Hometown Girl

updated with the week's finds & contest entries!

I was up bright & early this morning. I found some sweet things this week. There was a huge collection of vintage hats but being the first day they were a bit pricey so I only bought one. I hope to go back & see if I can get a better deal before the sale is over assuming they aren't all gone. I loved the locket I found on the pearl necklace, it's really timeworn but beautiful. The toole & lace cuffs were a wonderful surprise, I'm going to use them as a pattern for some new ones for the shop. I got some sheet music since my romantic pockets are in the etsy gift guides I figured I'd better stock up. I found the big jar in the basement marked $1. At some sales they price those at $5 and it's only for my ever growing button collection so I was happy to pay just a $1. Of course my Sewing Susan needles, I can never pass those up along with a few other jewelry pieces and some silk seam binding.

I went back to the sale and bought these darling hats at a discount, I might add :)

 

and these.

 

This was at a neighbor's garage sale, an old card catalog. It's going in my studio to hold some of my jewelry and sewing notions. It has an area that is open underneath so I can put a large basket with some of my fabric scraps and then I can also use the top.

 

Earlier finds.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for visiting! I entered the Martha Stewart DIY wedding contest so keep your fingers crossed for me! If you would like to visit my entries you can click the links here: ring bearer pillow, cuff & sheet music pockets.  Thank you!!

a day trip

Being a holiday weekend we took a road trip, probably more like a day trip but none the less a wonderful afternoon. We spent the day walking the streets of this quaint historic little town nestled next to the Niagara River. One thing that really stands out to me here is pride. It is clear that the people that live here really love this place and take great care in preserving it's small town feel. There are flowers everywhere you turn. In pots, flower boxes, hanging from the lamp posts, in the alley ways, on buildings, it's just beautiful. I'm telling you even the gas station is darling with it's flower boxes & days gone by feel. It's a place that beckons to a simpler time, where people know your name, say hello and smile. A  place to raise a family. This is not our first visit here, nor our last I'm sure. Each time we leave we say, "wouldn't that be a great place to live?"

Just a few of the lovely buildings.

 

 

The gazebo at the park.

 

Did I mention the ice cream shop? I think it might have been the BEST ice cream I've ever had, Caramel Sponge candy. There was an entire piece of sponge candy in it, heavenly!

 

I loved this pretty little walkway that led to tables to eat your ice cream. It had a fountain too!

 

There are lots of fun shops. A toy store, book store, gift shops and one of my favorite this darling house turned antique shop. Filled to the brim with all kinds of treasures. There is a barn and a basement too! I bought five pair of vintage earrings for my cuffs. I gasped when I found two boxes of  old letterpress letters & numbers. I wanted to buy them all but showed restraint. Looking back I should have at least bought a few to put in an old jar, even if just to look at, they are so fantastic. The lady that owns the shop didn't mind my drooling a bit and even let me take a few photos.

 

 

Kind of beyond repair but still charming.

 

A gorgeous home across the river.

 

I hope your weekend was as lovely as ours. Thanks for stopping by.

food favorites

So you need to bring something to the family picnic or you're hosting a get together at your place. Here are a few favorites at our house.

The caprese salad. It doesn't get much better than this. When the tomatoes are so perfect. With jJust a few simple ingredients this salad is always a hit. Fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella (found with the gourmet cheese or olive bar) and fresh basil. I grow some in a pot just outside the sidedoor here so I always have this on hand and it's much more economical this way too!

I layer a slice of tomato, mozzarella & basil leaf, drizzle it all with aged balsamic vinegar, olive oil, kosher salt (much better than table salt) and fresh ground pepper. Viola!

 

This is a new favorite. The Pioneer woman's Olive/Artichoke dip.  I served with crackers and I forgot the cream cheese and it was still really good. I opted to use less mayo (I buy the olive oil mayo) and I left out the spicey items so the kids would eat it too. Notice my cute vintage Fire King dish? Got it for $3.00 at an estate sale :)

 

Having house guests this summer? This breakfast casserole is a real crowd pleaser. You can whip this one up in no time and it's much easier than making eggs & toast for everyone.

Breakfast Bake~ my kids call this egg pie. Found in Kraft Food & Family magazine, you can subscribe on the left side of the page for free!

1 can low fat crescent dinner rolls

chopped ham, bacon or whatever meat you like. about 8 oz.

6 eggs ~ I've used up to 8.

1/2 cold milk

shredded cheese (use whatever you like) up to two cups

salt/pepper to taste

I've made this with ham, bacon, cheddar mozzarella. You could easily make a vegetarian version. This version I used bacon & cheddar. I cooked the bacon first and crumbled it over the top.

Line a 13 x 9 dish with the crescent rolls, seal up the seams and press it to cover the bottom of the dish. Add you meat or veggies. Wisk the eggs, milk, salt & pepper in a bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes til eggs are set.

I hope you are all well and you enjoy a happy & safe 4th of July weekend. God Bless America!

~Susan

what's new?

Summer has officially arrived and I'm enjoying the kids being home! I've also managed to make some time for creating as well. We've had a number or rainy days which can be nice, it forces you to stay indoors and work on things you wouldn't if it were a nice sunny day. Here's a peek at a few new things in the shop.

Found this slip at an estate sale, it was in perfect condition begging to be dyed. I love that the straps are lace. I think it's the first one I've come across that way!

 

I sold my "20 reasons" necklace so I made another version, "39 forever". That's my story & I'm stickin' to it :)

 

Look through any fashion magazine and you'll see chunky & bold is in. Here's my take on it on this trend. Multi chain bracelet.

  

Sold my bold chunky cuff this week, kind of sad to see it go! Here is another I made using an antique brass cuff adorned with vintage earring pieces. This will makes it's debut in the shop later today.

 

New bobbies & new bold flower ring :)

 

Hope all is well. Have a wonderful 4th of July! See you soon. ~ Susan

strawberry fields forever

Every summer the kids make a "wish list" of things they want to do over vaction. Strawberry picking always makes the list, it's one of our many summer traditions. We spent a wonderful afternoon with my niece & sister-in-law picking strawberries under the sun. A little breeze made it the perfect day.  The farm where we pick had baby animals in a small barn on the property for the kids to visit. 

 

 

After picking we delivered a few quarts to our family & friends!

 

Nothing like a a bunch of strawberry stained hands :)

 

 

 

This is ONE of the kittens my sister-in-law and the kids is fostering for the SPCA. How cute is he?

I hope your week is off to as good a start as ours!

a trip to the indie market

We made a trip into the city today for the outdoor indie market. I knew the Josie from Auburn Studios would be there. I have been in touch with her through her blog Mr. Monkey Suit  but never met her in person. It was so nice to put a face to her name & her work! It was a perfect day to walk around the city and take in all the artisans as well as the sites. We even visited with our friends that live in the city, it was an afternoon well spent.

 

Here we are!

 

Josie's wonderful table of colorful goods! We went home with two traveling art shows for the boys, some buttons, a bookmark & a few goodies for me too :)  Thanks Josie!

 

 

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend! See you soon. ~Susan

wednesday's moon & thursday's finds

My husband called on his way home last night and told me to check out the moon, camera in hand I marched out after 9:30, here it is.

 

I got out to an estate sale this morning, my dad was kind enough to watch the kiddos for me! As I was walking up I saw Vicki from Hollyhocks! It was so nice to see her, it's been a long time. She looks wonderful! We met a couple of summers ago at an estate sale and keep in touch. Here are my goodies. Hopefully she'll post hers as well she found some great things too!

I found two sweet collars, some pretty trims, a pin, a stack of little envelopes, some boning for that corset I'm going to make someday, a fabric scrap with the little purple flowers & a bunch of millinery berries in green.

 

 

Hope you enjoy your weekend. Happy treasure hunting!

an unlikely project

The last day of school I was talking with one of my friends and she told me she was having another baby. I am so excited for her! I'm sill not over the wanting babies stage (although I think my age is) so anyone that has a baby or small child can probably see me coming from a mile away, they are just irresistible to me. I got to thinking it would be nice to make something for the little one who is due to arrive this winter. Even though I have lots of time & it's 85 degrees out, I found the perfect pattern from my kind & generous friend Karen's shop, The June Bride. I got them via e-mail that same day, I couldn't wait to get to Joann's & pick out some fleece.  

I didn't get to the booties yet but I made two hats in no time. I omitted the ears and added rosettes made from a strip of the fleece. The directions were clear, easy to follow and quick! Great little gift when you have little time! The patterns even include adult sizes. I made one 0-3 months, the other 1-4 years. I'm thinking I'll be giving these out as little gifts.

 

In other news, I finished the rosette order. I made a whole bunch of them for a girl who was going to use them to embellish albums for a shower.

 

Thanks for visiting! Hope you are enjoying your summer! ~ Susan

he loves me.........

...he loves me not. That's the first thing I think of when I see a Daisy. Did you do that when you were a little girl? I have fond memories of wandering barefoot in my grandparents yard plucking the petals off these little beauties. All grown up now, these sweet reminders of childhood were beckoning me to the yard with my camera in tow. I use a Canon Digital Rebel it's at least four years old but it's got the capability to take my pictures to another level. Armed with my manual I set out to try something new. I focused on the AV, Aperture value today. I took each of these photos adjusting the Aperture value. The larger the aperture (smaller number) the less focused the background is. The smaller the aperture (larger number) the more focused the background.

Larger aperture.

Smaller aperture.

I tried different settings to take these pictures of my peonies.  

These little wildflowers are growing aside one of our many trees. I used the Flower Mode on my camera to take this one.

Got any photography tips? Feel free to leave them in the comments. I look forward to learning something new. Hope you are all enjoying your Monday! Thanks for stopping by. ~ Susan

and the winner is.....and friday's finds

Using the random number generator at 9:00pm, number 11 is the winner of the Barnes & Noble gift card! I have to go see who it is myself...........it's Kasey from LolaB's! Hey Kasey, congrats!

 

I thought I'd also share my finds from today. I got a whole pile of vintage wrapping paper. Not sure exactly what I'll do with it but it was too cute to pass up & cheap, just $2 for all of it. I found two sweet pins, one has an "m" on it. I thought it could stand for Mom as well as any M' name. There were a lot of slips but this one was perfect, never worn and still had the tag on. I liked it because it's much shorter than the ones I have. I'll probably dye it and put it in the shop! The two tea towels I couldn't pass up either, the colors are gorgeous, maybe pillows? I also got a set of steak knives, seriously, we have like 2. I don't know where they go? My husband has been bugging me to buy some. I got a set of six for $7 and three of them were still wrapped in tissue in the box (Happy Father's Day, hon!) Sorry not in the picture they were already in the dishwasher.

 

I just wanted to say Thank you to Karen from The June Bride for doing a beautiful feature on my little shop. Have a great weekend! See you soon.

~Susan