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I about fell out of my chair when I first visited Southern Adirondack Lake House Rentals. Oh me oh my, they are absolutely charming. I know you will love all of them. I could only bring you a few to peek here, but please visit their links and information at the end.
{Click on Images to Enlarge}
Starr
If you are new to the magazine, Making the Most of Monday is a regular part of our features. Mondays signify one important thing, a fresh start. It's like a new years resolution at the start of every week.
Hopefully by Monday you've taken some off time during the weekend to rejuvenate, spend quality time with loved ones and friends, which makes Monday your chance to really get to work and make the most of your week.
If you missed the last Making the Most of Monday click here for "Encouragement"
I titled this weeks Making the Most of Monday " Big Leaps" because our family is making some huge changes. They are going to be in effect next week, and I'm getting more and more anxious, excited and a little nervous. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, this is a more personal subject and I've posted about it to my personal blog. I have to keep reminding myself, I've organized, I've researched, I've taken notes and done my homework. The rest, well in my personal belief is up to God. My family and I have been having major discussions for other changes and big leaps and many things I don't have the answers to.
So what do you do when the unknown is taking over your brain? I have to have faith, because that is the only answer I've got besides I don't know, I really don't know. I guess this post could be titled Encouragement Take Two. Sometimes it is great knowing I have a mom who is a phone call away when I just need someone to listen and to be there for me, my husband does a great job of this as well. It is just nice to have an ear. Have you lent your ear lately?
Times are tough and although blogging can seem glamorous, it doesn't change the fact that life is real and things are happening all around us beyond our control. Although I did entitle this Big Leaps, I'm hoping that you'll see through my nerves and be encouraged to help a friend, or lend your ear. You never know when someone may just need a little encouragement or allowed that little bit of time to get some things off their chest.
Have a great week everyone!
xoxo Gabreial
Handbags for Healing: One of my favorite vintage things.
By: Starr Keller
Several weeks ago, I participated as an artisan vendor at the Brownsburg Art Fair in Indiana. Staying true to my nearly-always-late arriving self, I was scurrying around, trying to set up my space with as much grace as I could muster in the wee morning hour and in unseasonably chilly temperatures. By the grace of the good Lord, I had been positioned right next to the nicest little couple: they were adorable, nice and most helpful. Once the show was underway and I had a chance to cruise their space, I instantly fell in love.
My favorite handbag - I must have this going into the fall season!
Vintage textiles of all kinds mixed and matched, sewn together to make
the most adorable handbags I have ever seen greeted my eye. And the
best part - the piece of the puzzle that I am looking to fill for my
business - is that owner and designer Kendra is crafting for a purpose.
Her company, Handbags for Healing, offers portions of her proceeds to
charities of all kinds. I love what she states on her site: "We are all
in need of healing, whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual."
It is Kendra's (and those family members on board)hope that by using
upcycled and repurposed fabrics and sporting the cute Handbags for
Healing label, that the good word of helping others will spread.
I, my friends, am certainly hooked!
You'll have to pardon me, but I couldn't pass up these past beautiful days of weather we've had, with my boys. We've been stuck in the house for quite awhile with a lot of rain. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and finished the evening with a movie under the stars. It was a lovely day.
Our special guest Starr Keller will be here for a couple of features this weekend. Until then, daydream of traveling to these gorgeous places through the lens of photographer Michelle Campbell-Zurek.
{ Through the Lens } { Independent Photography } {Inspired by Life }
Whoosh Los Angeles Downtown Metro Bus
New York City Times Square
Sunset in Paradise Laguna Beach
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All images are registered & copyright protected ©2008-2009 M. Campbell-Zurek
Don't get me wrong here, I love summer. I wish it would last a couple of months longer here in Kentucky, but I love fall fashion. I couldn't wait to show you this line from Liza Rietz. To me it offers a sophisticated flapper girl feel.
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Images © Liza Rietz
I love this handmade Modsu Chest by husband and wife team Wook Woodworking. Alexandra and Edward, have a passion for woodworking that shows through every piece they create. Don't take my word for it though visit their Etsy shop for their other handmade works of art.
© Wook Woodworking
Clothing Designer and Fibers artist Amanda Aileen redesigns vintage clothing using her own charming animal artwork. Visit Inhabit Your Life to see her darling Sophie the squirrel and Odetta the owl and more. Take advantage of this exclusive 25% off during the month of August by entering VINTAGEINDIE in the notes to seller during checkout. A revised invoice will be sent to you.
Enjoy!
When Gabreial first contacted me about writing for this wonderful little place of vintage prettiness, I was nervous! What if I didn't present myself in true-vintage lover fashion on such a site? Over the past few days, though, the idea of writing here spurred me to look around me and think about why vintage loveliness is so important to me, and why I adore old much more than ‘new.’
I am a thrifter at heart, I grew up in a home where garage sales and flea markets and antique auctions were our “free” family entertainment. (Which I completely understand, now that I am a mother myself!) The bug of buying old eventually matured a bit into me scrounging around gold-mine vintage boutiques in Broadripple Village in Indianapolis.
(My favorite personal jewelry pieces: A gifted green flower burst that I strung on a two-strand Russian glass necklace. This is my go-to piece!)
When I started my jewelry business, I did mostly gemstone work and custom orders. Today, I feel like Starr Strung is encompassing more and more pieces from the past. There is something very real and just completely unique in the vintage rhinestone brooches, big flower power pieces from the 1960s and ‘70s and old beaded chain from the 1930s.
(This vintage sunflower was my 30th birthday present from a good gal pal
- she took it off of her cowboy hat and I upcycled into this necklace.)
Starr
Kristena with daughter Emily
I'm Kristena Derrick from Tulsa, Oklahoma. My home is a 1950s ranch-style house.
What is your favorite part about each room that you share with us?
Living Room
In the living room, I love the hand-me-down greenish-gold couch and the pine trunk.
In the dining room, I arranged family paint-by-numbers with Grama's needle-points and paintings, and I love it. I want to keep adding onto it!
The children's room has a pink felt flower picture that I found at the local thrift store for $6.
I love the charming pink tile in our 1950s bathroom, although I can't claim to have always felt that way. I wanted to rip it out when we moved in 2 1/2 years ago. Now I adore it & want to retro-renovate the entire room.
The kitchen was refurbished by a previous owner, but I still enjoy putting bright old objects in there, like the set of vintage red canisters I found on eBay.
Do you have a favorite vintage item?
I really love the quilt I've been working on with the help of the Twelve Square quilting bee. I found a box of old fabric bits at a yard sale in my neighborhood last year, and it has slowly transformed into a vibrant piece (with bits of my family's clothing worked into it too) of nostalgia.
Breakfast Nook
Where do you find inspiration for decorating your home?
I find inspiration all over the place! I read far too many blogs, for one thing. Some of my favorites are Alicia Paulson's Posie Gets Cozy, Amy Karol's Angry Chicken, and Tamar Schechner's Nest Decorating. But my vintage obsession really started when I found Lucinda Ganderton's book Creating Vintage Style in 2006. I realized that it was possible to step outside of the big-box store and have style & sentiment.
Crafting Nook
How do vintage things play a role in your room/home?
I try to choose vintage items that will fit in seamlessly with the new stuff and be equally useful. I want to drink my coffee from flowery Fire King mugs, dry my hands on a days-of-the-week towel from 1960, and cover up with a cheery and bright old afghan while napping on the couch. And I want to hang the kitschy 1970s needlepoint alongside the gorgeous new photo from Abby Try Again. This is the world of which I dream. ;)
Kitchen Wall
Where did your love for vintage come from? How has it influenced your decorating style?
I credit both of my grandmothers as the original sources of my style. One is an artist who paints all her walls bright white and then adorns them with huge, wildly colored paintings. She always seems to have roses blooming in the front yard, and she decorates her tiny Christmas tree each year with her old pearl necklaces and other sparkly costume jewelry. My other grandmother recently passed away, but her kitschy style will forever be a part of me--the lemon-people bobbleheads from Florida, the ceramic chat noir, the colorful rooster lamp, the starburst clock, and the fruit-embroidered curtains that filled her home of 50+ years. I guess that kitschy-artfulness is just in my blood.
Any advice on creating your look?
Frequent a good thrift store. Snatch up whatever catches your eye. As long as you're buying from a charity shop, you're not investing too much, and you're helping people. It's a win-win. Once you get an idea of what you really like, you can start filling in the gaps in your home with bits and pieces of nostalgia. And you can try out the infamously more expensive antique stores near you. You just never know what you might find!
Master Bedroom
For my specific look, paint your walls light grayish-blues or other cool tones, paint your trim shiny white, keep the furniture creamy or white for the most part, and then you have a great canvas for various brightly-colored artifacts. I learned the hard way (by painting the walls Granny Smith Apple Green) that too much is really too much. A little pop of color here and there works wonders though. :)
Please help me welcome the lovely and talented Starr Keller to Vintage Indie. She will be joining us all month long for special features. Starr Keller is the owner . designer of the unique and upcycled vintage pretties at Starr Strung Jewelry Designs. The Indiana-based business has grown since Starr started making jewelry with borrowed tools in 2004. This very same year, Starr graduated college with a degree in Journalism, had her son, Jonah, and began work as an editor for AntiqueWeek.
In April, Starr took a leap of faith backed with her divine love of all things vintage, and began to focus Starr Strung as a set-apart-from-the-rest jewelry boutique. Today, Starr is busy bedecking customers with her handmade and unique designs through the online boutique Starr Strung. See postings of new upcycled jewelry designs at Starr's blog, also Starr Stung.
It’s an indispensable little book for what we here at Vintage Indie think is an indispensable form of communication. Try it; you’ll like it. Blogging for Bliss, and blogging, whether as a reader or a writer, add much to the human language.
(All book images are from my personal purchased copy of Blogging for Bliss, Gabreial Wyatt)
- Contributing Editor Gina Smith aka Lilly*s of London*ish and Hunt and Peck
started making jewelry about six years ago and has since tied this in
with a love of vintage finds, Blythe, crochet and altered art in her
etsy shop.
Growing up in an antiquing family gives her a background and
appreciation for all things vintage, especially dinnerware, jewelry and
Americana advertising prints and products
{All contributed content Gina Smith © Lilly*s of London*ish}
Today is the official book release party for the new book Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey. I mentioned a bit about it here. The lovely Kari of ArtsyMama is our host for this shindig and a slew of other fabulous bloggers are participating in a blogroll to the right of Kari's blog.
I'm so thrilled and honored to be apart of this book. It is fabulously written with so much helpful information throughout. Tara really outdid herself. If you are new to blogging or you've been considering writing your own blog, I encourage you to check out this book. Not only are there so many interviews including my own on page 123, but many answers to the questions you may have about starting your own blog.
Many of you know, that I'm not so crafty and blogging has been my bliss for a creative outlet. This is where I spend a lot of my time, promoting other crafters, and independent small businesses. I truly get excited when I discover something new that one of you has dreamed up or when you share your vintage treasures with the world. Thank you for visiting me daily and for all of my fabulous sponsors. You truly make Vintage Indie a labor of love.
xoxo - Gabreial
Visit three of my favorite blogs posted in my interview.
Not printed in the book but others I follow:
Stay tuned for a full book review by our very own Gina Smith!
Good morning!
Did you miss Making the Most of Monday yesterday? I'm sorry, I truly am. I've just been a busy bee and have been trying to figure out where July went. Most of you know I love to change Vintage Indie up from time to time, change is good for the heart. This time, I went with a slightly more feminine feel.
I have to say that I've been working with one of the most lovely designers on the face of the planet. Renee Thompson of Thompson Designs has been a DREAM to work with. Talk about patience! I'm somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to the looks of things around here and she truly captured what I was going for.
Renee is also an artist and has some beautiful artwork in her Etsy shop.
I can share my Secrets with you Print
To see more of Renee's work, head over to Thompson Designs on Etsy!
Digital Art Prints Copyright © Thompson Designs
The lovely Marichelle of Heart Handmade has created a feature on her blog called "The Other Half". I love it because it shows a more personal side to bloggers and their lives. I was thrilled to have my sweet husband interviewed. He did such a great job, as he truly is "my other half". Head over to hear how we met and some funnies about daily life in our home.
(screen shot from heart handmade)
Thanks hubby for the sweet interview and thanks to Marichelle!
{ Through the Lens } { Independent Photography } {Inspired by Nature }
Did you know that there are so many tiny little worlds, that we may not ever even notice? Allison Trentelman captures your attention with her gorgeous photography showing us these tiny ecosystems.
pretty ittle things (moss sporangia)
Photography by Allison Trentelman | Rocky Top Studio.
All images Copyright © Allison Trentelman, all rights reserved.
I have a soft spot for older, distressed vintage, not to mention storage or anything recycled as storage. Old Crow Farm fills that soft spot with a shop full of treasures.
I love the Rustic Wine Glass Rack, this would look great in a barn house!
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