As you all know, I am an episode of Hoarders waiting to happen. Wait, no!  I'm a collector. An avid collector. Unfortunately, with all the wedding hubbub (95 days to go!), my collector's eye has been keenly focused on wedding decor- milk jugs, mason jars, crates, tea tins, galvanized tubs and books with little time to scout much else. My trips to the antiques mills come with a mission and a timetable so I've been quieting my inner collector. For the most part.

 I still pop in a few places here and there at random, you know, just in case. 

Last weekend, I lucked out and received an extra hour due to a random breakdown of the Mister's car. I had to cancel plans with a friend to drop him off and was left with a whole hour of unplanned time. Lucky me. 

Naturally, I spotted a sign for an estate sale and decided to check it out. When I rounded the corner of the street, I saw it. My own personal Shangri-la of antique items. The entire yard was littered with furniture, big items too, that trailed all the way into the backyard where there was, get this, MORE!  

Apparently, the sellers were trying for the last time to get rid of their parents (now deceased) stuff.  The couple had been trying to unload the sizeable inventory for some time and the cost to store the items had become a financial burden. They were ready to give away the farm. Squee! 

I spotted the dresser  immediately and asked about the price almost before I even said hello.  When the chain-smoking seller quoted $30, I knew better than to let this one go. 

Did I plan on buying a mid-century dresser at 7:15 in the morning? Well, no, but when the opportunity presents itself, it's carpe furniture! 

I'm still basking in the glow of this proud purchase. Turns out, it was a mid-century dresser made by Drexel in 1959.  

 Before leaving with my estate sale score, I milled around for other items. I've been into kitchenware lately, plates, utensils, linens and other items for use in photo shoots and recipes.  I found a box full of linens and towels. Beneath that were tons of aprons. The seller's mother, I was told, loved to cook and was never seen without an apron in the kitchen. I was also told that her mother had one requirement of her aprons- pockets. 

I grabbed an armful at once. 

The best part is, I got the aprons for free. The woman was so happy to unload the stuff that she simply gave them to me. I think, too, that it gave her comfort  to send these aprons, small memories of her mother, to a good home. 

I love that about collecting. Everything has a story and with it, a connection. I think that's why I love it so much. I look for those authentic encounters, drive around for them even, in hopes of finding something more than just a new purchase.

Do you have any collections of your own?  

Happy Friday everyone! It most definitely feels like summa-summa-summa time and I've got a nice long weekend to bask in the sun and enjoy every minute of it. We like to take the "no-plans" approach to holidays like these. We may go hiking.  We may hit the pool. I may read the entire "50 Shades" series. Whatever. All I know is that I'll be working on tanning my unsightly gams, casually knocking off items from my massive wedding/home/life to-do list and hopefully catching up with a few friends. 

How do you like the picture above? I found it while digging through my grandmother's old photo albums. I love the old school beach blanket bingo vibe and particularly love Contestant #7. You go, Grandma! 

What do you have planned? Any fun excursions? Exciting projects? Any special meals in the queue? Whatever you do, make it a good one. Happy Weekend, friends! 

I love how inspiration in the kitchen can stem from most anywhere.  It can be a smell reminiscent of childhood or an unexpected ingredient at the market.  Other times, it is a new technique, alluring blog post or curious venture into a new cuisine. 

This time, it was a teeny tiny discovery during my last trip to the Metrolina Antiques Show. 

I was with my scavenging soul sister, Nikki of Not Made in China, for the big show and we spent three hours rooting around in antique lover's paradise. We both scored some old wooden textile spools (see what else Nikki found that day here)  and then I deviated into cookware, a burgeoning collective interest of mine.  I love the rustic detail of antique bakeware with its tarnished metal like battle scars, denoting earned experience.  

I arrived at a table littered with objects, metal and wood scattered like wildflower seeds across the surface of the table. I began moving and touching the antiques, picking things up, examining with a glance and quickly setting them aside, moving on to the next piece. Grabbing, picking, looking, digging, feeling and then.... 

 ...I found it.  A small container holding the most miniature and complete set of cookie cutters.  The seller said it was missing its top but, to me, it wasn't missing a thing.  I had a new bakeware find and inspiration for my next kitchen adventure. 

I decided on shortbread. Buttery, crumbly shortbread. With lavender, my current star herb. I've roasted chickens with lavender, made lavender syrups to drizzle over my ice cream, still working on a tapioca pudding recipe with lavender and now,  lavender shortbread cookies. Miniature lavender shortbread cookies. 

I decided to use a recipe by Joy the Baker that uses natural cane sugar and a hefty dose of butter. Shortbread cookies should nearly melt in your mouth with their crumbly texture. That's how you know the butter is doing its J-O-B!

There were audible squeals of delight coming from the kitchen and several verses of this made-up song, "Mama's little baby loves shortbread, shortbread..."  

I know its not the right words, but you get the idea. If these cookie cutters had cheeks, I would pinch them. So effing cute. The best part is that when you have miniature cookies, a little dough goes a long way. The worst part is that those miniature cookies can be eaten by the cookie sheet-ful without the slightest idea that you may have just consumed a whole stick of butter by yourself.  

Remember mini-snickers bars? It never feels sinful because they're small and then you've gone and eaten twenty. Yikes!  Sneaky and small, but dammit they're cute. 

After baking these little cuties, I got inspired to make something equally cute to hold the shortbread babies. I had a few muslin bags in the cupboard and pulled out my stamps and a pencil with a fresh eraser and went to town. See picture, bottom right.  

 Actually, I think I may have stumbled upon my wedding favors. Muslin bags aren't expensive and the stamping took no time at all. Plus, these cookies can be frozen to be used for a later date. I can make them ahead of time. 

These cookies may have a story to tell after all. 

For the complete recipe, click here.  Happy Thursday! 

Last year I took a road trip with my buddy Nikki to the Wedding Day Hooray, an indie wedding marketplace and all around good time in Atlanta, Georgia.  She was pimping her wares and I was hunting for wedding ideas.  It was there that I first spotted the brooch bouquet. A brooch whaaa? A brooch bouquet. A nifty, crafty wedding bouquet made entirely of brooches.  I had never seen anything like but it struck me as such a meaningful way to add a personal touch to my wedding and include my loved ones in the process. 

I decided then and there, a good 16 months in advance, that I would have a brooch bouquet.  I began amassing my collection, picking up pieces at flea markets and antique mills, whenever something caught my eye. I dedicated a special drawer in my office and slowly began filling it. Family and friends have also added to the pile and continue to bring pieces to me. With any luck, I will be carrying lots of love down the aisle. 

Here's a look at my collection thus far....

I've seen brooch bouquets tailored  for each wedding, some unified specifically for color and style. My goal is to have an eclectic piece. Although I've been collecting brooches with flowers and leaves, I ultimately want the bouquet to tell its own story based on my collecting adventures and the family and friends who brought me pieces. I want the bouquet to be  organically constructed rather than a calculated object. This also appears to be the strategy for my entire wedding. 

The cat pin (above right) was my stepmother's who passed just last December. She was a cat lover (as am I) and was so excited for our wedding. When I spoke to her over Thanksgiving she had already booked a room.  I found this pin in her jewelry box and knew I wanted to take it home to honor her memory. 

Below is my favorite pin, the airplane. My father gave it to my mother years ago and she recently brought it to me for the bouquet.  He passed twelve years ago. My two big brothers will be walking me down the aisle and my father will be there in spirit and tucked sweetly into my bouquet. The books and lace in the photo below have all been collected since last January, small bits and pieces that will be spread throughout my wedding decor. All of it carefully curated and selected for a DIY wedding made with nothing but love. 

I'll be posting more photos of the DIY process as we get closer to the date. In fact, a friend recently asked me for a countdown. My wedding is, as of today, 165 days away. Time flies.