Amy Butler Hunting

Yipee!! Our friend Michelle Wiseman has finally opened up her own dream shop called Fabritique.. a Fabric Boutique. She and her 2 business partners have been planning this for a long time and when I found out they carried Amy Butler fabric, I was off to check things out!

Their boutique is located at 3339 Hwy 34 E. in Sharpsburg. Look at their pretty business cards!! Michelle is also a Design Consultant who frequents The Vintage-Flea many times looking for that special something for her clients.
The gang is all here... Michelle, Jenni, Terri and Kelley.

It's like going to a candy shop.. look at all the pretty trims, ribbons, threads, and fabrics.

And finally... La piece de resistance.. Amy Butler Fabrics!! The fabulous fabric collections are still growing but stop on by Fabritique the next time you are in need for some fabulousness!

Good Luck Girls!!

How to Feed 50 Children... at the Flea

Want to make a difference? We all do. I found this unique company in January called Two Loops. They sell beautiful handbags and tote bags... but this time around they were introducing the World Market Tote Feed 50 Program.

Proceeds for every 1 World Market Tote purchased go to feed 50 children in India and Africa! The bonus is how pretty they are for only $14 each!!
While in Franklin last week, I went into a store called Philanthropy: where fashion meets compassion. These tote bags definitely fit that description. Get one today and make a difference in the world.

May the Force be with you... Helping a Friend

Went to Franklin, TN this past week to help out some of Jenni's friends open up a new store called Wedding 101. Actually the concept is pretty ingenious.. a virtual wedding directory/retail boutique. Space can be rented out in 3 tier levels from photographers, planners, designers, event locations, rental companies, caterers, etc. When done, their space looks like a 3d magazine advertisement for the potential bride to see, touch, smell, etc. Pretty cool!

from the dashboard of Jenni's car....

Our first order of business from the boss woman was to rearrange their retail area. It was definitely in need of some Vintage-Flea TLC. You can see on the right side a project runway style dress that Jenni and I made for the vintage mannequin. The close up picture is the gorgeous trim made from coffee filters and left over tulle.
The next day we continued with the clean up and set up. That evening was the cocktail party to welcome all the new vendors and for the opening of wedding 101. We walked in through a gorgeous hand made awning with their logo attached and found our name tags.

Here is a sampling of our party.. wedding displays from cake chiefs, photographer displays, bridal gowns from a designer... then the delicious food from the caterers.

A toast to each other. Amy & Ashley, I wish you tons and tons of success!!

May the force be with you. -Yoda

Cocktails and Cowboy Boots

I'll be away for a couple of days... Jenni and I are going to Tennessee. Do you remember our last trip to Franklin? We are headed back to help Jenni's friends, Amy & Ashley, get ready for the grand opening of Wedding 101. (A really cool concept to help with the wedding planning process.) I can't wait to see it all come together for them. They both came up here in January for the Atlanta Market.. still in the planning/dreaming phase of their business. Of course they will have their grand opening in style with a cocktail party to celebrate and Jenni said she will be wearing her cowboy boots!! Should be lots of fun. Have a great weekend! image from French Blue & Co.

Inspired

So I have been wanting to change my office at The Vintage-Flea for some time now. When we first moved into the building, Jenni did a gorgeous wall mural on the back wall of the office as a surprise to me. Imagine a chocolate brown wall with vibrant green foliage and ginormous hot pink flowers. Very pretty.. but it has been 5 years now and I need a change. Cruising the blog world I found these great inspiration pieces from Desire To Inspire. Embroidery hoops have been turned into great design accents with the use of gorgeous fabrics. How easy (and cheap) is that!!!

This one is my favorite- used as a bulletin board or inspiration board.

Think of all the possibilities.. clothing from your child that you just can't get rid of, lacey doilies can be turned into jewelry displays, any of Amy Butler's fabrics (need I say more). Here is a tutorial from The Purl Bee on how to make the fabric hoops. Enjoy!

Have a Weekend Full of Smiles

new kitchen timers at the Flea..... Have a great weekend.

Library Geek?

Am I a library geek? Definitely not.. I don't even have a library card. I am a geek with new gadgets though so I had to try out this fantastic little Card Catalog Generator. My thanks to Beach Bungalow 8 for posting it on her blog.. which BTW is one of my new favs in the blogsphere.

This turned out cute, don't you think? What card catalog would you write?

Another Hollywood Visit

Okay I admit it.. I do get jealous when I open up the pages of Southern Living Magazine or Country Living Magazine to find wonderful glossy spreads on fabulous shopping areas in Atlanta. Yes Star Provisions is amazing and Virginia Highlands is on my "favorites" list but never do these publications go beyond the perimeter of Atlanta to seek out places like Newnan. There are so many wonderful little mainstreets outside the big city!! I can not say that about Hollywood though. You see our little town has been blessed as a filming location for many movies, television series, and commercials. Currently Newnan is being used in the lifetime series Drop Dead Diva.

You remember my posting here about the Zombieland Movie that was filmed outside my store.
Here is a partial list of other movies and tv shows that have been filmed in Newnan.

Movies on the "Big Screen"
Angel From Montgomery
Driving Miss Daisy
The Fighting Temptations
Fluke
Fried Green Tomatoes
Gordy
Moonrunners
Our Winning Season
Pet Sematary II
Raney
The Sheriff and The Satellite Kid
Sweet Home Alabama
The Unseen
The War

Television Movies and Shows
Andersonville
Caroline Skeletons
A Christmas Memory
Decoration Day
Desperate for Love
Flash
Grass Roots
Guyana Tragedy
I'll Fly Away
Mama Flora's Family
Manhunt in the Dakotas
Motor Home Massacre
Noah Deaborn
October Road
Passing Glory
Severed
Silent Victim
Stolen Babies
White Lie
Wife, Mother, Murderer
Zoobilee Zoo

So I guess Newnan won't be in the pages of a magazine just yet.. but you can see us as a backdrop on many of your favorite shows. I suppose the Atlanta shop owners can be jealous about that......

New Goodies

"Sometimes just a little change in your routine can transform something you dread into something you love." This is a line taken from the Sweet Grass Farm website concerning their line of Farmhouse Homecare Collection. So true indeed. I fell in love with this company on my last trip to Savannah where I saw the line at one of my favorite shops, Paris Market & Brocante. I purchased it and have been using it ever since. It definitely brings me back to when I lived in France during the first 2 years of my marriage. I loved doing the laundry because my clothes smelled so darn good afterwards. I have never been able to re-create that smell until now.

This is definitely my favorite of all the Farmhouse collection, reminding me of when I did laundry in France. There are 3 sachets in each bundle. Can be used to freshen drawers, gym bags, any stinky place...

The Shea Butter Lotion is suitable for hands and body. It contains both shea butter and olive oil.
The liquid soap is a glorious, rich and creamy lathering soap with natural glycerin and vitamins. It is a great hand cleanser, but it can also act as a shower gel too.

This old fashioned laundry powder formula is wonderfully fragranced, biodegradable and very effective. You only need 1/8 cup per wash load. This is a low sudsing formula, it is kind to nature, and kind to those with sensitivities to chemicals. Safe for high efficiency and front loader washing machines. The 4lbs bag will make 58 loads of laundry.

The liquid laundry softener provides a natural, non-chemical means of softening your clothes. Made of natural, plant based ingredients, this non-chemical softener conditions water and brightens fabrics. The 32oz bottle will care for 32 loads of laundry.

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Also new at the Flea.. we are bringing back an old friend. Remember our gorgeous Bakelite rings and necklaces? We brought them back for Fall. I am still amazed when I get people stopping me on the street asking me about my crow ring... they will be stopping you too!!

Hope to see you at the Flea.

Tax-Free Sales Weekend in Newnan

One of the benefits of being a Georgian is that we have a tax-free sales weekend right before kids go back to school. Mainstreet Newnan is participating in an extended tax-free sale.. everything is 7% off. So come on down this weekend and scoop up some great new items. Saturday is Market Day downtown as well. Hope to see you.

Back to Reality

School is about to start for some of us Georgians.. yes we officially will start back August 7th. Summer is over.. back to reality. To help get you back into keeping house and keeping your sanity, a few new products are being introduced at The Flea.

coming at the end of this week will be our line of Eco-Friendly home products like Laundry Detergent, Fabric Softener, Dryer Sheets, Linen Spray, Hand Lotion and Hand Soap. All in the amazing scents of Lavender, Verbena, and White Lilac.
Whimsical Magnets will get you motivated in the morning.

New 1/2 aprons and appliqued tea towels are in. Sorry for my awful pictures.. lesson learned never to take pictures at night! Also new to The Flea is the very unique mixed media jewelry from artist Lisa Souers. She and I participated in the Curious Sofa Art Show a few months ago and we became friends. Her keys and numbers series can be customized for you.

Why was the book in the hospital?

It broke it's spine! This was the joke my 7 yr. old told me after eating his popsicle (the jokes are on the stick). I got a good laugh then remembered that I wanted to show you all what we found the other day. Boxes and boxes of old lawyers books. We have them upstairs for sale for $1.00 each!! What can you do with them you ask......

Artist Sue Blackwell makes gorgeous sculptures with them.

Etsy entrepreneur "Rhymes with Magic" sell them in her etsy shop.

You can cover them and stick them in your library.

or you can take off the covers and use the insides to make some gorgeous displays.

See you at the Flea!

Back In Stock

The amazing soy candles "Scentsationals" are back in stock. Only $15 each.

New scents to tempt you.

Shellicious

Inevitably someone will come into my store and ask about the seashells. Yes we have several different varieties for sale.. in Newnan!! I just love them. I always say you can take the girl out of Florida but you can't take the Florida out of the girl. So cruising through my bog roll recently I found this posting from This is Glamorous. I love the seashell chandeliers. We once covered a lamp with shells and it was gorgeous. In fact I have 2 more sitting on my pantry floor begging for me to shell them up.

And when I am ready to shell them up, I will look at Christa's South Seashell company for a little inspiration. I did just buy 3 busts at the antique shop for displays. Maybe I can shell them up when I am done with them.... hmmm.
My final bit of inspiration comes from the lovely mermaid looking necklace I found online. I can't remember now where it was but it showcased wire and unusual objects. Yes indeed it does.

Happy Shelling!

Fit for a King or Queen!

This week in art camp we were Royal Artists indeed! From paper silhouettes with fabulous Amy Butler paper backgrounds..... To watercolor castles........

To lovely royal portraits that would surely make Queen Elizabeth smile......

Our campers this week were treated to the best royal art experience any child could ask for!

This week Daly and I are taking off for the beach. But we'll be back to finish out our summer series with more next week. Check back and see what my campers cook up for your sweet tooth!

Happy 4th of July Ya'll

Have a safe weekend.

Looking Towards 2010

Yes it is true.. I am already looking forward to 2010. Well February 21-24, 2010 that is. The Art and Soul Retreat has now open its' online registration doors and I am ready to go baby.

A few years back, Jenni and I traveled to the Art and Soul retreat in Portland, Oregon and had the best time. I learned new jewelry techniques, met the famous Sally Jean Alexander, and had a blast with my BFF. What could be better- VEGAS! Yes, this year the retreat will be traveling to Las Vegas.

Want to join us? Start saving your pennies and go to the Art and Soul retreat website for more information. It would be fun for our first Flea Field Trip.