Some new finds for the shop

June 27, 2017Leave a comment

I have been finding lots of great items lately to stock the brand*eye home shop! Here are a few photos of what I have found, including some very incredible rugs. Check out the shop to purchase HERE.

Ceramic Asian couple sitting on piles of books!

Vintage planters

A tiny vase

Glass candle holders

Super cool ice bucket

More asian planters

Baluchi 1970s rug

Lilihan 1930s rug

Baluchi 1970s rug

And this one I’m keeping, because it fits in this space perfectly!

Peonies

May 29, 2017May 29, 2017Leave a comment

Our peonies are blooming right now and they are stunning.

I brought a few stems inside and they are brightening up the living room with their beauty. Peonies

Spring

May 1, 2017Leave a comment

In my opinion, the best season is spring! Each year it seems to get better and better. After months of cold weather and barren trees, it’s so amazing to see everything sprout to life. Here is a little trip around our gardens.

Tulip

Hellebore

Stone wall

Lungwort on the right, solomen’s seal on the left

More lungwort

tulip

Primrose

Daffodil

Tulip

Back patio

Bleeding heart

Clover Market Tomorrow-Sunday April 9

April 8, 2017Leave a comment

Hello all. Do you want to see my vintage finds and handmade pillows and quilts in person? Well tomorrow is your lucky day. I will be selling my wares in the Clover Market in Chestnut Hill, PA from 10am – 5pm, W. Highland Ave, Chestnut Hill PA. Here is the Facebook invite where you can find all of the details.

I just finished up this quilted floor pillow, and I’ll have a couple of quilts and a few pillows. And of course there will be lots of vintage housewares and some super rad furniture and rugs!

Quilted Floor Pillow

Quilts and Pillows

Vintage Rugs

Woven Stool

Depression Glass Plates

Orange Chair

Vintage Silver

Quilted Pillows

Vintage Candles

I hope to see you there!!

Barn Picking

April 3, 2017April 3, 2017Leave a comment

I had the wonderful opportunity this past weekend to explore a barn and house and found all sorts of amazing things for the brand*eye home shop. I went with my Dad, who owns an antique shop in York, PA, Olive Antiques, (75 South Gotwalt St., York PA) and he also found a ton of awesome finds. There was so much stuff to go through we didn’t even get through half of it and plan to return. My finds will be available at the Clover Market this Sunday. It’s in Chestnut Hill, Sunday April 9th from 10-5, 25 W. Highland Ave, Chestnut Hill PA.

Here are some photos of the exploration.

Barn exterior.

Me and my Dad. I know, we look nothing alike 🙂

Barn Front

Barn and another small building

Gasp! This is what we did over and over again.

Barn exterior

Barn

My Dad spotted that, whatever it is (antique storage of some sort)

I spotted this beauty

The barn ceiling

Inside the barn

We drove through a covered bridge on the way!

And this is what I found, which will be available Sunday in Chestnut Hill. Here is the Facebook invite where you can find all of the details.

Brass Table

This was the owner’s Great Grandmother’s table! It’s definitely an antique.

Table detail. Bottom is stamped made in India.

All of the finds (minus some that are outside, planter stands and furniture)

Cake plates, embroidery art and elephants

Asian couple vases.

Fabric and Ship Art

Antique Salt box and unidentifiable sitting animal

Glass and pottery of elephants

Antique canisters

Hope to see you Sunday!

Clover Market

Sunday April 9th from 10-5, 25 W. Highland Ave, Chestnut Hill PA.

Facebook invite

Auction Bounty

March 26, 2017March 26, 2017Leave a comment

I have finally had enough free time to check out auctions recently. I just switched jobs, so took off a week in between. Can I tell you how much I love them? I do. They are the best. Not only do I get to listen to the hypnotic voice of the auctioneer, and the excitement of the bidding, I also get to score great things for the brand*eye home shop. Here is some of what I have found lately. You can find these great things at the Clover Market April 9th in Chestut Hill (Facebook invite HERE), and the Craftery Market May 15th in a barn in Quakertown (Facebook invite HERE). I will also be at the Clover Market in May 21st in Bryn Mawr.

watercolor

mid century modern wall lamp (I may need to keep this)

My Bounty from one day of two estate sales and an auction

Candlesticks galore

Candlesticks

woodblock print, watercolor and wood carving

Wood block prints, glass vase, and watercolor

And this was today’s bounty. The rug runner is HEAVEN on earth!!!

Two rugs, one is a large runner

Rug detail

Orange mid century modern chair

This chair is great for short people, because it’s low to the ground. But you could easily add taller legs to it to add some height.

Also heaven on earth, is the new (used), perfectly worn, black leather jacket that I scored at a thrift store yesterday. Dave and I went to a 70’s themed 40th birthday party last night, so I had to get a costume. I ended up also buying this perfect leather jacket for a steal, along with a few other things for the shop. I also apologize for the chronic bitch face photo 🙂

Easy DIY Art

March 25, 2017Leave a comment

Art is something that can be tricky to find, especially if you have a tight budget. Sometimes you need to think outside of the box and you will be surprised with what can be turned into art. I had an old (2004) Andy Warhol planner that was just sitting around taking up space, so I decided to frame the photos to make affordable art. You will see where they are going in a couple of weeks.

Here is the original planner.

2004 planner

One of my favorites, a half finished paint by numbers.

And some technicolor camo.

All you have to do is take out the pages, trim the edges to fit a frame, and frame it! Michaels and AC Moore are great places to find very affordable frames. If you don’t know which frame to get, just go with black. It’s classic and will match anything. And you can frame a bunch of random artwork with all black frames and they will instantly match.

Cutting the pages

I used a roller blade and stright edge, but you could also just use scissors

The finished product.

The framed art work

What do you have sitting around taking up space that you could turn into artwork? If you can’t think of anything, you could just buy a calendar and frame the pages.

DIY Staghead Fern Mount

March 16, 2017March 16, 2017Leave a comment

I have wanted a wall hung staghead fern for an eternity. I don’t remember exactly where I was when I first saw one, but I know over the years I have seen them everywhere. I’ve gazed upon a lot of them at Longwood Gardens and have seen them in magazines and blogs and of course on pinterest. Most recently I was going to buy one at the Philadelphia Flower show on Sunday, but then saw the plant by itself for less than 1/4 of the cost of a wall mounted one. Knowing that I was staring down a week of “me time,” I knew I had to DIY it. I googled and found these wonderful directions, which is basically what I followed. I ended up using floral wire instead, but it’s the same technique. The directions are from Gardenista, and if you haven’t read this blog yet, you’re in for a real treat!

Supplies:

-wood to mount your plant to (I used a wood slice from a craft store, but you can use anything)

-moss

-hanger for the back of the wood (or two nails with a hanging wire)

-nails

-floral wire, or fishing line

-pencil

-hammer

Directions:

I found it easiest to start by adding the hook to the back, so you’re not trying to do it with the plant hanging on one side. Add the hook according to directions of what you are using. I just needed to nail in the two small nails that came with the hook.
On the front side, mark a round shape that is about an inch and a half larger than the plant base, on add sides, with a pencil.
Nail the nails around the circle. I used about 8.
Take the plant and slip it out of the pot. Then untangle the root ball to remove some of the dirt that is around the roots. I removed about half of it.
Place a small amount of dirt in the middle of the circle and place the plant on top. Move the dirt around so that it is making a mound of dirt.
Cover the plant base (dirt, roots and some of the bottom flat fonds) with moss. I wanted to use moss from my garden, but there is a few inches of snow and ice out there, so I bought some at the craft store.
Wind the wire from one nail, up and over the plant and secure around another nail on the opposite side. Wrap it around each nail a couple of times and then move across to another nail. Keep going until the plant is secure.
Place the plant and wooden board in a container of water and submerge. Let it fully dry.
Hang it up on your wall to enjoy. From what I read it will need a weekly soak, but be sure they dry out between waterings.

Let me know if you try this DIY project and how it turns out!

East Falls Entry

March 1, 2017Leave a comment

I have been helping my friends update their East Falls Philadelphia home over the past few months. We still have to find artwork to finish up the living room and dining room, but this weekend we hung the DIY artwork that we made for the entry and stairwell.

We used their collection of black and white photo strips to create a gallery wall for the stairwell. It’s their tradition to go to the photobooth at an arcade in Ocean City, NJ each summer. We just had to buy frames, photo corners, and card stock in colors that coordinate with the rug. Don’t you just LOVE these genuine black and white photos? Now that everything is digital it’s hard to find an actual photo anywhere.

The rug and mirror I scored at an estate sale in Ambler. The secretary desk I picked up from craigslist for $40. The light bulb lamp and dog figurines are all from Homegoods and the frames are Ikea.

Entry with Secretary Desk

Stairwell

Desk details

Looking down the stairs

Looking up the stairs

Photostrip close up

This area cost a total of approximately $160! I definitely know how to stretch a budget. There will be more photos to come once we finish the living room and dining room.

Give me a shout if you are looking for any decorating help.

Craft Room Update

February 12, 2017Leave a comment

We decided that we would switch around our guest bedroom with our master bedroom, so that we could enjoy the new bathroom for ourselves. So that meant moving three rooms around, the guest bedroom, master bedroom and craft room. That was a lot of work and the rooms are not yet 100%, but we are making progress. Now the old guest bedroom is the new master bedroom and the old craft room is dressing room. That means the old master bedroom is now my craft room/guest bedroom! I love having my room so close to the front of the house, and all of the natural light. Here is a sneak peak of the space.

Winnie Cooper has claimed the bed as hers, so she makes a nest out of the pillows. I am currently shopping for a new dslr camera, so better pictures will be coming! Any suggestions on a camera? There are too many to choose from.