Category Archives: Shop

H Mart Love

22 Monday Oct 2012

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I am a sucker for good packaging.  Leslie told me about an Asian grocery called H Mart on an excursion with the kids this weekend and we were excited to check it out.   We stocked up on noodles and rice and dumplings among other things.  The Korean pears we found were the best we have ever tasted and the acorn pudding was an unexpected savory flavor, (which Ada declared delicious – a small miracle coming from the girl who lives on cereal and PB&J).  The girls had fun spotting things they had never seen before and eating rice and noodles at the food counter.  I dragged the family down every aisle and found lots of new groceries to try.  (OK, maybe I got a few just because they had pretty packaging).  The market carries products from Japan, China and Korea.  You can order online, but it is more fun to go wander around the store if you can.  Our favorite finds are these:

*Dried Noodles

*Little Animal Forks for Lunchboxes (I am saving these to use for a future party, despite Ada’s pleading to open them right now)

*Aid Helper Emergency Plasters

*Knife Sharpening Stone (Which technically we need, and how could I say no to that box?)

Vintage Treasure

08 Monday Oct 2012

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Finds from a recent visit to Tinsel Trading Company in Manhattan.  Tinsel Trading is a magical place that has been run and owned by the same family for generations.  Their story can be found here.  They have the most amazing selection of vintage millinery flowers, trims, buttons…I designed many projects around Tinsel Trading finds when I was in fashion school and I used to visit often for inspiration when I worked in the city.  There is a huge set of drawers in the back of the store filled with an ever-changing array.  This visit it housed unused paper labels, cardboard animals and new old stock of red paintbrushes among other things.  I love wandering in without a specific project and letting the treasure speak to me.  I have yet to bring Ada, but Tinsel Trading is pretty much a crafty four-year-old’s dream.  Here is what I found:

* Reproduction French sticker labels.  (We will use them for jams and gift labeling).

* Vintage silver ribbon.  (Waiting to trim a package).

* Vintage gold stacking beads.  (I am thinking these would make a pretty necklace mixed with seashells we found this summer for Ada’s mermaid Halloween costume that I have been knitting).

Rain Boots

03 Wednesday Oct 2012

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Autumn means the rainy season in these parts.  Thus begins the yearly search for the perfect rain boots for the girls.  I found these on Ebay last week.  They are from Korea and were on sale for $10 with free shipping(!)  Korean designs are so cute!  I love this smart use of gingham fabric stretched under the waterproof rubber.  Why didn’t I think of that when I was designing shoes?

Flea Market Finds

01 Monday Oct 2012

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Happy October!

My friend Leslie and I spent a kid-free morning yesterday at The Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market.  (Thanks Dads!)  It was a beautiful fall day, despite a few sprinkles, and the leaves had just started changing colors in Connecticut.  We both found some great stuff and had a lovely lazy morning wandering around.  I am still jealous of the bright blue and red umbrella Leslie scored!  Flea markets are my favorite way to spend a morning.  I love nothing more than wandering around and getting ideas, thinking of new ways to use old things, and finding inspiration.  Here are my finds:

Ironstone butter pats – also great for holding small jewelry or marbles, spices when cooking, or for mixing watercolors.  Ebay has some here.  (The opal glass is for Ada’s collection).

Glass drawer pulls in various sizes.  You never know when you will need the perfect set!  I am putting the small set on Ada’s dresser today.  The rest will be saved for future projects.  Etsy has some here.

Balsa hat form.  I went specifically to the flea for this and found the perfect one for $25.  I love it when that magically happens!  I am using it to photograph my headband crowns for my opening-soon Etsy store.

Giant wicker basket.  I love this thing!  I bargained it down to $35, and had no idea what I would do with it.  I was thinking of maybe using it for a laundry basket, or blanket storage, or towels, or maybe a future baby bed…It seemed to grow when it got into the trunk of our car and by the time I got it home it seemed really big.  Ada and Josie saw it and begged to put it in their room as a ‘nest’.  They have been reading books and snuggling bears in there.  I am still not sure where it will end up, but it is good in the corner of their room for now.  This figuring out the perfect use for something that was once loved by someone else is exactly why I love the flea market.

New Clay = Happy Girl

26 Wednesday Sep 2012

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Sometimes it just takes a simple $8 package of clay to make Ada happy, and to make my life a little easier for a couple of hours while she carefully unwraps packages and makes sculptures with scissors and string and pipe cleaners.  I can completely relate to her excitement over new supplies.  The potential is so endless!  Last month Katie from Katie’s Pencil Box had an amazing post about her favorite online office supply store Present and Correct.  (If you haven’t visited Katie’s beautiful blog, you should).  I am making my list of supplies to work into Christmas gifts this year.

DIY Floor Lamp Refresh

13 Thursday Sep 2012

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I found this lamp, in a sorry state for $10 at our local junk/treasure shop.  I loved its lines, but in needed some work.  (This was before Chris and I made our “No More Projects” vow to each other.  We both have lifetimes worth of projects and are trying to limit the new ones walking in our door…I am really bad at keeping this vow, but just for the record so is Chris).  This particular project involved rewiring with a vintage-look fabric cord, spray painting with this matte metallic, scoring a perfect glass torchiere shade for $3 at a stoop sale, replacing the candle sleeves and all four bulbs.  (If you are going to do your own lamp rehab and don’t feel confident wiring, you can purchase cord and bring it to a lamp repair shop).

We are both really happy with how the lamp turned out and it makes such pretty light now in the dining room. Kind of makes me give the junk shop projects a long second look…

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Wool Felt Coaster DIY

05 Wednesday Sep 2012

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We made these wool felt coasters from some square lace doilies we found at the flea market. They are a simple cut and stitch project which requires very minimal sewing skills. Round doilies could be substituted if you have those. The simple X stitching we used will work for any shape, and a larger set of doilies would be great as trivets. To make the coasters you will need:
*Wool Felt (This is our favorite)

*Small Doilies

*Pinking Shears

*Straight Pins

*Sewing Machine

*Thread to Match Doilies

1. Cut felt into squares to match doilies using pinking shears.  (Our squares are 3 1/4″).

2. Iron doilies if needed.

3. Center each doily on top of a felt square and pin in place.

4. Using a zig-zag stitch, sew an X through each coaster as sewn.  Be careful to remove pins as you stitch and to not let the fabrics buckle.

5. Tie the stitch ends on the underside of felt and trim.

6. Make some cocktails!

Wallpaper Love

05 Wednesday Sep 2012

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I love this Neisa Crosland wallpaper. We searched for it for a long time and finally found it at Walnut Wallpaper in LA.  (Walnut has since stopped selling Crosland’s papers, but have an amazing selection of other beauties).   I was pregnant with Ada at the time, and we slept in the living room while we tracked down the perfect paper.  I wanted something that would be both calming and complex enough not to get boring.  I initially wanted to use Crosland’s Anenome which I had fallen in love with from a Miu Miu ad.  Chris and I finally agreed on Merlin and decided to place it on one wall and match the paint.  The mix of subtle metallic and spring colors makes me happy.  We loved how it turned out, and I am dreaming of more papered rooms.  We found remnants on top of old plaster downstairs and I would love to match it.  What is your favorite wallpaper?

Inspiration

31 Friday Aug 2012

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Instagrams from the Outer Banks, North Carolina:

*Child’s spelling game at the Beachcomber Museum, Nags Head.  (This amazing space housed Nellie Myrtle’s treasures from 60 years of early morning beach combing in the Outer Banks).

*Surfboards.

*Ivin’s Famous Spiced Wafers.  (I got these boxes purely for the packaging with no idea of the contents, but they ended up being delicious spicy  ginger snaps.  They are perfect for making mini ice cream sandwiches).

*Bright Plastic Boats, Nags Head.

*Fishing Lure Collection from the Beachcomber Museum.

*Parachute with Nan and the Cousins.

Have a lovely weekend!

Saltwater Taffy

29 Wednesday Aug 2012

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Chris came home one morning in Cape May with some of this Fralinger’s salt water taffy.  The vintage packaging alone made me ecstatic.  This video tells the story of the origin of Salt Water Taffy and the family business that keeps the original alive today.  The taffy flavors include: Banana, Chocolate, Lemon, Licorice, Lime, Molasses, Molasses Mint, Orange, Peach, Peanut Butter, Peppermint, Root Beer, Spearmint, Strawberry, Teaberry, and Vanilla.  Hooray for the perfect vacation souvenir!