FOUND.

I've basically been hitting the vintage jackpot lately. My finds have been mind-blowing good, well to me of course. This week = yes. I mean, that bag. It's from the seventies and I'm all about it. Fun Fact: that pyrex measuring cup is my first one. Obviously I hoard the bowls (likeeveryoneelse) but this is my first official pyrex measuring cup. Clearly, I don't know how I've made it this far without it ;) 

FOUND.

Ah, good old summertime in South Florida. I know what you're thinking, "Isn't it like, always summertime there?" Why yes, yes it is. But real summer time is HOT. Like your car is an oven and it's trying to bake you to a nice golden crisp. No joke. The humidity is what really does us in down here; nice and thick. Anyway, saturday garage sale / thrift days definitely come at a price around this time of year;  plan to be hot, plan to want to take a shower every five minutes, and prepare to be seriously hot - like melt your face off hot. Did I say plan to be hot? But with knowing these beauties above are just sitting around waiting to be found, how could I pass it up?

Dear vintage treasures, I will melt in the blazing sun all day for you. 

Ps. that owl is the cutest stapler in the world, and yes, that is a 1950's copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe all the way to the left. Thank you vintage gods for this lovely haul. Amen.

National donut day: DIY donuts

So, unless you live under a rock, (aka if you're not on instagram) you probably know it's national donut day/week/needanexcusetocelebratedonuts/etc. Here in South Florida, there's no cute delicious homemade donut shop where all the cool kids go (and if there is please tell. me. now. ) so I don't get to celebrate it the traditional way -- as in I would have to go to Dunkin' Donuts and we all know that's no where near the same. So I'll just be over here making cute stuffed donuts and wishing they were real. But really, the main reason for making these is because one of our best friends sweet little girl is turning six and obviously these are needed for any proper tea party. I mean, duh. I have to admit, I'm not quite qualified to give anyone step-by-step sewing instructions. I basically just wing it. I'm just learning (as you can tell if you actually look at these donuts, yikes!), but these are pretty simple. If I can do it, the odds are definitely in your favor. Nonetheless, below is (seriously) basic instructions of what I did. FYI: it's in really simple terms because I know when I need to follow a sewing tutorial, I need you to treat me like I'm five and it's my first encounter with glue and scissors. True story.

1. Put two squares of fabric on top of each other 2. cut out circle (donut)  3. cut a little hole in the middle (for the hole)  4. sew around inside hole and trim off excess 5. sew around outer edge of your donut, but leave a little 1-2 inch opening to shove in your stuffing 6. shove in your stuffing 7. sew up hole and backstitch 8. trim excess around outside of donut and be careful not to cut your stitching 9. draw on sprinkles with puff paint if desired 10. put in a pastry box and brighten someones day! (I made my box by folding paper, not anything fancy, and then I cut out the middle with an exacto knife. Easy peasy)

FOUND.

It's been quite a few weeks since I've been out on a good treasure hunt, and this weekend was just what I needed. It's funny, when we're out and grabbing up miscellaneous things like they're gold, people definitely question it. The lady who sold me the mini rake, was all like, "What the heck are you going to do with that thing?!" and I was all like, "Well you see, I have this peg board in my craft room, and I was going to use it to hang stuff off or as a mini shelf." And then the lightbulb went off and she clearly understood the necessity of it after I explained it (obviously.), but that's only one time of many that I've had to explain myself. I mean, I get it. I'm just this 5'0 nothing tiny girl, who looks fifteen but is actually twenty four, and I'm all like, "Hey, can I buy that thing that's sat in your garage for thirty years? Oh no, it's okay, go ahead and leave that rust and chipping paint on there, it adds to the charm." It's great really. Definitely a spectacle to see. Let's talk about that xylophone though. It's from the sixties and has a serious swoon factor. I mean one day I will have a kid you know, so why pass it up now. We won't mention that I also bought a rocking horse. And obviously it is not pictured, because I don't want to look totally crazy, because it is crazy. But one day I'll share it and you'll get it. Promise. Thus concludes this weeks found, and my new obsession of collecting baby things for my non-existent child. It's not as weird because my best friend/partner in treasure hunting crime is pregnant, and what am I supposed to do when we are looking in the baby/kid section? So give me a break, okay. 

Weekends: Mini vacation - Englewood, FL

Oh Englewood, we meet again. Such a little piece of magic in this great big world. We do this little trip every year [see last year: 1 2] and like I said in last years post, it's always the same and different at the same time. Sadly there were no moon pictures had, but the herring makes his debut a few shots below. This year was just as good as the last. 6:30am wake up calls to walk the beach, food-like a lot of food, boat rides, frisbee, and nightly boardgames. Oh, and tons of shark teeth (see below). Dj and I basically spent hours crouched over in an awkward position sifting through countless stretches of sand + shells. It was totally worth it. There is just something about shark teeth that makes them so cool. Maybe the mystery of it all. I'm going to frame these guys and hang them in the living room, because they are just too good not to be displayed. If my back didn't get so sunburnt the first day and a half, I would totally have more, but that probably would have been pretty excessive; nah. So, let's talk about all the cute babies that were there. Seriously, it was ridiculous. I watched a little girl walk by and say goodbye to everyone she passed, whilst blowing kisses. My heart melted. Kids. I like to think that in the next few years we'll be sharing Englewood with a little peanut, but that's a conversation for a later date. Actually maybe sooner then later. So, yeah. Well, that's the short version of Englewood stays. I hope everyones memorial day was fun and relaxing. And as always, all the love and thanks to all who have sacrificed their lives for ours. And all who continue to do so. And, photodump:

Collections: Ferns.

I kind of have a thing for ferns. We have them in our yard and I couldn't be more smitten. I plan to press these guys and frame them. This summer I'm going to slowly collect some more plant oddities to press and frame as well. I shall post my progress, because clearly, plants. ;) 

Weekends: Canoeing

 I love a weekend that feels good and long because it's jam packed with adventures. This weekend did not disappoint. Canoeing is slowly becoming something Dj and I are falling in love with. We've been searching for a canoe for what feels like forever, and may have stumbled across a good one on craigslist (fingers crossed) and if all goes through it will definitely get it's own blog post, because duh. Since we don't have our own yet, we headed out sunday morning to Riverbend park to rent some.

The weather was so nice. The humidity was low (which is not usually the case here in South Florida in May) and the breeze was perfect. Dj had family visiting from Pennsylvania, so what better to show them Florida then to get them up close and personal with some alligators and other less threatening wildlife. If you're looking for a place to get up close and personal with some nature, this is most definitely the place to go. I mean when you can touch an alligator with an oar and a half, I think you can categorize that to: pretty much as up close and personal as you can get.
Side note: when you are in the front seat and you spot the first one when coming around a bend (and it is a foot from you) it may be a little terrifying and you may or may not row furiously in the other direction to get away. In the process of splashing your oar like a mad women, you might scare it off so no one else gets to see it. But, that's all hypothetical of course ;) It will get better (and slightly less terrifying).

Canoeing is a funny thing. The person in the back controls the main steering. BUT A good hard turn can come from the front paddler simply sticking their paddle into the water sideways and - bam - just like that, you missed that stump, made a turn,  and can keep on paddling. Really, the ability to make the thing go in general depends a lot on team work + communication. I am so thankful for Dj who can do anything and everything (and that's a post for another day, but seriously- he can). The boy can row a canoe like nobody's business, not to mention, he deserves a high five for the amount of patience he had with me. (Listen, it's hard to think about which way you have to row to go that way - and turn this way - and go backwards that way, okay?)

Teamwork + communication are such key factors in canoeing and (in my opinion) a relationship in general. Not to brag or anything (ok I'm bragging), but we totally rocked the heck out of canoeing and we do a pretty solid job in the relationship department. I mean we have our moments like anyone else, but teamwork and communication are a few of the main reasons we've made it here, almost nine years later, in our relationship.

As we canoed we kept a steady pace and maneuvered through all the bends and cypress knees with ease; thanks to Dj's amazing directing from the back. He spoke to me the whole time in a cool calm tone and didn't even get mad when I rowed the wrong way; in fact, he would just let out a little chuckle and remind me which way I should be rowing. I quickly got the hang of it and we totally looked like we knew exactly what we were doing. It's so simple to get mad and frustrated with someone just because you're more knowledgeable at 'said task' then they are, but in doing so, it will just create more stress and they'll probably be worse at it. Remember that.

I can't wait to get back out there (hopefully in our own canoe-!!!) soon. Anybody else have any good canoe spots in Florida? We can't wait to find some more!