A New Year's wish for us all....

~ Inner peace
~Freedom from fear
~Good health
~Patience
~Kindness towards others
~Friendship

May the new year bring you all of these.
This is my wish for you all...:)

~Why my house smells heavenly right now.....

I'm making gifts for two very special people.....

They'll remain unnamed for the moment (shhhh, don't want to give away their gifts!)

I'm sure all of you are familiar with Tracey's beautiful blog
French Larkspur
She shared a wonderful recipe that I knew would be the perfect gift for my dd to give to the unnamed two....!
I've adorned them with a couple of ornaments from my Etsy shop, a couple of antique spoons, and possible more embellishment to come because I just don't seem to know when to stop!
We've had so much fun in the kitchen this afternoon and the smell, well it's just amazing!
Off to make her some hot chocolate....cheers!

Why our Christmases are so happy!

We had just the best day today going to see Santa. Dh had an appointment this a.m. so we had to go this afternoon and by the time we got there Santa was on lunch break ( he needs his energy you know)
So we went and grabbed some sandwiches at Honeybaked Ham in our mall (highly recommend by the way) and then we got in line.
My dd is 11 and still believes. (At least that's what she tells us.)
She was really excited to see Santa and our tradition is that she tells him her 3 very most favorite wishes for Christmas. Funny thing that, she usually gets them all.....:).
Then we went shopping for her Dad and came home and wrapped gifts......I just love this time of year.
Hope you're all able to enjoy the simple moments of this season.
I think I'm doing a better job of it this year than in years past and it feels great.
It's all about family and traditions and passing those on.....
hope you all have a peaceful week.....:)

A highlight of the season.......so far

Well hello, I do hope this week is treating you well so far!
I have one lone shot to share (and un-edited at that!) of some decor for the Christmas season...you see, we have a storage unit and all our decorations are in it. A couple of weeks ago we decided to go get our outside lights to put up, and that was it.
I'm kind of liking the fact that I can't get my hands on my decorations and start stressing out about decorating my house!
That will happen this coming weekend when we put our tree up and I'll decorate a bit inside, but I'm not feeling like going crazy with it this year, more simplified.
As for my blog title, I'm referring to our lighting of our Advent wreath each Sunday...our dd insists on partaking and saying a prayer, which is priceless! You never know what's going to come out of her mouth, what pearls of wisdom, and she's really very spiritual. (My dh was wishing we had recorded her words but once you put that recorder on it's a game-changer).
Have a peaceful rest of your week....:).

~TGIF~

So it's been a drama filled week and I'm over-the-moon happy that it's Friday! That means normal family time, festive activities, and good food! 
This weekend will be the start of our family stroll through the neighborhood to check out the Christmas lights.....we normally drive but why not walk? We can watch the progression of new lights each weekend.....and get some exercise!
And when we get home, hot cocoa time! Maybe with something special added? O.K., use your imagination here.....lol!

Two beautiful books with floral covers in my etsy...

Very cool dictionary in my etsy...

Gorgeous old bible in my etsy...

Vintage oak file box in my etsy.....

Beautiful vintage floral ticking in purple in my etsy.....

I do hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas season so far!
Remember to take some time for yourself to enjoy............!!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care~

Beautiful vintage stockings....all found
here....www.etsy.com/shop/littlebeachdesigns

Unexpected treasures.....

What a fun day today was! First off, it's sooo cold here that it's really starting to get me in the Christmas spirit...our goal today was to get our lights up outside so we went to our storage unit...on the way we saw a sign for an Estate sale. Sweet dh asked me if I wanted to go. Ummm, o.k., twist my arm. As we drove up he said, "It doesn't look like a very big or very nice house, are you sure you wanna go in?" Silly man, those are the best sales! You know the ones, the older homes where the owners (we can only hope) were packrats! Oh, and did I mention it was Sunday so half price day!
(My dd pointed that out to me, she's such a good shopper).
So on the wall I saw the two gorgeous prints above....couldn't grab those fast enough. They're stunning in person and quite large with really nice creamy wood frames....so pretty.

Wonderful books....we'll see what I can part with...

A package of the sweetest tiny, tiny Dennison stars, and a really cool oak file box with index cards included...

Lovely large bunch of lace and a gorgeous purple roses pillow tick.....

and last but not least....an ancient old testament Bible that is literally falling apart and a very cool old dictionary.
I left that sale so very happy...plus we got our lights up today outside, went to church tonight, and had a great Chinese meal.
Happy week to all!

New in my Etsy shop!

A gorgeous antique book

and another

upcycled shoe forms

vintage shoe forms

vintage doll with angel wings

stunning roses tray

We've had such a busy day! Mostly organizing and cleaning out our master bedroom, trust me you don't want to see the before photos on this one! It feels so good though to get it all organized how it should be and get rid of things we don't need. So much more to be done but that's o.k. When it's finished we'll breathe a sigh of relief and feel so good about it!
What have you done today?

It's been a funny day, ever have one of those?

I was struck tonight, while letting my dog outside into our front courtyard, how breathtakingly gorgeous it is outside tonight.....we had no clouds today even though the day started out very foggy and spooky this morning....then the sun came out but it's been VERY cold all day.
I looked up into the sky and saw the moon.....my very favorite thing to spy in the night sky, always has been! And then seeing it through the bare branches of our redbud made it look otherworldly....

I was out raking leaves (we have a ton of them right now!) when the plumber drove up....once again a clogged kitchen drain....happens far too often, and $150 later (that's o.k., money grows on trees right?) I decided not to let that bother me.....too many far more important things to focus my time and energy on that a lowly drain....!
Tomorrow we'll put up our Christmas lights outside because I told my dh that we just need more light out there this time of year! The sooner the better, I say. As for the tree, that's going up later this year than normal because we leave our tree up through the epiphany in January....so no need to rush.
I would like to get some decorations inside though, so that will probably happen this weekend too.
Hope you're all enjoying the season so far!

My new French items for Etsy......

It's been a fun day adding some items to my Etsy shop for the Francophiles out there (you know who you are!!!!)
Why is it that the French do everything with so much panache and style? ~sigh~
I die for the vintage (1900 publication) of the famous Baedeker's Paris travel guide...who wouldn't? It's filled with interesting information and maps for the traveler....even has some stains on the front of it that I've convinced myself are wine stains while it was resting on a bistro table during a leisurely lunch one Spring in Paris......!

A lovely map...one of many.

And my last french dictionary...am I crazy? Perhaps...but there are always more out there, right?
~Sold~

And I just know that someone out there will adore this dictionary filled with illustrations! It's an old one for sure!
I'm glad I only had to go out for a short time today (for more mailing supplies) because it's darn cold here today...a good day to be inside working on my shop. I've never had a happier "job"!
Hope you're all staying warm......:)

~~~~~Happy First Day of Advent~~~~~~

Since the message of Advent is to be "constantly on the watch" I thought this pretty card would be appropriate today....and we are blessed every year at this time with our lovely camellia...aren't it's blooms pretty?
I do hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and/or friends! Ours couldn't have been nicer. We traveled up north to be with family for the day and it was wonderful.
The only down side was that the drive home was a white-knuckler....so much rain we could barely see through most of the trip home. But we made it safe and sound.

I hope this peaceful Sunday finds you all content and ready for this wonderful new season.....!!

~~~~~~GRATEFUL~~~~~~

To be grateful is not something I take lightly...it's a gift to be nurtured each and every day. If we somehow "get out of the practice" of feeling grateful I think it becomes apparent in so many ways......to not appreciate what He has given us is a sin.
I appreciate so much about my life right now...here are few things I'd like to share.

My faith in Him (Seems whenever I pray, He listens, I'm fortunate that way!)

My Family ~ They love me, even when I don't deserve it...:)      

My home ~ With so many losing theirs right now it makes me all the more grateful to have ours.

My health ~ You should never underestimate the importance of  this one! Without it perspective can fly right out the window.

My creative abilities ~ I say this not to toot my own horn but to admit that without my creative outlet I'd be somewhat lost. I think we all need our own "thing" that we adore doing.

My good friends who "get" me, we all need those so badly!  

I'm wishing all of you the happiest Thanksgiving! Make sure you take some time for yourself and think about what you're grateful for......He's always listening.....:).  

Why details matter......the beauty of old things

So a delivery was made this a.m., and I couldn't be more thrilled! In a previous post I had mentioned my search for a hat case, not to be confused with a hat box....got plenty of those!
Well, it came today and it's simply stunning. I've been pouring over it's details this morning.
The leather outside, the incomparable fabric lining (wish I had a never-ending bolt of this fabric, it's the prettiest I've ever seen!), the rusty latches, and the center part that snaps off to keep your hats in place.

It really is the details that set these old things apart, and the beauty. Can you imagine walking into a store these days and finding an item for sale like this hat case?
I'll have fun finding room for it in my studio (wish me luck, hahaha!) so it can house some special linens and lace

Hope you all have a lovely weekend, Thanksgiving is almost here and I can't wait!

Never say never!!!!!!!

Hello my friends!

Two new listings today in my shop, items I vowed never to get rid of....what's up with that?
Why am I changing my mind? Don't really know, other than the fact that I always see "new" old things I have to have and still need to be able to have a path to walk through my house, ya know?

Actually, I'm proud of myself for opening my Etsy and selling my items that I no longer feel the need to hang onto. It helps to de-clutter, while at the same time giving me a good excuse to buy more!
Hahahaha, sounds like I have a problem, right? Please tell me you have the same one....:).
I'd hate to feel all alone in my addiction!

Festive new cuties......and a purchase I can't wait to get...:)

So I've added a couple more holiday items to my shop. While cleaning my studio I came across these items that I purchased last year....ever do that? Forget that you bought something because you had tucked it away? Of course you have, that's why we're friends! We so "get" that behavior, don't we?

In other news I've been looking for awhile now for one of those awesome old hat train cases...you know the ones, they have a buckle, not a zipper! To me that was one of my criteria in looking for one of these cases, I wanted one that had a latch, not a zipper. To me, having a zipper automatically dates it to the 60's......so NOT the era I was looking for!
So I was on ebay the other day and saw one that made me gasp out loud....it was black...check!
It had a buckle...check! Oh, and my other requirement? It had to have an awesome lining! I know, I don't want much, do I?
So anyway, I came across on on ebay, and she was selling 4 hats along with the case. I wrote her and asked (and remember, you don't get much if you don't ask!) if she would be willing to sell just the case, not the hats. They were o.k., but just o.k.
I told her that I REALLY wanted the case and if she would do a Buy It Now option that I would, well, buy it now!
And she did, and can I just say that when you see the fabric lining inside this case, well, I'm not sure what you're gonna do except beg me to sell it to you, it's that good!

So stay tuned, as soon as I get it, I'll be posting it in all it's glory right here on this blog!

Until then.........

New in my Etsy.......

It's really hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit this early in the season, but being in retail for as many years as I was.....I understand the importance. So here I go, listing Christmas items in my Etsy for those early buyers? Are you an early buyer or do you wait?
Some lament the "forgotten" holiday, Thanksgiving.
I'm not doing that this year, I love Thanksgiving and all it stands for. But I'll also try to please those who love to buy early for Christmas....and for a lot of people this isn't even early! They've been buying gifts for awhile now. Suffice it to say, I'm not one of those people!
And that's o.k., to each his own.....for me I'm going to try to have a very relaxing holiday season......
How about you?