Blue Carrot Shop

Shopping vintage for the holidays is a great way to give unique and memorable gifts. Blue Carrot Shop is filled with neat gift ideas and they are offering FREE gift-wrapping on all orders of $25 or more. Plus, you can skip the Black Friday madness!

1. Paint-By-Number Tray ($25) - what a neat find for the project-filled hostess.
2. House Tea Steeper ($40) - a tea lovers delight.
3. Cowboy Mug ($8) - for those who need to Cowboy Up in the morning!
4. Vintage Sinage - makes a perfect and personalized gift - who can resist?
5. Simpson Crate ($25) & Bird Crate ($25) - instead of gift bags, fill old boxes with holiday gifts for functional and lovely wrapping.

Link - Blue Carrot Shop

Thanksgiving Inspiration

Natural Thanksgiving Setting from Southern Living

Vintage Thanksgiving Postcards for tables, invites or thank you notes.

Inspiring Leaf Art by Jessica Baker via JunkCulture

Brass Leaf Candleholders from Hindsvik

Gorgeous photo shoot from AdoreVintage

Thanksgiving Table Settings from Martha Stewart

I'm excited for Thanksgiving this week because there will be plenty of family, food, drinking and time off from work. All things I love! Plus, Dave and I are staying in a bed & breakfast for the holiday and it will be my first B&B experience. I can't wait! To curve my turkey cravings, I'm finding Thanksgiving inspiration from images filled with pops of orange, falling leaves and vintage hints. I also love the addition of teal colored pieces to your Fall table setting and wardrobe to break up the traditional orange and yellow color scheme.

How are you getting ready for the holiday? And yes, having a cocktail does count!

Vintage Find

I finally had the chance to photograph one of my vintage goodies purchased at the Metrolina - an old hand-painted sign from a hardware store. I believe the sign was never used because it was supposed to be cut down and folded to look like an over-sized seed packet. I'm glad they left it as is! I immediately feel in love with the sign's handmade quality, large scale, worn edges and beautiful colors. Plus, there was a bonus photo-op with my vintage wooden chairs and Brownie camera. On a styling note I originally placed the camera, a jacket and books on the chairs, but I felt like it was too cluttered and took away from the sign's focus. I'm slowly learning and experimenting and I hope you enjoy the end results! Here's to beautiful flowers in your home all year round...

Metrolina Highlights

StellaGEORGE Designs

South Porch Antiques

After meeting Eddie Ross at the Charlotte Metrolina, my vintage eye was turned up a notch and I discovered a slew of unique objects and vendors. Like John Junk, owner of StellaGEORGE Designs, who creates functional tables from vintage signs. He can also create customized tables from your own vintage signs - simply contact him at bodycraftnc@gmail.com. Patrick from
South Porch Antiques was another interesting booth filled with re-purposed antique elements like furniture, shelving and lovely mirrors. I love connecting with inspiring vendors - they are so friendly and a wealth of knowledge!

Besides meeting great vendors, there was also many drool-worthy vintage objects. I seriously regret not picking up those colorful bowls...aren't they adorable?! Speaking of purchases, I'll post shortly about the small goodies I brought back home...stay tuned!

Metrolina with Eddie Ross

The Metrolina Antique Show in Charlotte, N.C. is always a treat but this year was even more amazing because I had the pleasure to meet Eddie Ross, a former editor at Martha Stewart Living, contestant on Bravo's Top Design and lifestyle decorating extraordinaire. Eddie was charming, knowledgeable, passionate and all around fun. During the two hour fleamarket tour he provided insightful entertaining and design ideas on how to give old antiques an updated, fresh look. Here's a small glimpse inside the tour including tips from Eddie!

Eddie explained that you can find affordable antiques at fleamarkets - even cheaper than new products at major stores. See his short video here.

Look for vintage ribbons and buttons to add details to pillows, duvet covers, magnets, gifts and more!

Linens, linens and more linens! Linens are great to pair with modern dishware or bedding, frame as a headboard or use as cocktail napkins. Look for interesting details like monograms and color-inspired patterns. Got a small stain? Try dyeing linens with a fresh color!

Old prints make great wall art especially when framed with linen or burlap wrapped matting.

Beautiful susanis bring a colorful and exotic accent to any room.

Eddie Ross next to vintage globes, books, suitcase and phone...enough said.

Eddie pointed out old oil cans, which after thorough cleaning can be used at the bar for a small dash of vermouth on martinis.

Jaithan Kochar, me (looking oh-so-short) and Eddie Ross at Metrolina!

As an avid fleamarketer, I was impressed by Eddie's knowledge and ideas on injecting new life into otherwise dated antiques. His tour also motivated me to think boarder in terms of purchasing and re-purposing vintage pieces. Eddie and I may have different styles, but it was truly inspiring to see and hear his design perspective. I also realized that no matter what your style or taste is...there is always an object, idea or inspiration to be found at the fleamarket. My passion and love for the hunt has grown even more!

Links - Check out Eddie Ross on his blog, Twitter and recent feature in The New York Times.

Robert Bradford

Before you sell or trash your old plastics...think again. Contemporary artist Robert Bradford creates life-size animal sculptures from discarded items like colorful toys, clothes pins, buttons and other plastic pieces. His playful work is truly loved, enjoyed and appreciated by kids (and dogs!) of all ages.

Bradford's inspiring work is a reminder to have a little creative fun and bring new purpose to old items. Don't you feel like the possibilities are endless now? Here's to a great and fun weekend ahead...

Link - Robert Bradford found via The Cool Hunter

Vintage Find: Atomic Warehouse

From transistor radios to mid-century modern furniture, Atomic Warehouse has a huge selection of vintage goodies to delight your home. If you aren't lucky enough to live near their store in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (like me...I wish!) then browse their daily selection of merchandise for sale online. The color and furnishing ideas are endless and you may even discover desires you never knew you had...like a love for mod red fireplaces.

On a side note, I'm here...really I am! Things are sort of up, down and all over the place. I've been diving into work projects and focusing on the behind-the-scenes necessities for Please Sir. I greatly hope to get back on a daily blogging schedule and catch up with the blogosphere...believe me...I miss it very much. Thank you for your understanding and patience during this sporadic state of mind!

Link - Atomic Warehouse