Merry & Bright

Christmas is something I look forward to all year. Covering the house in garlands and lights just automatically cheers everyone up. Living in such a cold climate we have to stay indoors about 90% of the time during winter so I try to surround us in fun, colorful things!

This is our first Christmas in our NEW house and couldn't wait to see how our little cottage looks in the wintertime.

However my husband is also deployed this Christmas which is huge bummer. I have to do the shoveling and cookie baking. De-icing of the car and hot chocolate brewing. You get the picture;) Not having my best friend here during the holidays just makes it incomplete. It pretty much stinks without him here, but I have to make the best of things in situations like this.

I thought I should take photos of our house decorated for the holidays so my husband can see bits and pieces and pretend he is here with us.

Most of our decorations were thrifted, from the dollar store, or from the Target dollar section.

Come on in and enjoy a little peek into our house!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I so didn't pose him there..he is just that stinkin cute!

 

Oh just vintage christmasy goodness everywhere, we are just missin' you know who!

I hope you liked a little peek into our home for the holidays.

 

-Georgette



Put a Doily On It!

I love doilies. They are feminine and sweet. I love all the work and detail put into them. And they are so easy to find(and cheap)! Thrift stores, garage sales.. or your grandma;)  They are real treasures, but they can be more than just throwing them in odd places or under items.
Over the years I've found myself sticking them everywhere. Here are a few ideas on how I use them in my home.

 

 

 

To snazz up a simple mousepad I just stuck on a doily. You can sew it or modpodge it, but I just placed it on there and it doesn't wiggle around. Super easy!

 

 

 

 

How about some instant art? I modpodged these paper doilies to a blank canvas and voila!

 

 

 

 

 

Dress up a naked window with a doily garland! I picked up a bag of these little beauties for a buck at the thrift store. I just sewed them all together and hung them up!

 

 

 

 

 

To make my little girls bed more girly I just sewed one onto a throw pillow. 10 minutes to happier pillowcases:)

 

 

 

 

 

It really doesn't take much time or money for that matter to dress up your home.  These little handmade treasures make everything happy!

 

Now go and put a doily on it! ;)

 

*hugs*

Georgette

 

 

 





A Desk for my Dolly

Sometimes I feel like such a bad mommy.

After school one day I was prepping dinner and I glanced over to check on my dolls and Big Dolly was doing her homework on the floor. I said, "Baby why don't you do it on the kitchen table?" She replied, "Because we eat there mommy."  O....k I thought. "Well why don't you do it on the little table in your room?", I questioned once again. "My knees hit the table mommy."

 

I couldn't believe I didn't notice how big she was getting and I hadn't gotten her desk of some sort for homework time. I knew if she had a spot just for her she would be able to focus better. I checked stores in town and online and nothing caught my eye or was in my price range of course. I knew I would find an amazing vintage one in thrift stores, but was having no luck and I needed one fast.

That's when this baby came into the picture:

 

 

So one night I was browsing my local online classifieds and I just so happen to stumble upon a vintage school desk for FREE! But I knew there was some sort of catch for it being free and once I clicked on the pic sure enough it was pretty beat up.

It didn't scare me though. I knew some sanding and painting would fix it right up.

 

This was a husband and wife team project not because it was hard, but because I know for a fact that my husband is the better spray painter in the family:)

Here's the before:

 

 

We sanded all the rust and did some sanding of the wood for the paint to adhere better.
Big dolly loves her new little desk, but little dolly wants her own too! I told her once she starts school we would "make" her one also:)

 

 I love that it stores her books and supplies underneath just like at her school. Nice little project and it only cost about $5 for the paint since we had everything else on hand.
No more homework on the floor:)

Thanks for stopping by!

xo
Georgette

 



Thrifting Goodies

Today was such a good day for thrifting.

While everyone was enjoying there last day off my husband of course had to go into work :/

He suggested I go and thrift to distract myself since he wasn't going to be home.

Yep he's a keeper!

 

Anywhoo my little dolly was so well behaved!

I'm crossing my fingers that she's officially out of the wiggly, climbing out of the cart, whining for a snack, and crying for a toy phase.

I don't know about you, but when my kids behave at stores I'm able to find a lot more treasures without the added distractions:)

 

So thank you little dolly for these beauties I brought home today!

 

Embroidered wall art, vintage sugar tins, vintage thermoses, and some vintage books.

Those vintage thermoses came just in time for this cooler weather we've been having.
Mmmm...I can already smell the hot chocolate:)

One of the books I picked up is titled, "What to Do When There's Nothing to Do". Written in 1967 by The Boston Children's Medical Center is a very informative book about activities to do at home to stay busy with your kiddos.
I know this will come in handy for winter break!

Next is this adorable book written in 1950 by Lillian Morrison. She collected hundreds autograph albums from friends, family, school mates, and people from different schools in New York.  Chapters include: Roses are red, When you get married, Best Wishes, Forget Me Nots, and so forth.
Its a sentimental yet funny conversation book that I can't wait to put on my coffee table.
Well, once I get a coffee table:)

A couple of the autographs that made me giggle:

My little shopping trip was definitely a nice distraction...buuuut I would still rather have my little stinker of a husband home:o)

Thanks for visiting and checking out some of my treasures!

xo

Georgette



How was your weekend?

This weekend was quite fulfilled.

I haven't seen my husband in about two months. I few quick "goodmornings" or "see you laters".

That's military life.

I hate complaining its just he was gone for half a year for deployment then due to some military cuts and downsizing my husband hasn't really had a break since he's been back. This is our last year in the military and it sure has been the hardest.

 

As soon as he was granted his 3 day weekend he made sure to soak up as much of us as he could. This included pumpkin picking, hayrides, farmers market shopping, and some thrifting.

 

 

 

Found some pyrex mugs to add to my collection.

 

 

I've been saving my pennies for a gorgeous Kitchen Aid mixer, but when I saw this my heart nearly melt.

 

 

I had a wonderful weekend and appreciated every second with my little family. All those crappy months I had being alone practically floated away when I soak in moments like these.

 

dress: vintage thrifted, belt: vintage thrifted, bag: vintage thrifted, sunnies: target

 

How was your weekend?

 

xo

Georgette

 

 

 

 



Halloween Pictures Display

I would have to say that out of all holidays Halloween is our favorite in our home. 

We get to decorate, dress up as someone else, and end the night in a candy coma:)

Believe it or not my husband went on his first trick or treating when he was 18!
When he told me he had never been you better believe I dragged his butt out there!

 

And yes we were the oldest ones.  ;o)

  

 

We already started to decorate the inside of our house with Halloween decor and I thought it would be a cute idea to display our past Halloween pictures. I played with a few options like hanging them on a wide ribbon like x-mas cards display or just putting them in a collage frame, but being the cheapo I am I decided to try to figure out what I could use on hand.

This is what I came up with:



supplies used:

vintage frame free from an estate sale and wrapping paper from the $ section at Target

 

 

 

I did this project when my dollies fell asleep which didn't take too long.

• Just mod podged the gift wrap to the frame.
• Glued a flower felt embellishment I bought for $3 at Hobby Lobby..don't remember what I was saving it for.
• Hot glued twine in the back to hold the photos.
• To jazz up the clothes pins I added a little washi tape.

I think it looks cute with my other frugal Halloween decor.

Just cut out leaf shapes from felt and sewed them into a garland.
Taped some bat silhouettes over my vintage plate wall. (bat silhouettes from Dollar Tree)

 

I thrifted that pot lid holder awhile back and since it doesn't fit under my cabinet for its intended purpose I thought to hang it on the wall to hold my vintage postcards and magazines, but for the holidays I decided to stick past Halloween cards in it to display.

 

That's its! All that's missing are some pumpkins to stick on top, but I'm waiting to take my dolls to the pumpkin patch.

Hope you enjoyed looking at a little piece of my indoor Halloween decor:)

 

xo

Georgette

 

 

 

Cheap DIY Art Carousel

I seem to be having the biggest problem with my dog lately. When I go outside to pick up his naughty poops I find heaps of crayon bits in them! Sorry TMI I know! Its just so freakin frustrating to finally find out where all the crayons are disappearing to! So I figured if I made a designated area for all daily art supplies then my gross curious little dog won't easily find his favorite colored, waxy snack.

 

Thats when this little helper came in the picture:
 

 

This was a total last minute project. Which means I didn't go out and buy anything. I had the plastic lazy susan ( that I got for a $1 at Honks) in my craft room and I wasn't really using it. Mod Podged some vintage fabric that I thrifted to it.

 

The aluminum cans were old peanut cans that I was saving for I don't know what reason! Sheeesh once you become a crafter it ultimately means you are a hoarder too! Anywhoo I just modpodged some leftover scrapbooking paper to those two.

 

The yellow, plastic vintage mugs I thrifted for my girls to play with in their kitchen. They have so much play pots and dishes I figures I could use em:)

 

Pretty easy and fits all there little art supplies.

 

 

Once I set it out they were excited to get started:)

 

 

Fits nice and perfect on this little shelf that I rescued and painted. Can you believe this shelf used to be one of those cheesy, black laminated shelves?

 

 

Take that Toby! No more crayons for you!;o)

 

Thanks for dropping by!

 

xo

Georgette

 

 



Hello Dolly!

It seems as if I'm always changing around my daughters' room. Its just so small and they share the space so I always want it to be functional and cute. I moved this shelf organizer and repurposed it AGAIN to hold some of my dollies' clothes. I've been on the look out for a cute mid century dresser for their jammies and pants, but haven't had any luck. So this is where the shelf and new art comes in:)

 

 

 I had thrifted an adorable vintage ABC golden book, but my naughty 2 year old ripped some of the pages. I was crushed! I decided to salvage some of my favorite letter pages by framing them. Along with the framed pages and embroidered ABC art, I pinned some vintage dresses that they outgrew on the wall .

 

 

I've seen these wire yarn letters all over pinterest and there is an awesome tutorial here. I chose the words "Hello Dolly" because I'm always calling my daughters dollies if you've noticed in previous posts. Even friends and family know I refer to them as my dolls:)

 

 

I opted for thick jewelry wire from Walmart instead of the reinforced clothesline that the tutorial suggested. Only because I noticed they were a buck while I was out getting milk. The yarn I had on hand.

 

 

Pretty easy. Just shape the letters and wrap the yarn around. Making the words were fast it was the wrapping part that took awhile.

I loved the way it came out:)

 



 

 

Fun little craft. I recommend trying it. The word phrases are endless.

Thanks for checking out a little nook of my dollies' room;o)

 

xo

Georgette



 



Estate Sale Heaven!

Ok first off...

 

OMG! OMG!OMG!

 

Ok had to get that off my chest first..pheww!

This past weekend I was bored and browsed my local online classifieds and the words Free estate sale items caught my eye. Without even thinking I told my hubby," I'll be back, free vintage stuff!" He totally understood.

I never just get up and leave it was so weird. It was as if something was calling me.

 

As I drove up the guy on the lawn said everything free and just want it all off my yard. My hands literally started to shake! His yard was covered with vintage clothes, jackets, books, and housewares. It was the aftermath of a weekend of trying to sell the stuff so it was the "leftovers", but in my eyes everything was treasure. I'm pretty sure my eyes were bugged out!

 

These are just some the favorites that stand out and pictures I took before my camera died:/

 

 

 

These adorable tops were the first batch I washed and that don't really need any refashioning. Vintage floral, plaid, and peter pan collars galore! Went straight to my closet:)

 

 

 

Next, these adorable granny chic bags caught my eye.

 

 

 

When I got home, upon further inspection of the bags I came across these tags! A REAL vintage COACH! I swear it was like icing on the cake:)



 

 

Next were the adorable vintage house coats. Still with the tags! I can't wait to refashion these into cute dresses.



 

 

More printed cotton tops, but I need to take them in a bit to fit me:)



 

 

I snagged some adorable flannel plaid and corduroy. Perfect for this winter. Can't wait to wear em'!



 

 

I had to dig for these killer dresses!

 

amazing..just amazing..

 

I was able to find a little bit of vintage quilts, blankets, and kitchen linens.







 

My husband loves to collect vintage cameras and I just so happen to stumble upon this beauty.



 

What isn't pictured are some old frames, wooden hangers, mason jars, scarves, belts, vintage children books, and misc. sewing supplies.

I mean TOTAL jackpot.

 

My car was packed. I had a huge smile on my face. The owners were thrilled that I got it off their yard and that I had so much respect and appreciation for their mothers belongings. Even though it was free I felt I needed to give a little something for it all. I gave them everything I had in my wallet. It wasn't much, but they appreciated it.

 

It was seriously a dream and came at the best moment in time. I was feeling a little glum lately since I'm a stay at home mama I can't really afford all the gorgeous vintage jewels I find online. I always drool and wish to have a vintage collection like these beautiful ladies.

 

I feel like it was a once in a lifetime thing for me and I soaked in every single second.

Thanks for visiting:)

 

xo

Georgette





Crazy for Polka Dots!

I have to admit I have a wee bit obsession with navy and white polka dots! Over the years I've thrifted this classic print which always seems to pull me in and I can't resist! 

 

Here's the proof that I have an addiction:

 

 

 

 

 

Well it happened again! I was was at the thrift store here on base and I caved in ...but it needed a little refashioning love.

 

 

 

The sleeves I tell ya! The sleeves!

 



 

So I just hacked those babies off and made new hems:)

 

 

that was it! ahh..much better:)

 

 

Can't wait for fall to roll around so I can pair my new top with a cute cardi:)

 

Great now a want to go thrifting after looking at all my polka dot tops..hehe.

 

What's your thrifting addiction?

 

xo

GiGi