what i've been working on.

i wanted to post this yesterday, but it was such a looooong day. i got home from my part time job at 2:00 then worked on a website until about 5:30, washed the dishes, worked on the website more until about 7:30, printed shipping labels, packaged orders and didn't sit down to eat dinner and finally call it a day until just after 9:00. and the worst part is, i got some new stones yesterday, and i wasn't even able to play with them! that all changes today. once i finish posting this, it's stones, metal and hammers for me!

okay, so now that i'm almost finished posting this, and i've just finished eating my lunch (FINALLY!!!), i think i've sort of hit that 3:30 slump, and a nap sounds more appealing than jewelry-making. we'll see.

also, i love the questions you guys have been asking me for my next vlog post! i'm already getting nervous about doing it! i hope you're having a good week, and i hope it's warmer in your part of the world than it is here.

wanna know all my secrets?

that's right, i'm ready to spill (well, for the most part)! a few times before i've done posts with answers to any of your questions, and since i've gotten some new followers and commenters (thank you, thank you, thank you, comments make me happier than you can imagine) i figured i'd do it again. but, there's one thing that will be different this time around. since so many people who watched my incredibly awkward first ever vlog wanted me to do another, i figured that since i'm not sure what else i'd vlog about, i'd answer your questions! i'll plan to do the vlog one day next week when chris isn't home so i won't feel like quite as much of a fool sitting and talking into a camera!

also, i was talking to my sweet friend brittan this morning, and she echoed what i knew, the last video, even after seven takes, still didn't sound exactly like the regular me. i'll work on that for the next one so my true southern accent comes out. apparently it's camera shy or something, i don't know.

i hope you had a good weekend, and i can't wait to read the comments with your questions!

from film, with love.

because i love film so much, and i love sharing and seeing film pictures, i've decided to try and post a few film pictures maybe once a week. i had two rolls of film from two different cameras developed on thursday, and i knew i was in for a surprise. one of the rolls was taken last august when i was in san francisco and carmel, ca, but since i have six rolls of film from that trip, i don't know what's what! the other roll i took with my vintage olympus pen ee half frame camera, and i'm still really learning on that one. i have so much fun with it, and it's always so exciting getting those pictures developed!

the third picture is my favorite. i love how from frame to frame the colors and light leaks can change! ahhhh, i'm smitten with film. do you have any film pictures on your blog or flickr? i finally brought my flickr page back to life and hope to add mostly film pictures.

i'm turning into a granny and i'm not even 30.

you remember yesterday how i told you that i wanted to share my latest project? well, i've really been having fun with it, but i do realize that it probably makes me seem like such a granny to get so much joy and satisfaction from crocheting. i mean, seriously, my dad called last saturday and asked what i was doing. when i told his i was crocheting, he said, "CROCHETING?!?!?" and laughed. i guess it is kind of funny because the stereotypical crocheter (is that even a word?) is double my age or more. but what can i say? i like it. be that as it may, here's what i've been crocheting...

those bottles are old, not just knock-offs! the house where chris' grandpa grew up is, sadly, caving in, but we walked down to it a few weekends ago and i got a few old bottles from the parts that didn't threaten to collapse and take me along with them. i don't know that i'll use all three, but i like having one out though for a flower vase! and speaking of flowers, chris came in on tuesday afternoon after a hike through the woods with a handful of flowers! now i feel bad about saying such nasty things about him. i kid!

wishlist wednesday!

i almost forgot that today was wednesday and i was about to show you my latest obsession/project (no, it isn't jewelry-related), but that'll have to wait until tomorrow! my friend cal can tell you, i've been design crazy lately and i've been doing way too much design sponge archive stalking. maybe it's the changing of seasons, or maybe it's because this is my new thing, but all i want to do lately is redecorate - myself and my house! i've even said something to chris about painting a room or two...which was met with silence and a blank stare. anyway, here are a few things i'd love for said redecorating spree!

you can find these beauties here (from the top): colleen jordan - i especially love this and would hang it by the window at my kitchen sink rather than wear it as a necklace, thief and bandit, flux glass, super duper things, yomemimo, the wood doctor.

today's the last nice day until this weekend, so it's about time i go outside and visit my old friend the trampoline. i hope you're having a great week so far!

a little spring time thriftersizing!

i've been wanting and wanting and wanting to do some thrifting lately 1. because i like it and love the thrill of the hunt, and 2. because i'm hands down the biggest cheapskate i know and everything's cheap when i thrift! the last time i thrifted was before christmas when my girl fiancee and i went. that's just unacceptable. i was really looking for those great gauzy, flowy, hippie tops, but they've become so rare i think i have a better chance of winning the lottery than finding one in a thrift store. anyway, i did find a few things that i'm really happy with, and i figured i'd vlog about them. but of course i'm shy, blah blah blah, feel embarrassed, had to do seven videos before i acted normal... you get the idea!

a little spring time thriftersizing! from Danielle Tanner on Vimeo.

also, a few mentions: my new favorite word is thriftersize thanks to my soul sister, carla. claire, even after that many takes, i'm still fidgety like i just commited a crime, but not as bad as i was in the first video! and girl fiancee, thrifting just isn't the same without you!

and, if you don't already follow sarah's blog full of eye candy, go see what a day in the life of dinosaur toes is like!

check out these guns. no, really.

i thought i'd just do a quick post to show you what i did today. dad called early this afternoon and asked if we wanted to do some target practicing (like he even needs to ask!) and then go to eat dinner later. where chris and i live, there are no neighbors (just look at the pictures), and we have about 140 acres where we can do whatever our hearts desire, and often they desire target practice. pop brought his new 1979 colt .45 (the same gun he had in the marines) to shoot for the first time, and we also had a 9mm, a .380, and my personal favorite, a .22 rifle. now you might be thinking, "this girl sounds like a militia hunting lady." you'd be wrong. i just like shooting a gun, but the only thing i'll ever hit is a target. anyway, i always like to have my camera handy, and pop and tricia, my stepmom, are always happy to play along with any poses i think we need to do!

the second picture is my mean face, so be afraid if you ever see it. i kid! i love the last picture of pop and tricia doing their mean faces!

in other news, i have a slight sunburn on one arm from sitting on my front porch crocheting this morning and enjoying the beautiful spring weather. and best of all, while we were at dinner, we were tall talking about speeding tickets we've gotten over the years, and this is the best quote i've ever heard, courtesy of my pop, "i was in japan for a year and got 6 tickets! and i didn't even have a car! and one of those was for driving on the sidewalk!" the man's crazy. period.

GIVEAWAY from tumbleweeds!

here's a fun little giveaway courtesy of beca from tumbleweeds oddities shop for the vintage or handmade lover! up for grabs is one of these awesome handmade leather bracelets like the ones in beca's shop as well as a vintage mushroom candle! this giveaway is open to all friends worldwide! be sure to check out beca's shop and her blog, too.

here are the rules for entering!

-leave one comment telling me your favorite item from beca's shop for one entry.
-leave one comment if you follow beca's blog for one additional entry.
-leave one comment if you purchased something from beca's shop for three additional entries.
-be sure to leave your email address so we can contact the winner!

COUPON CODE!!! for the duration of this giveaway, beca was kind enough to offer FREE shipping on items in her shop to readers with the coupon code dinotoes

meet our sponsor: tumbleweeds oddities

i'm so excited for you to get to know beca, half of the tumbleweeds team! she's got great style, she's super sweet, and she can thrift things the rest of us only dream of! if you haven't seen them already, she has a blog as well as an etsy shop with handmade and thrifted finds. i was lucky enough to get a package from her last week because she's just that rad.

1. tell us where you're from and where you currently live. We're southern babies. Doug was born in Belle Chase, LA and I am from Decatur, GA. And yes, we both say ya'll often and without shame. I moved to Arizona just shy of 5, and Doug in his early teen years, however, both of our families are split between Florida and Arizona. We met in Tucson and started a life together. We recently packed our home, 3 dogs, a giant cat and our beta fish named Jack into a 1979 Dodge van and moved to beautiful Southern California. San Diego has been good to us so far.

2. what do you think an ideal vacation would be if money were no object? We often talk about going to Tasmania in search of the elusive Tasmanian Tiger. And also, have you seen their coat of arms! So neat! But really, our dream vacation would be to take a summer and travel coast to coast of our incredible country in search of the best flea markets, estate sales and junk stores to fill our shop with treasures. Someday you may find us in our van with a little trailer attached cruising the back roads with our brood.

3. describe your design and decorating style and where you find inspiration. We're gypsies at heart, and the styling of our home reflects that immensely. We work where we live and we surround ourselves with an eclectic collection of muted folk art, tapestries, taxidermy and stacks of wood and leather. The design of our shop is very similar. Our photos are backed by warm browns and natural lighting, recycled paper confetti and recovered metal letters. The tags and business cards are made from wood. We use a lot of burlap and raw cotton and recovered suede in our packaging and our handmade items. Like true gypsies, we also incorporate bright pops of colors and rich textures. I think the both of us find inspiration from our family. I am incredibly lucky, both grandfathers are craftsmen, my Dad and older brother are carpenters, and every woman in my family is a handy with a needle and thread or yarn. The story is pretty much the same for Doug. His Sister is the best treasure hunter I have ever known. She puts the rest of us to shame!

4. if you could spend time with an icon or celebrity, past or present, who would it be and what would you do? Doug says, and I quote "Morgan Freeman, and just chill." As for me, probably Stephen King. I'm such a nerd and I love his books and movies. You wouldn't believe the countless times I defended his screen writing while I was in film school! And I would let him use our guest pass to the zoo, because it would probably be pretty neat to go to the zoo with Stephen King, right?

5. how did you get into vintage, and what do you look for when you're on the hunt? I have been obsessed with vintage since I was a young teenager and discovered that I could get more junk for less money at thrift stores. I guess I was (am?) kind of a hoarder..ahem...collector, and as a kid, collected books, old photobooth photos, cameras, weird paintings, other peoples journals, records, animal figurines, you get the picture. Doug really has the eye though. He can spot vintage-scientific-cat-organs-in-resin from 200 yards away through the red sea of junk and trash and cheap Chinese straw hats. When we go treasure hunting, we usually keep a list of what people are looking for, and things that we have seen a trend in. I like finding special treasures that people request or I know that our customers are looking for. Mostly though, we just look for stuff we like, pieces of American history, folk art, oddities, curiosities and the like. Albeit, we always take requests and will always work extra hard to find those special treats for anyone who asks.

please tell us 5 interesting facts about yourself that you think we should know.
-all of our animals are black and white.
-Doug's last photography show was all macro insect portraits.
-Our last three vehicles have been from the 1970s - a Dodge Dart, a Ford F-150 and our current beast, the Dodge Van.
-I have an irrational fear about spiders laying eggs in my face...thanks to the book "Scary Stories III."
-We have a killer rock collection that has been combined from my Grandpa, his Dad, and our own adventures.

the maple festival!

on saturday morning, chris and i got up early and got ready so we could head out on our field trip to the maple festival. it was a sunny day (a little windy though, especially when you're small like me and have a hard time walking through it!) which i think attracted about three times more people than the last time we went - a cold, rainy morning. i really love the mountains, and if you're familiar with the virginia landscape, monerey, va is just a few miles east of the west virginia border, so you know just how mountainous it is! so, here we go...

in addition to some junk food (that we ate already), the only things i brought back are this amazing vintage bag (remember a few wish lists ago i had several of these bags? well, i found this baby for $2 and the proceeds from everything in that shop went to the spca! double win!) and two beautiful stones. one stone is bismuth, which i learned about shortly before the festival, and the other is dolomite which i've been wanting for quite some time!

our first order of business was breakfast. because of the rain the last time we went, i think there were maybe only three people in front of us in line for pancakes. on saturday, we had over an hour wait to even get up there and place our pancake order! madness! so, being the health-conscious adults we are, we had funnel cake and fried oreos for breakfast! the oreos were so good because they got all hot and melted and gooey! at about 2:00 or a little later, we finally got in to eat pancakes and met a nice older couple who live about 1.5 hours from us (and i think they were the highlight of lunch). also, just look at my hair to get an idea of how bad the wind was! AAAAHHHHHHH!

so how was your weekend? did you anything exciting?

what i've been working on.

lately i've been really inspired, and (luckily) it's been one of those times where i look at supplies i haven't used in ages and all sorts of ideas just jump out at me! i love it when my mind works like this! and since i've been so inspired lately, i placed an order for some completely new metal to make things i've never made before, so when i see the UPS man coming down my road on tuesday or wednesday, i'll probably squeal at a pitch so high i'll attract dogs from a 50 mile radius! but until then, here are a few things i've been working on for my shop...

the earrings at the top are made with real teeth beads! isn't that crazy? all i know is that the necklace i got them from was from an old lady who did some traveling, but i don't know the animal or country of origin.

tomorrow is going to be an early day. chris and i are going to monterey, va (an itty bitty little town in the mountains) for the maple syrup festival. what can i say, chris really likes breakfast food. he'll get his buckwheat pancakes (gross) and i'll get regular pancakes, and we'll eat junk food, buy some amazing handmade soap and see what else there is to eat! we like food. a lot.

i hope you guys have a good weekend! i'll see you next week with another interview from a blogger and shop owner i REALLY like, as well as a giveaway!

wishlist wednesday!

today's wish list is all about what i can wear. since the weather is changing, it means my outfits should, too, which in turn means i've been looking at more and more style/outfit post blogs. not that i could really replicate what they wear (i'm far too lazy), but i can sometimes get ideas on how to style things that i have. anyway, my point is, when the seasons change, i always find myself wanting a few new things to wear, and it just so happens i wouldn't mind wearing these things...

you can find these pretties here (from the top): BeauPapier, byrachelrose, Mary Baker Loves You, nifty thrifty owl, flower of the lily.

what do you have on your wish list? are you getting ready for the changing season with any new additions to your wardrobe?

a recipe so good it'll make you punch the air repeatedly.

i wanted to blog about this yesterday, but since my growling stomach wouldn't let me (okay, i confess, i ate my bowl before i could take a picture), we had to plan it for today. i decided this weekend that i was going to make granola. i don't know about you, but i love granola; like, marry it and have its babies love it. so i looked through a few recipes and i found one i thought i'd love and marry like. it turned out great. so great in fact that i had to make a second batch because between chris and flojo, there wasn't much left for me, and i also made a batch for my pop! next time i think i might add dried cranberries or maybe some almond slivers.

mmm, it's delicious plain, or over fat free vanilla yogurt! i swear it's too good to be healthy. now, in case you want it, here's the recipe!

2 cups whole rolled oats (no quick or instant oats)
1/4 honey (i use a few extra squirts, too)
about 1/8 cup oil ( i used olive oil)
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

mix it all up and spread it out on a baking sheet. bake at 350 for about 10 or 11 minutes (over 12 and it gets burnt), and stir it up once or twice.

it passes the flojo taste test, and that's a pretty big deal considering how picky she is about her food. to be honest, she doesn't just like it and want a little, but she gets so crazy about it i wouldn't be surprised if she threatened to bite an ear off if i didn't let her have any. "mmm, can i have another bite?"

aside from making granola, i've been feeling kind of crappy. i don't know if it's a cold that's trying to get the best of me, or if it's sinus trouble because of all the leaves and bulbs that are blooming, but either way, i've had enough! and i'm thinking i did some serious nesting over the weekend. not only did i make three batches of granola, but i crocheted two dishcloths, and damn if i didn't iron my pajama pants! i blame my monthly hormones. how was your weekend? good, i hope!

meet our sponsor: dreams & drifters

time for another interview! i love interviews because they can introduce you to some pretty amazing people. the spotlight today is on mandi from dreams & drifters, a self-proclaimed music fanatic, crafty lady, and mama extraordinaire. and if i may add one thing, stylish lady. seriously, i wouldn't mind having her dress me. okay, here we go!

1. tell us where you're from and where you currently live. I've spent almost my entire life in a little town called Amherstburg, which is located just outside of Windsor, Ontario. It's a good place to grow up or raise kiddies, but I try to spend as much time in the city as I can. It seems so full of possibilities and adventure when compared to my tiny hometown. I also spent three of my teenage years living a few hours north, in Guelph, Ontario, which still holds a huge piece of my heart.

2. what is your favorite memory from childhood? We lived in quite a few different houses as I was growing up, but there is one that has always stood out in my mind. It was an incredibly beautiful, and very old house. We had a big backyard with a playhouse, and wild strawberries which grew in our garden. Many of my earliest, and most pleasant memories were spent in that yard. I have two strawberries tattooed on my chest as a reference to that time of my life.

3. tell us about your personal style and your fashion icons. My personal style is a bit of a mix. I'm attracted to anything overly girly, frilly, pastel and lacy. I also find myself drawn to 'boho' and earthy styles. My biggest fashion icon is Nicole Richie. I've never seen her look anything short of amazing.

4. what are some of your hobbies? Unfortunately, I have more hobbies than I have free time lately. When I do get a spare minute, I love sewing, crafting, playing dress-up, reading, thrifting, baking, dancing, nature walks, live music, and um, plenty of shopping.

5. if you came into five million dollars tomorrow, what would you do with it? The first thing I would do is spend some time traveling with my mister and our little girl. I've done a fair bit of traveling in my time, but I'd still like to explore Europe and Australia. Once I got the wanderlust out of my system, I'd build a small, solar powered community of cabins, to house myself and my loved ones.

please tell us five things about yourself that we don't know already.

- I enjoy the company of animals more than that of people. I can be quite shy, and I feel like animals understand me better.

- I don't have a middle name. My parents thought they'd give me the option of choosing my own when I was old enough. When I was four or five, I began demanding that my middle name be "Tree", so I was never given one. I still think Tree would be a pretty good one.

- I spent the first 12 years of my life as an only child, then within the next three years I accumulated a half-sister, two step-sisters and a step-brother. Luckily for me, they're all pretty awesome.

- I've had the same best friend since I was four years old (except for a brief stint as enemies in grade seven.)

- I'm usually lost in my own world. It might sound charming, but as a result, I'm very spacey, clumsy and oblivious to my surroundings. I find myself saying "Oh, I didn't notice." several times throughout the day