Posted in Home Decor, Kitties, New Hampshire, The Holidays, Vintage + Thrift, tagged christmas, snow, the holidays, vintage on December 12, 2012 | 2 Comments »
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Our days are filled with comfort.
I hope your days are filled with cheer and joy. Spend as much time as you can with family, and show your loved ones how much you care. This part of the year never neglects me – I always feel the urge to share little happinesses with those around me.
Happy Christmas,
xx.
Posted in Free Giveaways, tagged baker's twine, blog giveaway, crafting supplies, giveaway winner, home decor, olive manna, vintage on September 11, 2012 | 4 Comments »
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Congratulations, Robin!
I wish all of you could have won the $25 voucher to Olive Manna, but if you didn’t you can still use the 15% off discount until Thursday! Just type in JEEZEJULIA15 at check-out after you pick out your goodies. I’ll be doing another giveaway by the end of the month, too, so come back again if you’re feelin’ lucky!
Have a great night!
xx.
P.s. Robin, email me at hello.juliastrawberry@gmail.com to claim your prize! If I don’t hear from you by the 18th I’ll unfortunately have to give the code away to someone else. And thanks to Natalie of Olive Manna for participating!
Posted in Crafting, Free Giveaways, Home Decor, Shop Talk, Vintage + Thrift, tagged blog giveaway, handmade, olive manna, shabby chic, vintage on September 6, 2012 | 32 Comments »
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When it comes to giveaways it’s better late than never, right?
The bulk of online stores these days sadden me because of their lack of a regard for their social or environmental impact or their capitalistic tendencies. Yet, there are still shops out there with integrity who seek to make a living doing what they love without compromising their ethics or selling out. I found Olive Manna only just a few weeks ago, but immediately loved everything in her shop {crafting supplies, vintage housewares, handmade decor, even iPhone covers!} and wanted to be able to share her beautifully curated collection with you, my readers. So I contacted her to see if she would be willing to participate in a giveaway.
She generously offered to provide one lucky reader with a $25 voucher to her online shop and a 15% off code {enter JEEZEJULIA15 at check out! Good until Thursday the 13th!} for those readers who don’t win, but would still like to pick something out. Then, she stunned me with her integrity; as is common with blog giveaways, to enter, one often has to “like” a page on facebook, follow on twitter, etc., etc. but Natalie of Olive Manna said she preferred not to gain followers in this way because she wanted to know that those who favourited her shop, read her blog, and kept up with her listings were doing so for genuine reasons. How refreshing! I’m so honored to have Olive Manna working with me on my August giveaway and I’m happy to support her shop for so many reasons.
Here’s how you enter: Just visit her shop and pick out your favourite item then leave a comment on this blog entry telling me which it is! That’s it! No nearly-endless list of social media links, no half-hearted tweeting – just pick out one thing you like the best from her and you could win $25 towards purchasing it! The contest will close Sunday night {September 9th}, so make sure you don’t wait too long to enter! I’ll be announcing the winner sometime next week, so don’t forget to check back in otherwise you may not know if you’ve won!
Good luck, everyone!
xx.
P.s. This giveaway is now closed. Check back this week to see the winner!
{Click photos for sources!}
Posted in Photobooth Friday, tagged instagram, new hampshire, our week in snapshots, photo strip, photobooth, photographs, sepia, summer, vintage on August 3, 2012 | 2 Comments »
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our week in snapshots:
| highlights |
This week Ryan + I discovered a secret farmer’s market in the middle of the woods! There’s a long and winding road that connects our town to the one where Ryan works. We rarely ever take it because it’s narrow and there’s a one lane section that goes under a bridge. Before you go through, because you can’t be sure if anyone else is coming from the other direction due to the fact that the road beneath the bridge is not only unlit, but also curved, you have to stop and honk your horn to let anyone else know that you’re about to go under. Then you’re just crossing your fingers that the person coming in the other direction {if there is anyone} will honk his horn, too, before entering the tunnel. So, we usually avoid this New Hampshire back road. But, coming back from the eye doctor on Monday we decided to give it a try and saw a hand painted sign advertising for a farmer’s market at that exact time. We followed the signs further into the woods and discovered something reminiscent of our happy little markets in Portland, but on a much smaller scale. We came home with some extra fresh veggies and some locally made wine and called it a night with our new favourite show: Colonial House.
I’ve made my final preparations for the Goodwill Summer Conference for which I leave on Tuesday! I’m nervous to speak up on a stage, but was so happy to find out this week at Michelle Smith, the Communications Specialist of Goodwill Industries of Northern New England will be up on stage with me! When I worked for GINNE, Michelle and I bumped into one another occasionally, and found that we have quite a bit in common. Since we met, she’s been so supportive of my dream, and we still connect via the internet even though we’re no longer living in the same State. Yep, that’s the same Michelle who runs the Etsy shop MaineBelle and sponsored my giveaway last week! I’m really excited to see her at the conference and to have one familiar face up there with me on stage!
Rob + Pam’s house is really coming along, and they plan to move in next weekend! That means that both my best friend and Ryan’s best friend will be living within a half-hour of us. Obviously, we squeezed in a little time to help them painting. I can’t wait for them to feel settled and at home in the Lakes Region with us! But the best part of my week? Just a few minutes ago when a car drove by blasting this. Fantastic.
Happy Friday!
xx.
Posted in Free Giveaways, Vintage + Thrift, tagged blog giveaway, giveaway, july, mainebelle, sponsor, vintage, winner, worthygoods textile on August 1, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
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You’ve all waited so patiently to find out who won the July giveaway with WorthyGoods Textile and MaineBelle Vintage! So without further ado; Congratulations, Jessica! If you didn’t win, we’ll have another giveaway next month, so come back and try again then!
Thanks for participating, everyone.
xx.
*Jessica, email me at hello.juliastrawberry@gmail.com with your snail mail address and your choice from MaineBelle’s shop so I can pass it on to our lovely sponsors.
Posted in Inspiration, Style, Vintage + Thrift, tagged 1950s, beach guide, bikini, fashion, summer, vintage, we heart vintage on July 18, 2012 | 5 Comments »
Posted in Photobooth Friday, Vintage + Thrift, tagged audrey hepburn, funny face, instagram, our week, photos, pictures, snapshots, vintage on July 13, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
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our week in snapshots:
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I cannot believe that a week has passed already! The summer is flying by with barely a moment to spare! I’ve been working a lot at my day job, on my Etsy shop, and writing for Goodwill. It seems there’s barely a moment between each task on my to-do list, but at least I make a little progress every day. On Saturday, I believe, {all of these days tend to blur themselves} I certainly had my work cut out for me restocking the things I’ve sold in the past month and finishing up a custom order, when suddenly my primary sewing machine seized up! That’s alright, I told myself, it’s for this reason mainly that I wanted to have a second one. I knew the time would come when this 50+ year old heirloom needed a break. So I switched over to the other one, and wouldn’t you know that that one started giving me problems, too? I don’t usually believe in signs, but decided that it might be a good time to call it quits for the night and just watch Funny Face instead.
Ryan came to the rescue for me, though, on Wednesday and brought ol’ Bess down to the workshop to have some repairs and now, I’m told, she’s back to her good old self. I’ll be testing her out as soon as I finish this post! I’m so lucky to have the support of Big, Strong Uncle Ryan {as our niece LG calls him}. Speaking of LG, yesterday I took a break from work while the machine was still in the shop, and spent the afternoon at Camp with my family. I think it’s safe to say that the next generation of waterbabies is starting to earn her fins because she and I spent the entire afternoon floating around and splashing in our little cove. All of the neighbours came over, and Ryan, too, after work. It was the perfect way to end the week.
Happy weekend!
xx.
Posted in Shop Talk, tagged advertise online, blog advertising, fashion, how to advertise online, online advertising, sponsor, sponsor a blog, thrifting, vintage on July 8, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
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I’m now accepting sponsors!
If you’re looking for a way to get your blog, company, or shop’s name out there into the blogosphere, sponsoring a blog is an excellent option to consider. My readers are interested in handmade items, vintage styles, home decor, and fashion, so websites within those categories would likely draw a few clicks.
I’m excited to add some more links to my sidebar so my readers can have similar blogs + shops to explore! I’ve found some of my all time favourite blogs through their sponsorship of other blogs and I hope I can do the same for my readers.
Click here for more details!
xx.
Posted in New Hampshire, Our personal history, Photobooth Friday, tagged activity, instagram, new england, snapshots, summer, vacation, vintage on July 7, 2012 | 5 Comments »
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our week in snapshots:
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Although I’m posting this a day late, it was a wonderful week. We saw lots of old friends and got lots of sun – my two favourite summertime activities. For the past couple of days we’ve had Liz + Andy over visiting from Maine, and Pam + Rob are up in the Lakes Region as well, so we all got together to see the fireworks compete with lighting for airspace over the lake. It was quite a memorable moment. We thought for awhile that we might not make it at all because I was closing the shop that night and it was quite a drive to where our friends were watching. But we pulled in just after the fireworks started and were able to enjoy most of it with our friends.
The wedding on Sunday went just about the same way, I jetted out of the door at work the moment I could, and we flew two hours South to park our car only minutes before the bride walked down the aisle. Luckily the wedding was outside, so there were no creaky doors to open to distract attention while we snuck in. The weather was beautiful, and the company was great. I always so much enjoy weddings.
But yesterday was my favourite day this summer by far. I had a conference call in the morning to make plans for the Goodwill Summer Conference session that I’ll help to host in August, and then a chance to catch up on a little bit of work. Ryan came home just around 1:30, and we gathered our beach stuff and headed back toward my hometown. Andy + Liz had been perusing around shops while they waited for us to arrive, then we all spent hours at my camp swimming, canoeing, and exploring our littlest island. The blueberries were ripe + ready, and I had so many that my tongue turned purple. It was ideal.
We finished the evening with ice cream from our favourite little creamery tucked away in the middle of the woods {the drive is half the fun!}, then hopped back up to our town and had dinner and drinks on the veranda of our neighborhood restaurant. By the time the four of us arrived back at the apartment, there was hardly time for tea before each one of us started to drift off. I did, however, get a fantastically deep sleep, and when I woke I was finally ready to report to you our week.
I hope yours was just as lovely.
xx.
Posted in New Hampshire, Our personal history, Photobooth Friday, Vintage + Thrift, tagged filter, instagram, our week in snapshots, photobooth, picture show, vintage on June 29, 2012 | 6 Comments »
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Our week in snapshots:
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It’s funny how some weeks fly by and others really drag. This week, for me, seemed to slow to a snail’s pace – but in a good way. We had five days in a row where our only responsibility was to enjoy ourselves in one of the most beautiful places in the world with all of the small town New England charm that we love and {mostly} beautiful weather. It was such a treat.The whole vacation sort of felt like a reward for making the move back to New Hampshire. We’ve been here for over a month now, so most everything is settled into place {with the exception of some apartment organization} so the timing felt appropriate. It was a great experience and I’m happy to have started my summer off as I did.
Of course, coming back to the real world after a vacation is always difficult, and this time was no exception. I’m looking forward to more days full of sunshine and fresh air, and hope that we can take advantage of being outside much more now that summer is here. In fact, Ryan + I started his “initiation” check list. Things he must do now that he lives in the Lakes Region. Things like rope swing into the lake, night hike up a mountain, BBQ for several nights in a row, etc. We’ll get started on this tout de suite.
Happy Friday,
xx.
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