Reading other blogs often inspires in ways unexpected. Lost and Fawned has done it again, with a 50 things challenge to purge your life of the un-needed, un-wanted. I am sure I have rid our household of waayyy more than 50 things in the last 30 days.There is a large pile awaiting pickup by Pam of New Thrift Store , a few bags full that have gone to recycle and even though I hate to do it, a few bags that went straight to the dumpster. These categories consist of items most easy for the family to part with. Even the boy went through his toy baskets to purge his stashes of the broken and as he calls them “baby” toys.

Then my reader moved on to an update at Sparrow Salvage where the idea of a De-Stash sale popped-up again! I think the universe or at least my fellow bloggers are trying to tell me something. So here goes…De-Stash sale part 1 in the Dime Store Pretty Etsy shop! Books and Zines listed in this SALE are mostly collage, mixed media and art titles, back issues and out of prints. I take excellent care of my books and most are approx 50% OFF the cover price.

The rest of the titles (most are seen in the pic above) will be going up on Ebay, unless you contact me and are interested before they sell.

De-Stash part 2 is already in the works and something I am actually excited about. This portion will be be available exclusively through the Etsy shop and consist of one-of-a-kind vintage beauties!

Are you doing any spring cleaning this year?

Tags: books, destash, Etsy, spring cleaning

Books, Blogs and Making New Friends

My grandmother says we each write our own book, no one can write it for you.

I spent this week learning about RSS feeds. One of my more recent goals has been to seek out , subscribe to , follow , comment and share beautiful blogs. With so many to choose from , where to begin is overwhelming.

I decided to choose three that I love and choose three from each of those blogrolls.

When I was small my grandmother gave me a book titled The Fairy Caravan. Grandma and I share a love of fairytales and I cherished it before reading the first page. I was an adult before I realized the author was Beatrix Potter and then I loved it even more.

The hardcover corners had been worn down to soft round points. The criss-crossing fibers in the cloth binding were bleached to an ivory tone against a patina finish of the original green. On the face was pasted a smooth sheet of yellow paper with a loosely colored pen and ink illustration of pigmy creatures and a circus cart. The pages were yellowed and thick with the texture of felt and a smell that is distinct to that of dusty beloved books.

As I found my way through the favorites sites of my favored sites, I indeed began to choose a book by its cover. Landing on the home page, each blog provides its own immediate tone and look and feel and smell and taste. Delicious photographs of wintery windows and summer fruit, colorful socks and new years’ resolutions invite you into the author’s intimate inspirations.

Haven given myself a decided timeframe to complete my task, choosing the first blogs to subscribe too have been picked by instinct rather than research. So far I am thrilled with my selections.

www.NectarandLight.com has introduced me to the world of Polaroid art photography. I will be retrieving my Polaroid camera from the depths of my pantry this weekend and soon be posting my own inspired instant films.

http://abbytrysagain.typepad.com won me over in title, then pictures, then content. I feel this author’s inspiration and excitement about creation and cannot wait to tell her so.

sparrowsalvage.blogspot.com shares my love of all treasures rusty and tattered. Although we have never been introduced, we share a nagging passion for field-walking , collecting bits of history turned up in soil and washed ashore.

Each one these authors is literally writing her book and sharing it with all the world. So often I find it intimidating to share my daily inspirations. For quite some time now, I have felt like the new kid at school. Shy and timid to join the kids on the playground. The funny thing is, this is so not like me in daily life where I am outgoing and able to chat with just about anyone new.

After reading as many backposts is possible, I have decided that it is time to join the party.
It is time to be fearless and share of myself in the same way these author’s do. If I am lucky, I will meet a world of like-minded artists and authors that admire my place in cyberspace as I do theirs. I have also decided that the DimeStorePretty site is long overdue for a make over.

If you have taken the time to read this entire blathering post, I thank you and am entirely flattered. Please do me the favor of response and share with me some of your favorite blogs?
Have you met other authors online and begun to develop new friendships this way?

I know that my site has a few followers am eternally grateful for your interest.
With time being such a precious commodity in life, I hope that you enjoy your visits to my little space and will stop by again soon and some time say hello.

Tags: authors, blogs, books, links

Jar of Butterflies

Altered art for Mystic Paper

“The butterfly counts not months, but moments and has time enough”

Tags: Accessories, altered art, books, butterflies, butterfly

I Was Told There’d Be Cake.

The last few posts touched on Dime Store Pretty as a way of life.
Besides updates on what’s new in vintage at the DimeStorePretty.Etsy shop, I try to include great things to hear, see, eat, read,  you get the idea.

I Was Told There’d Be Cake is a collection of essays by Sloane Crosely. Hilarious, Sarcastic and full of life’s frustrations that wrougt the life of most any twenty-to-thirtysomething suburban girls life.

Dorm-mates, Room-mates, First jobs, First apartment, First attempt at a One-Night-Stand. It chronicles a time in life when your monthly budget includes rent, Top Ramen and a rush of wedding gifts and bridesmaids dresses as it seems all your girlfriends of past and present are getting married at once.

Sloane spares no-one in this hysterical series of short-ish essays. Smart and funny and certainly worth the read.

Tags: books, Boutique, DimeStorePretty, Fashion, I was told there'd be cake, inspiration, read, sloane crosley, trends, vintage