A Blondie Day

Ruffles and Gypsies

Just a quick note that there are ruffles...

LOTS of ruffles...

in the shop...

 

 

 

Rufflette Bags...

Blondie Blu Army Backpack...

 

 

... and crossbody bags...

 

 

 

 

Also, Gypsy Bags!

 

 

All in the shop today.

 

 

XO Helena

 

 

 

 

Little Snippets

Lately I've neglected my poor blog but I suspect in September after My Girl goes back to school and JW travels again (most likely) things will go back to normal, and I can blog a bit more.

But for the time being, little snippets of things will have to do!

My thrift shop and estate sale luck continues...

 

...beautiful, colorful vintage scarves have me thinking gypsy thoughts...

 

 

Gorgeous vintage lace abounds!

 

 

 

A treasure trove of vintage buttons...

 

 

 

 

And stunning vintage linens make a happy girl of me.

 

 

 

 

Flowers from my garden give me smiles...

 

 

 

...as do my blue toes...

 

 

 

 

A few new mini gypsy prayer flags are in my shop...

 

 

 

 

As are some new plates...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I am off to enjoy a summer day!

 

 

XO Helena

 

Now That It's Over...

I survived my first craft fair!

And although I know I have already posted pictures of my mock up booth in every which way possible 'til you are all about to scream, I just NEED (yes, need) to post one more pic (I promise) of my actual booth all set up at the fair...

 

 

It was hot and humid and I never worked harder in my life, but I loved it.

My next fair will be a Holiday Boutique in November...more info to come.

 

And now that the fair is over, I can move on!

So back to my little shop..

 

New wares in the shop today!

 

 

Blu Eyes - vintage eyeglass cases...

 

 

 

New postcards...

 

 

 

 

Folklore Keychains...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vintage Yardstick Crosses...

 

 

 

 

 

...and more to come later in the week!

 

 

 

My little blue house's decor has suffered greatly in the last weeks, so I tried to make amends yesterday with a little bit of sprucing up.  MUCH more to do.

 

 

Much love and many thanks for all the good wishes and vibes sent my way.

 

XO Helena

 

If You Are Close By...

... and looking for something fun to do, come and visit me!  I will be at the St. Luke's Church Craft Fair, 3 Lawrence Lane, (corner of Montauk Hwy.), Bay Shore, NY, on Saturday, July 27, 2013 from 9am to 4pm.

 

 

Lots of nice booths and nice people.

 

 

 

 

And lots of Blondie Blu wares too.

 

Hope to see you!

 

XO Helena

 

Before and After: A Thrifting Find

A recent find at the thrift shop...

 

Before...

 

 

 

 

...and After...

with a nice fresh dress of pretty

vintage barkcloth...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other business as usual, as I continue to get ready

for my first ever craft show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will post more info on the craft show soon...

 

Happy Monday.

 

XO Helena

 

 

 

 

 

Vintage Love for iPads

New Blondie Blu Army Bags in the shop...and these will fit an iPad perfectly and are lightly padded for protection...

 

 

 

XO

 

Ready Freddy

 

Still so busy and excited...

 

 

 

 

...getting ready...

 

 

 

 

 

...for my first craft fair on July 27th...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...and working on my business plan...

 

 

 

 

...for my brick and mortar shop...

while still enjoying summer and having My Girl home,

that I'm afraid I've been ingnoring my little blog.

But visit me, if you can, at my Facebook Page, where I am almost daily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would be so happy to see you there.

 

XO

 

 

 

Silly Lucky

I have been so lucky at thrift shops lately, it's silly.  

Yes, silly!

First, you may remember this...lovely and most beautiful vintage silk embroidery...

 

 

 

Then there was the amazing discovery of a stunning, very large piece of barkcloth...yes, in a thrift shop!!

 

 

 

Most recently, I came upon bag after bag of vintage lace - some of the prettiest I've seen - also at the thrift shop.

Be still my heart.

 

 

Then there is this beautiful large oil painting in a breathtaking frame...yes a little beat up, but prettier for it, I think.

 

 

There are other assorted finds, but I think this is enough for now. It's more than my heart can take.

 

But I do have a few new wares in the shop!

 

Brand new - blondie blu army bags...

 

 

I am so loving these.  They are sweet, vintagey and funky, and I am most in love with the custom blondie blu dog tags.

 

love your life...

 

 

 

 

 

Here's to the Thrifting Fairy spreading the wealth around a bit more. 

 

XO Helena

 

A Few Pretties and a Great Find

A few new pretties in the shop today.

 

Today's Blu Plate Special...

 

 

 

... and a pretty teapot in a coat of blue...

 

 

 

 

 

 

...and a quick moment to share with you one of my most beautiful thrift shop vintage embroidery finds EVER!

 

 

 

As I walked across the shop when first I spotted it, I thought for sure it was a print, which would have been pretty as well.  But no - it was real silk embroidery and very, very lovely.  I could not believe my good fortune as I walked it up to the register - heart slightly pounding.

 

 

 

I'm not sure why the Thrifting Fairy likes me so much lately after she appeared to not care too much for me for quite some time... but I'm not questioning it.

 

XO Helena

 

 

 

 

Potions and Elixirs - Cleaning Up My Act

When I was about 10 or 11, I got my first migraine.  No one at the time called them that, but knowing what I know now, that's what they certainly were.  A 2 or 3 day affair of intense pain on one side of my head, together with nausea and sensitivity to light.  

That sounds like a migraine to me.

At that time, in the 70's, I think all that my mom would have given me was aspirin or possibly Tylenol - which maybe slightly took the edge off or basically did nothing at all.  It was such fun.

When I hit my late 20's, I was given an added bonus of delights...double vision, flashing lights and an off-balance feeling. Woo hoo.  Could it possibly get any better?

Well, yes it could.  In my mid-30's, migraine related vertigo entered the scene.  And by vertigo I mean anything from a few brief seconds of spinning to a fall-down-on-the-ground whirling that causes me to throw up.  Yay!

That had to be the last of the issues joining the party, right? 

Well, no.  After having my daughter, a new joy emerged.  The smells of certain chemicals and perfumes set off a hodgepodge of migraine symptoms - leaving me never to know when I may accidentally inhale a scent while I am out and about trying to live life, and then have to immediately head home, pull down the shades and bury my head under a blanket.

I kinda got the feeling my body was trying to tell me something. And while I cannot control what I may accidentally breath in while I am out in the world, I could control what was in my home. 

So I'm making changes - one little thing at a time.

And I'm starting with what I clean my home with.  I'm kind of a little bit nutty with constantly using a spray cleaner.  I use it everywhere in the house, so I thought that's a great place to start.  

So I've made my very first spray cleaner, and I am loving it so much, I wanted to share the recipe with you.

 

 

This recipe is from The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel-Maier.

 I have to admit I was a little nervous with the thought of replacing my beloved Mr. Clean or Fantastik (which both leave me a little nauseous every time I use them, but really do clean well) but I was so delightfully surprised!  So here goes...

 

 

Lemon Blast Cleaner

 

1 teaspoon liquid castile soap

1/8 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 cups water

6 drops citrus seed extract

4 drops lemon, lime, orange or eucalyptus essental oil (I used lime)

1 teaspoon borax

 

Combine all ingredients in a plastic spray bottle.  Shake well before each use.

(I used an old spray bottle that once held another cleaner.  If you do this, just make sure you thoroughly clean it first.  I let this bottle have a good run in the dishwasher to make sure none of the old cleaner was left.)

As I am a bit nutty, I had to decorate the bottle with decals, which, because the bottle is green, ended up having a very faded, transparent quality.  Not entirely bad.

 

 

Spray generously on appliance or counter top surfaces and wipe with a damp cloth or sponge.

 

 

And guess what - it works beautifully with a very, very soft scent that does not make me nauseous in the least!  This positive experience may very well set off a whole array of homemade cleaning products in this house.  I will keep you posted.

 

While I was shopping for the liquid castile soap, my eyes fell upon this...

 

 

Oh, my dear Witch Hazel - how you bring back memories.  Witch Hazel was a magic elixir in my home growing up.  It was my mother's answer to just about anything that ailed you.  

Mosquito bite?  Witch Hazel.  Blemish on your face?  Witch Hazel.  A bruise?  Witch Hazel.  A rash?  Why, Witch Hazel of course!

It made me smile and think of my Mom, not to mention that it had a fabulous label.  It's all natural and it does not make me nauseous.  So home it came.

 

So that is 2 little changes in my quest for a more natural and healthy way of living.

 

I will be sure to share more discoveries with you!

 

XO Helena