Shaving Kit Supplies Vintage

I'm dusting off Please Sir and slowly returning to the blogosphere with new aspirations and inspiring ideas. I apologize for the long absence, but I needed a little transition time for my new job (yay!). I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. I will have more responsibility, but I look forward to the challenges and creative fuel ahead. One can dream for it all, right?! Please bear with me as I find a blogging routine that works best with my new responsibilities. Thank you for being patience and awesome!

Let's start the week off with beautiful vintage finds from Shaving Kit Supplies. From a lovely French clock, heart brooch (perfect for Valentine's Day), vintage money bag (perfect for pillows), fox door knocker and a large variety of book prints.

Link - Shaving Kit Supplies

Vintage Collection Wreath + Giveaway

Did you know you can order a holiday tree and wreath online and have it delivered to your house? Crazy, right?! Green Valley Christmas Trees provides premium Christmas trees right to your door with guaranteed beauty and freshness. I do about 90% of my holiday shopping online, so I gladly accepted Green Valley's challenge to decorate one of their beautiful wreaths in vintage style.

During the process I realized I don't really have vintage Christmas decorations, so I decided to use the wreath to display existing vintage collections like old skeleton keys and keyhole plates. These items can also be found at your local fleamarket, antique shop or on eBay. I covered the beat up pieces with white gold glitter, inlaid red glitter on the back of the preserved pieces and topped them all off with red ribbon.

For the holidays, Green Valley Christmas Trees is offering Please Sir readers a special 10% discount on all orders. Simply use promo code PLEASE10 - valid until December 17th. I would also love to give away THREE handmade ornaments from the wreath. To enter, please visit Green Valley's site and leave a comment below with your name and e-mail. Feel free to also share an idea or personal collection you would like to display on a wreath. The winners be chosen at random on Friday, December 17th.

Link - Green Valley Christmas Trees

Sneaker Series

Suzanne Cabrera from an open [sketch]book just opened up a new Etsy shop featuring 10 retro-inspired sneaker illustrations straight from her husband's closet. You get all the fun and style with any of the sock smell! :)

To celebrate Suzanne's opening and twin baby announcement (congrats!!!) she is offering a 25% discount if you buy two or more prints with the coupon code TWOISMAGICAL in the notes to seller at checkout. These prints are a great addition to a bedroom, kid's room or holiday wish list!

Link - an open [sketch]book shop

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

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.

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

Liberty Antique Festival Fall 2010

Another fun (and very hot) Liberty Antique Festival brought booths filled with vintage goodies and delights. This year did not disappoint, but I did spot more novelty & decor items versus big ticket pieces. I also purchased a vintage Sterling fan in my favorite color and it actually works! Are you ready to see the rest?

A great selection of pitchers and dishware. The cube design...love!

Trend alert - ships, ships and more ships. There was a ton of vintage ships and sea-inspired accessories.

Stylish retro briefcase hiding beside an old dartboard.

Brass and glass novelty items like an adorable bird knocker, a cute bee used for holding honey and tree stump pots. Dear Anthropologie, please hire me to find more goodies like these...thanks.

Vintage Christmas village!

I saw several variations on bold striped felt blankets - hello snuggly fall weather. Also, a large collection of horse ribbons and pastel colored furniture. I hope you enjoyed this year's Liberty round-up...now I can't wait until the next show in April!

For more vintage treats, view items from the last Liberty here.