Momentarily Obsessed With...

Honestly, the thing I'm most obsessed with right now is felt flowers! But, I'm saving that for another day and time. These are a few things that have popped up on my Pinterest boards, that I be totally fine owning :)

1. peach dress  I want to look like this everyday. Cute, classic and sporting amazing hair. Is that too much to ask for?

2. original flea  While I wouldn't be taking my $500 bag to the flea market, I do absolutely love the shape, style and purpose of this beauty.

3. golden girls lego people  This might be, handsdown, the best thing I've seen all month. Can I make special requests? Cheers, anyone?

4. colorblock wedges  The shoes that will match every single outfit have arrived. Which means I could rid of all my other heels and just wear these every day from now on. Yeah, probably not.

Thrifty Thursday

I thought it'd be a good change of pace for today's Thrifty Thursday to show some recent clothing purchases. I'm sure you can only handle so many vintage books and paper goods. I visited my beloved DAV Thrift Shop a few weeks back during lunch and walked away with these great finds, all for less than $20. Can't beat that!

Xhiliration Dress from Target, $4

1980s Shift Blouse, $1

Not sure what decade this was from, but it almost looks handmade. Denim/grey color, $5

Shirt is a hand-me-down from a co-worker. Plaid 1960s skirt (with pockets), $2

Teal Satin Old Navy Dress, $7

The Great Halloween (Costume) Debate

Not once in my life has it been three days before The Halloween Party and I haven't had a costume. Not once. Until now. I don't know what it is this year, but I'm just not into it. Crazy, I know. I think it's partly because this is the first time in five years we are hosting the party. It may also be because Halloween is still six days from the party...or that we've been on the go, and we'll be driving home from William & Mary Homecoming right into the party.

Or maybe because the beau ordered a Superman costume without telling me and I'm still grumpy.

Whatever the reason, I still don't have anything to wear and am debating about six options at this point.

A costume that would be warm, comfortable and completely effortless? Plus, it has a bag as a must-have accessory? Quadruple bonus! 

A dead bride. This would be much cuter if I had a dead groom to match. And perhaps a real wedding ring to make the scenario complete ;)

I have wanted to be one of Martha Stewart's adorable lambs for YEARS. However, I have not wanted to sew or make the furry leotard, well, ever. 

I came across this idea just last week and I love it! The trick will be finding a bright yellow dress in October...

Or, just go for the classic witch in my favorite black dress, tights and heels. So, what are your thoughts? What are you dressing up as? Have any other great last minute ideas?

Monday Musebles

Pleasant surprise from Emily. A thank you gift for her visit last month.
Can't wait to start a project (or find one in the trash) for these cuties.

Some weekends can be extremely productive. Others can be a disappointment in regards to the activities you may involve yourself in. Saturday, we made the wise choice of skipping the annual Wine Festival, but ended up at Smartmouth for Growler Power Hour ($10 off all growler fills). That still wouldn't have been a bad idea, however, we continued our shenenagins until the early hours of the morning. For as poorly as Sunday could have been, I actually remained moving - and crafting - the entire day. Managed to bake a cake AND make lunch for the entire week. I may not be 22 anymore, but it sure pays to be able to drink like one ;)

Smartmouth unveiled its Outta Your Gourd pumpkin ale. It's a must-try!

What a full day of crafting actually looks like, a big giant mess.

Spent Saturday morning with my favorite antique lady, Leigh Greer. You have to check out The Pilot's article on her beautiful shop!

Chili, in which every condiment in the fridge was used.

Spice Cake Box Mix + 1 Can Pumpkin + Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting = Bomb Diggity

Felt Salad

With all the junk felt food I make, I decided it was time to make something a little heathier...a salad! I really love this set because while it's fun for any play kitchen, you can also use it to teach colors and counting. The set includes 12 lettuce leaves (in four different colors), 3 croutons, 3 mushrooms, 2 egg slices, 2 cucumber slices, 3 radishes and 4 carrots.

It was just added to my Etsy shop, so be sure to take a look and favorite the item for future shopping :)

Monday Musebles

Considering it rained the entire week leading up to and intermittently through the weekend, our annual Fall Camping Trip was a success! This trip we made it back to the original Wineberry Cabin, where this whole trip started. I absolutely love this cabin, it's beautiful porch and large fire place. On the other hand, the slippery and slightly scary trek to its doors leave a little to be desired.

With the government shut down and impending rain showers, half of us headed to the Luray Caverns. It was such a great alternative to our normal hiking routine....and absolutely beautiful! If you haven't had a chance to check out this regional attraction, it's definitely a must.

The caves were discovered in 1878 by five men checking out a nearby sinkhole. They dug a hole deep enough for the smallest boy to shimmy down and they began exploring what would become the 1.25 mile-long tour of the caverns. It reminded me a lot of Mammoth Cave, which I visited during a college spring break (caves gone wild version), but way more touristy.

Hence our hedge maze splurge! Even in the rain, it was totally worth it! I surprised how tricky it actually was and had we not been rushing to get out of the rain, we could have spent hours in there.

While we were waiting for the other group to finish up their hike, we happily detoured to Wisteria Vineyard. It is such a cute boutique winery with sheep, chickens, adorable pups and yummy wine. The Chardonnay and Ashtaroot were definitely my favs, but I really couldn't complain about any of the unique varieties.

We made it back to the cabin with just enough daylight and before the skies opened up to a night-long rain. This was the first time in five years we switched up the menu and grilled tuna steaks, green beans, potatoes and carrots. We kept the tradition of the box wine and s'mores going though :)

Government shut downs, wind or rain won't keep us away!

Color Therapy

You had to have known this month was going to be Halloween themed! This will be the first year in many we won't be having our annual Halloween party, so I figured I'd live out my holiday decorating and planning through this post. You're just lucky I didn't find 30 photos of adorable black cats. Although, I suppose there is still time! Enjoy!

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Cheerful Chicken Farm

I had the privilege of working with this lovely family farm out in Disputana, Virginia (about an hour northwest of Norfolk). The owners, Shaun and Heather, had a local artist paint his logo in two pieces, they were then photographed and I merged the two, added the colors, shading and wording. Cheerful Chicken raises pigs, sheep, goats, chickens and veggie without herbicides, pesticides or tilling. Cage free, pasture raised and a Veteran...! The couple made their dream of owning a farm come to life and I wish them the very best!

Be sure to check out their Facebook Page and "like" to stay up-to-date on the latest news.

Thrifty Thursday

Picked up this vintage mirrored tray for $1 (happy hour sale at Good Mojo, it's the place to be!).

And these cutie glass bottles were spotted at a church sale down the street from our house. Less than $1 for both. I think they'll make cute vases for my felt flowers...whenever I get around to making those!

Halloween Goodies

It's that time of year again, when we welcome the freaky characters and everything black and orange. Fairview Place has brought back the scary movie greeting cards and added Halloween themed Paper Parcels. For a limited time you can get the 30+ vintage paper packs at Kitsch for $7.50 each...make your own greeting cards, collage some scary artwork or just admire the old ephemera!

Autumn Brooches

Some nights I make things and I feel like I should probably never craft again. I will have to say that last night was definitely NOT one of those nights. Kitsch asked me to teach a class so we decided on Fall Brooch class (to be followed up by a Holly-Day Brooch class in December), in early November. I was kind of cramming to get them done so I could photograph, package and drop off to the shop....which never means a good outcome. Although, I'll have to say I'm pretty happy with the way these cuties came out.

These would make lovely boutineers, brooches or corsages for an Autumn wedding, a nice hostess gift, or cute stocking stuffers for all the ladies in your family. I'd be happy to take custom orders :)

I may make another batch tonight for Glass Gardens to showcase at the Portsmouth Farmer's Market, which is every Saturday at 10 a.m. Stay tuned for class details, or check Kitsch's class schedule for updates.