ADDED TO MY POCKET KNIFE COLLECTION

When I was home in Athens, my parent gave me three more pocket knives to add to my small collection. I think this metal one from Israel is my new favorite (aside from my pink Swiss Army knife, of course).

RECENTLY THRIFTED

Okay. These two Arlene plushes are the weirdest, ugliest things I've ever bought at an estate sale - maybe anywhere. This estate sale I went to a few weekends ago had a good-sized closet filled with Garfield things - clocks, phones, stuffed animals, figurines, slippers. It was kind of incredible. But for some reason these two spoke to me. And I couldn't separate them. So now instead of having one unsightly, long-necked pink cat that I never thought I would own, I have two. It tickles me for some reason. I like how their necks crook in different directions. Douglas hates them.

I picked up this little scrap of vintage fabric at the same sale.

EMBRACE THE CULTURE FESTIVAL

Last Saturday was the Embrace the Culture Festival in downtown Norfolk. It's an indie music and arts festival - there were bands all day, about thirty vendors, food trucks, and a lot of other things going on. I was so excited to set up and be a part of this. It was the second time I had a tent space to myself (the first time was in Athens!). It was a really fun day - Douglas was able to come, and he hasn't been to a big show with me since Christmas. My friend Alena came and hung out with us all day - about twelve hours!

It was also a really fun day because so many of the crafty people I have met at other various shows since moving here were at this event, so it was really fun walking around and seeing everyone and their tents. Another things I loved about this event was that it ran until 10 at night, so when it got dark everyone started turning on their lights and the whole place was all cozy and glow-y.

FLORENCE: MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY

This is one of my favorite places we went to in Florence - I've never been to a natural history museum like this before so this was my first time being overwhelmed with taxidermy. All the huge glass cases made it feel so old-fashioned and science-y. My favorite section was definitely the birds - there were so many different kinds and it was awesome to see the colors and feathers up close. There are some crazy birds.

This museum is famous for its wax anatomical models from the 18th century - they were used for teaching medicine and were copied from actual corpses. They are detailed. Also they had hair. I can't say it was my favorite part of the museum but it was pretty cool to see.

TIME IN ATHENS

Last week I had a much needed and way too quick trip home to Athens, GA. I saw friends I hadn't seen in way too long, went on a city wide hunt for gluten free cupcakes, went to Atlanta with my parents to a crazy oriental rug store, got my hair cut, walked around downtown Athens, and relaxed.

1// Community 2// the wallpaper at the salon
3// so many rugs 4// from my mom's garden
5// 6// Bizarro Wuxtry
7// leaving Atlanta

PIECES OF MY WEEK(S)

1// my new phone case (I love gluing things to phone cases...)
2// 3// new album for our Polaroid 300's
4// redid the wall behind our bed with old honeycomb balls
5// deer from (dear) friends
6// printing fabrics for bags going to Portland!
7// flower cupcake for our anniversary from Douglas
8// no explanation needed

*Also - anykind is the August Featured Artist at the Kitsch VA blog (the local handmade shop in Norfolk I sell at). You can check it out here! I love living so close to and being involved with a shop that supports local handmade businesses so much. If you're in the area or close by you should definitely stop by. 

QUICK BEFORE AND AFTER: PIN HOLDER

It is an understatement to say that this was quick - it look about five minutes. I found this open frame at an estate sale a few months ago. I had planned to paint it for this project but really liked how the wood looked with this fabric. Then I just staple gunned it all together and hung it up. Sometimes these quicker projects turn out to be my favorite ones to look at.

RECENTLY THRIFTED

These were all found over the past few weeks. I haven't been doing a lot of going to estate sales and my usual thrift stores since Douglas left, but every once in a while I really feel like looking around.

I got super lucky with this yellow American Tourister vanity case - I love the color, the inside is spotless, and it has the tray. This kind of suitcase is something I can't turn away from if it's a good one and the price is right. They're always useful. I love the design of the cards in this French card game - hoping to figure out some way to display them. And I have always loved Shirley Temple - Bright Eyes is one of my favorite movies, and it she makes me think of my grandmother.

So for my occasional bouts of looking around, I've done pretty well. Have you had any good finds lately?

HELOISE FROM A TO Z

I picked up this book at an estate sale. It was on a table full of sci-fi books and, while the daisy dotting the "i" sold me, it's actually a really handy book. It's the same idea as this book I've seen around, but it's listed in alphabetical order and covers a impressively wide variety of things. 

Some tips are outdated or things I've already found through searching on the internet, but some of them are pretty useful. And some of them are odd and charming and things you wouldn't need tips for that often. It was an unexpected, good find. I've looked a few things up and found myself flipping through the book for a few minutes after. 

Here are a few tips that made me smile:

Neck Brace Cover-ups: Wearing a neck brace can be dreary and after awhile, you need to cheer it up. Cover the collar with colored knee-hi stockings that match your clothing. 

Alarm: Finding Snooze Button When You're Half-asleep: Stick a self-gripping fabric dot in the snooze button and you'll find the fuzzy button with your eyes closed and one hand still gripping the pillow. 

Hose $aver: If you put new panty hose into the freezer for twenty-four to forty-eight hours, then allow them to thaw, they don't run nearly as often. 

Turtles: Feeding: Turtles are very messy eaters. Keep the tank clean by feeding them in another tank.

Plastic Strawberry Baskets: 1. Playpen for small dolls. 2. Place over damp area in carpet so it can dry without being stepped on. 

This post wouldn't be complete if I didn't share with you the photo of Heloise on the back of the book. Look at her. She knows so many things.