vintageartchic

ABOUT ME... I was born and raised in Virginia--some where near the beach! I love to fish with my husband of 9 years or sit by the water and read while my four children (an 8 year old daughter, a 7 year old daughter, a 5 year old daughter, and a 4 year old son) build sand castles and pretend to be SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy and Mr. Crab on Bikini Bottom! :) And yes, usually they make me their Squidward!

But being a beach bum is a very rare occurrence. I'm usually at work-I just had my 1 year anniversary of being a Pre-school Teacher. I have 20 3 year olds. I'm into my 3rd year of teaching and even I'm learning something new everyday!

Now, as you enter my personal space, you will find that I am in love with everything VINTAGE - portraits, especially flappers, fashions, families, anything 1800's, early 1900's to 1960's. I am also a Victorian Era JUNKIE! I love vintage cars and motorcycles and we know there is only one bike...A HARLEY!). So I guess it would be "a given" to say that I'm an ABSOLUTE Thriftstore/Estate Sale Addict!

I love any shade of pink. I love any shade of green. I also love shades of grey. I love black and white too!

My favorite foods are Thai and Italian. My favorite candies are LEMONHEADS! Twizzlers (Strawberry only) and anything mint.

My favorite animals are monkeys, giraffes, zebras, cheetahs and elephants. My favorite bird is the peacock, my second favorite bird is the eagle. My third favorite bird is the owl. My favorite reptiles are iguanas and salamanders.

My favorite country is Italy; and my 2nd favorite country is France. My favorite US state is Tennessee, Massachusettes is a close 2nd. I love Italian and vintage Paris art and vintage fashion photos.

I love rhinestones, antique buttons, antique lace, feathers, brocade and asian fabrics, brags, embellishments and scapbook tags. I LOVE writing in calligraphy. I LOVE ANYTHING OLD WORLD, ie. decor, art, computer fonts, globes, maps etc. I love stationary in blue and brown hues.

I love Lady Diana, Jackie O, Mother Theresa and Mahatma Ghandi. My favorite flower is the calla lilly. My favorite season is Winter so I can wear my leathers, boots, and cool vintage (thrift store/estate) coats and jackets. My favorite holiday is Christmas because I love happy surprised faces of everyone giving and opening their gifts and most of all a chance to celebrate Jesus! I prefer non-traditional Christmas colors like plumb, wine, antique white, iced blue, lime green (you know the "Martha Stewart" Christmas colors).

I looove homemade aprons...my grandmother use to make these for all the daughters and granddaughters. I love vintage homemaker books. I love vintage cookbooks. I love vintage childrearing books. I love the mountains. My favorite drinks are hot chocolate and decaf. tea. I love kitchen gadgets. I love to cook with herbs.

I loooove to take pictures and put them in vintage looking or leatherette photo albums. Wow, I'm sure there's more, but I'm tired of typing! :) I will do my best artwork for you because anything worth giving is first worth having. So I just might make two one for me and one for you! :) Happy swapping!

I love scrapbooking, pencil art, mixed media art quilting with cotton fabrics(could use any 4x4 or 6x6 swatch of fabric) in fact my next project will be a winter color themed quilt. So any VINTAGE hue of blue, white, purple would fit right in. Collages are my new favorite crafts to create. I also love, love to make kids costumes...by hand, without a pattern!

I love the Bible...I collect vintage King James Versions of the Bible with genuine leather covers intact or not. I looove "how to books" how to be a better mom, wife, teacher. I loooove books regarding techniques on teaching preschoolers to read. I love cookbooks. I love etiquette books, I love "smart books" like dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias, rules for writers new and vintage. I LOVE BARNES & NOBLE! I love any book with a happy ending.

This is what I wish I had...

1. Vintage scrapbook embellies, like old lace, old mini flowers, buttons etc.

2. More slow-cooker recipes

3. Another apron and

4. Blue willow china pieces...don't have to match

I love trees and anything tree related. Even my maiden name means DWELLER BY THE ELM TREE; so I am particularly fond of Elm trees and Magnolia trees but love all trees. I also collect beaded (not plastic please) bracelets. I am in love with estate and vintage looking necklaces and brooches (cameos, peacocks, butterflies, and crowns are my brooch favs!). I loooooove gaudy estate or costume rings size 7.5 to 8 (or adjustable). I have a brand new love...jade jewelry. Anything jade would make me twirl with delight! :) I DO NOT wear earrings. I collect fashion magazines (I would love to get some international fashion magazines), home improvement magazines, any kinda tool for home improvement projects, journals (I have been a journal junkie since junior high school!), blank books, teapots, anything with queens or kings on it, home decor eggs, castles and crowns or tiaras and ANYTHING BLUE WILLOW!

Anything THAT SMELLs SWEET especially Body & Bathworks/Victoria's Secret Apple, Pear, Orange blossom etc. and Peppermint scents, Lemon Scents, Cinammon Scents, Strawberry, Coconut, Banana and Chocolate Scents. I am allergic to designer perfumes but light body sprays, oils and body butters are just PERFECT!

COMEDIES ARE MY LIFE'S MEDICINE! Whenever I am sick, sad, depressed or just generally experiencing the blues, I take a spoonful of comedy to feel better. (Just make sure they are DVD's) I love any movie by Julia Roberts or with Sean Connery in it. I LOVE ANY LOVE STORY! I love drama and suspense. PLEASE NO HORROR FLICKS, NOTHING "JASON" OR "HALLOWEEN"ish. Though I do like Vampire flix just to get ideas for vintage costumes. I turn the volume off and pause and sketch the outfits.

I'm one of those normally reserved kinda people but for "one minute" BECOME THE LIFE OF THE PARTY...I got sorta like the Cinderella Syndrome. I'm fine in the background but put me in the spotlight and I WILL SHINE and do well at center stage...but I can't stay there, my carriage turns into a pumpkin at midnight! :) I'm most comfortable at being the planner, the coordinator, the marketer, the fundraiser, the writer, and the promoter. I'm serious about living life on purpose with as few regrets as possible but I also value taking time out to reflect, relax, laugh and make other people laugh! Sometimes my humor can be a little "dry" but it's funny none-the-less. I am a Christian but one that truly tries to live the life and not just talk about it. I'm not one to CRAM religion down anyone's throat. I just let you see God through the way I live and treat people everyday! I am a chameleon...I can adapt very well to any situation and always the optimist in the crowd. I want to see things get done the right way, the most economical way, but for the good of all. I'm just one of those cool people that you meet when you're walking down the street that you can talk to and feel like you've known me all your life.