Hello, darlings!
 I just wanted to let my readers know that I will be taking a week long blog vacation starting tomorrow! I have a ton of unfinished projects (and new projects) that need to be completed.

 When I return I'll have lots of fantastic things to show you, new awesome tutorials and a giveaway for a really neat little thing. I hope to make some time to catch up on your blogs while I'm off.
 xoxo
 Brittany

It's hard having a space for two that's comforting and appealing for both husband and wife. I'm currently having a battle with my bedroom. It's a cluttered, small, disaster of a space and it's simply not working out. I want to redecorate and reorganize. I'd love a bright, frilly, girly bedroom but I want Pj to feel comfortable and at home in the space too so we're putting our heads together to and a warm, cozy and relaxing room for both of us.

I've been loving Pinterest lately and find a lot of great inspirations from that site. Here are some of the bedroom looks I'm loving right now....

image from the booandtheboy.com

I've been on the hunt for the perfect vanity stool for over a year. I think I will have to make this!!

diy capiz shell candelier made of waxed paper from Freshly Picked

vacation memory jars from Martha Stewart

cute, vintage and functional! What's not to love? I see vintage suitcases at thrift stores for just a few bucks all the time!

Our bedroom doubles as a home office so computer space is very important. I use the computer to blog and Pj uses it for school so we need a small, comfortable space that works well for both of us.

I love this tiny home office space made from a wall shelf. Perfect for a small computer. How cute are the antique cheese graters?!

My sister, Chelsea is getting married in two weeks and we have both been working hard to plan, make decorations and of course, sew! Here's a little peek at what's been keeping me so busy!

Chelsea's wedding dress, handmade by me

my bridesmaid's dress pattern and fabric

all paper decorations- cranes, fortune cookies and candy dishes

the bride's bouquet- paper roses, made by me, We used some antique sheet music too, isn't that lovely?!

Wow, it's been ages since my last outfit post. With temperatures in the high 90's, I've barely left the house in weeks. It's just awful outside. Wait....who is that blonde chick in jeans? It's me!  I've been tired of my hair for a while and I decided to go back to blonde about 2 weeks ago. It took 2 bleachings to get it this light but I'm kind of digging it.
 

 

Speaking of digging it, check out my fabulous new turban. I crocheted it myself using a 1940's pattern. It's very Carmen Miranda, don't you think? My little dude is 3 months old now and smiling ALL the time. I love those ears!!

This afternoon, I met Amanda at the Salvation Army for some much needed thrifting. We said a prayer to the goddess of thrift before entering and boy, did it pay off. I struck gold with this fantastic retro dish set for only $15.
Next, we both found adorable vintage swim suits in our size, which has -never- happened! I scored a really cute cheerleader skirt and blue 50's knit top. Amanda found this adorable gingham bib dress pictured below. Pj got the awesome find of the day with his Diablo game pack, brand new for $10! Yay, Pj!!

my loot

Amanda's Loot

 After that, we were starving and went to a local Mexican place for dinner. Maybe my fly was undone, Maybe the turban was too much for suburbia to handle?...I don't know what was wrong with me but I have never had so many people staring at me before. As you know, this isn't a terribly wild and crazy ensemble for me. I often do my hair like this and I hang out in this part of town all the time. What the hell?

 I was eating dinner and hanging out, Amanda leaned over and said "That lady over there is taking your picture!" I said "What? Me?" I looked over and wouldn't you know it, some broad at the register was taking my picture with her cell phone while I was trying to eat! Apparently, she tried to snap a pic casually as she walked by but it didn't work. Seriously?!? I've had people stop me on the street on many occasions and ask to take my picture with or without them in the shot and I always say "of course!" I've had people stop by my table in a restaurant to compliment me on my style or hat or whatever. That's fun, cute and of course, flattering but did she really want a picture with me shoveling Mexican food into my face? It was so awkward. I wish I would have had a menu to hide behind. I wish my camera would have been in my diaper bag so I could have taken her picture. Instead I tried to ignore her and stopped eating till she left. Maybe I should have made stupid faces at her.


 I'm sorry to get all freaked out and ranty but it begs the question: where do you draw the line between flattery and being inappropriate? Have your looks ever brought you to an awkward situation?
Outfit details
 40's polka dot blouse- thrifted
 vintage deadstock men's work trousers- Leo's Old Clothes, Columbia, MO
 flats-thrifted
 40's crochet turban- handmade by me
various bakelite bangles

Has anyone noticed the sweet vintage inspired prints at Fabric Worm? I absolutely -love- that shop and wanted to share some of my favorites with you. I ordered my fabric for Olivia's nursery from their etsy shop and was very pleased with everything.


 Most of their fabrics are cottons, perfect for these horribly hot summer days. For those that aren't wild about crazy novelty prints, they have some really cute florals and unique solid colors as well.

 *Va-Voom Vintage is not an affiliate of Fabric Worm and this is not a sponsored post. I genuinely love their products!*

I recently stumbled upon Tip Nut and was thrilled to find these adorable 1940's craft patterns. I'll be adding these to my "free patterns" page soon. Click the link to be directed to the patterns

Here are 50+ free vintage apron patterns from Tipnut

                                                            1945 Utility Apron and Cap
                                                           20's-30's Weekend Travel Kit

This week, I've been having a blast cooking new recipes at home. Here's what I made, with a link to the recipes. Let me know if you try them! Click the name of the dish to be directed to the recipe.


 The original recipe for this amazing dish is from Skinny Taste. I added 2 shredded carrots and 2 spoons full of flaxseed meal to beef up the fiber. Any time that I can sneak more veg into a meal, I go for it.  This is such a hearty, comforting, cheesy dish, you'd never believe it's healthy too! I steamed my peppers for about 15 minutes so they'd be more tender but if you like a crisp pepper, they are wonderful to simply stuff and bake. I served these peppers with Kashi 7 grain pilaf. YUM! If you're too busy to cook on weeknights, the peppers can be made ahead and either frozen or stuck in the fridge for a few days. Simply preheat the oven, add the cheese and bake.


Another delicious, savory recipe from Skinny Taste. I love a good crock pot meal, even in the summer. Who wants to slave away in the kitchen when you can have a crock pot do all of the work for you? The recipe suggests preparing the dish the night before and turning the crock pot on in the morning, which is brilliant! Come home from work and dinner is ready. I served the santa fe chicken with left over kashi pilaf from Thursday and it was delish. The santa fe chicken would also be excellent in tortillas or as a soup. Instead of regular canned tomatoes, I used canned fire roasted tomatoes (walmart brand), which added a really amazing, smoky flavor to the meal.


 I made up this recipe for chicken salad. basically it's just 1 diced apple, 2 finely chopped celery stalks, 2 chopped chicken breasts, a handful of golden raisins, a spoon of minced garlic, 1/4 cup honey, 1 shredded carrot, some low fat mayo (just enough to hold it together), a dash of chia seeds and a dash of flaxseed meal (both for fiber and omega fatty acids) Wrap it all in an iceberg lettuce leaf and serve with baby carrots, hummus and a peach. I usually add halved grapes to my chicken salad but Olivia devoured all of the grapes so I tossed in the golden raisins instead. This chicken salad was so yummy, I think I'm going to have to keep a bowl of it in the fridge at all times for easy weekday lunches.

On Sunday, I had some fresh squash and feta cheese in the fridge, which needed to be used. I whipped up this zucchini bake with feta and thyme. Since we're carnivores, I wanted to add some meat. The feta reminded me of a delicious Greek dish I make with feta, spinach and ground beef so I tossed in some ground turkey and sauteed mushrooms and turned this side dish into a one skillet meal. 

 Cauliflower is one of my step dad's favorite things in the world so I made these fritters for him for Father's Day and they were incredible. Who knew that vegetables could taste so sinful? Be careful they're addictive! The sausage on the sandwiches was Italian Turkey Sausage and it was very flavorful but lighter than regular sausage. Excellent!

 This is another one of my recipes and a favorite at our house. Pj and I honeymooned in St Augustine, Florida and stayed at a bed and breakfast in the historic district. One morning, we woke up very early and walked around the corner to all of the touristy shops. None of them were open yet since it was a weekday on October but the scent of baked goods caught our noses and drew us into The Bunnery. We enjoyed an amazing breakfast sandwich which consisted of eggs, feta and spinach on a toasted, buttery croissant. This is among our many honeymoon recipe recreations! I served these with frozen berries and oven roasted potatoes on a whole wheat, toasted bagel. p.s. look at that perfect egg! That was my first egg poaching attempt. Pj is "the egg man" (as well as the walrus) in our house but I thought I'd take a stab at it this time. Well done, me!!
 toasted bagels or croissants (or bagel thins if you're a really good girl)
blanched spinach- click here to learn how to blanch spinach
crumbed feta (fat free)
one egg, over-medium (poached is my favorite method. I -hate- egg lace (fried crispy bits) and less fat than fried)

 By Wednesday, I finally gave in to my sugar craving but in a good way. I know that if I bake a batch of "healthy" cookies, they'll be gone within hours. Same with "light" pie, so I found a single serving recipe so I can have a little taste of something sweet without un-doing the whole week. Here's Hungry Girl's Mississippi Mud in a mug with only 5 grams of fat and just over 200 calories. It was so warm, melty and rich and took 3 minutes to make!

This week, I've lost 7 1/2 pounds. I'm not even sure how that's possible but I'm not complaining! I'm sure the weight loss will slow down after next week but I think the food change has really made a difference. I feel much more energetic (notice the frequent blog posts) and with all of that energy, I'm much happier. Also, now that I'm taking photos of what I eat, I'm noticing that pretty food makes me feel pretty whereas burgers and pizza make me feel like a pile of fried, ground beef. After a week of eating fresh, wholesome meals, I'm not even craving a french fry. I can't wait to try next week's delicious and beautiful foods!!
  This week, I've started hula dancing using a dvd at home when the kids nap. It's a great, low impact, full body workout and it's actually fun to do.

This has nothing to do with vintage but I am beyond excited. My little girl is potty training. We started a few weeks ago and she's been doing so well so far! We go sit on the potty chair and I dance and sing my "potty time" version of Flight of the Conchords "Pretty Prince of Parties" when she goes. We clap and cheer and wave "bye bye" when we flush. Potty training rocks my sock off!!

 We bought her some incredibly adorable and teeny tiny panties. I'm still on the hunt for some of those days of the week panties. There's nothing cuter than a little hiney that says "Thursday" all over it! For now, she has Hello Kitty undies. I wish they came in my size!! We're still not to the point of wearing panties at night time or during naps but we'll get there.

 Let's take a minute to celebrate potty time with some Flight of the Conchords.......

A few weeks ago, my Aunt from Colorado was in town so we gathered at my grandma's house for pizza and hanging out. After dinner, Grandma, Aunt Robin and my mom presented me with this beautiful grey train case, filled with beautiful things that belonged to my Great Grandma Alma.

scarves: some are very old chiffon or silk scarves


 white gloves: Great Grandma didn't hang on to many old things so these white gloves must have been special to her. Grandma Alma was very petite so I'm thrilled that they fit my hands!


Grandma's vanity mirror: when I was a teenager, spending summer vacation with Great Grandma, I always admired this gorgeous vanity mirror. I was nearly brought to tears that they decided to pass it on to me.



Later in the evening, Grandma surprised us all by bringing out Great Grandma's jewelry boxes. Since all of us girls were present, she wanted us to sort through them and pick out what we wanted. My mom, aunt, sister and I all had the best time having our little jewelry party on the dining room table. We busted out the ancient family photos from the early 1900's and looked at pics of grandma as a girl. I fell in love with some of her outfits from the 30's and plan on re-creating them in the future.



Great Grandma Alma moved to Hawaii in the 1940's. She packed up her life and her 3 small children (including my 6 month old Grandma) and traveled to California where she boarded a ship bound for Hawaii. She said that the ship was absolutely miserable. It was a VERY long trip and the ship was packed with mothers and their small children, all traveling to meet up with their husbands who went to Hawaii for work either with the military or some other branch of government. They lived in Hawaii for many years. During that time, my Great Great Grandma, Florence would come to visit every once in a while. During one of her trips, her and my Great Grandma picked up these matching sterling silver spoon brooches from Honolulu. When Great Great Grandma passed away, Grandma Alma inherited her spoon and now they have both been passed on to me. These silver tropical flower brooches and silver hand mirror brooch were also from Hawaii in the 40's.