A Road Trip with my Sisters

Well it feels like months have gone by since my long weekend away. It was an impromptu escape from the New York Dull drums. It started while on FaceBook, my Cousin (Linda) mentioned we should come down to visit her on Kent Island. I said I was ready anytime, My Sister Gail said she would drive and so it began. We would stay with my other sister (Sue) who lives in Maryland not to far from Kent Island.

I love to travel and see interesting sites, I'm one of those people that am amazed by the smaller things in life just as much as the huge things. So you can imagine the smile on my face when I started noticing the leaves on the trees were green the farther south we went. I could pick out the yellow Forsythias, Pink and purple Azaleas and the Wisteria hanging off the trees like someone intentionally placed them there years ago. (I didn't know they were considered a weed) There beauty is much like the Golden Rod or the Queen Ann's Lace in my neck of the woods.

We Left New York at 5 p.m on Thursday and arrived in Cambridge MD  Cambridge, MD around 10:30 where we met up with my other sister (Sue) who was just coming back form a Dinner meeting. We stopped in at Dunkin Donuts for coffee and a bite to eat.

Sue, Woke me up bright and early at 6 a.m. to watch the Royal Wedding. Sue had to work in the morning and we were supposed to meet up around 1 pm. Gail and I were off to breakfast at 8 to go to Kay's Dinner at (the local Airport).  There were 3 or 4 hummingbird feeders out and they put on quite a display for us. The food was wonderful and the cake's, although we didn't have a piece are all homemade and looked spectacular. I would recommend stopping if your ever passing by.

Sue and Gail

Kay's Dinner 

Then we toured around Cambridge looking for the local Thrift Stores, which was one of the reasons I wanted to do this road trip in the first place. I needed new Inventory for my shops. Both of my sister's do not feel the same way I do about vintage and retro treasury's but by the end of my stay they had gotten very good at picking out the best vintage Cambridge and surrounding areas had to offer.

The Lutheran Mission Society Thrift Store

I found some really wonderful Items here, This is where the Blue Canister Set that's for sale in my shop came from

Then Right across the road we stopped into a wonderful Little Shop full of  "A few of my favorite things"

A Few of my Favorite Things

Me and Gail

Then from there we hoped in the car to find another thrift store we were told about.......

Robin Hood Shop

 This wasn't in the best part of town I was told. It was around 10 on a Friday morning and an undercover policeman had someone up against the car just a few doors up. Inside was lovely and the women running it were delightful. Notice the signs in the window, 1/2 price sale, OMG, I love a sale.....

The next shop is my Favorite Garden Shop in Cambridge. You see my sister Sue always sends me Flowers and plants on my Birthday, But this year seeing that I was coming down, she gave me a gift certificate at this Garden shop. What a perfect gift, she knows I love this place.   I've been there before and love visiting and buying my water plants to take back to NY, the selection is so different then what I can find at home. 

Simmons Center Market

We stopped at a few road side sales that were set up, Some were worth the stop some weren't, but it's all part of the adventure.  Now this was Friday don't forget, we had plenty of time to stop and check things out. We only had 2 things planned for the day. One was to meet up with my Cousin at 3 p.m on Kent Island where she lives and owns Rita's.  And the other was dinner reservations at the Middleton in Annapolis at 7 p.m.

So we wondered around a bit more heading towards Easton where Sue said were a couple Thrift Stores she heard about. 

By now were getting hungry and think we should find a place to Eat, this is my Favorite thing to do when on a Road Trip. We decided on BBQ, Pulled Pork for me. Sue of course knows all the favorite local spots so we went to the ....BBQ Joint

BBQ

Yup, you can find Sawdust on the Floor in Easton Maryland. And Yes I highly recommend eating here. You can eat in, take out or enjoy your meal outside on the sidewalk cafe. 

By now it's 2 p.m. and we have a 3 O'clock date. So off we go.  At this point I'm excited about meeting up with Linda (our cousin) and seeing Kent Island. Sue and Gail have both been there before but It was new to me. We all had a great time catching up and reminiscing about day's gone by. We made some Promises for the future and their were smile's, yes lot's of smiles.

We left around 5:30 to head toward Annapolis to go to yet another Thrift store before dinner at Seven. Linda and the boys had a Baseball parade at 6 so Off we went......At this point it was all about the traffic, I had never been across the Bay Bridge but Sue has several time and knew when not to travel it. We ate down by the water behind the Naval Academy. We found a perfect parking spot and walked around a little before dinner. We ate at the "Middleton" (in honor of the Royal Wedding) not really but it sounds good. The Restaurant was packed and the food was delicious, a little over priced for my pocket book but what the heck, spend it like you got it, Right.

We drove across the (Bridge) at the perfect time, no problems or delays. Reached Home somewhere around 11 p.m. Wow, what a great day it was. Perfect weather, Perfect company and Perfect Places. Tomorrow Gail and I are planning to go to Assateague Island to see The Ponies


To be Continued...........................


Blessings
Judy

Handpainted Tray

Beautiful Handpainted Tray

New Listing on Etsy

Plastic Flower Plate's These would be great for your summer luncheon or Poolside. Great for Camping or for your next picnic adventure.

And the Winner IS: Liza Vladyka

Congratulations to Liza Vladyka for winning the White Oak Room's Giveaway.
I hope to have another Giveaway real soon.
Thanks everyone for entering
Blessings
Judy

The Sound of Music

Get to know the Artist behind the fabric at the White Oak Room on Etsy And Enter to Win $20 off your next purchase from the White Oak Room

I have been impressed with the Pillows from the White Oak Room for awhile now. I love the fabric and the detail of each one she creates.  And I consider myself fortunate to have been given 4 of them as a gift from a friend who had no idea Jayne and I were friends.  They are similar to this one, all  having a different  inspirational message for me to enjoy. 

 

Jayne and I have been friends for 20 yrs, she was the first person I met when I moved to the area and I have treasured her friendship ever since.  I asked her several questions I felt would let you get to know her a little better. 

Meet Jayne, from the White Oak Room

Visit the White Oak Room

Here's a look at her office space where she spends countless hours creating Treasures for us on Etsy, Chatting with friends, Tweeting and using Facebook. Oh, not to mention Shopping on Etsy. 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/52893906/12x12-handmade-designer-accent-pillow 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/63753457/5x7-hand-stenciled-picture-with-the-word 

 http://www.etsy.com/listing/71809120/handmade-woven-textured-fabric-bible

1. Where do you find your inspiration for your beautiful creations? 

1) My "Inspiration for my Creations" is very simple~ "SIMPLE LOVE OF FABRICS" ~ all the different textures, patterns, colors, etc. I would change all my rooms for every season if I could. In some ways "I DO~ PILLOWS!" Simply changing the Pillow Covers and you have a new look, new feel , new colors added to the room.

Fabric has the "Power" to make your "House A Home" So simple to change the Pillow Cover to a rustic feel, french country, shabby chic, traditional, whatever your heart desires

I also have another "Inspiration for my Creations" ~ I love wood! I have found a wonderful Etsy Shop called "A Remark You Made"  http://www.etsy.com/shop/ARemarkYouMade and Brenda makes gorgeous Wood Buttons! So between the gorgeous patterns, textures, colors of the Fabrics, I get to feel and play with different "Grains and color tones of the Wood Buttons" Now who wouldn't love that?

My ""Inspiration for Creating" the Doll Sleeping Bags came from my Granddaughter. Her and I have a common love~ American Girl Dolls. So I decided to try making bedding for my dolls and hers! That is where I got the idea for the Sleeping Bags. She was one very "excited little girl" when she saw all the Sleeping Bags! Only to find out Grandma was selling them. Oh have no fear- each one of her dolls have a ( Special One!) Yes, I am Grandma and I can use Special ( it's part of the spoiling process we do~)

2. When did you begin sewing?

2) I started sewing about 10 years ago. I first bought Fabric that I loved and wanted to make into a Shower Curtain- who would not love a "Chenille Shower Curtain?" See with fabric, I have no rules! Yes-Chenille Shower Curtain! It's not just for Bedspreads, Bathrobes and Pillows! In my world it can be a Shower Curtain.

So 2 weeks later I bought the Sewing Machine ( yes- I bought the fabric before the machine~) I did learn to sew in High School and that was for about 2 months. The only thing I remembered was the machine had a bobbin! Thank-goodness the Machine came with instructions!

So I had the machine and the fabric World was mine to explore! And I did. Everyone room in the house got New Curtains, New Pillows...anything I thought I could make - I tried!

3. Are you a member of any Etsy Teams?

3) I am currently on 3 Etsy Teams. They are TAGT Team, Treasure Lover and On Fire for Homemade. My TAGT Team is very busy, but we have a lot of fun. Being on a Team is a wonderful way to meet people. Have others give you Honest Opinions on your shop and ways to improve the look of your shop. Everyone needs support and that's what is so wonderful about Teams!

I will admit, somedays we are more interested in "chatting" than working! But the good news is, NO BOSS OVER YOUR SHOULDER! But we do have Captains and they give "gentle" reminders to take it to the "chat room!" See even big girls get in trouble for talking to much! LOL

4. Have you made Friends on Etsy?

4) The "Friends" that I have meet on Etsy are wonderful. I love the fact that I can say Good Morning to one group- then say Good Afternoon to the next! They are all over the World. What a great History Lesson. I don't remember History being so much fun in School? But truthfully, Friends that you make on Etsy all have the same goal, TO HELP ONE ANOTHER GROW, LEARN, AND TO BE SUCCESSFUL on ETSY. Some I actually refer to them as my Sisters! Love my Etsy friends!!

5. What if anything would you like people to know about yourself?

5) My introduction to Etsy was my Dear Friend who has this Blog~ I worked in the Corporate world for over 26 years. I had to give up my job due to some health issues. My world was ripped apart at that moment. It's amazing how much one gives to their Employer and how little we get in return. All my friends were still there ( or so I thought?) , my income, benefits, etc. gone! So Judy kept telling me about Etsy, Etsy, Etsy. Honestly I listen with one ear ( Sorry Judy!) Finally one day I listened with both ears! Maybe I could sew my Pillows and Place Mats! Maybe people would like them? Then next came the "I don't think my bad neck, shoulder and arm will not let me sew?" After thinking about it, I decided lets try! So I ordered up fabric ( I mean ORDERED FABRIC.....) and started making Pillows, Place Mats and then the Sleeping Bags.

Nice thing about being your own boss, if my shoulder and neck are bad, I don't sew that day or two! There have been times I did put myself on "Mandatory Overtime" LOL~ But I'm doing what I love!

I no longer have a "Kitchen-it is officially my SEWING ROOM!" and it is a big Kitchen so I can move things and still have the bar area for eating! ( Also~ I can do that, there is a Family Owned Restaurant 2 doors up the road with fantastic food! ) I have one room downstairs that we call the "Playroom" ( from when I was a child growing up in this house) that has become half Office area and Granddaughters Playroom! Works out great when they are here, we are all PLAYING Together!!

The house that I live in was my Families home. After the lose of my Parents, my Husband and I moved in. We went from a Single Wide Trailer and a Big 2-story home. The Kitchen is almost as big as our trailer was! Amazing- I don't have enough room at times?
You will see in the photos, I have also taken over one of the upstairs bedrooms for all my storage of fabrics and finished items! Oh and the photo shots!

6. How would you describe your style?

6) I love to call my "style" Potterybarn Country! I want everything in Potterybarn, which is another reason for my sewing! I can make it, I can have a Potterybarn House!

 http://www.etsy.com/listing/50373324/1-place-mat-done-in-waverly-home-decor


7. Do you buy on Etsy? If so, what do you like to buy?

7) Who does not love BUYING OFF ETSY? I have my favorite "Button Lady", my Favorite "Tag Lady" Through the Woods , my favorite "American Girl Doll Clothes Lady" and I have even found a favorite watercolor Artist who paints Young Red-Headed Ladies from Norway! I have 2 of her paintings in my Office/Play Room. I get my "Linen Fabrics, Leather Fabrics and some of the Cotton Fabrics" Unique Shiny from an Etsy Shop in Korea! She is a real sweetheart too!

Love shopping on Etsy! My Granddaughter's Easter gifts are from Etsy. There is amazing talent on Etsy. Oh and I can't forget my "Vintage Industrial Wood Stools" for all my trims came from Etsy. Love shopping!! Very hard NOT to click to "Add to Cart Button!"

8. What Message, if any would you like to give our readers?

8) As I mentioned above about the working in the Corporate World and all my Friends still being there. Amazingly and "Thank-You God" for this blessing in disguise with my Health Issue- Etsy has truly turned my World around for the BETTER! I'm not making millions on it, but, I have found so much happiness and fulfillment in my sewing and having my Shop, meeting new and wonderful, wonderful people. I truly do "Thank-God for this!" There is a purpose for all of this. I do not have it all figure out completely. But I do know I'm on the right track now.

I make a "difference in other people's lives now." They purchase my Covers, place mats and sleeping bags and I hear wonderful stories back from them. How it was a gift and how much the person loved it. Or some little girl was so excited with the sleeping bag for her doll. Or someone's House Warming gift was my Place Mats... Never would I have thought 10 years ago buying Chenille Fabric and a Sewing Machine would give ME such joy and purpose in life!

9. Do you have any tips for starting an Etsy Shop?

9) If you are someone just starting an Etsy Shop- I say "stay with it" ~ It takes time to get your name and product out there. But DON"T GIVE UP! ""Join a Team"", they help promote your Shop, they give great ideas for making your shop look better, tips on taking photos. Lets not forget Treasury making! Open a Facebook account for your Shop or promote your Shop on your current facebook site. Twitter (if you have time!). Get those Business Cards made and HAND THEM OUT! Donate to locate Organization that are looking for donations in raising money (MAKE SURE YOUR CARD IS ON IT~) Place your cards at the Post Office, Locate Stores, Diners!

You will have a fantastic month and so busy. THEN- nothing for a month. It's up and down. BUT don't give up. Stand tall and stay strong! You will make friends along the way. Talk it out with them, we all love to help one another as I said before. We "LOVE TO SHARE THE LOVE ON ETSY!

10. How did you start selling on Etsy?

10) So many, many THANKS TO MY DEAR FRIEND JUDY FOR GETTING ME INTO THE "ETSY WORLD" AND FOR"FEATURING ME ON HER BLOG!!"

Happy Spring to Everyone! Happy Shopping on Etsy to everyone!

Jayne Brown of ~ White Oak Room ~

To Enter to win $20.00 off your next purchase from the WHITE OAK ROOM, 

You'll need to do 3 things, they are not difficult and won't take up to much time: 

1. Comment on this post.

and 2 of the 3 options below. 

2. Follow this Blog. 

3. Follow Both our Facebook pages. 

Judy's Facebook Page for This That Other Things
 
Jayne's Facebook Page for the White Oak Room

4. Tweet about this post and mention either - Judy (ttotshop) or Jayne (jebjer)

 

The Winner will be chosen by a random drawing on May 2nd and emailed a coupon code to use in the White Oak Room, so please make sure you leave your email, FB page or Twitter name in the comment so I can contact you.


Blessings
Judy

Spring Fling Sale On Etsy

Two great Etsy Teams are teaming up to bring you a SPRING FLING SALE. The Vintage Market Team http://www.etsy.com/teams/6271/vintage-market or #vmteam on twitter and the Vintage Etsy Twitter Team http://www.etsy.com/teams/7228/vintage-etsy-twitter-team or #vett on twitter have teamed up. I am a proud member of both teams.
The Sale runs from today Thursday April 21 until Monday May 2nd.  All Participating Shops are listed here http://www.etsy.com/search?q=vtgspring by searching tag "vtgspring" in the Etsy drop down menu you can find all the items on sale easily. See each participating Shop for details for their Sale. As of right now there is over 1780 items on Sale.


What better way to bring in the Spring then to have a Sale of Unique items from Days gone by. Now is the perfect time to buy those items you have had your eye on.  There are lots of great Easter Gift Ideas, don't forget Mothers Day and Father Day is fast approaching. 

This is also the perfect way to Reusing, Recycling and Re-purposing  items from the past. Going Green with Vintage is a great way to save our Natural Resources and space in our Landfills.

Blessings
Judy

Listed today in my Etsy shop:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/72540064/industrial-gray-wire-desk-organizer

 http://www.etsy.com/listing/72542434/vintage-knitted-golf-club-covers

 http://www.etsy.com/listing/72557106/vintage-cavas-bag-yellow

http://www.etsy.com/listing/72556190/vintage-canvas-bag?ref=v1_other_2 

Watercolor's of the heart.

Recently I started creating more Etsy Treasuries, time consuming yes but it's a perfect arena for the creative mind to play. You are given endless possibilities to design your masterpiece or just to have fun and pass the time away. This artists, use of Vintage Colors and Down home feel of the images speak to my heart and soul. Like the vintage pieces I sell, collect and live with, her pieces show character and feeling as well.

As I was carefully choosing just the right image for my Etsy Treasury I came across Rachelle's Shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/rachellelevingston?view_type=gallery&page=3

As I was proceeding through Etsy to pick out my 16 perfect images, I stopped and realized I have chosen several of Rachelle's pieces unknowingly.  I was sad when I had to choose  one,  I thought to myself maybe I could use two, so I did.  You can see my Treasury here, while your looking please show it some love by clicking and commenting.
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d8e2a70aeca6d9176c3bdd3/this-must-be-what-a-hug-looks-like?index=593

Dog with Boy Hug

 Rachelle has the ability to pull me into each painting, I can feel the emotions and character from each subject she paints. 

They take my imagination to a safe place, a quiet place where times are good and wonderful memories can be made. 

Take this picture for instance, I can see myself in the kitchen reading the morning paper sipping on a cup of Hot Chocolate (my choice of Beverage). Or zipping up my young son's coat as I send him outside to play with his friends.

And in the picture above, I see myself alone in my retreat, a place where I can go to get away and relax. Burn a candle, drink some wine and meditate.

I found myself reading through her shop and found she is also a humanitarian, She recently offered 50% of her sales to go to the relief efforts to help the Japaneses people effected by the Earthquake and Tsunami. She shared with me that she needed to do something beside just feel awful for their loss, so she decided to have a fund raiser. Her efforts  raised a couple Hundred Dollars in 4 days which she has donated to  the humanitarian aid in Japan. She is very Thankful to the people that purchased her art work during the fundraiser and is happy to be given the opportunity to do something to help.

I sent Rachelle a Note letting her know how she had inspired me with her work and asking if it would be alright with her if I used her for my next Blog post. Sometimes I do ask first, (smiling with a wink).  The following is in her own words:

Thank you so much... I was thinking the only thing inspiring about my work is that it keeps me sane. I'm so glad it's inspiring to you. My personality is one where I want to get something done. I want to be busy. I used to paint rooms and redecorate my house all the time. I'd refinish furniture. I'd start one project, finish it and then I'd want another one to do. Now I direct that energy to painting watercolors.
I've painted for almost 20 years but only in the last 6 years has it become this passion that I think about all the time. So now all my free time, energy and thoughts are for painting. I see something and think how could I use that? How could I paint that? How could I use those colors? For example, I just painted this mother and son in a portrait blowing on a dandelion and the dandelion was the part that I thought about for a long time.     Watercolor is this huge joy to me and I don't have to run to home depot and buy as many gallons of wall paint. But don't get me wrong I still have days were the paper ends up ripped in little pieces because I mess up. But I want to paint the next morning.

"Watercolors are my escape from the world. They give me hope in all the good that exists." Rachelle Levingston

She has won several awards including Utah Watercolor Society Honorable Mention. She is also a two star member of the Utah Watercolor Society. And has art hanging at Barclay Butera in Park City, Utah and Repartee gallery in Provo, Utah as well.

Rachelle has been studying art since 1992. She attended college, graduating in Elementary Education with an art emphasis. Then she taught fifth and sixth grade for six years; now she pursues her art full time.


One of her greatest accomplishments is the private show she did with her father, Richard Beck, who also paints watercolors and has a shop on Etsy. http://www.etsy.com/shop/rbwatercolors
they paint together weekly and take trips to find subject matter and no doubt inspiration along the way.

Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah, by Richard Beck

Rachelle notes that she wouldn't be able to do any art without the support of her Father, Mother and Husband.

For myself I love water colors because they are so unpredictable and have movement and flow. I'm wishing that I lived closer so I could take some classes and maybe just maybe be able to paint with as much authenticity and love as Rachelle.


Thank You Rachelle for your work and for letting me write about it.

Blessings to you all
Judy

Serious Chocolate Swap by Etsy Cottage Style

I am a member of the Etsy Cottage Style Team  http://etsycottagestyle.ning.com/ and this month we had a Chocolate Swap.

Well; it didn't take me long to agree to participate, I mean we're taking Chocolate after all.  We were paired up and my partner in this swap was Jacalyn from RME Boutique http://www.rmebathproducts.com/category_44/Romantic-Home-Boutique.htm I received my chocolates in record time, carefully package and with many surprises.  I told her I loved white chocolate and raspberry creams and she sure did deliver.

Jacalyn sent me a wonderful smelling rose scented envelope and even a hand written note for me. Those are the special touches that mean so much.  Check out her blog and read about the swap and take a look at more pictures of Chocolate. http://rmebathproducts.blogspot.com/

The pictures below are of the Parson's Daughter in Norwich, NY  -  This is where I bought the chocolate's I sent to Jacalyn.

The Parson's Daughter is a store of "confections and particular oddities". The outside of the building is beautiful, with huge doors that are like entering an old Victorian home.

 

 

 

 The outside of the shop is so welcoming and say's come on in.

The Parson's Daughter found its place in the oldest commercial building in town.

 

 

 

 This is the case I picked out the chocolates for the swap. I wanted to send Jacalyn one of each but, we did have a $ amount set.

Meet the owner of this wonderful shop her name is Sharon Jeffer, I took her by surprise when I walked in with my camera but she was willing to let me take the picture's I needed. She's wonderful like that.

 

 

 

 When you walk in the door you immediately smell the sweets and are welcomed in by the owner herself. While I was there a few other customers came in to shop. Notice the two doors in the back, they both lead you to rooms full of vintage items, oddities and handmade pieces.

 This is what I sent Jacalyn for the swap. I couldn't open it because it was sealed shut.

I couldn't wait to open the box she sent me and almost forgot to take some pictures.  Look at everything she sent me, I couldn't believe the time and care she put into it. She is a true professional. 

 I think she went over the budget, don't you.

 It took me about 2 minutes to taste my first piece of white chocolate. 

YUMMY!!!!!!!!

She even sent me some sponge candy special to her area, they were delicious.

  
I want to Thank the Etsy Cottage Style team and Jacalyn for this opportunity. I have enjoyed it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blessings
Judy