Collecting Vintage: Umbrellas

What's not to love about a well-curated collection of vintage lovelies?  Everything looks better in groups, and I love the idea of collections of pretty things that can be used.  Living in Seattle means finding ways to be stylish in the rain.  I've stumbled across some of the prettiest vintage umbrellas lately-- those things were made to last even in the wettest locales!  If you're eying one in a store, make sure that you open and shut it a few times to check that it works easily.  I also open it and hold it to the light to check for any holes. A solid vintage umbrella can protect you against torrential downpours and they seem to not blow out in the wind as much as newer ones.

A few from my collection:
 
  Pretty handles & patterns at a local vintage shop:

etsy and ebay both have some AMAZING ones for sale.

Now, a question for all of YOU:  how can I display these beauties and still have them handy for use?

Estate Sale Finds: Darning Egg

I recently stumbled across this milk glass beauty.  Darning eggs were used to keep the round shape of socks while they were being mended.  I love how things used to be built to last!  Bonus was the darning kit and tin that came with it (from Seattle!).  Local vintage is always a plus.

 You can find darning eggs on ebay or etsy earn more about them here.

DIY: Succulents in Vintage Egg Cups

I got inspired by this idea over at Roy Joy and decided to put a vintage twist on it using vintage egg cups!

I scoured ebay, etsy, and thrift strores for vintage egg cups, and eventually ended up with a set of vintage hobnail milk glass egg cups and a set of vintage Japanese tea cups.

Next, I collected a variety of small succulents. Finally, I hit the farmer's market for extra pretty eggs and then.... voila! A few succulents for Easter, with an awesome vintage twist.





Get the full DIY instructions on potting succulents inside of egg shells here.
*special thanks to Jenny for being my partner in crime and snapping some of these pix

Vintage Organization: Pyrex

If you're like us, some of your resolve for 2012 is focused on de-cluttering and organizing your life.  We've decided to put together a series on how to use vintage items to keep your life ship shape.

Up first is my desk.  I've found that certain things just need to be easily accessible.  Luckily vintage pyrex fridge dishes fit all the little things (lipstick, airline frequent flyer cards, and change) perfectly.  You can find some similar to these on etsy  or ebay .  I added a vintage San Francisco glass to hold my pens. Easy, cheap and, my desk now makes me happy to catch a glimpse of.