oh my goodness. oh my goodness. oh my goodness. i love this idea!

haven’t we all run across an old suitcase and wondered, “hmm, what could i do with that?”. well i know exactly what i’m going to do next time, cover the top with fabric! this diy tutorial comes from a beautiful mess blog (a new favorite read!) and has so many possibilities. stack them up for extra winter clothing storage, or use them for all your crafting knickknacks. some old suitcases even have that organizer pocket on the inside, perfect for scissors, thread and the like.

visit a beautiful mess for the instructions, and take a gander around her world while you’re there. you’ll most certainly enjoy!

wrap up: {a beautiful mess} {craft} {diy} {fabric covered} {storage} {suitecases} {vintage}

have you fallen in love with stripes yet? they keep creeping into my wardrobe, one stripe at a time!

row 1: blue and white espadrille flats; $30, tiny dancer hipster: $35, rockabilly white-blue striped dress; $130

row 2: 70′s long circle stripes skirt; $24, red striped vintage glasses; $11.50, pastel stripes and leather belt; $18

row 3: red striped tote bag; $55, striped bandeau; $68, vintage nautical striped espadrilles; $30

wrap up: {accessories} {fashion} {handmade} {shoes} {stripes} {vintage}

vintage bird plates, antique foliage prints and lots of character are what you’ll find at shaving kit and i’ve got my eye on several of these charming pieces. the old tables, chipping paint and greenery in all the pictures makes browsing this shop a truly lovely experience.

wrap up: {bird} {foliage} {plates} {prints} {vintage}

today i love: roberta grove. {blog, twitter, flickr}

wrap up: {flowers} {spring} {summer} {vintage}

 

 

 

 

 
my mister loves maps. he uses them to plan his route for bike rides and loves to weave together all of the little connected back roads that he never knew existed. we have a large map hanging over our desk and most afternoons we’ll meet there so i can learn about his planned adventure. he likes them so he can ‘study the land’ (what a guy-thing). i like them because they bring a certain kind of ‘smart’ look to an area (what a girl-thing). when i saw jason laferrera’s take on maps over at design*sponge yesterday, i knew i wanted to make sure you didn’t miss them! he takes historical maps and pieces them together to make these woodland wonders. how beautiful!

wrap up: {animals} {fox} {historic} {jason laferrera} {maps} {vintage} {woodland}

i haven’t bought a roll of paper towels in 5 years. many years ago when i started learning about our environment and what effect we have on it, i quickly felt a personal responsibility to reduce my impact. first on the list was to cut out any unnecessary items. what was first? paper towels! they are a convenience we simply can’t afford. we just don’t need ‘em. here are some quick statistics:

- americans send 3,000 tons of paper towels to landfills each day.

- 51,000 trees per day are required to replace the number of paper towels that are discarded every day.

- the paper industry is the third largest contributor to global warming.

ready for the solution? switch to cute cloth napkins and dish towels!

 
if your household uses one roll of paper towels per week, you could save more than $100 per year by switching to dishcloths, tea towels and napkins. plus, how darling is it to hand out cute vintage napkins to your guests rather than paper towels?!

think you can make the switch?

vintage napkins:

{row 1: 60′s neon splash napkins, gray and burgundy napkins, vintage napkins}
{row 2: rust rose circa 1950, lime green linen dinner napkins, mod rust and brown linen napkins}
{row 3: turquoise and fruit napkins, vintage earthtoned colored napkins, linen harvest dinner napkins}

 
resources: 1800recycling, a lighter footprint

wrap up: {dish clothes} {eco} {environment} {napkins} {paper towels} {simple living} {tea towels} {vintage} {waste}

 
i found pie bird press yesterday as i was perusing one of my favorite blogs, sfgirlbybay, and couldn’t help but fall in love with it. it has that flea-market, bright and cheery vintage kind of feel to it. you know, the one that makes me nostalgic to a time i never lived in? it’s simple. it’s colorful. and it’s happy.

which brings me to.. have a happy weekend! hope to see you back here on monday. xox! bon-a-rooskies

wrap up: {cards} {colorful} {flea market} {handmade} {nostalgic} {pie bird press} {vintage}

i have to say, i am simply smitten with this shop! gloaming design is a treasure trove of handcrafted and vintage pieces collected from all over the world. as she spends her time between the u.s. and paris, france, her treasures come from near and far- some even from belgium! oh, what i would do to rummage through thrift shops and flea markets in france! i guess for now, i’ll have to live vicariously through her and her beautiful shop and blog.

wrap up: {belgium} {france} {gloaming design} {handmade} {paris} {smitten} {vintage}