Christmas came early...and more crap for the Christmas tree.

I was so stinkin' proud of myself for not spending any money on my Christmas tree I decided to {reward} myself by...spending money (oh the irony).
I went shopping, but just to the thrift store. I prefer to think of it more as a {charitable} donation, since my thrift store is a church run establishment...just doin' my part to help the world peeps.

Anywho, I frequent the establishment looking for {treasures} to take to the shop. But it's been awhile since I bought anything for myself...until today.

Wanna see some of the {gems} I came home with?

{Yay!}

This awesome, silver {teacup}

and silver {creamer}.

It's like they were just {waiting} for me to find them. I didn't even wait to take before pics. I just crammed 'em right into the tree when I got home I was so excited.
I also found these cute, little, chandelier light shades.

I have a {weakness} for lamp shades, especially the kind I can deconstruct and turn into {skeleton} shades...which I did with these.

Wanna take a {guess} what I did with them? Yup, straight to the Christmas tree they went.

And this {square}, silver platter and silver bowl.

You guessed it, {into} the tree they went too.

Oh, and some awesome {ironstone} dinner and salad plates...and a couple of {porcelain} platters. I have a fun and easy teacher/friend/neighbor gift in mind using these, so stay tuned. {Or maybe I'll just stuff them in the tree :)}

Wooden pears anyone? Everyone needs at least one wood {pear}, right? For {$.75} a piece I couldn't resist. Besides, they would look good in my tree.

A cool, {sheet metal}, magnet board

I actually like the backside better. You can see all of the rust and patina.


And yes, I am {considering} shoving this item into the tree as well.

Finally, the {best} find of all...a vintage, steamer {trunk}. It was only {$25} people. I've been staring at it since I brough it home. I think it's {fair} to say that I'm in {love}. I haven't loved anything this madly since Jason Priestly.

Merry Christmas to me! Isn't she {lovely}?

Now, you know that if my beloved {trunk} were smaller she'd be shoved up in the tree too. But since she is a bigger gal, I think I'll use her as a {coffee table} instead.

Multi purpose vintage suitcases and a fabulous photographer feature.

Not too long ago I invested in a couple of vintage suitcases to use as storage ottoman's/coffee tables.
I love them for that purpose, but now is usually the time that I start contemplating family pictures and Christmas cards.
And I got to thinking...vintage suitcases might make for some pretty fun picture props.
I took the idea and went a little crazy, but...
We ended up getting our pictures taken on the railroad tracks by our house and we chose a modern-vintage theme for the style.
I did so, because that is the style of my home, a little modern and a little vintage...and a little traditional. It's what I refer to as Hodge Podge Hip.
I firmly believe that family pictures should reflect the style and personality of the individuals being photographed.
So, I also chose a color scheme that I liked and that complimented the colors you can find in my home...orange/rust and blue/gray.
I love how the pictures turned out and I think they are totally "us".
What do you think?

Might I encourage you to take a gander around your house and see what "says you". It just might be the perfect addition for your next family photo.

I cannot end this post without featuring the fabulous photographer...Angelica Celeste of

I know her personally and she is one amazing photographer and creative gal.
Her work is quality and professional, but most of all affordable. If you are local to the Salt Lake area I would highly recommend her. And if you're not local to the area, at least stop by her place and give her some love.

Repurposed Vintage Luggage

Howdy peeps. I'm back. I hope you've missed me. I've missed you guys.
I wish I could say that I've been busy working on projects galore, but I haven't. I've been busy being mom...making costumes, watching Halloween parades, helping out with class parties etc. As much as I love Halloween, I am always a little relieved when it's over. That said, I hope you all enjoyed your holiday as much as I did.
I got to dance the Thriller at my Halloween party (dressed as Ernie from Sesame Street), so my Halloween pretty much rocked. But enough chit chat about that. Let's get to topic at hand shall we?
Vintage suitcases! My newest obsession.
It's hard not to fall in love with these images.

I love this whole vignette.

Look at this interesting chair made from an old suitcase. Repurposing at it's finest.

This is such a clever idea. I love this idea of creating a craft case out of a fab vintage suitcase.

Pardon me, whilst I wipe up the drool. I love the idea of stacking these darlings to make a beautiful and innovative sofa table.

I love the color combination of these suitcases...and what a cool end table.
Apparently they make a great medicine chest too. Who'da thunk it?
I love the gorgeous white cases used here to create a night stand.


Seeing all of these images makes my heart go pitter patter...reminds me of the first time I saw a certain soccer player who's name rhymes with Bavid Deckham. Yup, I pretty much have a crush on these suitcases.

The past week or two I've been on a quest to find some vintage luggage of my own. After several visits to the thrift store with no luck, I accepted the fact that I was going to have to look elsewhere. So, I turned to good ole ebay and found this lovely.

I bought her for $8.50 (the shipping was twice that...whatever).

I love the tweed look and leather handle.

It even has some cool, old shipping labels still on it.


I turned my "precious" into a storage ottoman/coffee table.



I was a little hesitant to drill holes into the suitcase. I am a little protective of her. So, instead of attaching the legs (which I found on an ugly old side table at the thrift store for $6) to the suitcase itself, I made a platform out of a piece of plywood I found lying around. I painted the legs a bright turquoise and screwed them onto the plywood (I cut it just smaller than the dimension of the suitcase). Then I just placed the case on top. Voila!!! Now, if I want to use the suitcase elsewhere or for some other purpose I can. I will post a quick and easy tutorial on how to make the platform soon...that is, if any of you out there are interested.

She looks right at home dontcha think?
Even though the shipping about gave me a coronary, I was able to complete this little project for around $30.

I was a little worried about her getting lonely so I purchased this little dearie yesterday (on ebay for $11.50) to help keep her company.

I'm not sure what I want to do with her yet, I gotta meet her first. But, I'll be sure to let you know when I do.


Linking to:

The Thrifty Home

Blue Cricket Design