Now Open!

After much ado....it's finally open: my very own Etsy store!  My husband is glad I'm finally "doing" something with my hoard, er, collection of vintage items...especially the jewelry!  I gravitate toward the sparkly, silvery objects and my husband just laughs and knows he won't see me for awhile...  Check out the store, I'd love to hear comments on how I can improve.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/VogelHausVintage

It's getting closer!

I finally found some time to start working on my craft room-check out the pictures of the awesome vintage drafting desk and vintage light my husband found for me (and I found the vintage drafting chair on Ebay).  Things will be great once I am able to get rid of the pink butterfly wallpaper from the previous homeowners, all will be right in my world.  One step at a time!  I also made a very basic light box to take photos of the great vintage jewelry I am ready to spring on the world...and this gets me much closer.  I have some samples, and you can see from the first yellow-ish photos to the much clearer pictures that I'm figuring things out! 

Also adding a couple of pictures of birds in our back yard after a snowstorm earlier this month-very fitting for Vogel Haus!

Up North

Our annual trek up north last month produced some great pictures that I wanted to share.  The weather mostly cooperated, except for that one day of torrential down pour...we still had a blast in the rain!  We took my mother in law to dinner on the pennisula and tried the Boathouse which boasted stunning views and good food.  Maybe next year we can actually make it to one of the wineries. 

The finally found wild turkeys after missing them for several years-they are in someone's front yard!  We had a chance to go to an old bar in my husband's hometown that is full of boating memorabilia, but I loved the ancient sign about the drinking age.  And of course there is a picture of the signed McCarty jersey as our main reason for the trip is to enjoy the Detroit Red Wings training camp.  It was wonderful to see all of our old friends, we have found over the years that these friends are the reason we keep coming back!

Last Year

As my husband and I are preparing for this year's vacation, I thought I'd post some pictures from last year.  Michigan is stunning in September and we are looking forward to not only seeing the friends from Camp, but also the distillery and maybe a winery or two as well!  Being near the water is a treat and the atmosphere of the Detroit Red Wings training camp is like nothing else.  Can't wait to get back!

An Afternoon in Denver

Friends from the DC area visited last weekend while we were moving....lucky them!  They were a big help and ended up doing much more than any of us anticipated, so we were happy to find some time to enjoy the afternoon in downtown Denver.  We ate at the Wynkoop next to Union Station (check out the pix) and then headed to the Oxford Hotel to check out my favorite place in Denver: The Cruise Room.  Martinis were a welcome sight after the back breaking work of moving our belongings.  I only wish we had been able to enjoy a bit more down time that weekend!

Whew!

We made it.....finally closed on our house and we can now stress about moving all of our stuff!  I can officially start working on my dream craft "studio" and my husband can rebuild his "man cave"! 
Here are a couple of pix from the listing, we are hoping to NEVER move again (famous last words)!

So I survived camping....

After being bugged about it for several years, I broke down and said that yes I'd go camping.  Sleep in a tent.  Eat food cooked on a vintage Coleman stove.  Fish for trout.  Take incredible pictures of buffalo and old log cabins.  Sit around a camp fire with good friends.  Survive a heavy rain storm complete with hail.  It wasn't at all what I expected and while I admit that I am still not an outdoorsy girl, it was a good time and I may be convinced to do it again.
Here are a few shots from the weekend:

Vintage Goodies

My husband made a mistake last night....he needed me to find a couple of items that I had packed with the Etsy store products.  I got involved in looking at and admiring items instead of finding the things he needed!  It reminded me of how excited I am to share these great vintage finds....vintage shoe buckles, rhinestone earrings, brooches galore, bracelets, and fun household items as well!  Escutcheons are a new focus for me, along with a couple of gorgeous old door knobs I found this past weekend.  Living in the 'burbs eliminates the possibility of us living in an old brick bungalow, but we can still add vintage touches that work well in the modern world.

Monday

The weekend was fairly productive between packing for our move, buying the last few things we need for my first ever camping trip, and even squeezing in an estate sale!  We are on track with moving due to my very organized husband and my experience with packing up breakables.  This is move number 40 for me....yes, # 40....and I really hope this is the last for a very long time!

Camping is not my thing...I'm the least outdoorsy person ever...but I've been talked into going and I'll give it a shot.  Between dealing with the tent and a billion items that we need to drag out with us, it hardly seems like "roughing" at this point.  But I've been promised that we'll get to go fishing and I've wanted to do that ever since our deep sea fishing in Florida many years ago. 

Old friends

Facebook never seemed that interesting to me until the last year or so when I found that I could find old friends that I had lost touch with.  As a military brat, I didn't have the luxury of living near the folks I went to school with through the years.  Facebook has bridged that gap and I've been in touch with some great people and even had the chance for a mini reunion with a few I went to school with in Germany!

I'd like to highlight my friend Sandra today who I found just a few days ago, and I have realized she is the same great person she was when we knew each other in the eighth grade!  Sandra is an artist, with a great perspective on the world around her.  Check out her blog here: http://sandradunn.tumblr.com/ 

The world of social media may be best for kids, but us adults can find our niche as well!

Etsy-what is it?

I have been asked "what is Etsy"?  Etsy is a community of artists and folks with an appreciation for all things handmade.  Vintage is a large category, check out the start of my shop here http://www.etsy.com/shop/VogelHausVintage?ref=pr_shop.  It's a great place to find unique items generally not found in a retail store.

Banner design

The great Vogel Haus banner was created by the fabulous Melissa with emvy {creative} find her on Facebook or message me for all of your design needs.  I've also used her services for a special birthday and graduation party invite as well and wholeheartedly recommend her! http://emvycreative.blogspot.com

First post!

Hi!  Welcome to my blog that will mainly focus on my soon to arrive vintage Etsy shop!  I have been dreaming of this day for 3 years while I completed my degree.  The reward of having time to devote to my shop was motivation for all of the homework I endured!

The shop is only a shell currently, but will be up and running soon.  My wonderful husband puts up with the disaster that is my craft/etsy room and helps me in my hunt for great vintage items.  We both enjoy antiques and fun vintage items.  I'll post more as I navigate through the Etsy store set up and my craft room redesign.  I welcome comments and suggestions!