{I Heart You}

One of my Craft Night companions, Pat, came up with a brilliantly crafty idea. She took a previous project, mentioned in the last post, and gave it a little Valentine's Day spin!

Using the cover of Martha Stewart's magazine as inspiration, she decided to make hers out of paper cupcake liners. Martha's was made from real flower carnations. Pat's can be used over and over again! Thanks for the great idea, Pat. For mine, I used four different varieties of liners all in shades of red and white.

I cut out a piece of cardboard into the shape of a heart then covered it with some cute striped fabric.  This is the back...not that anyone will ever see it, but I couldn't leave it plain brown cardboard, now could I?

I glued the edges of the fabric around and then started hot gluing the liners to the form, starting at the border.  I used the eraser side of a pencil to press into the center of the liners, then used my hand to fold the sides down onto the pencil.  I squirted some glue onto the end and again, used the pencil to press it onto the cardboard form.  The pencil saves your fingertips from getting burned too! 

Here is the finished product.  You'll have to forgive me for the quality of the photos.  I took them with my iPhone so the colors are way off.  The finished product looks more pink than red.  You can see I added a silk rose as an embellishment as well as a red polka-dotted hanger. 

As Always, Stay Cozy!
Mandy

{4th of July in January!}

If you talk to any creative type, they'll tell you that they have tons of unfinished, half-started, well-intentioned projects lying around their house.  Well, I'm no different.  Case in point...my wedding day scrapbook.  I was married for about 8 years and have been divorced for over 2.  While I don't forsee myself finishing THAT project (ha-ha!), I have the itch to finish a lot of others! 

As us homebodies do, we like to hibernate in the winter inside our little caves.  I've got plenty of time to craft now that the cold, cold winter is settled in.  So, I pulled out this project that I've had half finished since last summer.  One of the Craft Night projects at my sister's house was making wreaths out of patterned paper cupcake liners.  

Mine was a take on "stars and stripes".  I couldn't find starry ones so polka dots would have to do.  Well, I underestimated how many liners I'd need so I had to quit early.  Since I ordered them online, it wasn't like I could run to Michael's or AC Moore to grab more.  They do, however have a nice selection there, so if you're interested in doing this project, they'd be a great resource.  Months later, even after I ordered more, they just sat in their package on my craft table.  When I finally finished the wreath portion, it sat un-decorated for yet more months!! 

Finally, this past weekend, I went in my craft closet to find something and there it was....staring at me...mocking me.  "You'll never finish me."  So I grabbed it, plugged in my hot glue gun, and dug into my vintage button and ribbon collection.  One nasty hot glue gun burn later, here you have it! 

As Always, Stay Cozy!

Mandy

{Home Baked Goodness}

What's better than a warm batch of homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies?  If you even bother answering anything other than "Nothing.", remove yourself from this blog immediately!  All kidding aside, I'd take these with me on a desert island if it was the only thing I could eat.

 

 While I'd end up being too fat to even be rescued from said island, I'd still choose these over any other food item.  The recipe is actually a "secret" one that was sort of handed down to me by my roommate from college and her husband.  Kim would go home from school every weekend and her parents would often send her home with a round tin of the most delicious chocolate chip cookies I've ever tasted.  They were heaven.  I'd never tasted anything like it.   

Oval Yellow Tin, 1950s {$14.24}

After college, I tried to recreate them to no avail.  Any time I asked about the recipe, she'd say "Oh, it's just the recipe from the Nestle's chocolate chip bag."  I don't think so!!  They never came out right.  Kim continued to make these for me and my family any time we came up to her house to visit.  Still, the same thing...just the recipe from the bag.  It went on like this for several years until they finally CRACKED!!  Although the recipe is, in fact, based on the one printed on the bag, there are a few minor details that make a major difference in texture and taste.  I like a chewy, yet subtly crispy chocolate chip cookie.  These are exactly that.

Vintage Aluminum Measuring Cups {$7.99}

If you're wondering, no I'm not going to give up the secrets!  Kim's father, John, passed away very suddenly this past October and every time I have made these cookies since, I think of him.  Her parents were like my own anytime I came to visit.  They made me feel so comfortable in their home and these cookies represent that feeling.  I will always remember him as a very kind man, his smile, and how he always treated me like one of his own.

{Vintage Fabric & Button Rosettes}

My sister holds a monthly Craft Night at her home for some lady friends and these beauties were this month's project.  They're made by twisting and winding vintage strips of fabric and attaching it to a round of felt.  Add a cute vintage button to the center and voila!  You have an adorable way to showcase your stash of favorite vintage fabrics and buttons.  Some ladies attached theirs to headbands, others to barrettes and pins.  I am going to make some decorative throw pillows for my cozy guest bed!

Here's a link to a wonderful video tutorial by a woman named Erin Bassett.  We used hot glue for our Craft Night but she uses fabric glue so you can wash it if you happen to put it on a garment. 
As Always, Stay Cozy!
Mandy
xoxo

{Snow Days}

I don't know about you, but I adore snow days.  Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's dangerous to drive in, but I'm a homebody and don't care to leave my house more than I have to, so it works out pretty nicely for me.  My son is with his Daddy this weekend and I did the laundry during the week, so I have some time to just sit around the house in my slippers and house sweater, as I like to call it.  Sounds more fashion-forward and less old lady-esque than "housecoat".  Look at her....she's so happy in hers.   

Vintage Sweater Pattern by {DiamondsAndPurlsUK

My dissatisfaction with sitting in an office all day long has inspired me to get blogging again.  I do love to write and my day job doesn't really allow me to express any creativity whatsoever.  In addition, my sister the artist found a great newsletter interface called Mail Chimp that we are both going to use to connect to our friends and followers.

In celebration of my future 1st Monthly Newsletter, I'm giving away a $25 Shopping Spree at my vintage shop, One Cozy Nest Vintage.  How it's going to work is after I get a decent amount of new subscribers, I will compose the first monthly newsletter announcing the winner.  I'll give that person a discount code to use when they make a purchase.  So, if you're feeling lucky or just want to stay informed about new One Cozy Nest Vintage updates and get special discounts, sign up below.

Subscribe to our mailing list

Plaid Wool Lap Blanket with Fringe {$23.99}

I woke up early to the sound of the icy mix tapping on my windows and I hopped out of bed...okay, I groggily slumped out of bed....to look out the window at the stark whiteness.  I love it.  I made myself a cup of hot tea and watched the poor birds try to scavenge on what remained of the birdseed.  I felt badly for them, so I donned my new snow boots and trudged out there to freshen up the feeder.

Little Birdie Wall Plaque with Hooks {$9.74}

I also sprinkled a fair share of seed on the ground for the mourning doves.  Hopefully Mr. Hawk will give them some peace today because I don't want to find tender bits of my birdies on the snow later.  I know, gross.  Here are a few more things that fit with the theme of the day - {KEEPING WARM!}   

Travel Coffee Set - Electric Pot, 2 Cups {$10.49}

Metal Advertising Wall Thermometer {$22.99}

Until next time, stay cozy!

Amanda
One Cozy Nest

{My School Days}

I remember how excited I used to get when September rolled around and my mother would let us pick out new clothes from the JC Penney catalog. I remember plaid shirts and dresses with thick tights underneath and koolats in purple, my favorite color at the time. I also remember the awful feeling of the seams of my socks against my toes.  These shoes remind me of that feeling: 

Child's Maryjane Shoes $7.49

Oh how I hated that feeling! I used to wear my Whinnie the Poo fur-lined boots with bare feet in the dead of summer. Now that Uggs are all the rage...I like to think that I started the trend and it just took a really long time to really take off.

My favorite subject in grade school and on up through college was science and biology. I will never forget my first frog dissection. The smell was awful!   The nerd in me has started to collect small microscopes and display them in my home:

1919 Biology Lab Book $24.99

Then there was my Benji lunchbox with matching thermos made by the Aladdin company.  I think it was the plastic variety, not the metal, but still just as cool.  This one is very old school and made of metal by Thermos:

Metal Thermos Brand Lunchbox $11.49 

Was anyone else a master of covering heir text books with brown paper bags like I was?

High School Crest Sign $24.99

How about writing your name in cursive next to the name of your latest crush? Yup. Note folding? Pro. My son is only 4 but next year will be his first year in kindergarten. I hope he will have fond memories of his school days too!

{Message In A Bottle ~ Or a Book}

"reunion - the state or condition of having been brought together again."

  Reunion is a powerful word.  It means that two things...or people...were once together.  Something happened and they became separated   for what could be moments or even decades.  So many little things can happen in between the togetherness...and that is what this story is all about.  It's a "Message In A Bottle" kind of story.  One where the odds are simply unbelievable.  

If you don't know me, I'm a picker.  A junker.  A couple months back my boyfriend and I were rummaging around piles of "junk" at a very packed antiques auctionhouse in Hightstown, NJ. We tossed our finds into a cardboard box and paid the owner for the lot.

One of the items in our box was something that actually caught my boyfriend's eye on our way out.  It was a light pink baby photo album from 1950. The wording on the front cover read, "Our Baby" in gold cursive. It was sitting alone in an area of the crowded warehouse that was filled with just furniture. How it got there I don't know, but it was just sitting on a table right near the aisle...within eye sight and arms reach. Just waiting for someone to pick it up.   

The inside cover contained the baby's name, date of birth, weight, and doctor's name, all hand-written by the mother. The pages of the album were filled with heart-warming black and white photographs carefully affixed by tiny pink photo corners.  Below most of the photos were hand-written quotes by the mother.  As we flipped through the pages we could see how loving of a mother this lucky little baby girl had. Her father was the photographer in many of the shots and the notes even told the story of the father hand-making the wooden rocking chair that the mother was sitting in.  The first thing I did was Google the name of the baby.  I just thought that maybe....maybe I could find out who this baby was.  Was she still alive?  Was she from New Jersey?  How did the book end up there?  Well, I got nowhere really fast and resorted to listing it in my online shop.  

As I described it, I wondered how such a precious piece of someone's history ends up in a dusty old warehouse, neglected and abandoned. I felt badly but figured at least a collector could enjoy the wonderful photographs or a creative artist could use them in an interesting art piece. Shortly thereafter, Etsy member "mydoodles54" (Kathryn) inquired about it, asking if there were any names in the album. She said that she might be interested in buying it for her hobby. She runs a website called Goodwill Genealogists (http://goodwillgenealogists.wordpress.com/)
and her hobby is reuniting owners with lost photo albums.  When I heard that, I immediately gave her the baby's information (which I hadn't provided in the item description on my shop) and Kathryn went to work doing some research of her own and posting about the album on her website and Ancestry.com.  I figured if she couldn't find the owner, no one could! 

The very next day, someone from clear across the country (Los Angeles, California) purchased the album from my shop. My heart sank, knowing that someone bought it before I could find the rightful owner.  When I checked the invoice, there was a note from the buyer:

"I am the baby in this album. Thank you, Bobbie."

Chills ran up and down my entire body and I immediately picked up the phone and told my boyfriend and my sister the incredible news. I sent Bobbie, now 60, a message asking her some questions about how she found the album and to Kathryn, telling her that her online research must have worked!  It turns out that Bobbie has been looking for this album for 20+ years. She knew, just from the photos, that it was her. I provided no names or locations in my description.

Without even knowing the personal information in the album, she told me everything....the first, middle, and last name of the baby and she even told me that there is a musical wind up part to the album. If you wound up a little screw, the Rock-a-bye Baby tune plays when you open the album.  She was right!  I said to my boyfriend, "DO YOU HEAR IT!? IT PLAYS MUSIC JUST LIKE SHE SAID!"  Bobbie said to me over email that she'd like to tell me the rest of the story because when I hear it, I'll be even more amazed.  So, we exchanged phone numbers and she's going to call me when she gets it. 

The most interesting thing about this whole story is that Bobbie never even saw Kathryn's posts about the album on Goodwill Genealogists or Ancestry.com. It's like she was drawn to my shop. Destiny? I definitely think so.  Even though Bobbie never saw Kathryn's messages or knew I was looking for her too, the work we did to try to find the owner stirred something up in the universe and reunited Bobbie with her long lost treasure.

{Update}   

So, I spoke to Bobbie on the phone just a few short days after I shipped the album out.  She was lovely and had a voice that made me feel like I had known her forever.  It turns out that Bobbie found out about the album in a roundabout way from an estranged sister.  The estranged sister (who may have seen Kathryn's message on Ancestry.com) emailed Bobbie's brother who then forwarded the link to my shop to Bobbie.  When she saw that it was, in fact her, she bought it right up.  By the way, I refunded her money…there’s no way I could profit from something like this!   So...Kathryn DID help reunite Bobbie with her album.  Thanks Kathryn!  So, even though the story ended up being a little less magical than I originally thought, it still proves that one or two individuals can make such powerful connections and change someone's life in a positive way. 

{Shop Update Coming Soon}

Visit my sister's blog, The Vintage Sister Studio, to read about yesterday's treasure hunting!  We picked up so many great new items for our vintage shops at Shupps Grove in Adamstown, PA.

2nd Annual Sister's Getaway
to Adamstown, PA 2009

  I can't wait to photograph them and get them into the shop!  Maybe one day I can quit my job and become a Junking Queen.  One can dream.....

The photo above is from 2008...our 1st Annual Sister's Getaway.  I cannot believe how many unique and interesting things I found there.  If you're famililar with Columbus Farmer's Market, Shupps Grove is like that but much better because the quality of "stuff" is much higher and besides...it's in the shade! Watch out for those deadly acorns in the fall though.  Yesterday, my sister and I almost bought Army helmets to protect ourselves.  A slight breeze through the tree limbs sent a shower of hundreds of them onto the crowd and tables, breaking merchandise along the way.   

Apparently, I didn't get enough pickin' in yesterday so Little Man and myself ventured over to Columbus Farmer's Market for a short while after we had our breakfast at Bagelissimo.  Lil' guy loves that place.  I got two wool plaid blankets and a decorative tin to match a tin I found yesterday.  Little Man bought a dinosaur for $1 and we also got a basket of peaches for a whopping $2.  He's been on a crazy peach kick lately.  Well, that's it for now.  Keep your eyes peeled on One Cozy Nest's Etsy shop for all the great treasures. 

{Getting Away}

 I'm excited for tommorow.  I'm getting away for a day of "junking" with my favorite picking buddy.  My sister.  I love my sister.  She is my best friend.  My favorite person.  She is my other half.

{The Vintage Sister & One Cozy Nest}

When we were little, six years made a big difference.  She was in highschool when I was eight years old.  Highschoolers don't hang out with eight-year-olds.  I think we fought a lot.  I stole her clothes and lied about it.  I'm pretty positive I was annoying.  As we got older and more mature, those six years don't matter as much.  So Tracy, if you're reading this...I'm sorry for being your bratty little sister all those years.  I hope I've made up for it.  Now, let's get ready for our ROAD TRIP!!! 

{The Fall Run} Vintage Camping Car

But first thing's first.  I'll need my coffee.  Large, please.  Extra cream and 2 sweeteners.  I like my coffee to taste....well, not like coffee.  Okay, now we're ready to get on the road.

{AntiNu} Cornwall 2 to 4 Cup Coffee Kit

In case you're wondering where we're headed, I'll let you in.  There's a place.  A wonderful little place.  It's called Adamstown, PA.  You get there from our neck of the woods via the Pennsylvania Turnpike.   

{MarinaWilliams} Pennsylvania Turnpike Drinking Glasses

The main drag through town is lined with very little except antique and junk shops...one after another. A diner here, a gas station there, and an overly crowded ice cream parlor we've never managed to enter. Who really cares about ice cream when there's so much junk to sift through anyway? It is heaven.

{Sweet Ann Vintage} Ice Cream Maker Freezer Eskimo

 The town used to be known for their hat and hosiery industry.  Now the old hat factory depicted in the vintage collector's plate below has been turned into....you guessed it!  An antique and collectible co-op called The Mad Hatter.  Last time we visited, my sister and I shopped until the place closed for the night.  It's one of our favorite places.

{TiffanyPalisi} Adamstown, PA Bicentennial Plate

 So, after tomorrow, expect to see great things listed in our vintage shops.  Mine is called One Cozy Nest, while my sister's is called Vintage Sister Soup.  Check them both out for some delightful vintage finds. 

 

{Vintage Sister Soup}



{One Cozy Nest}

{Home = LOVE}

Hello, my name is Amanda.....and I am a homebody.  {here's where you all say, "Hello, Amanda!"} 

{humbleBea} Homebody. A Wee Gnome.

I love coming home....from anywhere.  Even vacation.  I love turning the key and hearing the squeaking of the front door as it swings wide into the foyer.  I love my non-matching throw pillows, my eclectic art collection, my Ikea ottaman that stores cozy blankets.  I love my kitchen valance made out of  vintage tea towels and weathered clothespins.  I love my ocean blue sheets and my white coverlet.   

{Eclectic Pelican} Skeleton Key Door Knocker

Being a homebody, I sometimes have to convince myself that it's good to spend the day out of the house, away from dirty dishes, bills, and dust bunnies.  If I am ever reluctant to go, I am always happy that I did.  There's so much to do and see out there...why waste it sitting inside cleaning and fretting about last night's dishes?

{Shay Rose} Cross Stitch Home Sweet Home

  I imagine that when I'm old and frail, I'll be one of those ladies that just sits in her cushy chair, knitting away at something needless like another afgan or a pair of baby booties for no one in particular. My sister and I fantasize that we'll one day be alone, sitting side by side, rocking in our chairs, talking and laughing.  We should be so lucky to have one another....still.....when we're old and frail. 

{Grandma 62} Portrait of 2 Sisters

  Little man (my 3-year-old) and I have only lived in our home since March.  For a while there, it was just a house to us.  Somewhere to go after a hard day's work and play.  I was hesitant to call it a home at first because nothing in it felt like home.  It's such a great house and I feel guilty even writing those words.  But it's true.  It felt empty.  

{Open Your Window} Sweet House Shadow Box

Lately, however, something's been changing.  At night, I used to hear strange creaks and my heart would skip a beat.  I swore someone was coming up the steps toward our bedrooms.  I don't hear that anymore.  The light switch plate in the kitchen resembles something you'd see at NASA, but I think I've got the first 3 switches memorized. 

{Brookhollow Lane} Kitchen Shadow Box

I decorated the front door for Fall, something I was unable to bring myself to do last year.  As the days go by, I can picture myself there...playing under the big oak trees with Little man for many years.  Little things like that make a house feel more like a home, don't you think?   

{The Vintage Sister} A is for Autumn assemblage

{Red....then Blue}

This weekend started out all about red.  I'm not sure why.  They say red is the color of power, of passion, of love.  I'm not sure which one of these I was feeling, maybe a combination, but every single thing I purchased at my favorite antique mall had some element of red to it.  But it wasn't just me.

{To Be Determined} Plaid Full Mini Skirt

My picking companion did the same.  I didn't notice this until we

placed all of our treasures on the counter together.  Simpatico. 

 

{Dovie Moon} Butter Dish Set



I also noticed that there were bar codes on all of the tags but the man never used them.  As the line built up behind us, we watched as he very slowly.....and meticulously.....peeled each sticker off, carefully lined them up on the counter, then hunt-and-pecked the keys for each item, one by one, commenting here and there about how the seller spelled a word wrong, spouting out little tidbits of information on what we bought. 

{Vintage Jewels And More} Mushroom Trays, Red and Blue

I had to catch my impatient self and try not to be annoyed. 

I had nowhere to be. 

No rush.  

It was a lovely day and I was happy. 

Ten or so minutes later we were out the door with all of our red goodies. 

{Kitch Cafe} Two Briard Tumblers

 Later that night we saw a painting.  It was very blue.  Blue is calm.  Blue is restful, wise, and loyal.  Yet, a simple line of red....just one quick stroke of the hand....rested at the bottom.  It drew the eye.  I moved in to get a closer look.  Then back again.  The entire painting seemed to move from left to right...it was like reading a story.  It stuck in the mind of my companion so stronlgy that even a dinner menu was hard to concentrate on.  The artist told us that it was so new that he hadn't even named it yet.  When he wrote up the receipt...he said, "Blue."       



{Al Lachman (b. 1936)} Although this is not the painting "Blue"
I spoke of above, it has always been one of my personal favorites. 
Visit his gallery at Peddler's Villiage in Lahaska, PA and if you don't fall in love
with the art, you'll fall in love with the warmth and kindness.