The past month has been a pretty successful one in our Etsy shop. We have had two new items make it to the front page. A vintage folding ruler and our BOO! letterpress blocks!!
We have also made some changes in the shop. We are now offering FREE SHIPPING in the US on all of our Dry Erase Boards.
To see them in person and to check out some that are not even in our shop, visit us at the Hope Christmas Craft Market in Hope NJ the first weekend in December.
Time to get crafting!!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
For-ev-er
Well, it's been forever since my last post. What can I say? Life has been crazy!!
I am a full time nanny and my family just had another baby. My husband and I are working like crazy to get things done on our house and then there was Irene.
All excuses aside, I have found a great website for all the moms and dads out there who would like to add some structured curriculum to their kids day.
PreschoolPalace.org has great games, songs and printouts along with a month by month curriculum that you can print out. Love this site!!
Hope everyone is ready for fall to arrive. Out here in NJ we are preparing the ark!
I am a full time nanny and my family just had another baby. My husband and I are working like crazy to get things done on our house and then there was Irene.
All excuses aside, I have found a great website for all the moms and dads out there who would like to add some structured curriculum to their kids day.
PreschoolPalace.org has great games, songs and printouts along with a month by month curriculum that you can print out. Love this site!!
Hope everyone is ready for fall to arrive. Out here in NJ we are preparing the ark!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
GARAGE SALES!!!
I love this time of year. You get up early, grab your coffee and just drive around looking for little neon signs.
The extra bonus today was that we found a couple of town-wide garage sales and scored some major deals!
I found a brand new photo printer for $3.00. A bunch of cookie cutters for $1.00 (I have a weakness for vintage and antique metal cookie cutters). And Chris found a bunch of gardening tools all for less than $10.00. How can you beat that?!
Time go grab some lunch, pull some weeds and take a few pictures for new items in my shop. Busy, busy, busy!
The extra bonus today was that we found a couple of town-wide garage sales and scored some major deals!
I found a brand new photo printer for $3.00. A bunch of cookie cutters for $1.00 (I have a weakness for vintage and antique metal cookie cutters). And Chris found a bunch of gardening tools all for less than $10.00. How can you beat that?!
Time go grab some lunch, pull some weeds and take a few pictures for new items in my shop. Busy, busy, busy!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Mothers Day
On January 17, 2000 I lost my mother to cancer. There is not a day that goes by that I do not miss her. I would love to have her feedback regarding all of the things I am doing with my life. She was such a wonderful and creative woman. Neighborhood friends would come to her with their kids school projects for help and ideas. She was the president of our community association and came up with so many great activities to bring everyone together. What I wouldn't give for just five more minutes.
Mothers Day is always difficult. My friends are going here with their mothers, doing this and that...I feel the loss acutely on this day. She was always a wonderful mother but I have lost the opportunity to know her as a friend, as a woman.
So many things have been put into perspective for me since that day.
Life is too short. Have fun today, you don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. There is joy to be found in every day even if you have to search for it.
To be happy or not is your own choice. If there is something in your life that is making you unhappy, you can change it. It may not be easy and it might take time but you can do it.
You can do it.
A Thank You today to my amazing family who has surrounded me with their love and given me guidance.
I am truly blessed.
Mothers Day is always difficult. My friends are going here with their mothers, doing this and that...I feel the loss acutely on this day. She was always a wonderful mother but I have lost the opportunity to know her as a friend, as a woman.
So many things have been put into perspective for me since that day.
Life is too short. Have fun today, you don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. There is joy to be found in every day even if you have to search for it.
To be happy or not is your own choice. If there is something in your life that is making you unhappy, you can change it. It may not be easy and it might take time but you can do it.
You can do it.
A Thank You today to my amazing family who has surrounded me with their love and given me guidance.
I am truly blessed.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Weekends
It is early Saturday morning, there is still a chill in the air and I hold my coffee cup with both hands. I'm not fully awake yet but the coffee is starting to kick in. My husband holds a steaming cup of coffee as well, he looks over at me and smiles. This is what we have waited through the long winter for, it is one of our favorite past times and it is finally that time of year again. Time for FLEA MARKETS!!!
You never know what you are going to find at the flea market. The one in our area sells everything from local farm goods to house clean-outs. There are lots of familiar faces and always some new ones each week. My favorite vendor has boxes, lots of boxes all lined up on the ground. Every week I dig through and find something I have to have. One week I found a great oak table painted white. It is perfect for my living room. I can sit there with my coffee and look out over the woods. My husband is usually looking for comics and first generation Transformers. Sometimes we only come home with one thing, sometimes with a couple of bags and sometimes we have to run home and bring back the truck. Even if we don't bring home anything, we have enjoyed the time together, seen lots of wonderful treasures and met some interesting people along the way.
Some of my favorite Flea Markets:
Five Acres in Bridgeville, NJ
While you are there, keep going down Rte 46 and hit up Hot Dog Johnny's for a Birch-O-Float and a Dog!
Another favorite is The Blue Ridge Flea Market in Saylorsburg, PA
And the last one I will mention for today is the Golden Nugget in Lambertville, NJ.
Happy Flea Marketing!!
You never know what you are going to find at the flea market. The one in our area sells everything from local farm goods to house clean-outs. There are lots of familiar faces and always some new ones each week. My favorite vendor has boxes, lots of boxes all lined up on the ground. Every week I dig through and find something I have to have. One week I found a great oak table painted white. It is perfect for my living room. I can sit there with my coffee and look out over the woods. My husband is usually looking for comics and first generation Transformers. Sometimes we only come home with one thing, sometimes with a couple of bags and sometimes we have to run home and bring back the truck. Even if we don't bring home anything, we have enjoyed the time together, seen lots of wonderful treasures and met some interesting people along the way.
Some of my favorite Flea Markets:
Five Acres in Bridgeville, NJ
While you are there, keep going down Rte 46 and hit up Hot Dog Johnny's for a Birch-O-Float and a Dog!
Another favorite is The Blue Ridge Flea Market in Saylorsburg, PA
And the last one I will mention for today is the Golden Nugget in Lambertville, NJ.
Happy Flea Marketing!!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Obsessed with Mason Jars
I am totally completely and utterly obsessed with mason jars. I have them everywhere. In my living room, on my back deck, bathroom, office, bedroom, there is probably even one rolling around in my car somewhere. They are just so useful and the old blue ones look great too!
Here are my 10 favorite uses for mason jars:
1. Vase for Flowers. Pick some flowers, stick them in a jar and you have an instant country inspired centerpiece (or you can even give them as a gift).
(picture from blissfullydomestic.com)
2. Corral your Collections. All of those little collections of things you love but have no idea where to put...try a mason jar. I have my little collecton of wooden spools in one that looks great in my craft room:
(www.uscountryfolk.etsy.com)
Another great collection...Seashells. Kids bring them home by the pocketfull, display them in a mason jar. A great way to help you remember your vacation, tie a ribbon around the neck with a tag saying at what beach you collected your shells!
3. Pens and Pencils. I love to keep my pens and pencils (markers and even scissors) in a mason jar on my desk. It makes my workspace look so much more homey.
(www.uscountryfolk.etsy.com)
4. Bathroom Supplies. Q-Tips and cottonballs are dust free and handy when stored in a mason jar. They will look so nice you won't even have to hide them in the medicine cabinet.
(picture from hoosierhomemade.com)
5. Solar Lights. One of my favorite items on Etsy.com are these solar lids for mason jars from http://www.etsy.com/shop/treasureagain
Buy a few and put them around your deck or on your patio table to add a little light to your summer nights!
6. Odds and Ends. Small nails or tacks in the garage can be difficult to keep track of. Spare change or small craft supplies as well...keep them on hand in a mason jar. The jar is clear so you can quickly see what is inside and it has a lid so if it gets tipped over by accident, you will not be picking up small items for days.
7. Candle Luminary. I love to put some sand in the bottom of a jar, add a votive or tea light and gain some ambiance!
8. The Perfect Candy Jar. Fill a jar with your facorite seasonal candy. Coversation hearts for Valentines day, Red and green M&M's for Christmas, candy corn for Halloween, jelly beans for Easter...you get the idea!
9. Pendant Lights. Another one of my favorite Etsy.com items are these pendant lights from http://www.etsy.com/shop/BootsNGus. These will definately add some country style to your home!
10. Drinking Glasses. Serve up some southern charm along with your sweet tea or lemonade. No need to break out the fine stemware on a hot summer day!
Hope this has helped inspire you to add a few mason jars into your daily decor...in the crazy times we live in, they make me think of simpler times and remind me to stop and slow down every now and then.
Here are my 10 favorite uses for mason jars:
1. Vase for Flowers. Pick some flowers, stick them in a jar and you have an instant country inspired centerpiece (or you can even give them as a gift).
(picture from blissfullydomestic.com)
2. Corral your Collections. All of those little collections of things you love but have no idea where to put...try a mason jar. I have my little collecton of wooden spools in one that looks great in my craft room:
(www.uscountryfolk.etsy.com)
Another great collection...Seashells. Kids bring them home by the pocketfull, display them in a mason jar. A great way to help you remember your vacation, tie a ribbon around the neck with a tag saying at what beach you collected your shells!
3. Pens and Pencils. I love to keep my pens and pencils (markers and even scissors) in a mason jar on my desk. It makes my workspace look so much more homey.
(www.uscountryfolk.etsy.com)
4. Bathroom Supplies. Q-Tips and cottonballs are dust free and handy when stored in a mason jar. They will look so nice you won't even have to hide them in the medicine cabinet.
(picture from hoosierhomemade.com)
5. Solar Lights. One of my favorite items on Etsy.com are these solar lids for mason jars from http://www.etsy.com/shop/treasureagain
Buy a few and put them around your deck or on your patio table to add a little light to your summer nights!
6. Odds and Ends. Small nails or tacks in the garage can be difficult to keep track of. Spare change or small craft supplies as well...keep them on hand in a mason jar. The jar is clear so you can quickly see what is inside and it has a lid so if it gets tipped over by accident, you will not be picking up small items for days.
7. Candle Luminary. I love to put some sand in the bottom of a jar, add a votive or tea light and gain some ambiance!
8. The Perfect Candy Jar. Fill a jar with your facorite seasonal candy. Coversation hearts for Valentines day, Red and green M&M's for Christmas, candy corn for Halloween, jelly beans for Easter...you get the idea!
9. Pendant Lights. Another one of my favorite Etsy.com items are these pendant lights from http://www.etsy.com/shop/BootsNGus. These will definately add some country style to your home!
10. Drinking Glasses. Serve up some southern charm along with your sweet tea or lemonade. No need to break out the fine stemware on a hot summer day!
Hope this has helped inspire you to add a few mason jars into your daily decor...in the crazy times we live in, they make me think of simpler times and remind me to stop and slow down every now and then.
Monday, April 18, 2011
My Favorite Places
There are so many places that inspire me daily. Places where you walk in and think to yourself "I need this...and this...and this...and this would look great here...I know who would love this!". I want to make my first few blog posts about these places. They have inspired my personal shop: http://www.uscountryfolk.etsy.com/ and I think they will inspire you too.
First on my list of favorite places (and a place I can't leave without buying something) is Scranberry Coop in Andover New Jersey. You can't miss their bright yellow building right off of Rte 206.
You never know what you will find when you walk in the door. They have over 150 dealers with a huge array of vintage and antique items.
Among some of my favorite items I have purchased there are a vintage Barnum Animal Cracker Tin:
Tons of great Ball Mason Jars (Sometimes filled with really fun things):
And my favorite item to collect...
Antique railroad lanterns. I think I found a big part of my 30+ piece collection here.
One of the things that makes Scranberry Coop a great place to shop is the fantastic turnover they have. This also means that if you find something you like, snatch it up...it may not be there when you come back.
Everytime I go, I find new things that I just have to have.
My husband enjoys Scranberry Coop as well. They always have a great variety of baseball cards, comics and childhood collectables. It is so much fun to stroll through and say "remember this, I had one of these when I was little".
When you go to The Coop, don't forget to say "hi" to Bailey.
Check it out next time you are in the area or take a day trip (it's worth it)...see what treasures you can go home with!
For more information on Scranberry Coop you can visit their blog page:
http://scranberrycoop.blogspot.com/
or search Scranberry Coop on Facebook!
First on my list of favorite places (and a place I can't leave without buying something) is Scranberry Coop in Andover New Jersey. You can't miss their bright yellow building right off of Rte 206.
You never know what you will find when you walk in the door. They have over 150 dealers with a huge array of vintage and antique items.
Among some of my favorite items I have purchased there are a vintage Barnum Animal Cracker Tin:
Tons of great Ball Mason Jars (Sometimes filled with really fun things):
And my favorite item to collect...
Antique railroad lanterns. I think I found a big part of my 30+ piece collection here.
One of the things that makes Scranberry Coop a great place to shop is the fantastic turnover they have. This also means that if you find something you like, snatch it up...it may not be there when you come back.
Everytime I go, I find new things that I just have to have.
My husband enjoys Scranberry Coop as well. They always have a great variety of baseball cards, comics and childhood collectables. It is so much fun to stroll through and say "remember this, I had one of these when I was little".
When you go to The Coop, don't forget to say "hi" to Bailey.
Check it out next time you are in the area or take a day trip (it's worth it)...see what treasures you can go home with!
For more information on Scranberry Coop you can visit their blog page:
http://scranberrycoop.blogspot.com/
or search Scranberry Coop on Facebook!
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