~sweet vintage treasures~

today i'm showing you some of my true loves

~vintage suitcases and vintage books~

i love to collect vintage suitcases

here are my two white ones, topped with a pile of vintage books

they sit in a corner of my living room

see the book without the spine cover, it's a really old "how to take care of anything" book from my Nanna

i remember reading it at her home, it was in a lot better shape back then!

the books are just simply bound together with burlap ribbon and shabby seam binding

here's one last peek at my shabby pile

i'm linking up with Debra for Vintage Inspiration Friday
and Tickled Pink

Tracey

~land of nod cinnamon buns~

do you have special birthday traditions?

in our home for each child's birthday we have "land of nod" cinnamon buns

it takes 5 minutes to put together this

then off to the land of nod you go and leave them to do their thing

they rise up into this huge pan of buns!!

bake them in the morning and ta-da, yummy cinnamon buns

here's the recipe if you don't already have it~

~"land of nod" cinnamon buns

20 frozen dough rolls (mine come in a pack of 24, i use them all)

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vanilla instant pudding

1-2 tablespoons cinnamon

3/4 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)

Grease a large bundt pan.

Mix brown sugar, vanilla pudding, cinnamon and raisins together.

Layer in pan. Pour melted butter over top.

Cover with a clean, damp dishtowel.

Off to land of nod.

In the morning, preheat oven to 350, bake for 25 mins. Let them sit for 5 mins then turn out on serving plate.

in our house if we're gonna do calories we go all the way, and drizzle them with white glace icing

we can't possibly eat them all in one sitting, but i leave them out on the counter lightly covered and they're all gone by that night...

do you think he liked them - maybe just a little!!

Tracey

~shabby rose french country vintage pillow~

we just had three straight days of sun here in the northwest

THREE WHOLE DAYS!!!!

it made my heart sing, and sure put me in the mood for fluffing and changing things up

and in the midst of it i had this pink thing going on

~yes, pink~

i know, it must be spring

i love vintage linens, i use them to make my stamped ribbons and pillows and ruffles for my burlap runners

and so with spring in the air (at least for three days)

i decided to combine my love of vintage linens, pillows and this new thing for ~pink~

and ~ta-da~
here it is, my shabby rose french country pillow

kinda reminds me of cabbages and roses, but a little more free-spirited

i made it into a longer pillow (16x24"), so it would be comfy on a sofa or bed

or even out on the porch

not sure how long the pink will stay, i have this stunning aqua linen just calling out to me.......

I'm linking up with these wonderful blogs

The Girl Creative
Between Naps on the Porch
Keeping it Simple
Sew can do

Making the world cuter
Show off your cottage Monday
Craftomaniac
MarvelouslyMessy
Tickled Pink
Frugal Friday at the Shabby Nest

Tracey

~shabby seam binding love~

~i am in love with shabby seam binding ribbon~

it is so versatile, i use it in many of my projects

like here tied on my shabby french pillows

or for gifting

and around vintage books

i buy all my seam binding ribbon from Patsy of Prairie Bird Boutique

she is just the sweetest person to deal with and is so accommodating of my custom orders

and you can find every color under the sun in Patsy's store

plus this is what her package looks like...

this in the mailbox

open up to this (you know it's ALL about the packaging for me)

and this

yummy white ribbon this time

Patsy always includes a little gift and a handwritten card

i love that as etsy sellers we can support each others businesses

so be sure to check out Prairie Bird Boutique!

joining in with Debra at Vintage Inspiration Friday

Tracey

~many moons in the same canoe~

~many moons in the same canoe~

i first read this quote as a newly wed, and it has kinda stuck with me

this week i came home to find these

and these

because it's been many moons in the same canoe

20 to be precise

and that is worth celebrating!

(even though it makes me feel kinda ooollldd - i was a young bride, okay!)

we've done a lot of different things in 20 years

had three beautiful kids

worked as missionaries

moved our family across the world

(~that was a biggie~)

i'm so glad i got to do it all with mr keeper

and while we're still in the week of hearts....

you know how i love chocolate!!!!

well look at this chocolate spread i found, what a treat for the eyes...

~yum~

okay, so maybe it looked a little better before we dug in!

happy valentines week!

tracey

~little brown bottle~

do you ever buy things just for the container?

that's how it was with this beauty

love at first sight i tell ya!

i don't even particularly LIKE brown

but i love how vintagey this brown glass bottle looks

and i know i'll continue to use it when it's done

wouldn't it make an awesome vase

the soap smells pretty good too - papaya and ginseng

now in my fantasy this sits in the guest bathroom with sunlight gleaming through...

in reality it is streaked with soap and fingerprints...

but here, here it has it's own moment

(how do you like my little sheep, you didn't know i used to be a primitive gal, now did ya)

don't you just love the variety of soaps we can get nowadays

i do like bath and body works, but we're taking a break from the anti-bacterials for a while

just as little too harsh on the skin during our cold winter

and it's kinda fun to search out these one of a kinds

(do you US gals have ANY idea how we Canadian gals support your economy!!)

anyway, back to reality, gotta put the soap back where it belongs!!

Tracey

~shabby parcel~

i love gifts

i love giving them

and i love receiving them

and the packaging is a big deal to me, it says, i took the time to think about you and your gift

it doesn't have to take a long time, just a little imagination

how do you like this shabby parcel??

all i did was take a scrap of natural osnaburg (one of my fav fabrics)

wrap it loosely around the gift

tie it up with twine

pretty it up with shabby seam binding and a tag

i love the unfinished edges

plain and simple

it kinda makes me feel like i'm out on the wagon trail with my special parcel!!

Tracey

~under construction~

i know

it's looking kinda blah

and yes i did remove the background

and no it isn't staying this way

so bear with me and keep visiting anyways!!

Tracey

~burlap coffee sack and galvanised jars~

burlap coffee sack +

shabby white box +

galvanised jars =

just perfect!

Tracey