loving vintage suitcases

I have quite a "thing "  for vintage suitcases. They make fabulous home decor pieces, double as storage while looking so fabby, and can be upcycled into craft cases, pet beds, etc. Here are just  a few ideas I've found.

so many sizes. shapes, and styles to choose from.

photo via Quote A Gentleman

What a great statement for an entrance hall.

photo via Elements of Style

This makes for an interesting side table. 

photo via Bijou Kaleidoscope

I love the rustic antique appeal of these suitcases. Perfect for a farmhouse decor.

photo via Suitcase Art Vintage

A lovely place for those weekend guest essentials.

photo via Country Living

How about a unique medicine cabinet.

photo via Trends Updates

a sweet planter for your cottage home.

photo via A Beach Cottage

I'm always on the lookout for vintage luggage for my home and shop. Do you use it in your own decor?  I would love to see photos.

Laura 

I'm So Vintage

summer yard sale

I'm So Vintage is cleaning out the closets and dusting away the cobwebs, so it's time to have a yard sale. I have set up a special YARD SALE section in my shop where every item has been reduced 50% or more. These items will remain in the shop for a limited time only before they are removed to be sold elsewhere. I'm just ready to clear space for new finds.

Here is a sampling of the great deals. 

vintage aluminum floral tray

now $8

vintage silver silent butler

now $10

vintage cast iron longhorn steer hook.

now $16

vintage silver clam shell dish

now $8

vintage mid century trays

now $7

Laura

I'm So Vintage

lovely etsy finds on a tuesday

some more beautiful Etsy finds for your tuesday enjoyment.

please click price to see the item and the shop name to see more lovely items from that shop. 

$58

 from lapomme

$64.99

 by JBworld

$12

 from allthingswhite

$44

 from RubyChicBoutique

$12

 from KatyBitsAndPieces

$60

 by bayousalvage

and a warm and wonderful thanks to Florence of  Bear Stitches for the lovely feature on my blog and shop today.

have a wonderful day

Laura

I'm So Vintage

lovely treasury

such a lovely treasury i am featured in from Chirp And Bloom

june apples

photo via BuzzardRoost

 Are June apple trees found everywhere, or just in the south? It had been a long time since I had thought about or had any green apples, so they were a nice surprise at our little farmer's market on Saturday (yes, I forgot my camera again). June apples are tart- the sugars have not fully developed in the fruit so you have to use a recipe that will sweeten them up just a bit. Makes them perfect for baking, and for applesauce . Here's a recipe so simple, even I can do it.

 Baked June Apples

4 tart green apples
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Scoop out the core from top of the apple, leaving a well. Do not cut all the way through. Stuff each apple with 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 tablespoon butter. Place in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, until sugar begins to caramelize and apples are tender.

So tonight, I think I will have a fresh vegetable dinner with a baked June apple for a treat. Yum!!

Laura

I'm So Vintage

closet cleaning

cue the scary music. it's a rainy afternoon and i have decided its a good time to clean my bedroom closet. i don't know about you, but after i clean my closet i always have the best of intentions to keep it neat and tidy.  somehow in the rush of everyday living, and the fact that i wasn't blessed with my mother's OCD neatnik tendencies, it seems to get out of control. so once again i am faced with the fact that i seem to have one of  each pair of shoes, i'm missing clothes, and i can't shut the door. BIG SIGH!!!  so if you have any ideas, dear readers, for keeping a neat closet (short of hiring an expensive closet organizer, which isn't in my current budget and i'm too cheap frugal for anyway) i would love to hear them. i especially love ideas for incorporating vintage in the closet.


P.S.  if you don't hear from me in the next couple of days, send out the rescue squad as i am probably buried under a pile of  junk.

Laura

I'm So Vintage

image via here

it's sale time

SALE! SALE! SALE!

In honor of reaching over 200 followers on both my blog and Facebook Fan page, I am having  a sale-abration!! in I'm So Vintage 

June 25th and June 26th 

all purchases are 20% off

Just use coupon code CELEBRATE20 at checkout to get your discount

So if you have had your eye on something special in the shop, now is the time to do the happy dance.

Laura

I'm So Vintage

what is it?

Yesterday, at the auction, while roaming around doing my preview (there was a lot of stuff wonderful things there) I was thinking hmm, same ole, same ole when I spotted this behind a table.

 

I'm sure the auctioneer stuck it behind a table, because like me she had no idea what it was and didn't want to be asked questions about it.  Unlike me, I feel sure she didn't see the potential in this beauty. My first thoughts were this is a big, beautiful, and completely awesome architectural finding. I absolutely love its shape and size (26 1/2" tall) and think it would be fabulous in a garden, with its spikey feet ready to be stuck in the ground, or on a porch holding a candle. 

So, lovely readers, do any of you have an idea of what it is? 

As much as I'd like to keep it for myself, I always like to share the love, so it will be appearing in my shop sometime today.

beach cottage love

summer is officially here. hooray!! so it's time to pull out the rubber flip flops, sand buckets, and summer mysteries. in other words, time to think beach. even if you don't live at the beach or can't do a beach vacation this summer, you can always add a touch of vintage beach cottage to your home. 

how about painting that old refrigerator the color of a summer sky.

photo via Beach Cottage Love

a collection of vintage bottles on a painted white chair gives the feel of an afternoon spent combing the beach for artifacts that have been washed ashore.

photo via A Beach Cottage Life By the Sea

a vintage bike is definitely a necessity for getting around a small beach community.

photo via a Beach Cottage Life By the Sea

a lovely spot on the porch to sit and watch the sun rise or set over the ocean.

photo via The Interior Root

an amazing old trunk and mirrors to reflect the seascape provide a cozy spot for relaxing at the end of the day.

photo via 4 In Our House

natural colors and textures reflect the colors of the beach.

photo via Shabby Chic Home Blog

At the end of the day, open the windows and let the fresh ocean breezes lull you to sleep in an old iron bed piled with beautiful vintage linens.

photo via Beach Cottage Love

i'm heading off to an auction this afternoon (almost as good as heading to the beach) so have a lovely day.

Laura

I'm So Vintage

lazy days of summer

 

 Bring back those lazy. hazy crazy days of summer.....

Yesterday on Facebook I posed the question: If you could spend a summer day doing something you did on your summer vacation as a child, what would it be?  My answer is: I'd love to sit on a dock with my feet in the water fishing. 

I remember well those long lazy days of summer, as a child, when you thought it would go on forever. Some days were as simple as trying to catch butterflies under the hot sun out in the garden or reading a book in the cool shade of the porch. Others meant swimming lessons, bike rides, days at the beach, or cartwheels in the back yard. I loved collecting coke bottles and taking them to the neighborhood store to cash in for an old fashioned chocolate milk shake. Yummy!!!

We didn't have air conditioning and the TV was never on during the day, so we were free to do what children everywhere have done for centuries, just be a kid. And like most kids we did a lot of things we shouldn't have, like swiping tomatoes from my neighbors market garden (he'd come out of his house with his shotgun) and walking the railroad tracks to a neighboring town (I didn't make it the full 7 miles). 

This summer I have decided to be more in the present. Summer is my favorite time of year and I don't want to squander it. So I am going to make a bucket list of things I would like to do, or maybe I will just let the day flow like I did as a child. Either way, I am going to spend more time outside enjoying the wonderful feel, sounds, and smells of summer. 

What will you do to bring your inner summer child back this summer?

Laura