Dana's Baby Party

Have I ever told you that my dream is to be a freelance photographer for magazines? OK, I said it. That's my dream.

I love to photograph parties, events, places and details. I would love to photograph for Real Simple, Country Living or Cottage Living...if it was still published!! Still mourning the loss of my favorite magazine...

So yesterday I helped host my fabulous neighbor Dana's baby shower with Dana's good friends Diane and Heidi. Dana is having her first baby, a girl, and is due in February. I can't believe I won't be here to meet her, and I won't be here for her to Baby Gus!!!

We hosted it at the Rye Square House Museum, which is one of the oldest houses in Rye, built in 1730 I think. It was a great location, and I had sooooo much fun getting all the decor together.

Check it...

The front door with baby things put together by Diane.


Diane and Heidi also did this this clothespin line filled with baby clothes for Dana. Isn't it adorable?? It looked so great and they had to get Dana's baby a Brooklyn onesie since that's where Dana lived before Rye.


I had a lot of fun doing this setup. I got baby pictures and young girl pictures of Dana and displayed them on my vintage potato chip holder that I snagged for $6 at the Paris Street Market in Denver. This is a staple in my house and holds pictures, Christmas Cards, announcements, vintage postcards....anything that I want to display.

I also framed Dana's ultrasound picture and used my scrabble letters so everyone would know what they are looking at. Idea courtesy of my sister as she always has scrabble letters in her house.


On to the cakes. Oh my. It doesn't hurt that our neighbor across the street (the one whose chocolate shop we went to in Boston a couple weeks ago) used to be a pastry chef. What? You're offering to do a cake for the shower?? Um, let's think about that one. YES!!!!!

Wow, it was good, and Wade is enjoying some of the leftovers.


OK, now this was too cute. Diane and Heidi put together this diaper cake. Every diaper was individually rolled and taped down and set up as a tiered cake. Is this not the coolest thing ever? So it was double duty...decoration and gift. Dana is set for the first week (OK, maybe just the first few days) of diaper changing!


This next project belonged to me and Tyson. We went on a nature walk at the Nature Center and collected sticks, then spray painted them white. I ordered these tissue paper flowers from Oriental Trading Company and displayed them in white vases as the food table centerpieces. Then we pinned extra baby socks and stuff to them.

So each centerpiece cost like $3. Love it!


I love all my enamelware, some of which I picked up recently at flea markets here, and I used them for forks and napkins. White white white was the theme.


There were two fireplaces in the room, so I bought scrapbook paper and sewed a garland of flags to go across the mantels and used my telephone pole glass things that I picked up at Hell's Kitchen Flea Market in NYC as weights. I also used my spinning gourds from that I won from Janna's blog to decorate the mantel.

By the way, the flag idea also came from my sister. She made some for Tyson's shower and we hung them in his room. So Dana took these home and can use them to decorate in her baby room. And again...like $3 per garland.




Dana's mom came up from Savannah, which was so special. She reminds me on my own Mom and I just got attached to her immediately. She helped us shop for food at Costco on Saturday and was such a trooper.

Diane and I had asked everyone coming to write a wish or blessing for Dana that they could read (if they wanted) at the shower and bless Dana and her baby girl.

Lots of tears were shed, and it was one HUGE love fest.









It was such a great and special afternoon, and I'm so glad I had the chance to be a part of it. Love you Dana!!

Brooklyn Flea Market

We have a list.

OK, I have a list. But I call it ours because that's what married people do, right?

Since we've lived here, the list has grown, but we keep marking things off. Who doesn't like marking things off a list??!!!

So Saturday we marked two things off this list: The Brooklyn Flea, and the Brooklyn Bridge.

What could make me happier than seeing my loves walking hand in hand to a flea market??!!






Like father like son....checking out the bikes!


One reason I love this flea market is all the AMAZING food that is available. We bought an amazing wood fired white pizza for $9. The food vendor brought in a portable wood fire stove and the dough and ingredients were all made fresh on site. Amazing pizza.


And these were my finds for the day! Vintage tupperware snack tubs? Yes please. Three white frames for my collection for $15? Score! And an adorable jar...


Brooklyn Bridge to come...

The Elephant Trunk Flea Market: Take Two

You may or not remember when I attempted to take (or drag) my family to the Elephant Trunk Flea Market, New England's "largest" flea market. Well, if not, you can read about my disastrous attempt here.

I knew I could never convince Wade to try again with me, despite employing all the feminine wiles I could muster. So I took the kids by myself since he was out of town.

We started our day eating at McKinney & Doyle, in the small town of Pawling, NY. Some friends had told us it was a MUST DO for brunch on the weekends, with the most amazing blueberry pancakes. Since it was close to flea market, we went! And it was worth it. The kids enjoyed the blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes, and I had the most amazing omelet with fresh baked bread. Ahhhhh, I'm hungry just thinking about it. Wanna make me happy? Just cook me a really big hot breakfast with all the fixings. Especially when I'm pregnant...I'll consider naming my kid after you!!





Then it was off to flea market in New Milford, CT. And yes, it was open this time. Note to self: only open on Sundays. It does cost $2 per adult to get in (kids free), but to wander in an open field with 200-300 vendors? Totally worth it.

I have to warn you that there is a mixed bag of vendors. Some good, some not so good. There were a few vendors selling bulk socks out of cardboard boxes, so not everyone was selling stuff that I was drawn too, but I still had a good time. AND the sun was shining and the trees were gorgeous.



Of course we left with a few treasures. It's hard not to walk away from a flea market without a Little Golden Book. Ava picked this one out, as I only let them have 1. $3.00 per book! So much for the $0.25 cent cover price. :)


I also found some great enamelware to go with my collection at home. These two small boxes with lids are perfect on my desk for holding (and concealing) all sorts of knick knack desk stuff.

The larger enamelware is going outside to hold the kid's sidewalk chalk. I kind of ran over our last enamelware bin holding the chalk. Oops. SOMEBODY left it out in the middle of the driveway. I won't name names, but the thing was DESTROYED. I think I was in a hurry that day.



Happy flea-ing!

Beverly's Collectibles

So yesterday was one of those days that tests all your relational skills you THINK you have in your marriage. Driving directions, low on gas, whining kids, and not enough food. Sound familiar? Hmmmm.

Wade was gracious enough, and willing, to drive an hour into Connecticut to go to the Elephant's Trunk Flea Market in New Milford. I had read about it on a blog this last week, and it sounded fabulous! A big field with something like 300 vendors? Uh....Heaven!!!!

So the directions on the website sounded clear, but we punched in the actual address on the website into the GPS. So after about an hours drive, we drove in circles looking for this address. It ended up being a cemetery. What?????

So then we decided to back track (yet again) and try the directions that were on the website. Go 4 miles....more like 14. We were just about to give up and go completely mad when we pulled over at Beverly's Antiques and Collectibles. Surely she would know.

I walked into Beverly's, a small "house" on the side of Route 7, at about 350 square feet. Beverly was behind and the counter and greeted me with a warm smile. There was a framed picture of her and Martha Stewart on the counter and the place was packed floor to ceiling. I asked her if she knew where the Elephant Flea Market was, and of course she did! It was just a couple more miles up the road, but why was I there on a Saturday?

The flea market is on Sundays.

Hmmm. Can't wait to tell Wade that.

So I stalled in her shop for a few minutes and continued our nice conversation. I finally braved confession and broke the news to Wade. He honestly could have flipped out. It had just been THAT kind of morning. But instead, being his usual calm self, he just shrugged and suggested we eat lunch. Plus he said, "how did we...and my we I mean you...miss that little fact?" I deserved it.

So we picnicked in Beverly's parking lot and ate our PB&J's, grapes, chips and fruity snacks, then tried everything we could to keep the kids awake for the hour drive home.

It is going to be a LONG time before I ask Wade to go to a flea market with me again. :) God bless him!

Shells and Enamelware

I love shells. I always have, and I guess I could thank my mother for that. For as long as I can remember, my Mom always brought home a handful of shells whenever we went to a beach.

I have since continued that tradition, and Ava has inherited it from me! Good thing our kids inherit the good things from us too.

So my fabulous neighbor Dana, and her husband, got back from a long weekend away at St. ..... I can't remember! One of those St. Islands in the Caribbean. She brought be back the greatest present...a glass jar with some shells.

They are now on my dining room table on one of my latest enamelware finds. A gorgeous tray that I found for $10 at an antique store in Cold Springs (on the Hudson).

The glass jars and other white dishes are from various other flea markets, and the white "dented" cup with the coral in it was made by my Uncle Mal.

Another love of mine: white dishes. Can't have enough!! White NEVER goes out of style.


After our trip to Cape Cod in May (you can read about that by clicking on Cape Cod from the subject selection on the left), I, of course, brought back a "small" collection of Cape Cod shells. Aren't they beautiful? I keep them on the back stoop in another of my favorite enamelware pots, so everytime I walk past them, I think of our wonderful Cape Cod vacation.


P.S. I brought back a lot of great flea market finds from our trip to Colorado, and I'll post some more finds soon.

License Plate Magnets

Well now that the package has arrived in Phoenix to Joanne, I can post my picture!

Last summer at the Paris Street Market in Denver, I bought the numbers 9.23.00 (my wedding date), that a creative person had made into magnets from old license plates. Since I love all things metal, I couldn't resist!

When we moved to NY, I kept the Colorado license plates from our cars in hopes of cutting them up someday. So when I was thinking of a present for Joanne, I realized I had the letters and numbers to make "J * T", Joanne and Toben, "1991", the year they got married, and "Colorado", the state where they were married. Since they moved to Phoenix for Toben to work in a marriage ministry, I thought it was fitting.

Paris Street Market

How could I come to Colorado and NOT go to the Paris Street Market?? Mom and I met Janna and Anne there this morning and I sooooo restrained myself, you have no idea. If only I still lived in Denver....

But of course I managed to find some treasures and things to add to my collections, but I'll have to post about those later.

Ava and Anne are becoming quite the treasure hunters too, and they had such a good time together. They put on quite the parade for everyone in their wagon!

Happy 4th everyone!!

Discovery

I don't know about you, but I tend to get in ruts. In showing people parts of NYC, I tend to walk the same path, go into the same stores and do the same things. I sometimes need to be forced to walk a different road.

Mom and I headed into the City today to go the Antiques Garage flea market, and it was good, but not as good as we hoped (or as good as the Paris Flea Market in Denver). Although I did walk away with one little treasure.

But afterwards was good, because we walked different roads than I have done in the past and we discovered new neighborhoods that I hadn't seen before.

How many times have I seen the Chrysler Building peeping through as I turn a corner or walk up 5th Avenue to Central Park?? Lots of times, but I have never actually walked by it. But we did today. And check it out! These buildings are amazing. The Chrysler building and the surrounding buildings remind me of a classic car all shined up in chrome (which was the idea behind the design). As a lover of vintage metal items, I loved this view.


And how many times have I walked by the NY public library, but never gone in?? We visited the children's room and discovered the ORIGINAL stuffed animals that were the inspiration for all the Winnie the Pooh stories and books.



It was a great day of discovery. Thanks Mom. Dad rode the train in and we met him at Grand Central so he and Mom could have a date night. They enjoyed dinner at the Bryant Park Grill, and I came home for a quiet evening with my family.