Gypsy Flight

I curated my first treasury!

{Please view it here at Etsy!}

Like a Ghost

I’ve been very busy and working overtime this week so I can get off early on Friday for my birthday. I may be a little scarce for a bit, but I will be back soon! I hope you are all having a lovely week!

I’m a little obsessed with Etsy’s Treasury East. Isn’t this one beautiful?

{source}

Inspiration

I’ve been very busy indeed the past week or so, but I happily managed to get this little tree for our apartment. It smells so lovely and there is such magic in the soft glow of Christmas lights in the evening. I love this time of year and try not to think too much about how fast it seems to be flying by.

So many blogs have been posting wonderful wish lists and gift guides this season. I’ve been thinking about doing one myself. Naturally it will probably be very Etsy-themed. (Sometimes I think I will need to start another blog and call it “My love affair with Etsy”…)

A few weeks ago I received a very sweet email from Sarah who had discovered Gypsea Tree and gave me an enormous compliment when she told me that she found inspiration here. When you visit her lovely little shop Crooked Thorne Jewelry you will see why I felt so honored. Her work is certainly inspiring to me as well! Below are a few of my favorites.

Part of the description of these bangles are as follows…

“These beautiful bangles have been handmade and aged to look like they just slipped off a Gypsy’s wrist!”

Oh how I love them!

This one is also positively bewitching.

I also love this stunning swan necklace.

Crooked Thorne also has a tempting give away of free gypsy jewels! You must visit!

Thank you for the inspiration Sarah!

{all jewelry photos via Crooked Thorne}

Ruffles and Lace

What girl’s heart doesn’t beat a little faster at the sight of piles of ruffles and spools of silky ribbons? And lace? Oh my… I’ve always thought it would be amazing to learn to make handmade lace, just to know. People often call skills like this a “lost art”, but thanks to the resurgence of crafting and the support of crafters, wonderful old-fashion traditions are made new again. As most of you know I am a big Etsy enthusiast and I always love to see how people find new ways to appreciate the old. I tend to (sadly) dress a little more conservatively than I would like, but any of these would be a lovely way to add a little artistic elegance. What “lost art”  skill would you like to add to your talents?

{All images link back to the little shops they came from}

Restless

I am currently reading Frances Mayes A Year in the World. How I wish I was traveling right now! I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to take some amazing backpacking trips throughout Europe and they have been some of the happiest times of my life. I can’t wait to travel again. Today I would like to be in Spain!

How about you? Do you have any exciting trips planned this summer?

It’s a Nice Day for a White Dress

I have recently been on a quest for a white dress. (of the non-bridal sort!) Some readers may recall that my original blog intentions stemmed from a desire to document my adventures in conscious consumerism. I attempt to only buy vintage or fair-trade clothing as often as possible. However, the white dress of my dreams has yet to surface in non-online form so I have turned to Etsy. Here are some of my favorites and maybe even a true winner or two. Do you have a go-to place for good vintage or re-sale clothing?

This one is beautiful, but way out of my price range…

LOVE these next two, but not quite the right era…

The major contenders…

In my search I also came across this wonderful dress and considered abandoning my former white ambitions…

Now if I can only get a job, I will allow myself to buy one or both! I’m currently attempting to make myself a simple skirt out of an old bedsheet. “That’s crazy!” you say? Well, you may be right. I will post all about it if the results aren’t entirely dismal. Stay tuned!

The Importance of Trees

I’ve been rather distressed and discouraged in my job search as of late, so today as I took a morning walk I tried to focus on things that make me happy and manage to make the unpleasant parts of life seem trivial. Most prominent on my mental list were Trees. I absolutely love trees. I love wide open spaces as well, but I don’t think I could ever feel at home too far from the forest. Here are a few tree-ish favorites from my Etsy favs…

Remember the Things that Make you Smile

I just a adore this quirky little painting. It is titled Together We Will Elude Understanding. Something about those silly little owls swinging their spindly little feet makes me smile.

I have been trying to take the occasional break from exhaustive job hunting to do a little something that makes me revel in the absence of  writing papers.

-I made this jalapeno cheddar cornbread recipe for a family gathering. (Should you decide to try I would cut the amount of butter by half. Far too greasy for my taste- and I love butter!)

-I also made a version of this healthy and light potato salad. It was wonderful and I would highly recommend it. I made some modifications, but I think it’s one of those “make-it-your-own” kind of dishes.

-I read The Red Tent which I bought ages ago. I didn’t start liking it till about 50 pages in. I did however thoroughly love it by the end. I love stories about strong courageous women. Have you read it? If so what did you think?

Next I’m planning to tackle The Odyssey and I will meet with an adviser next week to determine if I’m crazy enough to continue on to grad school. What are you doing with your summer days? Any new book suggestions?

A Gilded Cage

The sun was out today and we are promised more this weekend. It was beautiful! People are so much happier in the sunshine. Have you noticed? Sadly I have a lot of homework to do, but happily I can read outside just as easily as in. What will you be doing this weekend?

I’ve been “collecting” lovely vintage birdcage images for a while and thought I would share them. If one had to live in a cage, I think some of these would be quite elegant…

Away, away come away with me

Do you feel like running away sometimes? I do. Would you like to come? Where shall we go? Lately I’ve been longing for the coast…