Flea Market Essentials

Pictured:

• Purse with long strap so it can go across my body allowing me to have both hands free at all times.
• Cloth bag with long handles to hold all my small purchases
• Coin Purse. I keep a special coin purse for summer flea markets and yard sales. Chris doesn't like having change in his pockets so he graciously donates it to my yard sale fund which is WONDERFUL!
• Bun-jee cords. You never know when you're going to find something that won't fit in your car with the trunk closed!

 

Not Pictured

• Measuring Tape in my purse, always a good tool for making sure furniture will fit in the space you have at home.
• iPhone for capturing photos, negotiating with your Husband, looking up the value of items and referencing the never ending lists in your notes sections on items you're looking for.
• Light jacket that can fit in your purse or bag
• Snacks to tide you or a partner in crime over so you can make "just one more stop before lunch"!
• Comfortable shoes, rain boots are my go-to in the early spring!

 

Fab Find Friday: Vintage Suitcases

I found these sweet guys at Goodwill last weekend, and I just couldn't walk away. It was love at first sight. I'm still not sure entirely what I want to do with them, but that's typical. They were in gorgeous condition, and with a good douse of febreeze to the lining, they're fresh again! They are Constellation suitcases originating from the UK.

I am so excited for the weekend, I am heading to the annual Lambton-Kingsway United Church flea market. I always find great stuff, and cannot wait to check out this year's sale. Here's my post on what I found last year. I am also going to hit up a couple of estate/content sales on may way home. What are your plans? Have you started your flea market season?

Kitchen Makeover on the Horizon

We're planning to paint the kitchen. Technically this was planned for last weekend, but it was a bit premature (aka we weren't ready to pull the trigger). Instead we spent time prepping, taping and sanding and then priming two sample spots on our walls.

I've known I wanted to paint the kitchen gray since the day we moved in, but choosing which shade was not as easy. There are countless blog posts on the subject (all of which I poured over in a matter of days); YHL likes Moonshine, Layla likes Gray Owl,  and many others I don't read frequently have weighed in on the subject.

Originally Chris wanted Cool Breeze, which looked a bit too blue to me. Moonshine was a bit dark and Gray Owl looked too brown. I found myself coming back to Horizon every time. It's a light and airy neutral gray. I love it, and I think it is growing on Chris too, so hopefully we'll be in full paint mode next weekend:)

Things I Love: Bedside Box

I blogged about this vintage crate last summer. Turns out not only does it make a great side table in the living room, it also makes a great bedside table. I turned it around, so I could store my books, hand cream and Winnie. I love that it stores everything I need, doesn't take a ton of space and adds a bit of rustic charm to the room.

Happy Monday, hope you had a great long weekend!

PS- you can see from this photo that we still need a bed frame for our bed, but you also get a glimpse of our $37 clearance headboard! I'll share the photos once we have it set up!

Spring Rising

While it hasn't really felt much like spring yet this season, these sprouted greens sure are lifting my spirits. Last night I spent a few moments trapsing throughout the yard checking out all that I got in this new house deal. I am so very excited to have a real backyard, and although it may very likely be neglected due to other priorities and a summer wedding, I am looking forward to eventually making it ours by cleaning up the yard, expanding my vegetable garden and creating a special place for my herbs (yay for staying long enough to plant lavender and actually enjoy it flourish in full glory the following year)!

Whole Lemon Tart

I made this tart a few weeks ago to bring to Easter Dinner. I used attending dinner parties as my chance to try a new recipe (always accompanied by something safe that I know works, in this case vanilla cupcakes with chocolate icing). The lemon tart definitely stole the show, and is a perfect spring/summer dessert!

I took the recipe from Smitten Kitchen. There are two cool things about this tart; one, the crust is frozen before baking to reduce chances of shrinkage and two, you use the entire lemon (minus the seeds). I was definitely skeptical, but the results were delicious!

Minimal shrinkage on the tart shell and proof you put the whole lemon into the filling!

Best to bake on a cookie sheet covered in parchment or a silicone mat!

Final product just missing a dusting of icing sugar...delicious!

Happy Monday everyone:)

Freezer Makeover

So one of the things I have come to appreciate as a new homeowner attempting to get the house in order is the small wins. Although I am not really ready to show you any large room makeovers, I can show you my freezer! I put this together while I was cooking dinner tonight, all it took was 8 minutes and two small storage bins from Target. Now, I can easily pull out my frozen fruits and veggies and my meat for meal prep.

                                               Before                                                                                  After

My trip to target was also handy in organizing my pantry. We're not all the way to bright yet, but it's a vast improvement from what it looked like last week! Clear bins are a great option for deep pantries. I have pinned a few swoon-worthy pantries here.

Organizing is not my greatest strength, but as my German best friend says: "A place for everything and everything in its place".


Hope your week is going well!

37 Cents

Chris and I dropped off five boxes of stuff at goodwill yesterday! Of course part of the goodwill drop off is browsing what they're selling inside which is where I found this gem. It was priced at $1.50, but because red tagged items were an extra 75% off, this sweet vintage tray was 37 cents! I haven't figured out what I will do with it yet (what else is new) but I just loved its colours. I also picked up a bulletin board for the entryway and a small organizer for my craft room. Total bill was $5.87!

Much Love

We have received so much love in the mail lately between our RSVP cards and new home greetings. I love walking to the mailbox at the bottom of our hill!

Pretty Storage

I'm a big fan of vintage tins and storage boxes, the chippier the better! Not only are they beautiful to look at, but they can also provide great storage options for your home. All of these were thrifted or picked up at an antique market. The majority of the time, they cost less than the generic plastic bins you can pick up at a big box store (they were all less than $5), and they add great character to your space. Functional pretty storage is always a plus in my books (especially when I am trying to find a home for all of our things)!

My yellow flower tin holds the cat toys and brushes. The pretty rose tin holds my cookie cutters.

The cracker tin holds my cake decorating supplies, and the basket holds tea. The basket is a Pottery Barn find from Value Village

Happy Monday everyone, hope you had a Happy Easter!