Tuesday, October 28, 2008

SOWA Boston's Open Market

Sunday was a warm bright day, pretty much the perfect fall day for the end of October.


I managed to escape for a few hours and did something I've been wanting to do for a while, visit Boston's SOWA Open Market.
What made it even more special, was having my daughter with me. We’ve had very few chances to be out and about by ourselves the past few years. We actually made it to the last show of the season.
It’s already on our calender for next spring!
Held in Boston’s south end, with free parking! The Market hosts a wide variety of vendors, from hand-crafted accessories, original art, antiques or just a fresh loaf of bread, you'll find painters, sculptors, photographers, clothing and jewelry designers, milliners, handbag designers, house wares, antique dealers, florists, bakers, and local farmer's produce. Vendors have to apply for admission into the market, and vendors may change from week to week.
From what we witnessed, it would not matter which show you choose to go to. All the shows should be interesting and fun.

Here are a few of the items we were lucky to scoop up.


original painting from Mike Bryce
vintage green striped wool throw from wundercabinet.com

It was also wonderful meeting other Etsy sellers. You don’t often get a chance to meet other virtual shop owners. Especially nice when the chance meeting turns out to be someone on your favorite sellers list.
Best of show...we loved enhabiten's items..lovely!




Quick.. go add SOWA to next springs calender!
Sue

Monday, October 27, 2008

Monday's Discoveries




Great Finds To Start Your Week
Yes, It's Monday again!
Mondays are not usually a favorite day.
I thought I'd make them a little brighter.
Each Monday I post some great new finds.
Before they are posted in my etsy shop
My readers get first peek.
See something you like...just drop me a note.

This Monday it is..


Vintage, Retro & Fun!

A Gemco (USA) Milkglass Oil & Vinegar Set with Snowflake Blue (Pyrex Pattern) Design.

Have a wonderful Monday
Sue

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Sharing a great idea

Today's post is taken from another blog which I have to share.

From Apartment Therapy a great idea...How To: Make a Pocket Sized Floor Plan

"If we had to name the best thing in our design arsenal it wouldn't be having our Pantone Book memorized, or knowing the name and year of every piece of furniture.So what's the one trick that helps us more than anything else?One of the best tricks we have found when designing our living space is proportion. Most of our truly great furniture finds have come from random places while we were out and about... not from when we have "left the house determined to buy a sofa."

Say you are out at a flea market and you come across an amazing French Provincial Couch that you think would be the best thing since sliced bread in your living room. You drag it home, wrangle it through the door frame, scoot everything out of the way... only to find out that it's really 3 inches taller than it should be, or 4 inches deeper than it needs to be, or one shade greener than it can be to work with your room.

So you're stuck selling it on Craigslist, or in the paper, before you can find another one. And then the whole process starts all over again.Because we've found the best inspiration for our homes is usually found in unsuspecting pl aces, one of the things that has helped us most is to have our house in our back pocket (figuratively of course).
We have taken card stock and adhered color swatches and floor plans to them. A jump ring keeps them all together, so when we want to know how big our entertainment center really is... it's all right there.

By having this on hand, be it in the glove box of your car, your purse, man bag... whatever the case may be, it can save you a ridiculous amount of headache and second guessing.

You will want to include basic information like the size and layout of your rooms, color choices (fabric swatches are perfect for this!) and sizes of existing pieces of furniture.

Other things that might be helpful are window heights (in case you are curtain shopping), height from the floor to the bottom of your window (in case you need something low to fit under it), and the location of your electrical outlets and floor vents (which are things we rarely think about, but end up being a pain later on).

Don't worry if they are hand drawn, they are only reminders of what's back at home, although if you want to wow the sales associates, feel free to Photoshop until your heart's content.

You can also laminate your layouts so they are spill resistant, although a note of caution, the color scanners at the hardware stores, are unable to mix paint accurately if they have a coating on them. If you would like that extra layer of protection, consider putting your paint chip on the ring lose so it's able to be used when needs be.

All of these things are nice to have on hand, so when you find "the perfect piece" you will know before you get it home if it will really work in your space."

I do have one thought to add to this. Being such a visual person, I think I would also include a photo of the room.

Thank you AT for this helpful idea that I can share with my readers.
Have a great Thursday everyone
Sue





Monday, October 20, 2008

Monday's Discoveries




Great Finds To Start Your Week
Mondays are not usually a favorite day.
I thought I'd make them a little brighter.
Starting today and then each Monday, I will post some great new finds.
before they are posted in my etsy shop.
My readers get first peek.
See something you like...just drop me a note.

This Monday it's..
All White
and they are all awesome!

Happy Monday

Sue


c 1800's english ink bottle
vintage Baatz USA vase
vintage bust

Saturday, October 11, 2008

A Feast for the Eyes & the Tummy


Really!
Some shops are eye candy. Noun, a person's place for things, on SE Belmont, Portland, took this concept a step beyond.
Not only does it have great stuff, display it wonderfully, and it's a combination of old and new, which I'm always drawn to. Hence, feast for the eyes....


In the rear of the store is a yummy section run by Saint Cupcake! Yes, gooey, yummy, scrumptious, cupcakes. Feast for the tummy!
I will chat more on this great shop and it is definitely on the list for my next Portland visit!

ps Another smile for this shop...it managed to keep a 5 year old and his grandfather happy while I shopped.

Have a Luscious Sunday

Sue

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Shopping Portland




I could write for weeks on the many interesting shops of Portland.

Each area of the city has their own infinite spectrum. Happily it will take me many return visits to cover all.
I'll have to limit myself to a few posts. I'm back on Cape Cod and there are places to go and discoveries to be made here as well.
Here are a few examples of what my shopping urges
were treated to...
flutter on Mississippi








house of vintage
on Hawthorne




I was so excited I forgot to get name of this shop!
Yes, there's more to come!
Have a shoppers great day
Sue

Monday, October 6, 2008

Portland Farmers Market

No visit to Portland Oregon would be complete without visiting a farmers market.
We missed the big Saturday market in downtown. But true to the Portlander's fondness for their neighborhoods, satellite markets are held on different days in different neighborhoods. We were able to visit a smaller version in the Belmont section.
The market was a feast for the eyes and the spirit.
The fruits and vegetables were fresh and tasty. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of produce I could buy at reasonable prices.








My absolute favorites;
the music being played, giving the
market a festive feel.
Vendors with booths cooking and serving!
You could do your shopping, have a wonderful meal while enjoying the music and visiting with your neighbors!




Now that's a farmers market!

Have a sunny Tuesday
Sue
ps; visit your local farmers market today

Perspective

Traveling over 3000 miles
is a taxing experience. It turns into a wonderful experience
when it ends with family and amazing vista's.
Thought I'd share some of the sights & scenes
awaiting us in Portland Oregon.

Mt Hood

Multnomah Falls @ Columbia River Gorge

Lost Lake








Japanese Gardens
Rose Gardens @ Washington Park


The perfect spot Lost Lake

Have a perfect Monday
Sue


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