TST // 5.17 + 5 tips for thrifting vintage!

Hey there Thrift Goddesses! I have a special treat for you today. I am revealing my 5 tips for thrifting vintage over on Just Lovely!  Hop on over and find out my secrets to great scores plus a few peeks at thrifted vintage around my home.

// 5 tips for thrifting vintage //

Of course, I want to showcase some of your scores as well. How cute is this vintage houndstooth dog over at bliss & vinegar? 

Kim from A Night Owl showed her vintage market scores, including mugs from my booth! She is the sweetest :)

Remember, your scores don't always have to be vintage. Lorrie at The Thrifty Book scored this toy organizer for under $12! I really could have used that easy to scrub one when Bailey was going through her, "I am an artist and I will draw on everything" phase. 

Your turn! Grab a button and show me what you got...

<center><a href="http://www.blueeyedowlboutique.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd392/blueeyedowl/tstbutton.jpg" /></a></center>

birthdays & junk

I declare this the long weekend of birthday parties & junking! Sounds fun, huh?

Tomorrow is my baby sister's birthday. Happy birthday, Jillian! We are celebrating by heading downtown to the Sweet Salvage event followed my yummy food and even more shopping. If you're in Phoenix, I suggest you check it out this weekend.

sweet salvage on 7th

Then on Friday night B & I are headed out to celebrate SheyB's daughter's birthday. I hear there is a Parisian theme and I'm sure Shey will have insanely cute decorations and activities for the girls. I'm hoping to sneak a little wine and girl chat in there too ;) 

Then up bright and early for a flea market in Chandler. Again, I recommend stopping by if you are in the area!

merchant square flea 

Then off to our sweet little cousin's 6th birthday party. Phew...lots of fun in store for us!

Make sure to stop by tomorrow for TST and a special little guest post from me on Just Lovely. I'm revealing all my vintage thrifting secrets!

currently craving // vintage wall art

My home is slowly coming together. One part that I always save for last is the walls. I have to admit, wall art intimidates me. I have a hard time finalizing decor and design decisions as it is, but the walls always scare me the most. I think wall art, which is at everyone's eye level, is the most powerful part of a room. It can change the feel of the room so much. For me, it's important the the walls in my home are unique. I have my eye on a bunch of vintage pieces that are not only beautiful, but are also conversation starters. Here are a few:

These vintage audience cue cards from Roberta Grove are fantastic. The typography is amazing, they are quite the convo starter, and they are straight out of old Hollywood.

Old sign letters are a great statement piece that can be personalized to fit any room or feel. Spell a name, a word that fits the room, or even an inside joke. These letters from Haven Vintage spell "eat" and would be perfect in any kitchen.

I'm hesitant to share this next one because I want it for myself oh so badly. A little shop across the pond called Bonnie & Bell has the coolest collection of vintage school charts. This pull down linen biology chart really wants to come live at my house.

This week I raided a couple local antique malls for some vintage ads for my home and for the shop. I think the return of my beloved Mad Men has rekindled my obsession. The White Pepper has a great collection of mid century fashion ads for sale that are calling to me.

While I love color and typography, the simplicity of these vintage silhouettes from A Needle In the Hay are pretty amazing. It would be a great way to balance out a busy gallery wall or collage. If you'd rather have a silhouette of an actual person in your life I recommend Out of Alabaster for custom work.

Botanical prints are a great way to bring color and nature into your home, especially if  you don't have a green thumb. These wildflower illustrations from Ocean Swept would look amazing on a wall of mounted vintage clip boards. You could rearrange and swap out to your heart's desire.

I have a thing for paint by numbers lately as well. I had serious seller's remorse after letting go of a vintage paint by number Jesus at the market a couple of weeks ago. I found an adorable dog one for B's room for 50% at an antique mall last week that made up for it a bit. These florals from Anita Spero Designs have been hanging out if my Etsy favorites for a bit.

There are so many ways to use vintage items on your walls. Actually,  you should probably stay tuned for part two of this post as I finish up my home projects. I haven't even touched on my recent vintage flash card crush :)

Update: 

After hours of assembling a giant map from Ikea, decided I don't like said map, taking apart map and putting it back in the box, scouring the internet, measuring pieces of paper and hanging them on the wall, ordering my husband around, texting my sister a million pictures, and making my mom come over and look at my "vision", I finally pulled the trigger and ordered this...

A Vintage French pull down map of Napolean's Europe. I'm in love. It should be on it's way from the U.K. soon!

What's on your walls?