Buffalo Plaid Vintage

I started out the year with a blog called “Twelve Discovery Drive” and the premise was to try twelve new things throughout the year to discover a little more about myself. I had read book after book on things like “How To Discover Your Strengths” and “The Secret” and “See You At The Top” just to name a few. I was tired of reading!  I just wanted to try something…. anything.  I started the year off with a jewelry making class at the local Cultural Arts Center.  I made a beautiful bird shaped nickel bracelet while learning a lot of new skills along the way. Next, I gave screen-printing a try and I really, really liked it! I liked it so much that I started making screen printed ipad and messenger bags and started selling them on Etsy .  I continued on the self-journey. My husband won a trip enabling us to travel to London and Rome . We also went on a ten day cruise and visited places like Cabo San Lucas, Ensenada and Puerto Vallarta.  My head was filling with ideas after visiting

I have been taking a bit of a break from keeping up with the blog posts.  I think if I did not have a full time job, I would enjoy writing this little blog a whole lot more!  I don’t plan on going anywhere though as I’ve discovered it’s a great way to chronicle life, family, and adventures, my favorite three things in the whole world!  So, my personal adventure continues….   Over the past month of so, I took a break to open up a small space at an antique mall in Columbus, OH.  After attending a live auction at the end of August, I have been full steam ahead.!  I think I knew this all along, but I am now 100% sure that I love all things vintage and/or antique!  Well, most things.  Take this chest of drawers for instance.  When I picked it up, it had a huge water stain on the top and one of the drawers kept sticking.  I looked at it and looked at it and finally thought, I like the bones of this piece . I want to make it beautiful again! It sat in my garage for a few weeks…I thoug

In hindsight, I wish I would have taken more pictures at this market, but some people do not like for their craft ideas to photographed.  So, here are the few I was able to take. Old beer bottles turned into glasses. These looked like jewelry boxes with a compass attached to the lid Love this display piece! Ladies, you will need at least two full days to shop in this area! More shopping!! Of course, the Apple Store in London This is an old deli turned t-shirt shop.  Love how they use the old meat cases to display the t-shirts!  This place is called Johnny Cupcakes. I only wish I had more time there!

So we fly into London’s Heathrow Airport , both of us lugging around a 50 pound suitcase and a carry-on.  I also had a purse and souvenir bag from Rome.  We’re not really sure about the best way to get to our hotel which is on the outskirts of London (about a 45 minute drive without traffic).  Probably should have researched before leaving!  Hubby stops and asks airport information “what’s the most inexpensive way to get to East Croydon.”  After what seems like a ten minute conversation, hubs comes back and has a plan.  We are headed to the Underground to take the Tube.  At this point, I’m excited!  It’s just another adventure in a brand new country! What I didn’t realize is that this little adventure would take almost three hours and require us to change train stations at least three different times, all while lugging these 50 pound suitcases – right into rush hour!  At one point we were packed in like sardines and I started to panic trying to figure out how we were going to b

A few pictures from our April trip to London in honor of the 2012 Summer Olympic games. Changing of the Guard Cool transportation! One of my favorite pics! Things you will only see in London!

More great finds from this past week! Vintage Fry Cowboy Boots - SOLD! Vintage Bayer Aspirin Tin - SOLD! 3 piece Vintage Hairbrush and Comb Dresser Set - SOLD! Which one is your favorite? If you love vintage, please visit my Etsy Shop for over 100 vintage items!

This is one of my favorite make-overs so far!  I picked up this beautiful vintage Kling dresser on Craig’s List.  The only scary part was asking hubby to pick it up sight unseen by me!  He just picks up, he has no idea what he is really buying….fortunately, this was a fabulous buy! I always let my furniture sit for a week or two while I contemplate what color I think will match the look and feel of the dresser.  After two long weeks, I finally decided on a shade of teal.  It’s funny though, my original plan was to paint an undercoat of green and then put teal over it so when I sanded it, some of the green would show though.  For some reason, this did not work.  When I sanded, the original wood came through.  In hindsight, I think I know what I did wrong and how to correct it the next time. Plan B – forget about the green and go with the shabby teal look !  One thing I have learned, always have a Plan B! I used home-made chalk paint and gave it a couple coats of teal.  I then a

My most popular screen print item this past week was the Fish Print Shaving Kit/Toiletries Bag: Screen printed fish (fish graphic from The Graphics Fairy ) This item is available at The Gypsy Chix Company . Love this print, such great detail!

I was walking through the thrift shop a few weeks ago when I came across this end table for $5.95!  It was solid with no broken pieces.  The inside was in pristine shape.  I snatched it up!  I let it sit in the garage for a few weeks while trying to decide on a color.  What color would sell quickly on Craig’s List?   That’s always a tough one.   I finally decided on light gray since I had some extra lying around. I made some home-made chalk paint and lightly distressed the table after painting.  I stayed with the original hardware by spray painting the pulls in copper.  I also waxed the sides and front and sealed the top since I know this is the area that will get a lot of use and wear. Here is the before picture: And the after: This piece sold within a few weeks on Craig’s List for $50.  Love it when they go quick!

This is one of the coolest bridges I have ever seen. Plans for the Tower Bridge were devised around 1876 when the east of London became crowded and a bridge across the Thames seemed necessary.  The bridge used to open almost 50 times a day but now it is only raised about 1,000 times a year.  Bridge lifts are pre-scheduled (for cruise ships, etc) so check the bridge's website to find out times. But the best view requires you to be on the bridge – see what I mean, looks like a fairy tale bridge!

Where am I? Did you guess right? Since Londoners drive on the left side of the road, it's important to make sure you look the right way when crossing the street. Often times you will see directions painted on the street at crossings to remind you to look the right way. This was definitely the hardest thing to get used to and London streets can be so busy! If you go with kids, please be careful!     Happy Traveling!!

Some of my cool vintage finds from this past week. A Vintage Bread Box:  SOLD! A Vintage Cheese Box A Vintage Kodak 8mm Brownie Movie Camera Eastman Kodak Company What’s your favorite item?  I’m loving some vintage cameras right now!

I have been toying around with the idea of going to an auction and since the weather was not cooperating for boating, I decided to find an auction to go to instead.  Luckily, I was able to talk hubby into going with me! After quickly searching the internet, I found an auction that sounded interesting and was only about 40 minutes away.  The auction started at 10:00 a.m., but by the time I decided to go it was already noon.  I called the auction to make sure it wasn’t too late.  The lady that answered the phone told me to come on out.  The auction would be going on until at least 5 p.m.  Hubs and I headed out and found it pretty quickly.  At first there were signs “Auction Ahead” and then there were lots of cars with very little parking!  I didn’t care, I was super excited! There were two auctions going on at once (outdoors).  Household items were being auctioned off in the front and tools and furniture in the back.  My mind was going a mile a minute trying to figure out if I sho

Those adorable red telephone boxes that adorn the streets of London were designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott . The color red was chosen simply to make them easier to spot. I read an article while in London that said some people in the UK want to get rid of the red telephone booths.  I will admit that I saw some that either had grafitti or broken glass.  I stepped into one to make a pretend phone call and it smelled of urine - yuck!  Pass the hand sanitizer please!  But those that were intact were beautiful - I say don't get rid of them London!  They make for a great marketing opportunity.  I stopped by to take a pic whenever I had the chance as did countless others.  They’re nostalgic to say the least… I would love to have one sitting in my backyard although I’m not sure if my neighbors would appreciate it very much!