Tag Archives: shopping

A Visit to Portland (Maine)

30 Tuesday Apr 2013

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I got to spend this past weekend in beautiful Portland Maine. I went without the kids for my cousin’s baby shower and managed to get a whole day to myself walking around the city.  I haven’t been in Portland for years, but was happy to see some of my favorite stores were still alive and well.  The flight from JFK takes only about 45 minutes and the airport in Portland is about a 15 minute drive to downtown.  The city is full of good food and beautiful views and old cobble streets.  Here are a few treasures from the weekend:

*Yarn, yarn, yarn and patterns for baby sweaters from KnitWit on Congress Street.  I especially liked their selection of Maine-made yarns and picked up some pretty Swans Island colors.  (I got a little ambitious, and am trying for three sweaters for the new baby by August).

*German Kite Making Paper from Circa Home on Congress Street.  I can’t wait to look up some kite patterns to make with the girls.  Circa Home is relatively new and has a well-edited and affordable mix of vintage and new housewares, toys and office/art supplies.  I fell in love with a set of vintage children’s gardening tools in the window.

*One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey, Seaweed Soap and Cotton Dishtowels by the Yard are from Folly 101 on Exchange Street.  I remember my Great-Grandmother always had dishtowels like these, bought by the yard and then hemmed at home.  I picked up the One Morning in Maine book as a shower gift.  It has the most beautiful vintage illustrations and makes me want to move out to a remote island on the Maine coast.  McCloskey also wrote and illustrated Make Way for Ducklings – one of our all-time favorite books.  Folly 101’s owner Astrid is also a stylist and has a great eye for simple, beautiful housewares.

I had a great weekend visiting family, watching the water and wandering around Portland.  But I am happy to be home again with my family, and happy to have some new projects to look forward to.

Our Etsy Shop is Open!

12 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Our Etsy Store, Party!, Projects, Shop, Vintage

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EtsyBanner2Our Etsy shop is open!  We have been working hard to get the final details finished and I am happy to say we are open for business.  You can find our Headband Feather Crowns at http://www.etsy.com/shop/jeannerondeau.  The crowns are made in adult and kids’ sizes and my girls like to wear them for dress-up.  All of the pieces are made by hand using vintage fabrics, beads and sequins and each crown is one-of-a-kind.  We also do custom work.  We will continue to add more items to the shop, so please visit us often!
 
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Inspiration

30 Friday Nov 2012

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Inspiration

Instagrams from the week:

*Ada’s Dessert

*Washi Tape Stack (Ready for holiday wrapping)

*Enamel Wash Bowl, Pearl River Mart

*My Pin Jar and Sequins

*Butterfly Flock, Pearl River Mart

*Sister Breakfast, Bedford Hill

Have a wonderful weekend!

Inspiration

26 Friday Oct 2012

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Instagrams from the week:

*Colored Leaves from Our Walk Home

*Beautiful Packages at H Mart

*Josie Sleeping in Boots She Refused to Take Off (Studio Bimbi boots were an Ebay find when Ada was her size.  I cry every time I dig out the hand-me-down shoes that Josie has grown into.)

*Josie, Sleeping in Her Shoes (These Gusellino shoes were another Ebay bargain.  The Italians make the best kids shoes!)

*Rain on the Screen

*Dinosaur Pumpkins at Blaze (This was our first visit and the kids had a great time spotting all of the spooky and beautiful animals.  Ada especially loved the butterfly forest.)

**We are off to celebrate Halloween early.  What our your upcoming Halloween plans?  Have a wonderful weekend!

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.

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?

Vintage Hand Towel

17 Friday Aug 2012

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Handmade lace edging on a vintage hand towel. I love using these in the bathrooms at our house. Linen and cotton hand towels are abundant and cheap at thrift stores. Linen lasts forever and just looks better with age. Be sure to check towels for signs of wear and stains.  This cotton hand towel was $6 and makes me happy. Here are some Etsy finds.

Vintage Tablecloth

14 Tuesday Aug 2012

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I found this vintage tablecloth and napkins at an antique shop for $12. Chris’ Nan used a similar cloth to serve refreshments on after her twice-monthly Bridge games. These diminutive Bridge cloths are the perfect size for a child’s table. I love the hand cross-stitching! So sweet. You will never find this at Walmart. Etsy has some similar versions here.

Juice Glass Love

01 Wednesday Aug 2012

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I love vintage glasses.  We have a large collection in daily rotation, and they brighten up even the most boring beverage.  I especially love these tiny juice glasses (the stars, tulips and gingham in the photo), called Swanky Swigs.  The small Swigs from the 1930s and 40s make cheery little wine glasses.  I had a collection of them long before the kids, but they turned out to be the perfect size for little hands.  We have dropped our fair share, and it always brings a little pang when a favorite hits the tile floor…but I generally won’t pay more than $4 per glass, and a space on the shelf is a reason to go explore an antique shop.  We are planning the future kitchen shelves around the collection.  Etsy has a sweet collection of vintage glasses here.  Cheers!

Pinwheels

14 Monday May 2012

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Pinwheels made from vintage fabric for headband crowns.  I found a big box of cut circles at a flea market and the prints were perfectly bright and preserved.  I remember a quilt made from these at my Gram’s house when I was little.  Yesterday Chris took the kids for the day and left me to a quiet house and NPR Podcasts and production.  So lovely!  I am working during the kids’ naps and between art projects to get lots of crowns done before Renegade in June.  I love a project!