The Ever Evolving Vintage Bulletin Board

A while back I took a old bulletin board I had and put it in this vintage gold frame.  Then when I had a show and I needed a display for my jewelry, I started looking around the house for what I could use.  I thought a cork board would be perfect! Only problem was, you could really see the gold jewelry that was hanging on it, so I covered it in this cream fabric I took from an old tablecloth.  After the show (several months ago), I just hung it back on the wall as is and it has been looking pretty plain ever since.  Yesterday I decided to spruce it up while Ruby was in her seat eating a quick snack, so I only had about 5-10 minutes.  I grabbed an old children's book I found on etsy awhile back, the binding was shot, but the pictures are sweet.  I didn't want to use thumb tacks, I needed something more classy...hmmm...brooches!  I seem to have an endless supply of vintage brooches, so I just stuck one in each corner and I was done.

 

                   

Not Buying Anything NEW and NEW Items in the Shop

Yesterday, I completely forgot to mention our crazy "no buying anything new" goal for 2010.  In fact, I really haven't shared too much about it on the blog because I try to keep posts heavier on visual content rather than writing.  If you aren't sure what I am talking about, let me bring you up to speed...my family and I decided last year that our New Year's Resolution would be to try to not buy anything "new" for the whole year, with a few built in exceptions such as food and toiletries.  The challenge was to put living the "Salvage Life" to the test.  Could we really find the things we wanted and needed by buying used instead of new?  The answer, for the most part was, YES!  We gave creative used and vintage gifts, we found used clothes and shoes for the whole family, we borrowed, we scoured ebay, etsy and craigslist.  I don't think however that I bought less stuff in 2010, I just replaced new purchases with used ones.  I want to think more about what and why I buy in 2011, we'll see how it goes.  If you want to read more about this challenge, visit Adelaide Homesewn's Blog, Maria did an interview with me there.

Today I will start adding some new items to the shop and the first collection will be this sweet group of vintage brooches.  Sometimes when I think of brooches, I think of an old lady pinning Christmas tree brooches all over an already hideous sweater, but let's think again.  Brooches can be worn in so many interesting ways.  Here's five ideas to get the most out of your brooches:

1. Pin a group of three small brooches to a knit cap
2. Secure a piece of ribbon around your waist with a statement brooch
3. Pin it onto a plain clutch purse to spice it up
4. Hang it on a string or thin ribbon around your neck
5. Pin it on a stretchy head band for an instant hairdo

It's What is on the Outside That Counts: Fun Wrapping Ideas

My Mommy group had it's last meeting before Christmas this week and I wanted to get my table a little something to say "thank you for being a part." Who doesn't like chocolate, especially these Swiss Dark Chocolate Bars from Trader Joe's?  I bought them because I thought the packaging was a good Christmas color and I know from personal experience that they are delicious.  When I got home, I started to think that a candy bar wasn't really enough of a gift.  Luckily, I have loads of vintage at my disposal, so I raided a bag of brooches I had, grabbed some scraps of wallpaper ( I have been wrapping gifts in this for years, it seems to never run out!) and spools of ribbon.  I think they turned out quite cute.  You can make anything special with the right packaging.