School Bells are Ringing!

If you are anything like me, you meet "Back to School" with a very heavy heart. There is something so inspiring about having an empty schedule during the summertime with no obligations or commitments, free to stay up late and sleep in even later! 

This year, when Fall rolled around I felt like I was in my kid's shoes trudging back into the classroom being sentenced to a year of hard labor...well, almost. This year was a bit different for me, it is the first year of "all day" schedule for both of my kids...what does that mean for me? FREEDOM!! Freedom to shop all day in my favorite shops hunt for great vintage finds for the store, spend quality time with my husband working on projects, and do all of my store stuff before the kids come home from school (insert reality check here.) 

But going "Back to School" is not all bad, look at all of the great things we have found in honor of this lovely tradition! It would make even the grumpiest student/teacher/principal, smile. :) 

Some United States wrapping paper maps to help you find your way!

A fun chalkboard topped desk, perfect for your student at home. 

Vintage class portraits proving that kids don't change, just their clothes do!

Printing press type-set tray with letters and numbers. 

  

And last but not least the most amazing vintage, educational globe. Swoon!

After pulling all of these wonderful things out, even I felt a little alma mater nostalgia come over me.

Go Greyhounds! (yes, that's me on the left!) 

Come check it out because it wont last long, we have lots of Autumn inspired items getting ready to make their debut in the coming weeks! Have a fabulous week!

Home Tour Part 3

So today I thought I would do a couple of rooms in one post, not because I decided to do a long one, but mostly because each room is the size of a postage stamp. 

No joke. 

The kitchen. When we first started remodeling it had apple print wallpaper and vinyl floor tiles that had started lifting up the sub-floor in certain areas. It was atrocious. I hated it, wanted to buy all new cabinetry, flooring, counter tops, etc. and just start over. Then 2 weeks after we ripped our house to studs, I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. Yeah, I didn't time that well...So, needless to say, I just wanted walls and flooring in most of the house and could careless about the kitchen. 
Amazing how nesting changes your priorities! 
After an emergency c-section and getting most the house done we tackled the kitchen, but with most of our budget wrapped up in a pink blanket in the nursery we decided that making due with the cabinets and being creative was our best bet. I have to say it turned out fabulous and I love it even if there is practically no counter space. 

 We recycled the hardwood floors from another area in the house and my husband made new doors for all of the cabinets. We added lots of trim, an upper shelf above the cabinets to put vintage items on, and shelves on either side of the sink for more storage. Oh and the amount of counter space that you see in these pics is ALL we have. House was built in 1915, counters weren't all that important back then, apparently. 

 Our only saving grace when it comes to entertaining is the buffet that is built into the dining room and has a pass through to the kitchen. It comes in very handy during large gatherings as a place to put food and it fills up with useless piles of paper during the rest of the year!

On to the mudroom/office/butler's pantry. It originally started out as a bedroom, but it is more like a hallway and presented us with some challenges as far as space planning was concerned. We didn't want to come into our house through an office or bedroom and we also felt strange about accessing the kitchen and laundry room through a bedroom so we came up with a mudroom that has pocket french doors into what we use as an office but could be used as a butler's pantry or storage area. It works out great and I am sitting in here as I type. 

 View from the kitchen into the laundry room, looking through the mudroom.

 The 2 sides of the office/butler's pantry. The left side used to contain my scrapbook stuff before my "room" was finished and holds the meaningful trophies and photos from my previous life when I owned a gymnastics and competitive cheerleading gym. My husband built all of the cabinetry in both of these rooms and it is so handy for all of the unseen items that go into an office.

Lastly the laundry room. It used to be a bathroom that opened to the outside of the house, remember, the house was once used as a preschool. The bathroom was gross and in need of serious work. We decided to elevate the washer and dryer (best idea ever!) but we didn't want to buy the drawers that they sit on, so my husband just built a box and covered it in the same flooring as the room. Works like a charm! The windows were falling apart in here and one had been replaced with a 1970's gold patterned glass window. Yuck! Needless to say, my husband and I learned how to rebuild double-hung windows because of this room. Amazing what an old house can teach you! The sink is covered by an old drape of vintage barkcloth that I found at a flea market. Wish I had more, I love the pattern! 

Well I hope you enjoyed my not-so-little tour of the hardest working places in my house. Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Brave Girls Club

 

  Do you ever feel like you are just going through the motions? Do you ever wonder "Is this as good as it gets?" 
We all do. 
That is why I am sharing the Brave Girls Club with you. It is AMAZING! Such an incredible group of people, helping others through so many things. I stumbled on to it when I was perusing blogs one day and I am hooked. I get their Daily Truths and it is so wonderful to have something positive to read instead of the negativity that seems to be all around us. Here is a Daily Truth I got just the other day:

 

Just look at their opening statement on their website: 

"We are on a wild and crazy mission to find all of the brave women of the world...to help them find each other...then to change the world with good news, good ideas, good people, and good times."

I think we could all use a little of that, don't you? I hope you are receive all of life's blessings this week. 

-Amy