The Flea

The Flea Market has been quite the buzzword in my family for awhile now - most of us love everything about the flea. Flea markets offer something for everyone, from tools to old sewing machines, chandeliers (I can't resist), furniture, glassware, and vintage finds. My sister has a booth at an indoor flea market called the Mega Mall in Lansing, MI - I have done posts about it before (see them here and here) and over Memorial Day weekend I helped her move in a new Seaside Green hutch and rearrange some things. Of course while I was there I snapped some pictures. Her booth is deep inside the Mega Mall - no natural light to be found so my pictures usually turn out pretty crappy. I was gladly surprised that the new camera did such a great job in there so I thought I'd share some here, for the love of the flea.

My sister snagged these decanters for me at the outdoor flea - 6 decanters for $7! How can you beat that?? My decanter collection went from 2 to 9.

The Fairy Garden

Welcome to The Brewer's fairy garden. A magical little place in their side yard complete with a bottle tree, a water feature, tiny fairy homes, and miniature squirrels.

Above is the human view of the fairy garden.

Black Side Table

A couple weeks ago I decided I needed a place to display shoes near my bed... because I love nothing more than waking up in the morning to a beautiful pair of shoes. I thought about putting some shelves up near my vanity - then it hit me that I could just use what I've already got. Free and functional! This half circle table has been in our foyer since early last fall when my sister spotted it at a junk shop for $12. It had a bit of a country chic distressed look to it, which is not really my thing anyway, so painting it black just felt right.

To begin I took the table out to the garage to smooth out some of the distressing with sandpaper. I used 100 grit.

Then I gave it a few light and even coats of Rustoleum Semi-Gloss black. I also tipped it upside down to get those spindly legs from every angle.

Don't they just sparkle more on the black??

Etsy Features

I have been slowly growing my Etsy store over the past 6 months, and while I wouldn't call it a success, I am proud to have sold a few things during that time. I started out with just a couple listings and now my store has over 50 items in it. I wanted to put a few of my new items on the blog, mostly because I am happy with how cute things have been turning out lately! I find that I really enjoy matching fabrics together and creating different combinations. Picking out the button to use on my card and passport holders is like icing on the cake. My small piece of the design pie.

I met a woman at Joann's a few months back (more like I was eavesdropping and butted in on her conversation with the cutting table lady) and she told me she has had her Etsy store for 6 years and that it has finally taken off. She said it starts off slow, but to keep working at it and not to give up. Her words still inspire me. The beauty of Etsy is its ability to give anyone the courage to start their own business and find joy in the creative side of life. Creating things often feels like it should be on the bottom of my priority list, but it brings me a sense of calm and happiness. I think that is something everyone should find time to experience no matter how hectic life outside their creative space becomes.

To check out any of the items above in more detail or to see what else is in my store click here, or click the tab on the upper right side of the screen that says "Shop - Etsy Store". Click the picture to see the items a little bit bigger.

TransPLANT

Summer is here! Students have all gone home and I am waist deep in my Maymester class. That doesn't mean I can't do little projects around the house though. This week I "trans-planted" a plant into a bigger, prettier pot, and did a quick spray paint job on a napkin holder. It really jazzed up my table-scape. Check it out.

Here are the before and afters:

Before- Boring

During

After

 

I recently picked up this gorgeous napkin ring from Pier 1 and I made the dinner napkins for  Thanksgiving.  Through the chandelier shot below...