another pinterest post

My last week of vacation has come and gone. This week I have finished up my summer courses. We also just found out that we are most likely getting the house we want to buy! In these last moments of freedom, I have been trying to do some craft projects. At Circle Thrift, I found a felting kit with needles and loose fibers! I knew exactly what I would do with it. I pinned this a while ago ...


I used an old sweater that I had lying around and made my own heart template. After felting both arms it turned out great. Take a look.

The project was super easy. I can't wait to felt again.

August already?

This summer is flying by! July was a full month of school, vacation, friends, and a new job. Here's the details:

I am finishing up my first semester online for my Masters of Special Education at Saint Joseph's University. It has been wonderful getting back into academia. It feels like I have never left.

DJ and I camped at the wonderful little Reeds Gap State Park. We hiked, waded in the stream, napped in the hammock, and the best: cooked our favorite camping foods over the fire. We also went to the Remington Ryde Bluegrass Festival in Reedsville, PA. The whole vacation reminded us why we love our state and how much we miss the country.

We had friends over to our little apartment for dinner. DJ's friend from the port, Michael and his beautiful new wife Rachael visited. We had shepherd's pie with turkey sausage and strawberries for dessert. I even got out the good Blue Ridge pottery from Mrs Clapp and Siesta Ware mugs from Smartz. We had such encouraging conversations. I felt so blessed to have over.

tiny kitchen set up

At the end of July I was asked to fill in at Circle Thrift. Soon enough the position was extended and I will be there for a while. I love working there. Everyone should come by to see me and buy some awesome merch from CT!

I am excited for what August has in store. More updates to come.

coat rack

For years DJ and I have been using a standard coat rack. It is useful for so many things and seemed to keep things off of our floor. The problem?...we wanted to put a chair in our bedroom and didn't have the space. We were sad to get rid of the coat rack, but decided to use its parts to make a new one. I removed the hooks and mounted them directly to the wall. That was a fail. The screws were not long enough and just ripped out of the wall. So the search was on for something else. I was walking Chompsky the other day and found a dirty, discarded back of a chair and thought that it might work. I cleaned it up, mounted the hooks and presto, we got a new, up-cycled coat rack! I placed it behind the door utilize the space. Take a look...

canvas love

I often see really fun paintings at Circle Thrift but don't know what to do with them. I saw a post on DesignSponge for an ipad case made from upcycled canvases and I went to the Swarm website to see more. Here are may favorites:


You could find both the plates and painting at a thrift store!



I love the blues, oranges, and browns!





cool lamp shade



So many ideas! Maybe next time I'll be inspired to make one of these.

Trenton Ave Arts Fest and Kinetic Sculpture Derby

Today Chompsky and I went to the Trenton Ave Arts Fest and Kinetic Sculpture Derby! I was so excited that I almost forgot to take some snapshots. Here are a few highlights...

Such a beautiful day.
You can just see the Comcast building in the center of the photo.

Little Baby's Ice Cream!! So good!

So tempting! But we collect the brown glass ones.

The Kinetic Sculptures travel around the neighborhood and then drive through mud.

One of the sculptures. This one was blasting dance music.

Nice little three-seater.

Yards Brewing Company's mobile. I love the taps on the steering wheel!

A very tired Chompsky

Our spoils! T-shirt for me and a bandanna for DJ.

The weekend is off to a good start. Tomorrow, DJ and I are going to my nephew's first communion celebration. I am excited to see my family.

free indeed

DJ and I found these beauties at Circle Thrift yesterday. They were in the free bin and covered in dirt. I think the previous owner was using them under potted plants. I cleaned them up and now they look great! I think they are Blue Ridge pottery plates, but I cannot be sure. If they are they are worth upwards of $5 a plate! Either way, it was a good find.

nice and clean...

siesta ware

company mark on the bottom

classic

Growing up, my family used salt and pepper shakers from siesta ware. I was given two siesta ware mugs when I was in college. I love them. I feel like I have grown up with these beautiful relics. And as our pint glasses from our single years ( and some from our wedding registry) have broken from clumsy hands and the 3 moves in the last 3 years, DJ and I have decided that we want to make this our new glass ware. Right now we have 3 but are buying them piece by piece. We just found one at a flee market for 50 cents! So if you see one for cheap with or without a hand let us know!