet!

Checkout this set of letterpress cards here!

Getting the Hang of This

This weekend I finally started making the ever talked about snack bags! I must say, I think only now do I grasp the time that goes into prepping a project such as this! Washing and ironing the fabric, cutting the pattern, attaching the pattern and cutting out the fabric, cutting out the applique...and all that before you even get to sew! Anyway, I only have one (the smallest of the four) finished. Mainly because I am still trying to get the hang of stitching on the applique, but hey, practice makes perfect, right?!

I am proud as can be of my little snack bag! Isn't she cute?!

Distractions

The stormy, yucky weather we've had the past several days makes me wish I could stay bundled up at home and not leave until the sun is shining on a perfect 70 degree day! A girl can dream.

Instead, I do things that take my mind off the weather! Truthfully, I find myself shopping a bit more in these wintery months.

These are some recent Etsy purchases that make me smile:

This 10x8 print by Freshline is adorable! I'm quite taken with the term "nest" lately!


I posted this headband last week and just couldn't resist buying it for myself! I received it yesterday and absolutely adore it!



We took a trip to Ikea this weekend and came home with this Ung Drill frame:


I had never seen it before. It is not very Ikea-like, but I love it! I considered painting it, but think I've settled on leaving it the way it is. This picture really doesn't do it justice!

And I ordered a 16x20 of this picture for the frame:


I think I'll make myself another cup of Starbucks Casi Cielo to warm me up! Happy hump day!

Sew Cute!

In an effort to live more green, I am always on the lookout for easy, practical ways to eliminate paper/plastic products around the house. While browsing on Etsy (an occurrence that takes place way too frequently!) I found the cutest reusable snack/sandwich bags. Currently I pack our lunches with reusable plastic containers, but when I just want to throw some almonds in my purse, those containers prove to be quite a hassle.

Enter these adorable snack bags! My intention was to immediately purchase a set of them. But thankfully, I decided to browse some more, just to ensure they were the ones I wanted, and wouldn't you know, I stumbled upon the pattern that was for sale! And naturally, being the eager new owner of a sewing machine, I snatched it up so now I can make them for myself (in 4 different sizes)!

I can't wait to get it! Aren't they adorable?!

Hair Pretties

I was one of those little girls who was always wearing some sort of "hair pretty", as my Mom called them. A hair style just never seemed quite complete without one!

Now that I'm all grown up, I still find myself compelled to wear flowers in my hair. Something about the feminine, whimsical feel they have, I suppose.

Even on my wedding day I choose to skip a veil in place of some fresh gardenias. And it was despite their current trendiness, it just seemed to suit me better:)

Here are some lovely finds from Etsy that I am totally smitten with ~

TallulahOpal


jellycake


Nomsa


Vintagewave


Swoon...

Look What I Got!

I am the proud new owner of this irresistibly cute coffee sleeve! Remember this post? As if I needed another excuse to drink more coffee!



And it's reversible!

Cake Plate Infatuation

It's no secret I love to bake, but what's a beautiful cake if it doesn't have an equally beautiful stand to sit upon? For about a year I have been obsessing over cake plates. Not really sure when this began, but I love them! The trouble is, now that I'm constantly looking, I can't seem to find anything too unique. But I am going to let you in on a little secret of mine...Etsy! I have only ever searched for handmade goods on the site, but I have recently discovered they also sell vintage items! I am always game for anything vintage! So, while feeling like I had struck gold this past weekend, I was able to find several plates well worth my kitchen space. Here are a few of my favorites ~

How much do you love the milky cream shade of this ruffled beauty? I can already picture a delectable chocolate cake on top of this!


The unique amber hue of this one was the first to catch my eye. It has a pretty feminine touch to it without being to old fashioned.


And finally, the simplicity of this clear stand is only enhanced by the lacy edges. A pretty twist on your basic cake stand.


Happy Tuesday!