$30 NOVICA giveaway birthday celebration!

Today (May 1st) is my birthday! What better way to celebrate than with a giveaway? I am so excited about this one!!! I recently discovered NOVICA, a truly amazing online store associated with National Geographic. NOVICA features handmade items from around the world, giving the artisans exposure and fair trade compensation. They allow the artisans to have complete control of their listings and help fund their businesses with microloans. NOVICA cuts out the middle man and allows us to meet and support these incredible families from our own homes! Their items are simply breathtaking! Read on to see more items and enter the giveaway!

Grand Opening! Shop FMA

I have started a shop where you can find some of the projects featured here on FMA! Now you can bring your favorite pieces of aloha home! Like something I have made? Love the tutorial but don't have the time? Well, now you will be able to order many of my home decor and sewing projects as well as printables and party accessories! 

Santa Baby...

My 2010 wish list set to the tune of Eartha Kitt's Santa Baby...

A Goodwill Goldmine!

Quite often I can come home from thrifting with just one or two small treasures or even empty handed. The experienced thrifty knows that patience is a virtue, persistence is key, and that tomorrow is another day- another truckload. But yesterday was not one of those days! I walked into Goodwill and felt like I walked into a goldmine! Read on to see my treasures...


My first find of the day were these mint-condition microfiber chairs...

Yep, you read the tag right! $39.99 a piece, with another 20% off furniture sale! I had just walked in the door but I literally raced to find a salesperson so I could claim them! By the time the salesperson and I had returned to the chairs to finish filling out the sales slip there was already a crowd around them. Sorry people, today the luck was mine!


After I shooed the disappointed thrifters off my chairs, I wandered the store a bit more and came across this copper lantern...

Isn't it pretty? I love it and I knew it would go perfectly with my decor. I have drooled over similar lanterns in home decor mags for years now. 


My last thrifty find is this adorable pear lamp. It's so gorgeous! It just might be my favorite... 

Don't you just love when the stars align and you are blessed with such thrifty luck? These finds were like striking gold for me! I find some awesome deals but nothing like this! Have you ever had such a lucky strike? What are your most treasured thrifty finds?

Some tastes of Autumn

This weekend my hubby and I felt like getting in the mood for Fall with some seasonal treats. We endulged ourselves with an old Autumnal standby...Pumpkin Spice Lattes! Classic. They arent technically on the menu yet but just ask your barista and they will be happy to make one for you. When I worked for Starbucks, we always got the seasonal drinks in early.

Then after visiting a Harry and David store we found a new favorite and I HAVE to share it with you...Pumpkin Moose Munch! OOOoooooo.....yummmmmmmmmmmm You have to try this! I think it is a new product. If you need something to put you in the mood for Fall, this Pumpkin Moose Munch is just the ticket! Imagine....delicious gourmet caramel corn with chocolate coated pieces and pumpkin seeds...mmm!

Oh, how I love Fall...

Heather Brown Surf Art

Recently Nadia over at Livin' La Vida Aloha introduced me to the work of Hawaiian artist Heather Brown. Her art is so stunning I just had

to share it with you too! Heather lives on the North Shore of Oahu where she paints these bright, vivid island scenes. I love how her paintings are so cheerful and whimsical. I would love to have some of these hanging on my walls!

She even has tees and market bags!

I loooove owls!!!

Fishs Eddy

Have you heard of Fishs Eddy? Its an eclectic store mostly featuring kitchenware and gifts and its based out of NYC. I hadnt heard of them until a few weeks ago. They have alot of fun stuff. I am considering getting these drinking glasses. I thought about collecting something similar from antique stores but then I heard a rumor that you shouldn't because of cadmium poisoning. This would be a safe alternative...

The best part is they are on sale! You know I cant resist a bargain! ;) And look at this, isnt this cute?

These swimmer glasses are also on sale! Now, these plates are genius! I don't know about you, but I seriously need these ;)

Vintage Inspired Tumblers on SALE!

Lookie, lookie what I found! My friend and I went shopping a few days ago. More like window shopping due to the big projects currently in my queue (teaser: new laundry room coming soon!), but when I saw these beauties sitting on a sale shelf at Pottery Barn I couldn't resist and gleefully succumbed.

I have been eyeing these tumblers from Anthropologie for a little while now. But at $8-$10 a pop I'm super happy with my PB find at half the price! I still ♥ these, so I will continue to keep my eye on them if I decide to add to my collection :)

Pink tumbler: $8, Green tumbler $6, Blue tumbler $10

Red Letter Words

I am simply in love with these art pieces from Red Letter Words. I think they would be so sweet for a new baby's nursery or maybe in my 18 month old's new room when we move. The message of hope for their future is so precious and conveyed so beautifully in these pieces of art.

I just love how bold and stunning these all are. Definitely head over to their site and check them out.

Pretty, pretty picnic

Fabulous Picnic Tote (only 1, Pineapple Mint on Etsy), April Cornell California Check Napkin (on sale + 30%off), Le Cadeaux Triple Weight Melamine 11" Dinner Plate, Madrid, Set of 4 Le Cadeaux Break Resistant Drinkware Highball or Ice Tea Glasses, Pale Green, Vintage picnic tablecloth (personal find at local antique store)

It's finally feeling like summer here in the NW and that means its picnic season! I looooooove the vintage basket I found on Etsy. Its the only one of its kind, so you better try to beat me to it ;) And that plateware and drinkware! Would you believe its melamine? I would swear it was pottery and glass! Isnt my little picnic tablecloth just sweet? We cant forget about the kids; look at this awesome find from World Market (its only $7.99!)...

Here's where Travel & Leisure named America's Best Picnic Spots in their June 2010 issue.

Stylish ways to cool off this summer

I love summer. Some of my favorite summer pastimes are waking to the distant hum of lawn mowers, babies and dogs running in and out of sprinklers, popsicles on the front porch, sun tea, and lemonade stands. Is there anything more refreshing than a frosty glass of lemonade or sun tea? The other day I made sun tea in my new sun tea jar from Target.

I love my new dispenser, but arent these so enchanting?

    

1: Z Gallerie 2: Chasing Fireflies 3: Elegant Tabletop 4: Feather Your Nest 5: Elegant Tabletop 6: Elegant Tabletop

Thirsty yet? Try this refreshing lemonade recipe. I came up with this recipe a few years ago and now every summer friends and family beg me to make it. Enjoy!

Linked up at Beat Until Fluffy

Swooning for spoons?

Do you know how long I have been looking for spoon jewelry? F-O-R-E-V-E-R...Well, maybe not forever but at least the last five years. Ever since I saw my friend Sarah's spoon ring I have been on the hunt. My search ended here, at Annemarie's Etsy shop. Her pieces are so timeless and unique. Annemarie enjoys bringing new life into the old and forgotten by repurposing cutlery into charming treasures.

And here is my spoon ring! I ordered it yesterday. My heart sings! I love that its not too ornate but not too plain...just perfect!

Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt...

I just recieved the vintage salt and pepper set I ordered off Etsy. They are made of stainless steel and teak. I have been searching for a salt and pepper set for about a year now. I thought these were perfect! Dont they look like something you would find at Williams-Sonoma? ahh...Williams-Sonoma...

Bwinks

A few days ago I met these charming little owls and now I am wondering where they have been all my life! I am obsessed with owls, the extent of which you will realize the more time passes! Anywho, arent they just the cutest?!

These darling little creatures are straight from the mind's eye of Bwinks! I cant wait to order mine...but which one?! Head on over their shop to meet the owls and their designer. You can also find them on Facebook!

"Often imitated but never duplicated in style, fabric design or craftsmanship, BWinks’ Owls are the modern teddy, fun, funky, super-cute and distinctly original!"

Red Hot Pottery

I have been drooling over Red Hot Pottery since the Fall of 2009. I am mesmerized by the unique beauty in every piece. The textures, the glazes, the shapes...mmmm! Christine Tenenholtz is the artist behind all this beauty. She first began throwing about 20 years ago and after being "seduced by the wheel" she hasnt looked back since. Christine's shop has been featured on the front page of Etsy, and Etsy honored her by highlighting her as a "featured seller". Click here to read her Etsy interview.

Christine's shop marked the beginning of my love affair with pottery. It inspired me to sell my perfectly good everyday china and replace it with an ever-growing collection of unique pottery. Check out her shop and visit her on Facebook!

ps: I love the 4 little blue square plates (bottom left) because they remind me of Hawaiian quilt squares...another passion of mine :)

Little Sapling Toys

I just LOVE these toys from Little Sapling Toys, dont you? These organic wooden toys are made by Nick and Kimber Christensen in their home in Boise, Idaho. I love how beautiful, timeless, and natural their creations are. They are made with certified hardwood and finished with local beeswax and organic jojoba oil to bring out the natural beauty of the woods. What's even cooler? For every toy they sell, they donate enough to plant a tree through Trees for the Future. I cant wait to get some of these for my son!  Check out their etsy shop and follow them on facebook!