Retail Therapy

We've been a little cooped up the past week or so, so what better way to rebound than to browse around an antique store?!!  I love it when my friend Jess blogs about her great vintage finds, so following her lead, here are a few treasures I brought home. 

17 pieces of flatware to accompany my hotel silver I bought off of e-bay a few years ago - $2

this is a picture I took before polishing - I'm only about half way finished with the rest

2 vintage patterns - $1 each

I can't wait to sew these for the summer!

A whole Fisher Price community for McCord to chew on - $2

He loves the cowboy!



And today we went to Michael's to check out their Valentine's goodies and found this fund DIY necklace - $1

if you have a little girl in your life, this would make a great gift! 

It comes with an elastic thread and is oh so easy to make.  I added these beads that I already had at home.

I think it's kind of fun in a kitschy sort of way.



And Mc loves it!

Homemade Stocking Stuffer and Vintage Books

Sometimes I'm late to the party, but I have just discovered Wee Wonderfuls, and I'm in love!   Hillary Lang is the creator of the adorable Wees and is a stay-at-home mom turned small business owner.  She crafts all sorts of fun toys and just published a book appropriately titled Wee Wonderfuls.   Meet Olive and Archie - two of her creations:

Arent' they adorable?!  Her blog lists a couple of free pattern downloads where I discovered the Wee Bunny.  Here are a few pictures of McCord's stocking stuffer complete with a seersucker bow tie! 

...and of course, I have to show the booty! 

And while we're talking about books, our local library had a book sale a couple of weeks ago where I scored a few vintage children's books for Mc.  I love the illustrations from the books - in fact the characters look surprisingly similar to the Wees.  My favorite of the 3 books is called I Look Out My Window and was published in 1964 by Playskool.  It's made from heavy cardboard and has really held together over the years.  It is about a little boy who looks out his window (book is cut out on each page to make a window) to see how he should dress for the day according to the weather. 

The other two books were also published the the 60s by Rand McNally.  Hickory Dickory Dock is about a mischievous little mouse and Lancelot is about a lion who learns to roar. 

It makes me wonder who the children are - now grown adults - who held these three books in their their little hands.  Children who asked their moms and dads to read them over and over until all of the words were memorized and the pages worn down with love.  McCord has already put some good mileage on these three books, and I'm comforted in knowing that our little 4 month old is connected somehow to a timeless tradition of reading.  

Save The World

When I first read this quote, I thought it would be so cute framed for a nursery, but on second thought - I prefer it for all of us adults.  We need a little whimsy in our lives to help us conquer the world, no?

This quote has been made into a free printable (prints out to be 5 x 7) available for free here. 

Attention all Martha Fans

Do not delay!  Head straight to this website and print your coupon for $1 off Martha Stewart's Halloween Handbook, then get busy crafting some spooky madness and baking some sweet treats!  I want to hear all about it.

Free Birthday Fun for your Child

For all of my new mom friends out there, here are a couple of sites I found that have some fun birthday clubs for kids.  Enroll your children now, so they'll have lots of fun to look forward to.

OLD  NAVY
Old Navy offers a free birthday surprise (I think this means coupon) on your child's birthday.  From their homepage, scroll down to the bottom where it reads "Sign Up and Save." Of course you'll have to enter in your basic contact info and e-mail address, but you can opt to sign up for e-mails and deals from Old Navy's affiliates (Gap, Banana Republic, etc.). 

TOYS R' US
This is the coolest idea - Geoffry the Toys R' Us mascot will call your child on his/her birthday to leave a message.  You can select whether you want him to call in the morning, afternoon, or evening.  And your child will get a free gift card.

THE CHILDREN'S PLACE

Receive birthday coupons during your child's birthday week. 

ZAXBY'S

Sign up for a free kid's meal - just FYI, you have to print a form and mail or fax it in.  It doesn't appear that they have an on-line submission form, but you get a card for a free cookie just for signing up.

WAFFLE HOUSE

This is for my little friend Ansley....If you sign your child up to be a Waffle House Regular (which she is!), then they'll enroll you in the birthday club and he/she will receive a special birthday present  P.S. - It's Waffle House's 55th anniversary!  I don't think they've aged a bit!

MOE'S

This is a really neat site - you can sign your child up for the Mini Moe's Birthday Club and receive a free kids meal during his/her birthday week.  When you sign up, they'll calculate how many days until your child's birthday (282 for McCord!) and it will tell you about what happened on that day in history and famous people who share their birthday (FYI - on McCord's birthday in 1847, the US Post Office released its first adhesive stamp, lick em' stick em'.  He also shares the same birthday as Princess Diana).  Visit their site for a free coloring page and on-line birthday games like tic tac toe and memory.