July Manifesto

In the One Little Word group I belong to our challenge for July is to come up with a manifesto that aligns with our intentions for the year and encourages us in our goals. My manifesto came to me easily because I immediately thought of a little saying my sister and I have been using for the past few months - "You don;t know until you try".

This year my word for the year is rest and right from the start of the year I have been embracing changes that create health and help prevent burn-out. Through it all I am putting habits into place that help me rest in God and gain a healthier outlook and a healthier body. I have found in recent years that creativity is really a vital part of keeping myself healthy emotionally and mentally. On our sisters road trip this past February my sister and I reconnected with our love of hunting vintage items. Over the months since that trip we have been on the "thrill of the hunt", discovering vintage shops and markets and fairs in the areas around and between our homes in southwest Michigan and northwest Ohio. 

Through it all that little saying above started popping up. We hate passing up great finds but honestly neither one of us needs much in our homes after years of collecting. So in the spring I started carrying vintage items in my Etsy shop. Then we started a Facebook group where we share our journey hunting vintage items and ideas of how to use them. 

Then in June we decided to enter a vintage market that took place July 23, after all, you don't know until you try!

It was the hottest day of the summer with heat advisories, but we had a good time and I met the owner of Great Finds in Maumee antique store....and a week later I now have a booth in that store! Stepping out and trying the vintage market and a booth in the antique store has enabled my hubby to join the adventure with repurposed furniture.

A mindset of "you don't know until you try" has really enabled us to step out and take risks. The thrill of the vintage hunt combined with art journaling exercises my creative muscles and, while it is hard work, it is so energizing! What might be on your list of things to step out and try?

The Thrill of the (Vintage) Hunt

Oh, the weekend we had! My sister and I spent Saturday hunting down vintage shops and finding great deals at thrift and resale stores from Caledonia to Hudsonville, MI. Today we went to a vintage marketplace with 150 vendors held at the Kalamazoo Speedway. The rain held out and we saw so many great ideas.

Painted Farmgirl ended up being our favorite shop.

We have both followed The Found Cottage on Instagram for quite a while, so it was fun visiting in person.

Some of my vintage finds:

I'm looking forward to working some of these items into my Etsy shop and, of course, playing in my art journal with some of these finds. We are planning our summer to make time for weekend sister's road trips and the thrill of the (vintage) hunt.

Follow our adventures and see what we find at facebook.com/groups/FoundonBrightonVintage

My niece, Lizzie, went along with us and got inspired to create a new addition to her shop of hand-painted signs, The Chevron Rose.

May your week be full of finding things that make you smile. :)

Sister's Road Trip ~ The Journal

The past week has been a miserable one around here. I was down for six days with the flu. I really hated losing a week of my life. The only things I felt up to, besides sleep, for most of that time was reading. Sunday my fever finally broke and with it there was finally a decrease in the body aches. So, I took advantage of that little bit of energy and finished up my travel journal from my recent vacation.

I really enjoy doing travel journals for my trips. While on the trip, thinking about how you want to capture memories helps you slow down and be more present to what you are experiencing. After the trip, it's like experiencing it all over again as you go through pictures and create your pages. Enjoy!