Changes

Wow!  I really haven't been keeping up with this old blog and there has been so much to write about lately.  We have been making updates to our new old home.  Some, like our new counters, were planned.  Others, such as the new heating and cooling system installed just yesterday, were not.  So many things have been surprises in this house.  We don't feel that the previous owner did much upkeep.  And, while I try to keep my blog positive, this has been frustrating to say the very least.  It has slowed us down to to the things we really want to do.  Right now, we are working on the back splash in the kitchen and I hope that will be finished really soon.

We have (ahem, the Mr.) has been installing the lights that I picked out and had rewired or purchased new.  It is so hard to get a clear photo of this one.  The actual fixture is new from Schoolhouse Electric, but the globe was found in a vintage store in Knoxville.  The detail on it is so pretty, but the hallway is pretty dark.  I will see if the Mr. can use his camera and knowledge to get a better photo.

 Our room is newly painted and it nice and light!  I framed a collection of bird prints that I received for Mother's Day.  Now, I just need to repaint the peeling trim in here and find a bed or headboard.

All the windows in the house were covered in wood, stainless steel or pleated blinds.  I've slowly been taking them down and hanging drapes.  I had some great linen Roman shades made for the windows and doors that I didn't want to install drapes.  My friend Annie from My Swallow's Nest did a  wonderful job and they are so much lighter than the dated wood blinds.  I did decide to leave the wood trim unpainted throughout the house.  I am only painting over previously painted trim.  The wood really grew on me and it just suits the house and our style right now.  Plus, thinking of painting all the windows made me crazy!

 

We have had some other changes around here as well.  We have made the decision to cut out many animal products from our menu and our life in general.  We had already limited our meat intake earlier this year and we try to eat very little processed food. Becoming vegetarian is something that has been on our hearts in differing degrees over many years.  We have been doing this for about a month.  We bought a few cookbooks and we haven't been hungry or missing meat.  We are focusing on our meals being primarily vegan, We have had a very limited amount of milk from a local dairy that we have contacted and asked many, many questions about the cows. We aren't currently getting rid of clothing or furnishings right now.  We feel better using them up and wearing them out and not repurchasing leather items.  I know that this can be a controversial subject, but I feel so at peace with this decision.  So, we have been playing around with some of our very favorite recipes and making them without animal products.  Shh... not all of them are made with lentils and quinoa....

 And, for our next change... we took the big leap into home schooling our son.  We have always planned on sending him to public school and that helped influence where we decided to move.  He was even part of a program in a public school last year that we all loved.  But, after much discussion and research, we decided that home schooling will fit our family's needs best, at least for this year.  We have a huge community here that home schools and offers great classes and field trips.  And, while some days are more difficult than others, I can see he is learning so much already.  Right now, we are filling up a nature notebook with drawings and leaves and taking frequent trips to the library.

So, that's what has been going on our way.  Hopefully, I will have some decent after photos soon.... I will get the Mr. to take them with his camera instead of me just snapping!

Goodbye Old House

Today is the day where everything is supposed to be final on the sale of our old home in Spring Hill.  I say "supposed" because nothing about this process of buying and selling has been easy.  It has been filled with stress.  We have felt so very unsettled for awhile now.  And, honestly, I haven't felt like sharing.  It started out as a very fun and exciting process to search for a new town and a new home.  It lost its luster.  We found our new town and our new home just in time.  We have been in our new (old!) home in Maryville for a couple of weeks, but there has been so much traveling and unpacking and stuff that we have a long way to go to feel really settled.  But, more about our new old home later. Now, I would like to give our first family house a proper goodbye.

We did a lot to this house.  We painted and painted and painted again.  I think the kitchen was the biggest overhaul that we accomplished (and my favorite.)

When we bought the house, it was a week before our wedding.  The night we closed, we came back and painted the dining room first thing.  We moved everything else in 2 weeks later.  It was such a chaotic time with so much going on at once.  

Our living room changed the most often.  We put in wood.  We painted a couple times. We changed the tile around the fireplace.  We changed out furniture.  We spent so much time in here.  

I will miss my flowers the most!  I am hoping that I can start a cutting garden next year, so I can have fresh flowers all the time. 

The one room that I spent the most time looking around and feeling the memories was my little guy's room.  This is where we brought him home.  It was such a relaxing and cozy little room.  He was a baby here.  He will never be a baby in the new house.

We (the Mr. actually) built the deck and we really enjoyed our backyard.  We planted lots of trees (for a subdivision anyhow.) We played ball.  The baby hughes learned to catch back there. The Mr. planted a veggie garden.  

We had many meals out there.  We had parties and dinners and I will miss our outdoor space.

This was a good house.  This was a home.  Our new house will never have our Kokoa.  Our new house will never have baby hughes as an actual baby.  We had so many happy memories there. 

We are so happy with our move though.  We love Maryville already. We had a great first full weekend here.  And, I love the new house.  It is smaller. And older.  And with that, there are some changes we have to make (hello one bathroom!) But, we love it and can't wait to fill it up with happy memories.

Goodbye old house!  Goodbye Spring Hill!

Hello Maryville!

What is up

Well, I certainly never meant to stay away from the blog for quite so long.  We have been quite consumed with house stuff, both buying and selling. We have been all over for the past few months trying to find a town that was as close to our criteria.  And, then finding homes we liked within those towns was pretty daunting. It became un- fun quite quickly.  It was nothing I really felt like sharing here on the blog.  We have finally found a place we love and hope to move there very soon.  And, once we get settled, I will feel like sharing (over sharing!) I'm sure.  My boy finished up preschool recently and will be starting Kindergarten so soon.  I have such mixed emotions about that.  I'm not ready to give him up for that much time per week.  I closed my booth at Winchester Antiques to prepare for the move.  I loved being there.  Of all the places I have had a booth, it was most definitely my favorite.  I haven't decided what the future looks like for a booth or a store once we get moved.  I do miss having a booth and maybe once we get settled I will want to open something again.  

I will keep my etsy shop though.  My work was actually featured in the recent Cottages and Bungalows.  I have several designs that I am working on, but I just haven't gotten them all worked up and tweaked exactly how I want them. 

I am still knitting.  I think it may be my go to hobby.  That and reading.  I seem to always have something on my needles and my kindle.  My personal goal this year would be to knit a sweater.  I think I am there.  I am just a little apprehensive about gauge still.  So, I have been working on smaller projects like these fingerless mitts... my first go at colorwork.  When we get settled, I am hoping to join a knitting group.  The Mr and the boy and most of my close friends aren't into knitting.

And, as if I needed another hobby, the Mr. bought me and the boy ukuleles.  I am not musical.  I think I can probably peck out Chopsticks on the piano and maybe a little Heart and Soul, but that is about it.  So, I am hoping to be able to pick it up and not get too frustrated. 

I hope to update the blog more often.  Lately, I haven't felt the need to write more than a caption on Instagrams.  Right now, we are in the in between, the middle. We have had a really busy Spring and we are hoping for a little more relaxing time soon.

Our trip to Disney

 We got back last week from a week at Disney World and getting back into the swing of things now.   We did have a wonderful time for the most part and tantrums were minimal (I, myself, only threw one!)   It was pretty warm still (mid to high 80s.) I was hoping by planning a trip in October that it would be a bit cooler.  The little man has little tolerance for walking in the heat and the sun it seems.  And, he isn't crazy about roller coasters or meeting characters.  But, he loves fireworks and parades.  And, it seems that Mouse Ears were made for him.  I think his favorite part about the whole trip was the Lego Store and the cable in the hotel room (we are cableless by choice.) 

This was the Mr's and the little man's first trip and my 4th.  They aren't really ride riders, but I managed to convince them to ride a few with me.  We stayed at a Disney resort and that was a great decision... no driving or parking!  You are at Disney's mercy though and unless you arrange other transportation (we flew) it isn't easy to get anywhere else (ie eating at chain places and at the parks all week long.)  We found it easier if you just go along for the ride.... meaning, if you want popcorn, get the popcorn.  It's expensive and there are trinkets around every corner to entice your kiddos.  I was enticed!  I wanted a balloon that had a Mickey balloon inside of it... and during the parade, they upped the ante and made those balloons light up!  Pure magic!  We stayed within our budget though and didn't say yes to everything.  

With my little guy being 5, we spread the trip over 7 days and 3 parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom.)  We had originally planned on going to Islands of Adventure so I could get my Harry Potter fix, but we were tired on the last day and the taxis were super pricy to head there from our resort.  

All in all, we managed to do what I felt was most important: (besides having family time)  See the electric parade, see the fireworks, buy Mouse Ears with our names on them, meet Mickey, and ride Dumbo.  Plus, we snuck in a bunch of other fun stuff too!

More soon~

Fresh Year, Fresh Ideas

Happy New Year!  I normally try to think of my new word for my new year on my birthday since it is less than a month before the new year.  This year I delayed it because I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to define this next year.  This word Fresh kept coming back to me.  Everyone gets stuck in a rut, and I was feeling a little stale.  I have several notepads full of ideas for Vintage Junky... not just the shoppe, but my brand as a whole.  But, I was finding that after all was said and done that I wasn't moving forward on any plans.  The house was messy.  I wasn't able to shop for the shoppe as much or updating my etsy shoppe and my local booth  as much as I would have liked.  I looked at all of these things that I wanted to accomplish and I realized what they had in common: time.  Time.  That little thing that there is just never enough.  I wasn't able to create my new designs or take on as many clients because of time.  

So, after much discussion with my Mr. and some friends with shoppes and some friends with my best interests at heart, I have decided that the best way to keep my ideas, designs, and shoppe Fresh is to open every other weekend each month... the 2nd and 4th to be exact.  I am always available by appointment if I am in town and I have opened specifically for people traveling from out of town.  The Mr. has been traveling more and more with his business and the baby (big boy now *wink*) would like to tag along with him when he goes to particularly interesting places.  This adjusted schedule will free me up to travel with him when I wish and also to go on treasure hunts more often.  Plus, I will be able to get my client's pieces done faster as I only paint Monday- Thursday.

Along with my word Fresh, I have also committed to myself to Make something everyday as my Project 365 on Instagram (my handle is thevintagejunky)  Even if it is just a mess or a batch of cookies, making things gives me time to create and come up with Fresh ideas (there's my word again!) I plan to take a photo of whatever I Make and post it to Instagram each day.

Finally, I have been sort of a lazy blogger.  I haven't been able to visit my favorites as much as I would like.  I am hoping to change that too and blog and visit a little more often.  I am filled with good intentions and some big plans for this year.  Things that I am quite excited about!  I am working to make 2013 the best yet!

bye for now~

Kind of Obsessed

Hello all!  How have you been?  I have been super, super busy lately.  So, once my cell phone contract expired last Saturday I decided to treat myself and get something I have been lusting over for awhile... as in, when they first came out.  An iPhone.  Necessary?  Nope.  Do I love it?  Yep!  I have been playing with Instagram, but I haven't really had a chance to sit and play with this toy like I want.  So, help a girl out!  Give me some tips and what apps and especially what photo apps are the best in your opinion.

I have had some issues posting Instagram photos to facebook... like I have to keep unlinking my account and relinking it, but they post to Instagram just fine. So, what is the deal with that?  I feel like a little bit of a dummy.

Share your wisdom... I know I can look up all the answers, but I want to hear from you.

ps... I think my husband is jealous of Siri *wink*

bye for now~

Essentials~

We have been pretty busy as of late and have been at the shoppe more and more.  Our little shoppe has become our home away from home.  Now, most people would think that working more is less than ideal. I say we have a pretty swell set up... especially on nights like last night.  Last year the Mr. came across a vintage 8 mm projector and has since started collecting little films.  It is a production to get these nights started... loading the film often takes longer than the movie.  It is totally worth it though.  Here are our essentials for a great outdoor movie night~

• Cook out food... on the cutest little green grill
• Vintage quilt to soften an old bench
• Campy movie... if a lady hatches from a dinosaur egg, then you know you have it right.
• Jar to catch fireflies 
• some Beach Boys tunes
• Smores.... still debating on whether 1 or 2 jumbo marshmallows make the perfect one
• Finish off the night with a little guitar music... bonus if baby hughes sings

We are enjoying our summer... work and all!  Hope you are too!

bye for now~

*blink*

hello all!  I am sitting here next to my big Preschooler wondering how this happened... or how did it happen so fast?  Four years ago at this time, this little guy was kicking up storm in my belly and causing my feet to swell to epic proportions.  And, today I dropped him off for his first day of Preschool.  They do a summer session at his school and I thought it would be nice to get him involved before Fall.

He, of course, had a great time.  He jumped out of the car like he didn't have parents.  And, of course, I cried a little.  The Mr. took me out for a little coffee date after we left our boy there, so that was nice *smiles*  I guess it gets easier each day, but I really missed him today.  I mean, even when he is testing my patience, I still really love being with him.  And, it was SO quiet!

So, do tell mommas of boys... what do your boys wear on their feet when they wear shorts?  Flip flops are a no no at school and I think this looks a little funny.... is it the socks?  He was NOT happy about wearing socks and sneakers today.  Or is it my thinking that shorts have to be worn with flip flops?

Tomorrow we are off to treasure hunt!  We are leaving early and seeing where the road takes us!  Be back soon with some new finds and some news.... Vintage Junky news...  For now, though, I think I will take an extra dose of snuggles.

bye for now~

Long time, No Post

hello there!  I have been so bad with posting and taking photos, but that is summertime for you, even if it isn't officially here.  We have been busy.busy.busy here... more on that later... lots of fun and exciting stuff!  We are living it up a bit before the hyena starts preschool... I signed him up for a summer session.  Anyone that has met him knows that he doesn't need the social interaction *wink*  But, we want him to be ready for kindergarten when it comes... either in one or 2 years... he has an August birthday and is pretty wild!

One of the things I managed to finish was framing my sampler.  I have since added some other things to this wall.

I painted the frame a really pale grey and I am pleased with how it turned out.  I have since done a few more embroidery projects... I will share those soon!

I have been working on this room.  I think I have the Mr convinced to get rid of this sofa and move the one from downstairs and recover it.  In what, I don't know.  Don't hate, but I really don't want a white slipcovered sofa.  Even if you can wash it, it just isn't me.  I am thinking something tweedy or velvet.... the sofa upstairs has great lines and if it didn't have some fading and a few holes from a certain beloved puppy chewing on a knife on the sofa (a very, very long time ago,) then it would be perfect, color and all.  So, if any of you have a non white sofa, please link to it in the comments!  I would love to check it out!!

We also hung up a piece of really chippy picture rail and I ordered some hooks.  Now, I can't decide if I want the frames empty or not.... hmmm.... decisions...

I do love how light the living room is looking with the lighter paint and a few white pieces of furniture.  I want to change the coffee table up  and I still have my green modern-ish chairs.  I thought they sold, but some Craigslist people no- showed.  I also changed out the black shade to a new design of mine that I made the other night.  See... even if I haven't been blogging, I have been busy!

And, I relocated the silhouettes upstairs and the Mr. even commented that he loved them on the wall color upstairs.  Okay, enough about me, how have YOU been?

Promise to share some fun surprises very soonly (baby hughes' new word... don't you dare correct him!)

bye for now~

Happy New Year!

Hello all!  Happy New Year!! Now, I know I said my new year starts on my birthday, but here are a few things I would like to do in 2012~

~Fun family photo session with Hazel (and maybe find something cool to haul her *wink*)

~Redecorate our living room... maybe a new wall color...some new pillows... no big woop...

~Fun 4th Birthday Party...possibly a superhero theme...

~Wear more dresses

~Actually start the sampler I bought this year

~Read more books... there are a few that I can't wait for them to come out

~And, watch more movies... I can barely wait until November, but at least there are a few that I am looking forward to coming out before then

~Be outside more and enjoy it and soak it up before it becomes miserably hot

~Discover new music and see some live shows

~ Take some mini family vacations

I have so much to be thankful for.... 2011 brought me home with my little guy and then we expanded Vintage Junky.  I have B I G plans for 2012 and so many things to be excited about...my sis is graduating with a degree in nursing (so proud!) and some friends are getting married too.

I will be back soon with a fun giveaway!  But for now, Happy New Year!

bye for now!

Promises and Priorities

Hello strangers... oh wait, that would be me!  I know I promised birthday party photos last week, but I failed you.  I have been busy though... painting, sewing, and most importantly, taking a giant yellow balloon to a nearby caboose before it lost all its helium. Priorities, people... it is important to have them.  And taking oodles of photos with my little hyena with his balloon is a priority.  It isn't every day I rent a helium tank after all. So, I will be back this week with photos of a birthday party and maybe, just maybe some recent furniture restyles.  Until then, have a giant yellow balloon sort of week!

bye for now!