Thursday's Unique Picks - Paint Chip Off The Old Block

Do you dabble...

Gorgeous vintage artist palette brooch and earring set from Seaside Studio on etsy.

Have you experienced the Joy of Painting?

This great handmade felt Bob Ross finger puppet from abbeychristine's etsy shop, might be just the thing to inspire you to paint those happy little trees.

Now I am not talking about landscapes or still-life today, I am talking about kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms... you get the picture. Please note that you don't have to be an artist to be a painter, especially when it comes to this week's Unique finds from etsy sellers.

Fantastic vintage French Trade Sign for a Painter sign from Invisible Gallery on etsy.

Porquoi all the interest in the Joys of Painting this week? 

Adorable vintage "painter's tray" from five6seven8's etsy shop

Two reasons:
Reason 1: I have been contemplating painting the walls in my own kitchen.
Reason 2: Curiosity over something I saw in a bar last week (I bet you are curious now too).

I am still in the planning phase with giving my kitchen a fresh coat...picking the color, finding the time, yada yada.
Color choice is quite a process for me, even if I am just choosing neutrals. I often hang the chips on my walls (sometimes for weeks) to help me with the decision (obsess much?).  I even once hosted a party at my house and was in the middle of choosing a new  wall color in my bathroom. I had the chips hung up in the bathroom and asked my guests to vote on their favorite shade. Wack-o.

Picking the color is my favorite part though, I just LOVE paint chip color cards. I still can't believe home improvement stores let you have them for free. 

These paint color cards can not only inspire a room's color, but they have inspired these awesome finds.

Wear the chips fall...handmade necklace from inky.strings on etsy upcycled from paint swatches.

These cheerful hang tags from BETTESBUTTONS on etsy were created using recycled paint swatches.

Even if your walls are neutrally colored, these terrific paint chip inspired placemats from Avril Loreti's etsy shop will surely add a unique punch of color to your space.

Fun with color aside, you will not get very far if you don't have the right tools to get the job done.
Grab that bucket of paint and get to work. 

Brush up on your painting skills with this vintage industrial brush from BD Vintage on etsy.

A little boost for the vertically challenged folk like myself, with this great cottage chic vintage metal painters ladder from TheOrangeCollective's etsy shop. Even if you aren't painting, it would make a neat plant stand or occasional table in your cottage chic home.

If you want to paint like a professional though, you may want to "look" like a professional painter. 
Which leads me to the second thing that inspired this weeks topic. 
What did I see in that bar? Curiosity killing you?
I saw a painter all dressed up in his white painters uniform. Yeah sorry, not a very exciting bar story. 
Someone I was with posed an interesting question to me though, "Why do painters wear white?".
My reply: "Painters traditionally wear white so you can see their level of expertise. If they have lots of paint on them they are probably pretty messy".
Sounds pretty convincing right? Yeah, it turns out that I totally made that up or believed that statement from someone else that totally made it up, and just relayed it to my parents.

The REAL reason that painters wear white:
 Unfortunately, I wasn't able to track down one concrete reason but found a variety of theories:

  1. ...."it began in the early 20th century when union painters adopted white as their uniform to set themselves aside from non-union workers. The union guys used to wear white clothes with black neckties as a symbol of their professionalism."
  2. ...."the most common color painters deal with is white, and they also deal with a lot of other white stuff such as plaster and spackle, so they wear white clothes so the splotches don't show."
  3. ...."painters use to mix 50 lbs of "White lead powder" with a can of paint paste in order to make about 2 gallons of paint. The mixing process produced large amounts of white dust and to hide the dust on themselves the painters wore white."


Thanks Askville, for these fascinating answers to my exciting question.

Image from The Three Stooges movie Tassels In The Air found on the Three Stooges website.

Don't be a stooge, dress for painting success. No one ever said a painters white suit couldn't be cute...

Stylin' white vintage jumpsuit prefect for painting in, found in Ms. Tips etsy shop.

See what I mean, You don't have to be an artist to be a painter, nor do you have to actually be painting anything to be inspired by these sweet finds from etsy sellers!

The ultimate color splash, no paint required! Beautiful handmade original mixed media using fabrics to create this artwork  from Bright Shine on etsy.

Thursday's Unique Picks - Sunshine State of Mind

Happy Thursday everyone.
Sorry for the break in the Unique Picking action last week, but I had a little matter that I had to attend to...
You may be asking yourself  "What could possibly be so important that you are skipping out on your blog-ligations to provide your readers with great finds from etsy sellers?"
Easy. VACATION!
Travel in vintage style with this brilliant blue set of luggage from Yesterday's Silhouette on etsy.

Due to my ADD and OCD (self diagnosed, of course) it makes packing for vacation quite a trip. 

Handmade button from Nasty Buttons on etsy. It is funny because it is true in my case.

All I really need to pack though was...

I would have been so glamorous if I had had a gorgeous Mid century swimsuit like this one from Coral Vintage's etsy shop. It may have also been a bonus to wear a suit like this for all of those around me, because  it would have provided extra coverage from all of my blinding pale Ohio skin.

My swimsuit and some sunnies

Stay cool with these shades. These fantastic vintage sunglasses from Collectible Spectacles on etsy are just begging to be taken with you on your next vacation.

With an extensive packing list such as this it should come as no surprise to you that I was headed somewhere south (and I don't mean Cincinnati). The hubby and I evacuated the the great State of Ohio last week in hopes of finding a state of relaxation.

Beautiful original fine art photograph from lucy snowe photography's etsy shop

We boarded our crack of dawn flight to find some fun in the Sunshine State. 
AirTran take me away.

GO FLORIDA! Awesome vintage souvenir pennant from Recent History's etsy shop.

Upon arrival I made sure to pick up a little something to remind me what our vacation was all about...

Subtle yet, to the point. Relax. Quite tasty and refreshing I might add.

The hubby and I happen to be very lucky children because we were able to stay at a home away from home with my in-laws. 

This is Danny, and he will be your dresser caddy. This sweet vintage caddie laddy dresser caddy from honey blossom studio on etsy, would be a charming addition to any room.

Their home my be located in a beautiful golf course community a la Bushwood, but you better believe you wouldn't find me swinging any clubs.

Me and my main squeeze. Our afternoon at the beach.
This is the only sand trap you will find this girly in.

I am not one to brag. This hilarious original design letterpress postcard from Mad Menagerie's etsy shop will help you to express to your friends back home how you really feel about your vacation.

Besides golf, about the only other thing I wanted to avoid while on our Florida vacation was alligators.

Why can't all alligators be this cute and stylish? This vintage enamel brooch can be found in Triolette by Langkev on etsy.

So how did I spend my days? No garage sales for me this week. 
Let's just say this girly was satisfied to float.

Sweet relaxation reminder. "Float" away with this hand embroidery from the merriweather council's etsy shop.

If I was an illustration, I would have looked something like this, "Afloat" in the pool (but maybe a little less blond and a little more pale).

Great original limited edition print from Stephanie Fizer Coleman on etsy.

Alas all good vacations must come to an end, because if I was on vacation everyday it wouldn't seem as special (at least that is what I keep telling myself).
I am now back in Ohio and it is about 30 degrees colder than where I was yesterday afternoon. It just makes me appreciate how lucky I was to get to go on such a fab Florida vacation.

Wishing I had some of this right about now, "Genuine Canned Florida Sunshine". The great vintage find is from  Lucinda and the Bluebird's etsy shop.

Oh well, at least I have a bit of a tan to remember how much fun I had in the sun.
I hope this week's unique picks from great etsy sellers put you in a Sunshine State of Mind! Even if you can't get away from your daily grind, these great finds may brighten your day and make you feel like you are on vaca!

Study Abroad

I have always wanted to...
Study Abroad
from The Unique Bird

Recently listed collection of vintage and handmade home decor from The Unique Bird on etsy.

These unique vintage pieces were combined in an eclectic way as if they had been purchased while on an adventure abroad. Maybe a jaunt to a few Scandinavian countries...

Keeping our Scandinavian Study Abroad adventure fresh with a mixture of vintage folk art and Mid-century modern.

Wee woodland creatures that you met along the way..

Tree of Life, 1960's folk art style resin wall hanging.

The Early Bird will catch this great vintage decorated ruby glass vase.

Be Some Bunny vintage faux bois plastic tray.

Having a Tweet Time. Handmade vintage fabric pillow.

What is Black and White and Red all-over?


Why these great vintage pieces to complete the Study Abroad look, of course.

Zig Zagging around with these amazing Mid-century Modern Swedish designed, Upsala-Ekeby bud vases.

Beautiful crisp, Snow White vintage milk glass pedestal compote.


Black and White Beauty vintage beaded statement necklace adds a unique and sophisticated splash of style to your ensemble.

Red Letter Day, vintage powder box adds an elegant feminine touch to any room.

Crisp and modern looking with a handmade touch, Cross Stitch Country, vintage cross stitched set of placemat and fabric coasters.

All together these fantastic vintage pieces from The Unique Bird will add a rather adventurous statement to any room in your home!


Be sure to take a trip to The Unique Bird's etsy shop to find these great vintage pieces and more to decorate your nest!
Bon Voyage!

Thursday's Unique Picks - Hit The Showers

It is time to hit the showers gals.
Nope, it is not because I just got back from an especially grungy garage sale.
I am talking about April Showers, the ones that lead up to Spring and Summer weddings.

Here Comes The Bride handmade vintage paper garland from The Unique Bird on etsy.

Before the Bride and Groom say their “I Dos”…there are the showers.

I do think these are fantastic! "I Do" silver shoe rhinestones from Mon Amour Boutique on etsy.

The Bridal shower traditionally is a gathering of females that attend a soirée to bear gifts upon the bride in the anticipation of her upcoming nuptials.
You may be surprised to know that the bridal shower tradition isn’t really a new concept; the custom of having a bridal shower actually dates back to the 1890’s  (according to my extensive research on Wikipedia).

Do you want to know why it is called a “bridal shower”? Good, I’ll tell you.
According to Get Married Ohio website, “at a party, the Bride's friends placed small gifts inside a parasol and opened it over the Bride's head. When she opened the parasol, she was "showered" with presents! “ .
Yes it sound loopy, but I thought it was a fun little story and am sure it is completely accurate as most traditions and superstitions are.

Happy Shower vintage gift wrapping paper from Holiday Kitschklatsch's etsy shop.

Since I attended my cousin’s bridal shower last weekend, I have been in a wedding kind of mood and thought I would share some ideas for wedding shower gifts from etsy sellers that may differ a smidgen from the traditional Club Wed registry list. 
Sure there is something to be said for buying gifts off the registry list because these are things that the Bride and Groom actually want, but if you know me, I don’t tend to do things by the book or by the list, if you will. I like to try and give gifts that have a personal touch…Often I will pick one item from the gift registry and add on a little something special that is “off registry”.

If you are buying the bride something for the kitchen off her registry might I suggest adding...

Sweet handmade heart spice spoons from Beehive Kitchenware Co. on etsy. 

Every new bride should have a special apron. This vintage apron one from Blue Gremlin's etsy shop is too funny. It is important to note the Bride's sense of humor before giving her an apron though. If you misjudge her tolerance for humor you my find yourself uninvited to the wedding.

What is the Bride's china pattern? Find a beautiful vintage or handmade vase or candle holder to compliment the Bride and Groom's desired dish ware.

For example, if a Bride that registered for a new set of Fiesta Ware dishes, this vintage Fiesta Ware Candle holder from The Corner Store BK on etsy would be a unique gift!

If you are buying her bed linens, try adding a handmade vintage touch...

Vintage hand embroidered "Mr. and Mrs." pillow cases from classicstyleshop on etsy.

If you want to go completely off registry though...

A beautiful pair of champagne glasses for the Bride and Groom to use at their wedding reception.

Pair of vintage etched champagne goblets from my etsy shop, The Unique Bird.

A special place for their honeymoon memories...all you have to do is find out where they are headed after their big day.
I highly recommend these handmade leather photo albums from leathermaps on etsy. This shop offers a wide variety of destinations on their photo albums and offer great vintage inspired postcard graphics.

A custom creation for their home...

This Beautiful custom hand embroidery from Lilac Saloon on etsy, will feature the names of the Bride and Groom.

But this may be one of the most important gifts that you could give a new bride (with a sense of humor), an instruction manual.

1951 booklet "Your Marriage, Guideposts to Mental Health" found in TheIDConnection's etsy shop. Hahahaha.

I hope you have found some great ideas here for adding a special touch to those wedding shower gifts. 
Who knows, if you impress the Bride enough, you may be able to score yourself a spot at one of the "non boring" tables at the wedding reception.