My Holiday Project!

I refuse to wait until the last minute to get in the Christmas spirit this year! So I am giving myself a project to get me excited. I bought this vintage tree skirt kit from the Magpie Ethel shop last year, but never got motivated to start it.

 Here is a close up of the photo on the front. Sadly, even thought it was still sealed it is missing the instructions! And a few of the pattern pieces have faded. But I think I'll be able to figure it out. And maybe add even MORE sequins than they suggest!
To keep myself accountable I'm going to post a progress shot of it every week! Here's hoping I can finish it in time for Christmas!

Here is the little bit I started on. I can't tell if Santa's face is supposed to be felt applique or embroidered. I might leave those little details until last to see how I feel. This is is pretty big! I can't wait to see it fill out more!

Getting Ready!

I looked all around for vintage Thanksgiving stuff in my collections, but all I could find were these turkey salt and pepper shakers! I know I have a honeycomb turkey or two but they must be tucked away. These turkeys will have to do! I'm doing all our cooking today since I work tomorrow then we're driving to Birmingham bright and early on Thursday morning.
The holidays are a little hectic for us, because we usually have to bring an entire meal for ourselves, plus some stuff to share. Which is fine, I just have to plan! We're going to three meals this year so I've got a lot of prep to do! Here are a few things I'm going to try this year!

 I went with a Field Roast Hazelnut Cranberry Roast en Croute this year. And now I realize I pulled the wrong photo from the site! But check it out here. It is SO GOOD! Pretty much the same as the celebration roast, with cranberry in the middle and wrapped in a puff pastry! Fellow vegans or friends serving vegetarians, this is a GOOD roast to get! It is a little expensive, but it is big and very delicious.

Lightened Up Corn Casserole: I wasn't really looking for a "healthy" vegan corn casserole, but this one sounds really good, so I'm going to give it a try!

Voluptuous Pumpkin Pie: The Post Punk Kitchen is my go to vegan blog for recipes. Every single thing I've tried has turned out AMAZING. So when her pumpkin pie came up in my search it was a no brainer. I'm going to make the crust from "The Joy of Vegan Baking" because I've made it before and it's really delicious. We'll see if this pie makes it uncut to Thanksgiving. It might have to be taken to the celebration we're going to on Wednesday night.

The Best Sugar Cookies: I have made these a BUNCH of times and they are SO GOOD! I was a sugar cookie fiend before going vegan, and I actually like these BETTER than my old standby Martha Stewart recipe. I think it is the coconut oil in them, and how light they are. I'm going to make them pumpkin shaped I guess, with some orange icing! Yum! I'll be making them a BUNCH of times before Christmas!

Stuffed Thanksgiving Burgers: If we were staying home for the holiday I would probably be making these. We tried them last week and they are AMAZING. They are even good just as a patty with some sides. Another recipe I'll probably make a few more times before Christmas!

I hope everyone has a good day tomorrow if you celebrate! I know it can be a stressful day! We usually stay in town, but my cousin had a baby just a few weeks ago so we're trekking to Alabama to bring Thanksgiving to them!

Teeny Estate Sale Haul

Woah! How did I let it go over a week without posting? Nothing exciting has been going on around here. Mostly I've been watching lots of Star Trek and Derek on Instagram and trying to keep warm. Travis put one of the Christmas trees up for me, so soon I'm sure I'll be back with a million vintage Christmas posts! I can't WAIT to pull all my decorations out. I've tucked a bit away throughout the year and there are always a few cute things I've forgotten about.
In other news, I've really been in the mood to hit the estate sales lately. Which is a bummer because the season is winding down and the listings have been pretty lame the past few weeks. Out of the ten sales listed, two might look worth a stop. But last week I went out to a few houses and was rewarded with a few cool things.

 This house looked promising from the outside. I wish I had gotten a more pulled back photo. It is a really pretty little ranch!

I went in the early afternoon on the first day and it was already pretty picked over. But that terrifying thing on the bookshelf was still there! Believe it or not, I didn't bring that home.

Look at the pink drapes and the mural! I just KNOW there was a pastel tile bathroom or two in there, but they had most of the rooms blocked off. I ALMOST asked if I could see them. But I wondered if that was too weird. "Can I see the bathrooms in here? I want to take photos of them for my personal collection."

I always like a cat painting. It is a good thing my walls are pretty full already.

I spent a while digging through these in the garage. They are so fun to look at, but I didn't bring any home. Though I was very tempted by one featuring a cover photo of Mrs. Baker, the space monkey. We have visited her grave before. People go and leave bananas.

Here is the little pile of stuff I brought home. I needed a small funnel and I can't pass up a storage jar. Or a platter it seems.

I didn't have any spun head angels like these, so I couldn't resist! I like their colors, and their silver hair!

I had a kitty similar to this that my real cats broke that I always loved. So this little guy with his yarn ball is now in a place of honor on my bookshelf!

This little plastic elephant was too cute to ignore too. I put him on the ledge in my kitchen, which is red, white, and turquoise themed. The little angels were tucked in that baby shoe box.

I picked up a few records. I always get musical soundtracks (I recently purged our collection and had to get rid of THREE extra copies of My Fair Lady! Ha!) I think the Basil Rathbone reads Edgar Allan Poe record will be fun to listen to next Halloween! And then let's talk about "Colonel Sanders' Tijuana Picnic." I just couldn't pass that gem up! It is just a bunch of songs that sound like Herb Alpert, but vaguely on theme of a picnic.

It comes with the Colonel's "Famous"picnic menu. Travis suggested we throw a Tijuana Picnic in the spring. I think it has to happen. Look at that track list! There is a little explanation for each track that say things like "El Garbanzo" because the Colonel uses garbanzo beans in his three bean salad!" or "A Taste of Honey" because of a man who comes into KFC and needs honey for his biscuits! It is delightful.

I bought some how to draw cats books too. Why? I don't know. They were cute!

I like how UN-helpful the directions in this one are.

And I like how the precious owner stapled this little magazine clipping in the back. I hope she ended up drawing it! Or painting it!

And last but not least this strange little mobile made of chenille and googly eyes and pine cones. It was hanging above the sink in a newer duplex kind of house. It was special enough to the owner to move into her new house, it wasn't some weird little thing tucked away in a "30 plus years accumulation" house! I had to hang it up high in my craft room because...

The cats just can't resist it! I hung it from our dining room light when I brought it home and Murray and Scampi were out there batting it within two minutes!
Have you found anything good lately? Or are the sales winding down everywhere. I can't wait for spring!

Linking up to Thriftosaurus and Nifty Thrifty this week! I feel like its been forever since I have been able to join a linky!

Instalife

I feel like I haven't been doing much lately. Besides traveling and working that is. I just finished a seven day in a row stretch at work and I'm so happy to be off the next two days! Here are some of my favorite snaps from my instagram lately. That is still my favorite thing about my phone!

We went through a rainy spell in Tennessee recently. The best part of that is the pugs in their raincoats! My sister in law gave us these for Christmas last year and seriously, could they be any freaking cuter?? AND if I put them on them, I don't have to hold the umbrella for Phyllis (She isn't spoiled one little bit right?)

I got some more work done on my Audrey 2 tattoo. I sat for over 5 hours, which is the longest I have done. It was rough! I have one more session and I'm finished with it! Also, my brother got a puppy and she is puppy perfection! She is a little Australian Shepard, so she has no tail. She looks like a tiny sheep from the back! He lost his border collie through some tragic circumstances (the same thing I went through with our first pug. Very sad and very sudden) and I'm happy he was able to find this little girl at a rescue event a few weeks after. Bringing home a new little bundle really helps heal that heart ache.

Melissa over at Andromeda Vintage sent me this Spock mask in the mail recently! How sweet is that? She posted him on her instagram, and when I emailed her to ask if she was selling it, she said she was planning on sending it to me anyway! He really made my day. I'm trying to decide the perfect place to hang him. Go check out her blog if you like vintage! She finds so much good stuff!
That thing on the right is a vegan bacon egg and cheese biscuit. It is from Khan's in Nashville and Travis and I are OBSESSED. I can't even figure out what the egg thing is (tofu of some kind?) but it is delicious! We talk about going there every time we're off together in the morning. YUM.

I've been lucky and gotten to see two of the queens from RuPaul's Drag Race recently! First up was Jujubee, who I've seen live before but didn't get to meet. She is in my top three, so it was a thrill to get to talk to her! She was so sweet! And the next night I got to see Carmen Carrera! You might have heard of her, she is getting a lot of press lately about the petition for her to be the first transwoman to walk in the Victoria Secret fashion show. She was so BEAUTIFUL in person I could hardly believe it!
I am also proud of myself for going to see her. Travis was out of town, and my best friend Crystal, who usually goes to Play with me had gone the night before. A guy I know from work said he was going and would meet me there, but ended up not showing up. So I went by myself and had a great time! I didn't stay for the second show (It starts at 1:30 and I didn't want to walk back to my car at 3 am ) but it was totally comfortable hanging out alone. Not something I would have done even a year ago!

I put up all my autographed Drag Race ladies on the back of my closet door so I can be inpired by them when I'm getting ready in the morning. I've also met Raja and Pandora Boxx, but didn't get photos. I really want to see Manilla! And Alaska!Any Drag Race fans out there? I can't wait for the new season to start!

I'm also really into American Horror Story: Coven! It makes me want to dress in all black and kind of witchy every single day! Crystal has been feeling it too. That picture of us makes me laugh! You can't really tell, but I'm holding a bottle with two snakes in it. Spooky. And a picture of Murray and Scout for the heck of it.

And some pug photos, just because. Those girls are the light of my life for real. They are both sleeping on me right now, snoring up a storm. That bottom right picture is from when Travis was out of town. I let them sleep with me and it was so fun! Until about 5:30 am when Priscilla got up and kept running over me and barking. Then they were quickly banished back to their room.

So that's what I've been up to. I have been feeling really great lately. No particular reason, I've just been really happy with almost everything. Life rules right now. 

Knoxville Wedding Weekend!

 Last weekend found us in Knoxville, for the wedding weekend of one my best friends in the whole world, Dana! Her wedding was at the Knoxville Botanical Garden and it was gorgeous!

I love their colors at the rehearsal.

I didn't get a photo, but the garden is on the top of a hill, and has a beautiful view of the Smokey Mountains. We actually tried to get a cabin in the mountains during the week, but everything was booked up with people in town to see the leaves. And Dollywood was closed! Can you believe it?

We helped set up on Friday, the best part was putting together all the flowers. If I did my wedding over, I would do the same thing. It saves a lot of money, and it's actually fun!

I wish I had taken more photos of the house we got ready in. It is a vintage lovers dream! From the crazy marble bathrooms with pastel fixtures to the tiny metal kitchen in the basement!

I was in the ceremony (matron of honor woot woot!) and Travis forgot to take photos for me! I guess I can forgive him because he was also in charge of music. They wrote their own vows and they included Simpsons references and were so sweet, I was definitely crying! Maybe it is a good thing I don't have photos of it!

The reception was in this cool greenhouse space.

There was a different pie on each table instead of a wedding cake. Another idea I really loved! And of course I was into those pom poms too! I brought a bunch home!

It is hard to see here, but those little hoops had Mr. and Mrs. embroidered on them.

Here I am in my dress! I got it at Bettie Page, it is by Beach Bash, and I love it! I know you are dying for a close up of that brooch too....

Dana got custom brooches made for us by her friend Pudgy Dove Pottery as our bridesmaids gifts! Could mine be any more perfect? I LOVE IT! She also gave us vintage hankies, which came in handy for sure.

Here is a funny picture of Travis, in his tie made by the bride! He asked me " Did you tell me you were taking this picture?" I did! I don't know why he is so stiff!

Bride and Groom! Nick is cracking me up with that face! And how much do you love Dana's head piece? She wore a vintage tiny veil for the ceremony, and then switched for the reception!

It was a great reception, full of love and fun and DANCING!

Their first dance was to "Wild Horses". Which I have always loved since I heard it on the Buffy soundtrack. I didn't ask, but Nick is a big Buffy fan, so I'll pretend that is why he picked it.

After the reception ended around eight, we went to the after party at a cool bar called Sassy Anne's. We danced until the wee hours of the morning ( I had Travis request lots of things for me, including Whitney Houston "Dance with Somebody"). It was such a good weekend!

Congrats to my friend and her new husband!