Saturday, January 31, 2009

Frosty Cold

metal cups

10 years ago I was walking through an antique store in Lewiston, Idaho with my sister. Up in a corner behind a stack of books was a stash of aluminum drinking tumblers. There were 10 of them. The jewel tone colors stood out like a beacon of light among all the other vintage wares. The bright blue, purple, pink greens and golds were not even scratched. It was one of those moments where you pick them up quick and look around, like you're sure someone was racing you for them. I saw the price tag of 7$ and looked around again, stunned that indeed I was the only one going after these. I talked the owner down to 6$ and took them home immediately. I washed them in some hot soapy water and poured myself some ice cold root beer in them. The glass was almost too cold to touch. I have memories of Grandmas giving us kool-aid in these kinds of cups on bright sunny days. I remember how hot it was outside, but yet this glass was always so cold.

Now I love serving ice cold lemonade in the summer to my kids and their friends. I think it's funny to see some children drink out of them and whisper quietly to my children, "Why do you drink out of a can?" Those children have been deprived of frosty cold cups and now find new favorites in our home.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Charmed, I'm Sure

Charmed

My mother has the most amazing charm bracelet that she started high school. A glass encased mustard seed, a typewriter, an air force strike for when my dad joined, empire state building, a yellowstone charm, mary and her little lamb, a moose from Alaska, Utah charm, a piano with a hinged top, a stage coach from a road trip, baby buggy with moving parts, a bowl, old time roller skate with moving wheels, a cob of corn (!?), and more.

When I was in high school, I received a charm bracelet of my own. My grandmother, a jewelry maker, had taken special consideration to select charms that really spoke about the young woman I was. A sleek cat because I was a cat owner, a clef because I was a musician, a peace symbol for my slightly hippie ways. 8 charms in all that told a story about who I was.

These days I feel my life just gets busier and busier. Littles to make meals for, a husband to adore, a career to coddle. I find that at the end of the day I have neglected so much and wish that I had something to remind during my busy life of the things that are important, a symbol. It came to mind that a piece of jewelry with a silhouette would help me to remember the important things. I also thought it would be nice if this piece of jewelry reminded me of how far I had come in my life and where I wanted to go as well. This was how I decided to give my old charm bracelet a makeover.

I removed her old cat charm, a comedy/tragedy mask and most of the others, leaving a pearl and a silver '93 (the year I graduated high school and met my husband.) I rummaged my jewelry box for unused bits (like my beloved single moonstone earring) and went through my beading supplies for any extras to assemble the beginnings of her new adornments.

One jewelry box find was a single Buffalo head nickel earring from a set I got as a child on a road trip. To make it into a charm I used pliers to make a loop from its post and attached it with a link.

earring turned charm

Other ideas for a charm bracelet can be

  • scrapbook embellishments
  • game pieces
  • small toy bits (like barbie acessories)
  • charms from road trips
  • beads or buttons

For further inspiration take a looksie at this flickr group

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Clever Cleanliness

Ladies from the beginning of time have cared about the care and cleaning of their fingernails. Women have gone to great extremes to have polished manicured nails.


Imagine my horror when I realized 2 of my 3 children had been walking around for who know how long with too long, raggedy blackened fingernails! How this escaped my attention, I do not know! One thing was for certain, we had to remedy this.


While picking up the bath toys after the children's baths, I noticed we actually had a decent amount of nail brushes. The solution had presented itself. I scooped up all the brushes and stuck them in a small Pyrex dish. They now reside next to my kitchen sink. When coming to the dinner table now, all children are expected to "scrub up" and have clean finger tips.

Lunch Box

lunch

"What to make for dinner?" is a daily thought for most of us. We plan the menu and write out the list. Double check the pantry and do prepwork. We want our family to have a

good healthy dinner

So much effort for that valued family time. But how often do we slap some PB&J on sandwich bread and call it LUNCH? or do we grab the keys and hop over to that cute cafe (or even that quick drive thru?) My dear friend, Raesha and I were chatting about how lovely it is to go out to lunch. Who wants boring ol' PB&J when the options outside the home are almost endless and require less effort? One problem, this wanna be homemaker notices immediately when eating out is the HUGE BITE it takes out of the budget. And with little ones at home I also consider the example I am setting and the risk of catching a food borne illness.

Well, I'm here to tell you this is one homemaker taking things into her own hands. I think it's time for a

LUNCH REVOLUTION!!!

Here is what we need to do:

  • find a lunch box or basket you love! My little miss B and I found our cute one at the thrift store. It once was a stationary container

  • Spruce it up. For miss B's box we used a cute vintage inspired valentine rub on. I considered a lunch basket with a closing wooden lid that I would have re-lined with a coral gingham and adorned with a ribbon on the handle.

  • Plan out the lunch menu. Include old favorites (yes like pb&j) and new recipes. Flip through your cookbooks for forgotten favorites. Consider your favorite lunch spots' menus for inspiration.

  • Don't neglect that sweet tooth. Is there a new cookie recipe you'd like to try? A treasured candy that brings back childhood memories? put those on the list as well.

  • Be green. Skip the baggies and foil if possible. Use small plastic ware or jelly jars. Wrap candies in scrap paper. And dont forget your napkin! Ours is a vintage inspired hankie print. Miss B loved the hearts!

Lunch

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Your Hostesses

Two best friends living 450 miles apart, both trying to live a good life, reducing their environmental footprint, raising children in a crazy world, crafting up a storm, and bringing a little vintage wisdom in to help it move along.


Jessica is about 50% hippie and 50% vintage housewife. She's been blogging at Me and My Storey for a year and a half. She has a love for antique stores, buttons, embroidery, teapots, farmer's markets, and baking bread for her family's daily lunches. She is inspired daily by Mothers and Grandmothers, seeking wisdom in their writings, secret recipes and knick knacks. She's married to a vintage car lover and they raise their 2 sons and 1 daughter in a cute house with a big back yard outside of Denver.

Monique has been all over the board as far as style goes but has always loved everything vintage. She currently blogs at The Good Neighbor and runs her photography business from home. She is a night owl that loves anything green, estate sales, California, and baking sweet treats every chance she gets. She comes from a long line of stylish women married to nostalgic pack rats and thinks shes a bit of both. Her husband is slightly obsessed with Disney so their 3 daughters and 1 son have loads of fun in their lives in the high desert of Albuquerque.

Monique and Jessica both share a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and work hard every day to be better examples of His love and teachings to those around them.