no fun pictures today, but i thought i would share a few of my favorite design books that inspire me to no end. i keep these easily accessible in one of my vintage locker baskets so that i can look at them often!

what about you? do you have any favorite decorating/style books to share?

please do!

since i didn't have this blog at Christmas-time, and since i change up my holiday decor a bit every year, i thought i would give you all a glimpse into some of my favorite decorations from Christmas 2008. after all, it's never to early to start thinking about Christmas! enjoy!

i love snowglobes! i started collecting them a couple years ago, and i have about 6 now. i am a little picky about the ones i choose. i prefer that they have a simple, classic look. this one, my favorite, i received as a gift from my Sweetie a few years back.

i just love after-Christmas sales! i had been drooling over these mercury glass trees from Michael's and the glass finial from Target ever since they were on shelves in November, so it was super nice to get them for 50-75% off!

our kitty, Emma, likes them too!

more Target clearance: funky glass finials

and another Target clearance find!

i got these windows from my parents' barn (that place is a wonderland, i tell you!). the glass ornaments came from a garage sale. i love the retro aqua color!

the wreath is from TJ Maxx and the "Home Sweet Home" sign is from the Flower Factory (like Hobby Lobby, only cheaper!)

i adore this garage-sale tin so much that i use it to house my buttons, that way i can see it all year round. the scene reminds me of a Currier & Ives painting.

and i'm throwing this one in of Edna since i mentioned her in a previous post. isn't she fun?

i particularly enjoy photography, even though i really don't know what i'm doing. i have never taken any classes, and i just have a little canon powershot digital camera. but i have fun with it. i like to use natural light. here are some of my favorite recent shots:

the little red barn at my parents' house has housed everything from garden supplies to chickens.

my dad's old International Harvester Scout. i love the color!

Scout again. the peeling-paint patina and shiny chrome speak to me!

my Argus Super Seventy Five box camera. it takes 620 film (shown in photo). i love the look of both the camera and the old film spool.

like my name says, i am a girl in love with vintage-modern style. i'm the kind of person who could sit for hours and hours hearing stories from my grammy and grampy. i love to read "Reminisce" magazine, scour old estate sales, and treasure hunt in attics, basements, and barns. my family loves when i visit because i take all their old junk! i guess i'm just a bit of a romantic, and that spills over into my personal & home style. i also like modern, clean lines. so i guess i'm a little Ikea meets grandpa's garage.

my husband and i still live in a small apartment with white walls, but it won't be long until we have a house of our own to paint and design as we please.


but for now, it's home.





i collect vintage fans! there are so many different styles and colors to choose from. i prefer fans from the machine age and the 50's & 60's, but i really love them all! you can find them on Ebay and Etsy, or at flea markets, garage sales, you name it. just make sure you check your parents' or grandparents' houses first! i got my first fan (the small silver one on the far left) from my inlaws' basement. and that's where it all began for me. it was love at first sight.





i just love the rusty bones of this little guy! i found him in my parents' barn, and my dad was all too glad to part with it (he was going to take it to the scrap yard!!) he goes great in our bathroom. i could have it restored professionally, but i like it just the way it is!




this is my antique Singer dressmaker form who i affectionately refer to as "Edna". i got her for $1 at a garage sale a couple years ago. at Christmas time i wrap strands of big colorful bulbs around her! (my husband thinks she is ridiculous, but he puts up with her for me!)





i got this pair of mismatched old clipboards from a yard sale. i use them to display my favorite magazine covers of the moment.





vintage metal gym locker baskets make the perfect storage. i have..ahem...four, scattered in various places throughout our apartment. two in the linen closet hold back-up toiletries, one on our filing cabinet holds my husband's school stuff, and this one houses my favorite decorating/organizing books.




this old Linco Gasoline sign is one of my favorite finds, again from my parents' barn. i would like to hang it on the wall someday, but that will have to wait until we own a house.




i love the look of these egg prints from a 1930's encyclopedia. i put them in espresso wood frames from my favorite store: Target. i hung them each with a vintage office clip that i found at a garage sale. (an assorted lot for $2)




thanks for stopping by! come back again to see some more vintage modern style!