Treasure Box Wednesday: Online Treasures

Today, I thought we'd do a different kind of sharing today. We'd take a break from thrifted goodies, and instead I'd mention a few online bloggy folks doing some interesting things with romantic decorating, original vintage-influenced crafts, and food. Now, these are in no particular order. But I think each is a treasure in its own way!


Of Bluebirds and Roses
http://bluebirdroses.blogspot.com/
As soft as a cashmere sweater and as sweet as that cotton candy stuck to your upper lip, Of Bluebirds and Roses is a blog where you see the world through hazy pink lenses. Vintage ephemera, vignettes, and holiday decor, this site takes the pastels and whites of Shabby Chic and sets an outstanding example of the uber-feminine style.


Oak Rise Cottage
http://oakrisecottage.blogspot.com/
Vintage, practical, and with a flair for the sentimental, Carrie puts thought and an eye for thrifty collecting together along with discussions on literature, holidays and more.


Kitchen Retro
http://kitchenretro.blogspot.com/
If you enjoy the occasional kooky retro cookbook and decorating humor posts here on the Thrift Shop Romantic, you'll love Lidian's Kitchen Retro blog. There, every day is a look into the witty, the surprising and our gelatine-obsessed past.


Rose's Petite Maison
http://rosespetitemaison.blogspot.com/
All that glitters is, well... probably what Rosemary's up to her elbows in about now. Her papercrafts include a combination of vintage items, glitter and a romantic theme, creating unusual pieces of art for all occasions. Check out her latest craft projects, her day trips, and her flea marketing adventures. Plus, she's just a really nice lady.

White o'Morn Cottage
http://whitemorn.typepad.com/
Fly across to the Emerald Isle as blogger Pam shows us vintage decorating and photography from her home of Ireland. Learn a little about the local culture, and see vintage decor from a new perspective.


Cooking with Anne
http://cookingwithanne.blogspot.com/
And to tempt your tastebuds with some culinary treats, don't forget to stop by Anne's1 I mean, if you have an old Pyrex casserole dish that needs using, Anne can show you how to make just the right casserole for it! That and cakes, pies, breakfasts, snacks... pardon me, there's a little drool on the keyboard. Let me just get that.


Steampowered Rings
http://steampunkrings.blogspot.com/
A cool twist on the Victorian-influenced Steampunk trend can be found in Catherinette's jewelry blog. It's an unusual combination of vintage clock gears, Victorian beading and an industrial/technological feel to create these clever pieces. I have one of her rings, which is surprisingly comfortable for its striking shape.


Well, I think that's enough for this Treasure Box Wednesday-- don't want to keep you folks too glued to your computer as this Fourth of July holiday approaches!

• If you missed Sunday's post, Variety with Vignettes, you can check that out here.

Otherwise, I'll see you next on Monday of this coming week-- I myself have guests coming this holiday, so I won't have time to post until then.

Thanks muchly for visiting, folks! And for my U.S. readers, have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Of Buds and Blogging Buddies

Long overdue is a post expressing my gratitude for the various blog awards recently passed along to me by a number of you, my fine "invisible friends" and fellow bloggers. So I thought today, as spring begins to show its fresh new colors, I would take a moment to share these awards with a few of you, as well as pass long a little of the beauty of season so far.

Thanks to SewDelish, for the "You Make My Day" award, and I apologize it's taken me this long to recognize it here. I figure if I've made anyone's day along the way, there's pretty much nothing better than that!


Thanks to Sindhoo of Under the Sun for conferring, wow, more blog awards at one time than I've ever seen. Makes a gal feel a bit like Kevin Costner when "Dances With Wolves" was up for the Oscars. :) Too many icons to even post here, but all very kind.

And thanks to Lidian of KitchenRetro for the "E for Excellence" award. She's a good egg, that Lidian-- and she can also tell you how that egg was used in about a million different retro cookbooks.


This leaves me to pass along the awards to some deserving bloggers myself. Following Lidian's example, I'm going to select ten folks who merit some attention. Of course, there are so many of you out there that deserve recognition for your blogging efforts and general camaraderie that frankly, I'd be here all day listing folks. So we're going with ten, and also, none of you need feel obligated to do anything regarding this-- just know you're appreciated.

• Greg of The Midnight Garden. For beautiful photos, general kindness, and a terrific sense of humor.

• Rosemary of Rose's Petite Maison. For adding sparkle (literally and metaphorically!) to vintage style crafting.

• Sher "Grinnin' Grandma" of OldTimeMeArtist. For approaching everything with a dash of humor and a grin.

• Ms. A over at LivingWithoutMoney. She works on a shoe-string budget, we cook with her, decorate with her and save money with her. And somehow she manages to have new posts daily.

• ChrisMiss at MacandChris.com. This lady rides around in a caravan and blogs about her travels. You'll find her posting on TheThriftshopper.com from where ever she roams. I've enjoyed her insights!

• Carrie at OakRiseCottage. She has such an eye for vintage needlework and art. It's always fun to see her most recent treasures.

• Sujatha at Fluff-n-Stuff. A bright, funny lady who has a lot of great stories to share.

• Lynn at the VintageNest for inspirational photography and great ideas.

• Pam at White o'Morn Cottage for sharing the beauty of Ireland with us all.

• Becca at Of Bluebirds and Roses for creating such an idyllic, almost storybook atmosphere with every photo.

Now-- as we move from the blogging buddies to plain old buds, I think we'll start here, with some recently-opened daffodils.



Here are a few of the grape hyacinth that have popped up. True to hyacinth fashion, there seem to be more each year and boss the daffodils around. :)


Here are just a few shots of the azaleas as they start to bloom. Another day or two, and these should be in full-force. The intense pinkish purple is an absolute joy to me.


Lastly, I noticed the bleeding heart seems to be leafing and happy. I can't wait until it starts putting out it's little pink garland of hearts. It's some much needed color in that part of the yard.


I hope spring is treating you all well, and I thank you all for being a part of this site, for the comments, the chuckles, the camaraderie-- everything. I love seeing what this spot has grown into-- it's a little bit like the spring garden, continually rewarding and so pleasing to see blossom.

• For those interested in last week's Treasure Box Wednesday on McCoy pottery, click here.
• Next Sunday, I may be a little late with my post-- I'm not sure how timing will be because I have a guest visiting. So just wanted to give you a heads-up. :)