A Hurricane, A Broken Mug, and Etsy

Last week most of the world was watching as one of the largest hurricanes on record, Irma, headed straight for the Caribbean islands and Florida.

Since we have friends in the USVI, Puerto Rico, and throughout Florida, including my brother in Tampa, our concern, focus, and prayers for all in Irma's wake was intensely personal.

Fortunately, all our loved ones were safe, with only minimal damage, but the devastation throughout this region was massive, to say the least.

Just after the worst of it had passed, I heard a "cha-CHING" from my iPhone, signaling a sale in my Etsy shop. I looked to see what had been sold:

Fantastic Finds at the Yankee Barn Sale, Dublin, NH

Recently we attended, for the umpteenth time, the amazing annual Yankee Barn Sale, New Hampshire's flea market extravaganza in Dublin.

Now in its 36th year, the sale features new, used, antique and vintage items from over 80 local residents and employees of Yankee Publishing, Inc. (publishers of  the renowned Yankee Magazine, founded in 1935). It's definitely the primary Do-Not-Miss treasure hunt on our calendar.

Fabulous Finds & A New Friend at the St. James Fair, Woodstock VT

My daughter, who lives in Woodstock, Vermont, said I absolutely had to come. The St. James Fair there, now in its 92nd year, was something not to miss.

We live about an hour and a half away in New Hampshire, so it's not a long drive. And since it was a great excuse to spend the weekend with the family, we drove over Friday night for dinner.

But on Saturday morning, at 9 a.m., my daughter and I were there, scouting out what we wanted to make a mad dash for once the ribbons encircling the tents were cut precisely at 10 a.m.

The Unexpected Journey of a Kentucky Derby Hat

When I found it, I had to buy it. Even if I would never make it to the Kentucky Derby.

Maybe one of my Etsy shop customers would, I thought. It was definitely an amazing vintage hat!

Decorating my home for Christmas with vintage

Last week, after sharing some holiday decorating with vintage ideas that I found on the internet and put on one of my pinterest boards called "Decorating for Christmas with Vintage," I promised that I'd show you around my house and some of the ways I decorate with vintage.

First of all, I'll take you to my kitchen. Our house is just barely vintage, as in 1990 we purchased a high, wooded parcel of land in New Hampshire and in 1992, after clearing some of the trees, we built a one-room cottage (my husband purchased a book called "Building Thoreau's Cabin" and began building) which, once finished, served as our living room, dining room, and bedroom (that ladder leads up to a sleeping loft, which we now use for storage; on the ceiling is part of our extensive basket collection).

Decorating for Christmas with Vintage

I love Pinterest!

Whenever you find something you like on the internet, there's always a place to save it there--just put it on one of your boards or create a new one.

Recently I was searching for ways to decorate for Christmas using vintage items. And I found some great new ideas. So all I had to do was hit the round red P button and save them to my new board: Decorating for Christmas with Vintage.

Below are some of the ideas I especially liked....

Using vintage glass jars as candle holders, setting them into an old box, and filling with greens and pinecones:

My Etsy Studio

Okay, first off, I often dream of having the perfect studio: white walls, tall windows with great natural light, lots of room to store all my items and pack them up when purchased,,,,,