MinaLucinda and The German Pancake

First let me introduce you to Ellen the heart soul and breath behind a fabulous intern driven Etsy shop called MinaLucinda From the heart of New York City she is a costume historian, and has been working with antique and vintage pieces since 1967. 
I picture her making her German Pancake in full costume. 

Edwardian Hat

Edwardian Walking Skirt

Vintage Silk Coat

Too scrumptious not to eat it right up hot from the pan.

German Pancake Mina Lucinda

While a gentle breeze blows in the kitchen window and seated at the tiny kitchen table.

French Cafe Curtain

Quimper Bowl Collection

Buttery goodness dripping from silver forks and merry amusing laughter bubbling from the lips of quests as they enjoy this feast with powdered sugar sprinkled onto the front of their frocks. 
Ah delightful to have a taste of the olde country kitchen in the middle of New York City.
Ellen's Recipe.
 here is the recipe - German pancakes are made in the oven, preferebly in a cast iron skillet. Mix (for a large one, serves 2-6) 6 eggs, 1 cup flour, pinch of salt, 1 cup milk, 1/2 c butter. Melt butter in your oven, mix the flour, etc, pour it into the melted butter, and go away for 30 min. When you open the oven you have this GORGEOUS inflated, puffy, luscious looking thing. sprinkle some powdered sugar on it at the table. Must be served while it's hot, and high. Like a souffle.
I made one for brunch today and while I ate it in my robe I could only imagine the warmth of that apartment and the good company of Mina Lucinda.
Here is my little attempt.

It was heavenly. I had it with peach preserves. I'm sick with a cold today and this splurge into the realm of butter, flour and eggs was worth every bite.  Make one for yourself soon.  Tomorrow I will be back to Paleo. 
Thank you Ellen.  You never know where the little suggestion of something good to eat will take you.

The Interview

find it here

The company I work for is being taken over and today was the long awaited day to sit with the H.R. person and find out what my pay would be.  This is the health care field and I don't care where you stand by now we all must realize costs with Obama Care are going up. I was of course hoping against the tide for a bit more money. The proposal was for me to make an increase of 23 cents an hour.  I was telling the lovely H.R. person who seemed to be very excited to present me with this offer that it was unacceptable.  I was worth more.  I declined to sign it and it will go back with my impressive job description to be reconsidered. 
While this was playing out I was fiddling with my hair. A nervous habit of mine. Something very hard and sticky was in my hair. The H.R. person was watching me intently. 
We continued to chat while I picked the sharp stickiness out of my hair and tried to bring it to my pocket. The conversation had come to it's end and I shook H.R.'s hand and left. In the hallway I reached into my pocket and pulled out the lump. It was a bright yellow Lemon Ricola Cough Drop. It had been stuck in my hair all morning.  My grandson got into my cough drops this a.m. and must have deposited it there when he hugged me goodbye. 
Dear Universe,
The next time you send me out on a mission where I have to stand up for my rights please tell me first about the cough drop you have stuck to the side of my head. 
Anne
and here as promised a picture of me with my new glasses.

Lambie

What have you been doing this week?
If I do get the 23 cents increase I will put it in here.

Mouse Bank

My Mother always told me it says something in the bible about not letting ourselves be "puffed up". Don't feel self righteous or overly important. Least you find yourself with a hard sticky lump on your head at the worst possible time. This is Universal.

Boho Fall From Etsy Shops

The rust, copper, reds, blues and amber of fall makes me go Boho.
Pulling on cozy jeans first thing in the morning. Wearing a pair of hand knit wool socks and biting into crisp apples from the new crop.
The Boho Fashions of Fall.
Yummy red fringed bohemian scarf.

Fringed Scarf from peggytrue

Wear a chunky Boho belt buckle over a loose soft tunic with your skinny jeans.

Vintage Tiger Eye Belt Buckle from WhimzyThyme

Slip on a pair of hand crafted maple leaf red Boho earrings.

Red teardrop earrings from LaughingDogStudio

Dangle a Boho bangle bracelet in rich brass.

Brass Bangle Bracelet from WeeLambieVintage

Wear hand knit lush colorful wool socks for cozy fall feet.

Colorful hand knit wool socks by LizSox

Go Bohemian and wear your fall colors with handmade and vintage items from Etsy shops.  Enjoy the clear fall days by taking a hike in the woods with your dog and eating fresh goodness from local farm stands and apple orchards. Take me apple picking will you?

Anne/weelambie

Pig In A Basket

Make Me A Pig Gramma!

Susan B Anderson's Pig from itty-bitty toys

I made a little change to the pig this time. I made the legs the same as the arms

instead of shaping the foot separately and having to sew it onto the leg. I consider it a minor cheat!

Vintage Sewing Knitting Basket
from my Etsy shop.

I have so many project bags and baskets. There is always a need for more.  Any seamstress or knitter will tell you that!

Beautiful Antique Basket from LakesideCottage

Pigs have the cutest tails!

Petunia The Pink Pig

I got some knitting done this weekend while watching the  Grands play.

Marigold Eyelet Anklet Sock

My Whole30 turned Whole60 is still in full swing.

There is a whole lot of weekend vegetable cooking going on.  

Roasting eggplant and winter squash

 I plan ahead and roast enough staples like eggplant, squash, sweet potatoes, and any other veggies that happen to be looking good at the market .  Once they are all cooked and in the fridge in their containers I have no excuse not to grab them for easy fix meals.
I am feeling better and better.  I celebrated that little boys (pool picture) 2nd birthday this year with a Lara Bar ~ I felt wonderful about it.  I don't want any sugar for the first time in my life.

Pretty much sums up my week. Whole30 eating, knitting, listings for my Etsy shop and watching the Grands on the weekends. If they would just let me knit at my day job life would be perfect!

~Anne~

Wrapping Packages Etsy Style

I have been struggling to create a style for my very eclectic vintage shop Wee Lambie Vintage .
One singular identity from start to finish or as they say in the mega land of commercial advertising "Branding".
It is coming along but progress has been slow. 
I have my shop banner. Made for me by my Etsy friend Deb from the The Inspired Trader

Deb knows a lot about graphics and design and how to make them on the computer.  She also is excellent at creating an image or brand.

Cattle Brand

No not this kind of brand! The kind of brand that shows your vision, your identity, your logo.  

I settled on this photo for my logo.

Wee Lambie Vintage

Yup, that's me.  My Dad took the picture.  I love it. It expresses how I feel about my vintage shop.  To me vintage brings back memories, sweetness, nostalgia, a time long ago, a feeling you want to remember.  I never want to forget the little girl in this photo or the thrill of holding a newborn lamb in spring. A spring moment 58 years ago.
The tricky part is to marry all these together so that they are cohesive and quickly make my shop look like.... well my brand.
I went to Moo.com with my little lamb photo and had some cards and stickers made.

Moo.Com's Minicards.

I love these little cards.  Moo.com you are fabulous!  Look at the great little blue and white box they came in.  Moo obviously knows how to make things stand out and be identified.
I played around with tying them to packages.

I write my thank you on the back of the little card, but I didn't really like punching that big hole in it.  Now I am experimenting with just tucking it under the ribbon.
Then I had to have stickers.  I want the outside of my boxes to have the same look.

WeeLambieVintage Stickers

I want to stick these everywhere!
There is a lot more to do in my shop to get this whole brand thing finished.  
I am thinking my tissue wrapping paper should be all one color. This is a labor of love and as I said progress is slow. The little changes I have made are feeling good and I am pondering the future ones. 
Anne :)
aka weelambie.

Big News Flash

I checked my Etsy inbox today while I was at work... as I do. Yes I know but Etsy is my work too and I need to take a tiny break now and then. 
There was a message from Hillary at 'Lucky Magazine'
and this is that very message.  They said to share so you bet I will!
Hello from Lucky!





We've recently written a story called "Spruce Up Your Space With These Vintage-Inspired Home Decor Finds From Etsy," and of course, we couldn't leave out your shop!

 

Just wanted to send the link your way. Please feel free to share the feature with your friends and family:  Link To My Feature On Lucky Magazine

And make sure to follow our Etsy page (www.etsy.com/pages/luckymag) to see all our favorite items! We look forward to working with you and other Etsy sellers in the future.




Thank you, and enjoy!


-Hillary
that's my pillow case on Etsy being featured in Lucky Magazine....Yikes.  

My featured Lucky Magazine Pillow Cases!!

I want to get a zillion copies.  
Thank you Hillary for picking my pillow case listing for your Etsy feature. I am over the moon!
Anne

What Is A Firkin ?

So what's a firkin anyway?
I found a great looking wooden bucket with a cover when I was out thrifting the other day. I researched my find as I always do prior to listing it.  
Turns out it is a firkin.

Firkin

According to Merriam Webster a firkin is: 
1. a small wooden vessel or cask.
2. any of various British units of capacity usually equal to 1/4 barrel.
The first being used to store items in the pantry like sugar. 
The second definition being far more popular with beer drinkers.
my ... firkin

Now if someone would help me find out what this is.  It has been in my families possession for generations. I have no idea what it is.  

My ancestors built wooden boats.  So what is this relic?  I want to think if it isn't an actual tool of some kind that it is a toy.  I imagine a little boy watching his father working in his boat shop and making this small toy to occupy himself.  The nails are hammered in at odd angles and bent over.  I plan to keep this for future befuddled generations.
What do you think?
Anne

Florida Back Roads Antiquing

Road trip to Arcadia, FL today. It takes about 3 seconds after heading east off I75 on State Road 72 from Sarasota County to Arcadia to find the other Florida. The real Florida. Vast expanses of cattle ranches, live oaks, streams, and endless views of an every changing sky. 
Antiquing in Arcadia! Arcadia FL info.

Arcadia, FL

We headed for the Opera House up on the right side of the street. Climbing up a huge flight of creaking oak stairs to the second floor you find yourself in the Old Opera House of Arcadia.  It is jam packed with antiques and collectibles. 

Inside the 2nd floor of Opera House

A huge expanse with lots of side rooms and hallways all crammed full of displays. While thunder rolled outside I hurried around trying to see everything. Husband did not want to get "stuck in Arcadia in the rain." 

The Opera's Stage with an old carriage on it.

It always helps in these situations to have some one thing in mind to search for. If you don't you will loose your mind focusing on everything. With rain and hubby hovering over my every move I quickly found I was looking for old glass bottles.  

Checking out

My hands were shaking and I couldn't hold the camera still to take a picture of them lined up on the little check out counter.  Such is my ridiculous excitement during the hunt for treasures. I found ten old bottles I loved and that was worth the trip.

We made it back to the car just before the heavens opened and the rains began in earnest.

Knitting in the car

I got a lot of knitting done in the car. Sock knitting is road trip knitting.  I had to set the socks down when the rain was so hard I couldn't see the road. Husband loves it when I help him drive by saying, "I can't see the road slow down".

Once home I unloaded my new glass collection.

It was a quick trip, but that is okay. I will be going back in 4 weeks.  I found out every last Saturday of every month they have an Antique Festival set up by the Depot. I was promised lots of vendors and lots of fun. Now to hook my Etsy Vintage buddies in Florida into meeting up there with me.

Anne/weelambie

Rusty Metal Box

There I go again. Snapping up the rusty metal box on the garage shelf at the estate sale.  Everyone else has passed it by.  I see it and my heart actually leaps.  It is rusty metal. It is the softest shade of green. It is perfect.

My collection of ribbons that I use for wrapping up my Etsy packages fit perfectly.

The ribbons have turned a rusty beaten metal fishing box into a delightful storage container for silky elegance.

Rust and metal and ribbon.  The perfect combination.  It is in my Etsy shop of course! here

Anne/weelambievintage

I Dig Vintage Gardens

Mom's Welding Guy!

I did a little planting and of course some hunting for more vintage garden inspirations.

some succulents and pots

such cute little puffy plump plants

I found these tiny little plants at the store and a big bag of potting soil.  I took the plants out of their plastic pots and split them up some by gently prying them apart with my fingers.

tiny little succulents

Mr. Snail looks interested in my project

I searched the house for more dishes

Vintage Swan Planter from Old Vintage Goodies

I love this vintage swan planter and think it would be beautiful in a table top garden. It is from Old Vintage Goodies on Etsy here

All my little pots

Mr. Snail's garden view.

One thing I need is a little watering device so I can get just the tiny amount of water needed by succulents into their sweet little pots from time to time.

Vintage Small Plastic Watering Can

At HoardersShop on Etsy here

And I don't know how to resist this adorable little Copper shovel brooch.

Copper Shovel Gardeners Brooch  from Marybethhale

The tiny little brooch is from Etsy here

While searching on Etsy and around my own home for inspiration I fell in love all over again with some of my own garden treasures.

Mom's welding Sculpture #1

Mom's Sandwich Glass Mobile

Mom's Welding sculpture #2

My high school art class sculpture 

DottieDigsVintage Gardening Book
here

What ever your style there is sure to be plenty of inspiration on Etsy and around your own home in your collections to get you going on a small garden.

 Get digging!

Anne/ WeeLambieVintage