The Eastern Shore

The Eastern Shore is one place I've never explored. It was on my 92 Days of Summer List a couple years back but never got crossed off. I had had the opportunity to go a few weeks ago when my friend Tara had a Groupon that was running out soon. Lucky me, I scored a day with her horseback riding, enjoying the local pub and a little thrifting as well.

We started our morning at Pfeiffer Riding Stables for an hour-long horse ride. The farm is family-run (but originally from Michigan, have to love those Midwesterners!) and the owner's son actually guided our tour. The guides were fun and super friendly and the trails were beautiful. My horse, Edgar, had a thing for Tara's horse and liked to rub his face on him and crowd their space. Maybe a little inpatient and nosy like his rider? Ha.

After the trails, we found our way to Kelly's Gingernut Pub. At first I thought it was just "The Gingernut Pub," which reminded me like something out of Harry Potter and was excited to check it out. Come to find out, the restaurant is an old bank from 1907 and you can actually dine in the original bank vault (can you say Gringotts??), walk up the spiral staircase to the loft (Ron's House) and lots of local beers are on tap (i.e. Butterbeer). Enough with the Potter obsession, it was ridiculously cute and the fish tacos were fantastic.

The Eastern Shore is littered with antique stores, flea markets, farmer's markets and markets of complete randomness. This trip we only hit up a couple, but my new favorite is R & T Nautical. Yes, there was a trailer completely full to the ceiling with clothes and a back warehouse room, which was clearly being used as someone's bedroom.... But I scored seven vases, including milk glass, for $7! Next time we drive over there, we're starting early at the flea markets and bringing a bigger car.

Forever Bouquets for Mother's Day

Just in time for Mother's Day, some new size and style Forever Bouquets! I purchased a case of these glass soda bottles from Glass Gardens (who scored them at the monthly Olde Towne Portsmouth Flea Market last year) and I've them all to good use. These new bouquets feature three to five flowers, one large and the rest small, accent flowers or sprigs.

I've been playing with all my new wool felt (in 120 colors) and the bouquets are coming out so pretty! I'm loving mix and matching the random colors and have been incorporating leftover flowers from the Garden Show back in January. The dainty bouquets are $15, including the vase...pretty much an awesome deal for a present that lasts a lifetime (really working on selling these babies).

Could resist posting this mini bouquet in a glass syrup bottle! The whole arrangement measures 6 inches tall, but is gorgeous in the purple, red and magenta tones. If you're interested in purchasing any of these, send me a message, or check out our Mother's Day Pop Up next weekend at Kitsch.

Brooklyn Flea

A few weekends ago I took the notorious Chinatown Bus up to New York City to see Emily (the things I do for that girl), Ruben and Krissi. We stayed at Krissi's adorable apartment Brooklyn and had a pretty low-key weekend, considering we were in NYC.  I was delighted on Saturday to head to the famous Brooklyn Flea in warm temps and nothing but a t-shirt. I didn't end up buying anything, but got some great ideas for future projects, booth displays and craft shows.

This woman just weathered everything white. Simple approach, everything looks great together and you don't end up with 15 random colors of paint in your basement! It'd be easy to throw in some vintage colored glass bowls and vases for a nice pop (and charge a pretty penny for them as well).

I like the idea of using these carnival tickets as price tags. Easily identifiable, no need for designing, printing or having tons of product-specific tags. The stamp is a cute addition as well.

Succulent planters at $25 each?! You just need a dremel (I think that's the right tool) and 4x4s. You could paint, stain or tiles the sides and customize the designs. I also like the idea of the cedar votives. I'm not sure how safe these are once the candle burns down, but they certainly look great!

Letterpress blocks, keys, bowling pins, road signs and metal tool boxes. All essential finds at a flea market, that's for sure! I saw this ladder setup several times at the market and even suggested it as a display for a craft booth a few months back. It makes a lot of space, vertically and horizontally, and you can usually find an old ladder on Craigslist for about $20. If you were trying to make it look cohesive, you could paint the wood you use as shelves, but in this case, it serves the purpose just fine.

I loved this booth, but could not find a name or business card anywhere. It was also flooded with people so I didn't have a chance to talk to the girl behind it all, but was able to grab a few photos instead. The booth was filled with vintage ephemera galore! Flash cards, postcards, letters, pages from books, sheet music, ribbon, book marks, library cards...you name it, it was there. The displays were perfect and the prices weren't bad either. She had a few framed pieces that were quite a bit more, but definitely worth it. It gave me all sorts of inspiration for my next Pop Up Shop, however this type of merchandise certainly takes a specific clientele!

Wedding Beginnings!

It's already been one month since Mike asked me to marry him! I always imagined my blog would be full of wedding planning blogs with photos of colors and dresses, I've realized there are some things that are just better kept a surprise!

One thing we won't keep a surprise is the date, which we officially set tonight...New Year's Eve 2014!

Along with the venue...The Woman's Club of Norfolk.

And a photographer! The very talented DCPG.

DCPG took photos of Doug and Lizzie's wedding that just blew me away. I was hooked ever since!

Everyone wants to know how we decided on NYE and honestly, I threw it out there the night Mike proposed and it just kinda stuck. It works well with schedules, our friends and family love the idea and what a great night for celebrating. Plus, our anniversaries will always be easy to remember :) We've been able to secure the venue until 1 a.m. so we'll be celebrating our marriage and a bright new year with 120 (yes, guest list is also complete) of our closest friends and family - what more could you ask for?

The wedding planning has begun!

Our Newest Nephew!

Now that the new little peanut is almost a month, I guess I should post some pictures! Nathaniel Scott was born on March 10th at 8:02 a.m. He immediately resembled his very handsome brother, but I'm already seeing a completely different character I'm completely in love with!

After our first visit, Mike and I decide Nathan has his uncle's large hands. Which will be useful for football, basketball and all those other sports he'll play...especially since the doctors said he's in the 99th percentile in height!

We have been luckily enough to visit a couple times and help out with Thomas' bath and bedtime, although we definitely have some more practice runs before we're ready :). Uncle Mike was even able to find Baby Einstein on his phone to entertain Thomas while the rest of the adults ate dinner. Resourceful, right?


It won't be long before this little nugget is walking, running and talking! Auntie Ashley can't wait!

March Scribbles

I will note, I did scribble every day, but they didn't end up Instagram which is why you don't see all 31 here. Happy Scribbling!