A Visit to Vintage Charm..

I was strolling down a side street in our quiet beachside town the other morning and as I turned the corner, I almost passed out. Before I tell you what I saw, I should say that this is an old town full of old...and new money, with all of the fancy couture shops and 5 star restaurants to show for it. That's okay, unless you would rather be in a sweet shabby little shop looking for some pretty vintage things. I was told that "stores like that" are across the road, meaning not in the chic part of town. Hmmmph!!!!! Well...that was before Ms. Carol arived from California and opened Vintage Charm! Finally, a store full of beautiful things that have personality, character and vintage charm, of course! So here we go...I walked around the corner and saw this bicycle calling my name...



that was outside of a cute little store called Vintage Charm. I waited over an hour for it to open, walked in for the first time, saw the owner, whom I just knew I would hit it off with and said..."Honey, I'm home":-) We both started laughing and she gave me a big hug. Seriously, she has the little shop I would open if I could but since I can't, I'll stop by and see what she has every now and then. Did you notice that parasol in the window???

Anyway, I love this chair and am seriously thinking of getting it.

Even if I can't use it at this minute, I MUST know someone who can, right?


Isn't this little dish so pretty? And in it is a charm bracelet and brooch I found, too.



I can't show you the rest of my treasures because they are Christmas gifts, but I can show you the adorable way she packages an everyday purchase.

So pretty!

This lovely lady is crazy about cherubs, crowns, charms, pretty brooches and all things shabby. She makes jewelry and embellishes all kinds of things in between customers...a woman after my own heart. (And...she wants to see some of my tutus:-)

I also found this...




Oh wait...I already had him. But since he waited so patiently for me to take these pictures and just sat there gazing at me, I snapped one of him because I just couldn't resist!:-) My sweet Maui!

Happy Pink Saturday Everyone!
A blog I have found recently that is always a pleasure to visit is Miz Mollye...Shezadoozey. You can tell by the name you're in for a treat every time you visit her!
Be sure to visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to see the complete list of pink ladies to visit!

Fun Mail...

Don't you just love "fun mail"? You know what that is don't you...any mail that is not a bill, junk or contains bad news. The rest is fun mail! Today I got some really, really fun mail when Mary from Mary's Meanderings sent me some of her adorable sweater pumpkins. Oh. My. Gosh!!!




These are the cutest thing ever and I would love a whole houseful of them. Thank you so much Mary!!!! And you should all check out Mary's blog for tons of inspiring ideas:-)

Happy Friday Everyone and don't forget to check back tomorrow to see what I found for Pink Saturday!
Au revoir, Suzanne

The Power of Words...

...My best friend once walked into my home and told me she loved being there because everywhere she looked, there were inspiring words and sayings. She said "If you guys aren't inspired every single day, there's something wrong with you"! Well Deborah, that's what I'm going for. But I'm worried it's a little like living within view of the mountains or ocean...because you see it every day, you no longer notice:-) Hope not though!!! Anyway, you never know what life is going to throw at you (or if you ask my girls, what kind of mood mom is going to be in) so while you're in my home, hopefully you smile and feel just a little bit more encouraged and inspired.

Most of the signs are self-explanatory but I will explain a few...



The "smile" sign is hanging in Taylor's room. People who meet her say she is "always smiling". Good...I taught her well:-)




Well, it is, isn't it? This was a little thingambob that came as part of the gift wrapping on a present. Don't you just love things like that? Kind of like an extra little gift. SAVE THESE!!!! You can do one of 3 things... use them around the house like I do, pass on to another friend as part of their gift wrap or use it as a decoration on a Christmas tree. Seriously, sweet little things like this make the best ornaments and have a ready-made memory attached!




Hey...it beats crying:-)




What can I say... I LOVE chalk boards! The one above is hanging on the wall between my daughters' bedrooms. Just in case they tune me out when I say this over and over...it's in writing, too!



This chalkboard is in my foyer and the message changes weekly.




Probably the first thing you see when you walk in my front door is this "Believe" sign...because I want you to know right off the get-go that we believe:-)




"Live a good life"...This is hanging above my front door so when you walk through on your way to the outside world, you are reminded to live a good life:-)




My best friend gave me this when we moved. On the bottom she wished us well in our new home with a very special note. So sweet...I will keep it always!




"Wish" is a cool sign that is hanging above the windows in my dining room. Why the dining room??? I have no idea. Maybe because I WISH i could eat whatever I want and not gain weight:-)




Another little thing tied to a gift that has found a home in my kitchen on a cupboard knob. "Celebrate life"...enough said!