bartering makes me happy!

A few weeks ago a very talented friend approached me with an idea. She asked if I'd be interested in making her some little fabric bags to put her finished jewellery pieces in, in trade for a piece of jewellery. Of course I jumped at the opportunity! I've been coveting her creations for some time!

So I made her a bunch of these....

and she made me this stunning silver pendant with a blue topaz on one side and a cubic zirconia on the other side. It hangs from a really cool aqua colored cable. I love it!

i love thrifting!

I had an hour to myself today so I used it wisely...I went thrifting! I came home with some lovely treasures!

Won't these jeans be cute on little B?

I love the detail on these mugs - handpainted and silkscreened in Norway.

Miss Z has an October birthday so this plate is for her. And check out the green mugs! I LOVE them!

Does anyone remember this Fisher Price cash register? We played with this as kids. We used to borrow the money from my mom's purse, iron it so it was nice and crisp, then play "store" for hours! There were two there, so I bought them both! One for me, and one for my sister! (for our kids, of course!)

Hope you're having a lovely fall day!

a trip to the ocean

We just spent 5 days enjoying Vancouver and the surrounding areas. We visited the Aquarium, Science World, did a bit of shopping of MEC, spent time with family and friends, enjoyed the new Sea to Sky highway and the gorgeous little town of Squamish, spent an afternoon on a beautiful sailboat with friends, and hung out with the animals at Maplewood farms. I LOVE being near the ocean. It fills me up, feeds my soul and refreshes my spirit. Here are a few photos of our fun trip.

settling in

We are getting settled into our new place - still unpacking boxes and hanging pictures but it's feeling like home!

Zara is loving her princess bed!

We stopped by a thrift store today and Zara found the sweetest little owl family! How could we leave them in the store?  I've wanted a "cookie jar" for quite some time and I'm quite sure all of the pieces will get used and well loved. I found 3 lovely wool blankets too - something I've been on the lookout for!

Hoot Hoot

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

~Jacq

on the move!

Sorry for the long absence! We've been busy moving!

This is the just part of the amazing view from our new digs.

The day we moved we harvested our garden at the old house ~ amazing!

My favorite summer food! Fresh bread with pesto and tomatoes!

summer fun

We've spent so much time in the pool this summer! As our time at this house comes to an end we're just appreciating every hot sunny day that we can be out there.

thrifted treasures

Some crafting inspiration arrived in the mail yesterday!

I've been looking forward to reading this book ever since I found out Soule Mama was writing it! I've been devouring it every spare minute I can find! "Oh, you want to nurse? Okay, I'll read!"  There are so many ideas and projects that I can hardly wait to get started on. And it's made me even more excited about thrifting.

Thrifting is something relatively new to me. I didn't grow up thrifting or learning to repurpose old things. It's something I've really just discovered in the last 10 years or so, and even then it was mostly clothes. Searching the thrift store for vintage craft and sewing supplies is something I've just very recently discovered. I know...you may be thinking "What?! Where have you been?!?! You didn't know you could get ric rac and bias tape at the thrift store? Or zippers?" No, I really didn't! But let me tell you, I'm hooked!

A few years ago I started to "collect" (read hoard) fabric. Many of the new, amazing collections from the latest talented fabric designers are sitting on my shelves. I am LOVING working with them. They are so gorgeous, so inspiring. But as I read Amanda's book, I can't help wishing my shelves were full of vintage sheets and table cloths instead! So I've made a promise to myself. NO MORE NEW FABRIC! 

Here are some of my recent thrifted treasures:

Most of the turquoise dishes in this cupboard are thrifted! Is it quite obvious what my favorite color is?

Hope you are having a happy day!

-jacq

Before & After, and other things!

"Before"

I made these dolls for the kids birthdays. So Bella and Thor got theirs (the ones on the right) in April. Five months later they are looking a little worn! Or should I say loved! I guess I'll take that as a compliment. They LOVE their dollies.

"After!"

Here are a few recent photos of the kids:

Bella loves her new baby cousin, Aspen.

And Thor loves his Yummy Bear vitamins!

Playing on the floor.

Where have my babies gone? They are out of diapers (most of the time) and growing up so quickly!

We had Great-Grandma Nybo with us this past weekend. What a treat! She is indeed "great" - an absolute inspiration at the grand age of 91! I want to be like her when I grow up! We were all sad to see her go home.

-jacq

Puppy love

Thor loves his new puppy pin. I bought this at our local Farmer's Market from my friend Rio. She makes the coolest bags, wallets, earrings, pins, journals and other things all from thrifted and vintage finds. Thor has worn this every day since I bought it!

-jacq