Kitsch Opening!

As many of you already know, by the end of the month you'll be able to find handmade Fairview Place items right here in Norfolk! Kitsch, a wonderful little crafty shopping in Ghent basically emerged out of thin air and has graciously let me sell my goods there. They've announced their first opening day will be February 25 at 11 a.m. The shop is going to have make and takes, tutorials, music and refreshments, so it's an absolute must for your weekend! I'm telling you now so you can plan ahead :)

I've been learning a lot in this process, like how to make an inventory sheet, giving my goods pricing codes and smarter ways to package my new items. I've posted my inventory sheet above (I had no idea even what I was suppose to do) if anyone is in need of the general idea. But I'm so excited to see what the coming months have in store for Kitsch and Fairview Place's new found local home!

Thrifty Thursdays Part II

This may look similar to a post a had a few weeks ago, but don't worry, it's (possibly) even better! I scored this whole container (36+ bobbins of embroidery floss), plus a trusty bobbin winder for $3 at the thrift store! The amount of floss that's here is well worth at least $13, and even though I can't figure out if the bobbin winder is helpful or not, it retails at $5. So, it was definitely a great purchase. Now to add to the rest of my collection!

Upcycled Fried Rice

Okay, so that sounds a little weird. However, Mike and I got Panda Garden for dinner a few nights back (delicious, BTW), and we had loads of leftover white rice. So, essentially I upcycled my white rice into fried rice. Here's how!

1. Go to the salad bar and grab a mixture of some (or all) of the following: edamame, green/red/yellow peppers, corn, onions, mushrooms, peas and carrots.
2. Buy a small can of pineapple.
3. Stir-fry the above vegetables for 3-5 minutes on high in sesame oil (or whatever oil you have), with garlic, Thai chilies (I used the crushed/dried kind) and soy sauce.
4. Add the pineapple and cook until just caramelized.
5. Add the rice, pineapple juice and more soy sauce. Cook on high until everything gets a little sticky and crispy. Serve immediately.

Happy Valentine's Day

Meeting my February monthly goal #3 (sending out handmade Valentines). I used everything from glitter to paint, ribbon to graph paper. Happy Heart's Day!

Vintage Valentines

I spent a little time perusing the Library of Congress web site for old school Valentines. Just look at these beauties!

 Created in 1883, this was an advertisement for the Prang & Co. card company. 

Valentine from 1890, Cupid's message says "Pray Sweetheart, send me just a line to say you'll be my Valentine."

 Card published in 1919, the message certainly wouldn't have convinced me to be his Valentine!

 A wood engraving from 1860 showing several scenes from the very romantic card writing and receiving.

Wait, is this the Campbell's soup kid? Or the Gerber baby? Either way, I like it. Dated 1919.

Real lace on the front and the message of "So strong's the flame of love for thee that in my heart doth burn, this world to me were paradise didst thou but love me in return" who could say no??? Dated 1890.

 Now Puck, he must have been a man of real romance! I also learned what "putti" meant from reading the description of the artwork – go ahead, learn something and Google 'putti.' Dated 1909.

Just love this one, especially sine it's actually Leap Year! Dated 1904.

Music Mondays

Published in 1933 "Thrilling Love" was
a full novel by Helen Ahern about
all-American Love. A must read, I'm sure :)
*Credit to the Library of Congress

Inspired by the holiday tomorrow, today's playlist is full of love songs. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with this concoction. Enjoy!

Free Calendar Template

I'll have to admit, I'm pretty proud of myself and my commitment to blogging since the beginning of the year. Granted, it's only been six weeks, but I've already explored a number of topics and have seen the blog and store growing. This simple little calendar I created has kept me in line, so I figured I'd offer it to you as well. Just click the picture below, print at 100% and fill in the according dates. Happy planning!