Flea Market Finds: A Good Citizenship Medal, A Souvenir & A Demonic Owl. Instastyle

I've been on a quest to find some "vintage" items for some projects and finally had a little bit of success today.  A lot of bloggers tend to find things at thrift stores.  I have never had much luck at a thrift store.  I recently read that it's best to visit thrift stores during the week and not on the weekend, that the mid-week visit is the key to finding great stuff.  That's not really an option for me (that pesky career of mine keeps me busy during business hours), so I decided to follow the other tip I received this week and visit garage sales and flea markets on the weekends.  I found one flea market going on this weekend, in Mount Airy, MD.  A bit of a drive, and I almost didn't go, given the very chilly weather.  But I pulled on my boots and coldgear headed out.  Here's what I found.  (Pictures taken with Instagram.  If interested, you can follow me on Instagram @emilytutorialtrials.)

I picked up this straw tote.  I have a weakness for straw totes, particularly ones that are souvenirs.  In fact, I would love to start my own collection of these.  (I have one other one, so now I can officially say that I have a collection, right?)  So I couldn't pass this one up. Perhaps I should have, because it was not in as mint condition as I thought.  Of course, I didn't discover this until I got it home.  It has a small water spot on the front and a small hole in the lining.  So, maybe I can't actually use it as a tote.  I'm also considering turning this into some sort of wall hanging, framing it somehow.  I still love the colors.

A demonic little owl.  I realize that in her current state, she is nothing short of creepy.  But I promise, I have big plans on her becoming cute.  Hopefully really cute.  Stay tuned for an "after" picture of this little one.

I have this little dream of making a bunch of little notebooks.  Perhaps this is the tiny business I should start? (A hobby business.) I thought these bingo cards would make great notebook covers.  Even if I just make them for fun.

 I bought this for the FRAME only.  No, I don't yearn to receive a "Good Citizenship Medal."  And I haggled her down to a $1.  And to think, I almost bought a frame just like this for $12.99 yesterday!  I also have a project all planned for this one.

If there is something I can't pass it, it's a nice container.  I can't explain it.  But there are endless uses for this little jar.  Lots of crafty things I can store it in.  And a real deal for $0.75!

The flea market visit was totally worth it!  I found quite a few things that I was looking for.  And a few things for future projects.  There is some good blog content on the horizon!  Stay tuned, dear readers, stay tuned!

A Little Something for Grandma's Birthday.

Last week, my grandma celebrated her 87th birthday!  Happy Birthday, Grandma!  We are so lucky to have you in our lives.  I was able to meet her and other family members for a quick family dinner.
For her present, I embroidered her a small picture of a cute little birthday cake.  I found the design on Feeling Stitchy.  It was their March Stitch Along design, created by Mollie Johanson (of Wild Olive) in honor for Feeling Stitchy's 5th birthday.

Easter.

Easter has always been a big deal in my family. It is a wonderful reminder of our Faith, new beginnings and miracles. In the Lutheran faith, we always say, "He is risen. He is risen, indeed!" Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday!

A Charming Terrarium.

This past Saturday, I went to a Terrarium class at Terrain.  Just a quick jaunt up I-95, totally worth the drive.  I don't have a lot of space to work with, so I made a little terrarium, in a lidded jar.  Some of my classmates made beautiful, big arrangements, I just don't have a space for that.  So I went for small and charming.   (At lease that's what the instructor called it.  Charming.)  The day after, I made the little mushrooms out of oven bake clay and a little paint. I think they add a lot.  Making it even more charming.

Mini-Road Trip. A Visit to Terrain.

I went on a little road trip on Saturday.  I went to visit Terrain in Pennsylvania.  It was an unbelievable store!  So beautiful, every single thing so carefully selected.  I loved everything they had!  It wasn't just a garden store, but a lifestyle store as well, they had beauty products, kitchen items, specialty foods as well as everything you would need for your garden.  I had read about this store in several magazines and on line and wanted to visit, but couldn't think of a good reason to go, until I read that they had a Terrarium class.  I signed up and went this past Saturday.  I highly recommend it!  The instructor was excellent, the staff of the entire store was so nice and helpful.  If you're ever in the Philadelphia area, I highly recommend a visit to Terrain!  Stay tuned for a post about the terrarium I made during class.

Insta-Friday. Burning A Hole In My Pocket

I had a vacation day burning a hole in my pocket, so I took today off! I kicked the day off by heading to the spa for a facial, a special treat for me! I only treat myself to this sort of luxury once or twice a year. Very relaxing, especially appreciated given the long week I had. A big deadline that required some long hours. Thankful that is over! The spa was in Ellicott City, so after I headed to downtown Ellicott City, where I enjoyed a little shopping. It was rather cold, so I didn't stay too long, but managed to take quite a few great pictures. I love a random day off!!

This reminded me of my sister's pug, Genghis. He was a good dog....

Some great quotes...

Couldn't resist taking a picture of this basket of owl timers! So cute!

Yet another great quote.

Such an inventive earring display.

I loved this measuring tape packaging, especially given that I spend quite a bit of time measuring stuff professionally.

Love how this pink building always has a great quote banner... Who doesn't love a little "Blackbird?"

Had lunch at a little coffee shop that serves in handmade pottery.

Cool hand display.

Linked to: Instafriday at Life Rearranged.

Wooden Cross Stitch Pendant

I purchased this little wooden cross stitch pendant a few weeks ago on line. I love a clean slate. Oh the possibilities! I decided to just make simple pattern. With embroidery floss that I happened to have on hand. A light turquoise, a bright red and black. I love this shade of blue, it makes me think of a globe. I thought that this would be a quick and simple project. It wasn't. In fact, it took a few nights of dedication and several sore fingers to finish. Finishing up the last half, I finally realized that I could use a thimble. That made the process much less painful. This little pendant will get lots of wear this spring and summer.