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?

To Market, To Market...

It only seems natural that the next step in our vintage journey is to enter a vintage market show. I am excited to announce that we will be participating in the Funky Junk in the Country Vintage Market on July 23 in Monclova, which is just outside of Toledo.

My sister and I have spent the past few months on "the thrill of the vintage hunt" acquiring all kinds of vintage finds. My hubby and I have been refreshing and repurposing a variety of these findings. The vintage items are stacking up as we get ready for the market!

My hubby refinished and distressed these barrel back library chairs made by Heywood & Wakefield Co, in Chicago between 1933-1966. He has a few other pieces he's been working on including the coat rack in the picture below the chairs.

Lots of altered book journals

Vintage industrial office items.

Lots of options for using vintage office supplies for art display

In addition to vintage and repurposed items, my niece Lizzie will be there with her hand lettered signs and home decor. You can see more of her items on her Face book page The Chevron Rose.

And my sister is working on her watercolor and mixed media art in prints and note cards. She just started a blog where she will soon display some of her art. Visit her at A Simply Blissful Existence. I'm so glad she finally took the step to start a blog and is sharing her creativity!

While "busy" seems to be a word that is too frequent in my vocabulary, this little bit of busy we've added is actually energizing. We're doing something we all enjoy and we're doing it together!

So, if you are in the area on July 23rd stop by and visit us at the vintage market. In the meantime you can see some of the things we are working on in my Etsy shop or in our Found on Brighton Vintage Facebook group.

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. :)

Introducing...

Found on Brighton Vintage

For as long as I can remember I have always had a love for vintage – historic architecture, antique and vintage decorating, and now incorporating vintage into my art by making altered book art journals and using ephemera and vintage office supplies. It has long been a favorite pastime for my sister and me to drive through historic districts, take detours just to drive by an old house, and, of course, we have always combed antique stores, thrift stores and flea markets – and now our daughters enjoy it too! I have always used vintage items in my home decorating and renovating. For me, half of the fun is the thrill of the hunt! I’ll get an idea of an item or style I want and will hunt and hunt until I find it at a price I’m willing to spend, because I’m thrifty and budget conscious also. 

Back in the day we called vintage “country” or “primitive”. Now it’s shabby chic, urban or modern farmhouse, rustic, industrial, or flea market style. The latest revival of these styles combined with the trend for re-purposing, reusing and altering vintage items, I find my love of the hunt and collecting has been reignited. But what can one person do with all the bargains one might find? I only have room for so much and have really reduced the clutter over the years to a simpler style. But the thrill of the hunt remains! So I have decided to add vintage items to my current Etsy store, Found on Brighton,  which sells altered book art journals and vintage paper packs and ephemera. I am also starting a group on Facebook – Found on Brighton Vintage – where I will share the vintage items I list in my Etsy shop as well as sell them directly from the group to those who live in my area. In addition to a place to showcase what I find and sell I have a desire to share vintage resources - other online vintage sellers, vintage markets and shops in the Michigan and Ohio area, ideas for how to use vintage items in decorating and art, and a way to connect with others who enjoy vintage. You can also find ideas for how to use vintage décor on my Vintage Décor Inspiration Pinterest board and how to incorporate vintage items in art journaling or mixed media on my Found on Brighton Ideas Pinterest board. 

My sister and I recently took a road trip to Charleston, SC to visit my daughter. We have dreamed of taking a road trip for close to 25 years but were never able to get past day trips or weekend trips due to the demands of life with kids and jobs. But now we find ourselves in a new season of life and our Charleston road trip sparked in us plans to visit flea markets and vintage markets and meet up for day trips and weekends pursuing our love of all things vintage. Our finds and reviews and sharing resources along the way will be another feature, both on my blog and in the Facebook group. And my husband will also be a part of our adventure from time to time as he likes to dabble in re-purposing furniture and other items occasionally. (He also likes vintage architecture, décor and especially classic – aka vintage- cars.) So if you enjoy things that are vintage in your home decorating or art why not join the Facebook group and join the conversation.

I just listed the first batch of vintage home decor items in my Etsy shop.!

Vintage enamelware.