I’m so excited about this Holiday Season. I feel like Christmas comes earlier and earlier as the years go by and believe it or not…I heard the radio playing Christmas Music immediately after Halloween. This is NOT me complaining. EEE. This year I hope to get some holiday DIYs done, so wish me luck!

These just happen to be some of my favorite spreads from Anthology Magazine Holiday Gift Guide Edition. Read Here.

How freaking cute is this brand? And why don’t I have someone to buy this stuff for! So adorable. Maybe I should stock up for later…tempting.

Last night I made dinner. If you know anything about me, this rarely happens and when it does, it’s super simple. I’ve been pinning really yummy looking recipes on pinterest and I finally had  a little extra time to try one. It’s still simple with “picky eater” ingredients, but hey…it didn’t come from a box.

If you interested in getting the recipe, stop by SkinnyTaste.com for this yummo Spaghettic with Sauteed Chicken and Grape Tomato recipe. Of course I put my little spin on things because I watch the food network and feel like I know how to “wing it” 😉

Stop by my pinterest boards and see what other yummy goodies I’m going to make. (warning/ I pin a lot of sugary things)

Graphic designer, Laura Javier took on the challenge of finding out a way to visually capture “life” and how people’s occupations influence how they go about living. Can a happy life be captured in numbers and diagrams? I’d say she was successful in telling the story of many “Elements of Happiness” in her recent book design project that mixes research with typography, infographics, and image collages. You can download the full book project in PDF form, or just read it like an online magazine. I spent quite of bit of time looking over her work and falling in love with how she shares such common information.

The images above are just a few of the pages that stood out to me. Enjoy!

Download the whole PDF here and read more about the project here.

As a thrifter myself, I strive to collect pieces that will make my home feel like it has a story to tell by the objects within. Adding thrifted treasures to your home happens over years of collecting and scouring cities, looking for that one piece that is like the cherry on top. I’m currently working on collecting items to redo my office/workspace area, and let me tell you… It’s an extremely fun and exhausting process. One thing I keep in mind while on the look out is to know that anything you purchase doesn’t have to be the final/ concrete piece. It’s nice to know that if you’re out and about and find something you like better, there is always the ability to swap things out. Oh, the beauty of thrifting

My dad sent me this link to this home tour that utilizes everything we both love, bright spaces, thrifted treasures, antique touches, industrial lighting, and a lived-in personality. Love it!

I’ve been working my batootie off these past weeks gathering new items to put in my shop. Now that I’ve finally got around to editing some photos and listing items, Market203 now has some new to peruse through. Keep an eye out because I’ll be adding a few more items over the next couple days.

Here’s your chance to bring a piece of market203 into your home. This month’s giveaway is just like the one back in July. There are two items being offered. Simply leave a little note telling me which item you’d love to have, and if you win…you get that item! Fun right?

Up for grabs  are  two items with an end of summer theme! The first is a pair of green glass refrigerator jars that have “juice” & “water” embossed on the sides. Great for traditional beverage use or just decoration for your kitchen.  The other is a flower tin that’s the perfect size to hold old polaroids or other small knick knacks.

MAIN ENTRY
1. leave a comment telling me which item you’d like to win.
*you must be a Google Friend Connect follower of this blog to enter (see side bar)

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES (please leave one comment per bonus entry)
2. tweet about the giveaway. You can use…
@thevedahouse is having an End of Summer GIVEAWAY and you could win some vintage items! http://wp.me/p1gPuk-nR

3. Follow this blog on bloglovin’

There you have it. 3 ways to win. The winner will be selected by random next Monday, September 26th. Good Luck!

Note: I’ve been trying to reward The Veda House loyal readers with little special surprises here and there. Doing GIVEAWAYS  that are only open to followers of my blog is one way of doing so. Please know that I am not trying to trick people into following my blog, but rather show my gratitude towards those that do. 🙂

I mentioned this Antique mll in one of my recent Friday Finds & Favorites as a place I’d like to go. While my parents were in town 2 weekends ago, we were searching for things for do, and or course Pink Elephant Antiques came up. About 45 min away from St. Louis and situated right off a highway 55, this little gem turned out to be  good find. The lawn is littered with oversized displayed collected from all over and the building itself is a converted old school gymnasium. They even sell ice cream out of an old swirl cone shop in the parking lot. Can’t get much better than that right?

There were very few drawbacks to the place. When you’re visiting antique malls on a weekly basis you start to recognize what makes them “good”.  At this place,  the pricing was a bit high and they had soooo many things in locked cabinets that you had to get permission to unlock. There were some things I passed up just because I didn’t want to track down the owner to unlock it for me. I also felt like the place lacked a sense or organization and that the booths could have been easier to peruse.

Overall…great trip. I’m a little pissed I didn’t snap a photo of the massive pink elephant in the front yard. The one iconic piece…and I missed it!

Travel back to when men were super dapper, perfectly outfitted and groomed to the T. Captains of Industry is a Melbourne based gentleman’s cafe and outfitter.  Like holy moly. This collaboration “one stop shop” includes a cafe, Bespoke Footwear and Leather Accessories, a barber shop, a suit shop, and a grooming shop.

““Classic men’s grooming never goes out of style. After six years in the industry I’ve seen fads and distractions come and go and now feel like I’ve found a home where I can settle in and do great work. No bells and no whistles, just great knowledge, style and service provided by a professional.” – Hairdresser Sam Fordyce at Captains Barber Shop.

“A man should look as if he bought his clothes with intelligence,. put them on with care, then forgot about them.” -Hardy Amies, Statler & Waldorf  (a Made to Measure suiting service)

* click on images to be taken to original sources

Last Friday I took my lunch break to peruse a local antique mall for an hour. I hadn’t been to this particular antique mall for a little over a month, so it was a nice surprise to see all the booths had had a little face lift makeover. It was definitely refreshing and I walked away with some great pieces.

This box of vintage brass interlocking stencils was a great find. I’m attracted to anything that uses stamping or typography, so I knew I’d be taking it home with me. Although the box has seen better days, the stencils appear to be barely used! I was also pleased to find out it was a complete set.

Look for this item in my Etsy shop soon. The set would be perfect for arts and crafts, embossing, scrapbooks, handmade card making, etc.

*note: I appreciate everyone that is hanging in there with me during this blog identity crisis. I’m still working through why I feel my blog design still isn’t “there” yet and would love suggestions if you have any to share. 

Another lucky find of mine was Pip & Estella, a beautifully curated online vintage shop with products at extremely reasonable prices!

“My inspiration for the boutique’s original concept comes from one of my favorite novels — the old and worn, yet intriguing and magnetic aesthetic of the mansion, Satis House, as described in the Charles Dickens piece, Great Expectations.  In my mind, sunlight filtered images of Satis were lovely, albeit aging and let’s not forget, inspiring.”  – Sana, Founder

Stop by her shop and check out her collection. Also please check out her latest project, FD+RD (Father/Daughter reDesign). Love it!