This and That (phone edition)

While prepping for Alt Summit (which starts tomorrow night) has taken a lot of my time lately, some other things have been going on too. 

I finally took a bunch of our lamps in for repair. I'm excited we'll have a bit more light in the living room again, and there's finally a lamp by the front door (we don't have overhead lights in the living room) so we don't have to stumble all the way to the dining room when arriving home in the dark. The repair guy even knocked out a dent in that metal shade so it looks better than it has the whole time I've had it. If you're in the Pasadena area, I highly recommend Pasadena Lighting for repairs.

I actually managed to bring a plant back from the verge of death! I may look a lot like my mother, but I definitely didn't inherit her green thumb. Since moving in here I've made some bold moves and purchased about fourteen plants. Four have died, and two are almost dead, but this little Kalanchoe is making a comeback! I'm now a little more optimistic for the fate of the others.

Last night was the big Alt bag packing night. I was up until about 3 this morning getting everything rounded up so I can head out for Salt Lake City later today. I'll be relieved when I'm in the car and on the road- all the planning and packing has worn me out. 

I've been trying to get some reading in lately, starting with this book the mister gifted to me at Christmas. If you have a blog, or are thinking of starting one (and you can't attend Alt, or even if you can) Blog Inc. is a great resource. Joy Deangdeelert Cho, from Oh Joy, has put together a ton of helpful information, as well as interesting interviews with a variety of bloggers that are a reminder that everyone started somewhere. 

The tangerines on the tree in our yard are finally ripe! It's been pretty amazing to be able to go pick fresh citrus a few steps away from our door. Add that one to the slowly expanding list of things I like about SoCal.  

So that's a bit of what's happening around here- what are you up to? I'll be heading out to SLC this afternoon, and as always, Instagram-ing along the way so find me there and follow along. If you're interested in keeping up on what's happening at Alt, I'll be tweeting the key things I learn from each session throughout the day- just follow me on Twitter, and follow the hashtag #altsummit to see what others are tweeting as well. If you'll be at Alt- please let me know, I'd love to meet up!

Things will be a little quieter than usual here this week, but I'll be back with a few more posts (not all Alt related).

See you soon!

gratitude

i know it's friday, but instead of finds to fancy, i figured a fitting way to follow Thanksgiving would be a gratitude post.

this year was the first time since we've been married that we didn't have any guests for Thanksgiving dinner. even though it was just the two of us, i still wanted to make our traditional meal (yes, a lot of work for just two people, but i really do enjoy all the cooking). i was especially excited for this years meal preparations because for the first time ever i have a kitchen that looks good in photographs! with fun counters, plenty of space and great light from two windows it was a pretty great day for this blogging cook.

the food prep seemed particularly easy this year. i always start out the night before with the pies, then make the cranberry sauce and the stuffing first thing in the morning while the Macy's parade is on. the mister and i also enjoyed a little breakfast treat, complete with a glass of eggnog. 

since we eat at night i often end up with terrible photos of the table, but this year i actually had time to get the table set in the afternoon so i could get some nicer photos! i'm really pleased with how it turned out. i wanted something really simple and a bit rustic. i incorporated a variety of vintage goods- arrows, mason jars, japanese darts with feathers, and even some vintage papers. i picked up some simple napkins from a booth at a local antique mall (on sale for half off!), and a few more milk glass serving pieces to complete the minimal look.

another thing we rarely do- take time for photos of us! we put the tripod to work and got a few keepers (we always do a round of silly face pics- they're my favorite). we put our sunglasses on to rub it in that it was almost 75 degrees out (though in truth, i would have preferred snow and cold temps). 

a tradition from my childhood that we've continued- a little mid-day snack in lieu of lunch- summer sausage and a cheese ball. the mister enjoys this mini tradition.

when it was finally time to eat we set the table feast style (since it's such a big table, we figured why not), and enjoyed the fruits of our labors. after dinner we took some time to Skype with family and friends.

of course, no Thanksgiving in our house would be complete without pie! this year, for the first time ever, i made the crust from scratch (for some reason i've always hated making pie crusts, even when i worked in a bakery). it turned out really nicely and since we had extra dough, i asked the mister to cut out some arrows to decorate it with. he did a great job, don't you think?

we had such a wonderful day. it was nice to have some time with the mister (he's been so busy with his studies i feel like we hardly ever even see each other), and though we missed our friends and family (thank goodness for Skype), we really enjoyed every moment.

how was your Thanksgiving? i'd love to hear some of your favorite moments.

now, i'm off to work- today i'm a bit regretful that i took a retail job at the holiday's, but hopefully it won't be too bad (at least it'll go by quickly). i hope you all have a lovely weekend!

P.S.

This post is my entry into the Alt Summit Blog Contest sponsored by Wilsonart International, Inc.

Wilsonart is generously hosting a giveaway of a ticket to Alt Summit and kitchen counter makeover- isn't that nice of them? while i won't be able to use the new counters in our rental, i'm really hoping to win a ticket to Alt since it's sold out! keep your fingers crossed for me?

 i am so excited to have our first curated life post to feature a collection that doesn't belong to me! allow me to introduce you to Heather, from Joy of All Crafts. i met Heather at Alt Summit and we discovered we have quite a bit in common- we both love vintage, we both live in the Pacific Northwest, and we're both crafty, although Heather is a far more talented crafter than i! (her crafty business cards created quite the buzz at Alt- check them out on papernstitch's business card inspiration post). Heather has a number of collections and she is so kind to share one of them with us today- her vintage pyrex!

Heather shared some of her thoughts about her collection with us too...

I've only recently started my collection of pyrex. I love how it reminds me of my childhood, I remember baking with my mom and loving how the mixing bowls were the perfect shape for mixing cookie dough. Since then, I've never had a mixing bowl that I liked quite as much! As my husband, Chris, and I started estate sale shopping about a year ago, I started finding pyrex. I bought a few pieces and loved using them! They are so durable and have already endured so much love that it's easy to give to them new life. I love the patterns and bright colors, and that it's easy to start collecting them. I still don't have the same set that my mom had, so I'm on the lookout for it. It's easy to buy pyrex online, but I really want to 'find' all of my pyrex in person. I'd love to have one piece of most of the patterns, and collect all of the special holiday patterns! For now, I'm really enjoying my small, but growing, collection!

all photos by Heather Joy

as someone whose pyrex collection is limited to a few patterns and colors, i love how Heather's collection includes such a great mix of patterns and colors and compliments her beautiful mid-century dining room furniture so nicely! and aren't her blue cabinet doors cute?

thanks so much Heather for giving us a peek into your home and sharing your great pyrex! if you want to know more about Heather, pop on over to her blog and explore all the crafty, vintage goodness she's sharing with the world there, or visit her etsy store!


do you have a collection you'd like to share? i would love to talk to you! email me at danae{at}gatherandhuntvintage{dot}com and we'll chat!

on the hunt in Salt Lake City

during my recent trip to Salt Lake City for Alt Summit, i managed to escape the hotel for an afternoon to do a little thrifting with my friend Jenn from Scout. Vintage Rentals. we didn't have much time but we fit in a couple of great shops, and had a little fun in the snow too!

the snowflakes were huge and slushy

our first stop was Capital City Antique Mall. i had seen a spread about this shop in Cityhome Collective and it looked like a good spot- filled with treasures. it didn't disappoint.

i have a thing for lightbulbs ever since seeing the Edison exhibit at the Smithsonian in December

serious looking couple

a plate from my home state

i really wanted to take that blanket home (such pretty shades of green), but opted for some items that would fit into my suitcase a little easier.

after our taxi finally arrived (SLC is not really a taxi town), we headed over to Decades, the most amazing vintage clothing store i've ever been in! everything was immaculately organized and the store is just packed full of everything you could imagine. unfortunately, they didn't want us taking photos, so i only have one pic that was snapped before i asked if we could take photos. they also don't seem to have a working website, so the link above will direct you to a NY Times Magazine post about the shop.

the only photo from the shop- a case (that filled a whole wall) with amazing vintage jewelry

a few clutches i couldn't pass on (that peachy one is my favorite color right now)

as i write this, i'm wishing i had driven out to Salt Lake so i could have gathered even more treasures to bring home with me! there was some amazing vintage out there and the prices were so affordable. those of you living in SLC should count yourself very blessed! 

snowed in

well, it's 10:27 and in my dream world, my flight to salt lake city for alt summit would be taking off right about now. in the real world, that flight was cancelled and i'm ninth in the standby line for a 3:50 flight. we'll see what happens!

snowy seatac airport- no fun

on the upside- i have a lot of time on my hands today so i figured i'd put up a few new posts! if you're snowed in too, you'll have a few new things to read today. see you in a bit!

punk rock snowman from the other day- when the snow was still fun!

let's go to alt!

have you noticed the button at the bottom of this site, the one that says 'i'm going'? well that little button is there to share my big excitement at being able to attend altitude design summit, better known as 'alt', this year!

alt is a conference in salt lake city for design and lifestyle bloggers of all kinds and it looks to be an amazing time! everyone i've talked to about it has great things to say and i am so grateful that i have the chance to attend this year.

needless to say, things have been busy around here as i prepare for the trip and the conference. there have been outfits to plan, lists to make, new business cards to order (excited to share photos once they are finished later today), and a million other little things.

thankfully i had a little help with the outfit planning, courtesy of my friend rebecca from we are large, people. rebecca is a stylish lady, with a passion for helping others find their own style, and has recently started her own style consultation business. with so many outfits to choose for alt (about 2 per day), i enlisted rebecca's skills to help me narrow down my wardrobe to a suitcase full of stylish choices.

after pulling the options i liked best out of my closet, armed with the alt wardrobe planner and packing list from design crush, we started making a plan.

several hours, and many outfits later, we had a complete set of outfits for alt! rebecca was so helpful in the process, giving me honest opinions about what looked good on me and helping me decide between different options.

i won't reveal all our choices here- you'll have to wait for the daily posts while i'm at alt- but here's a small peek! honestly, i'm not bringing as much vintage as i would like, but a lot of my vintage isn't super flattering and i want to bring my 'a game' in the style department to this stylish conference! don't worry though- i've got plenty of vintage accessories to keep things real!

snow day!

it's snowing in seattle! considering we only get snow about once a year, it's a big deal. i mean, a closed schools, abandoned cars, chains on (even when the roads are just wet), big deal.

even though it's making me nervous that my wednesday morning flight to salt lake city for altitude design summit won't make it out, the mister and i took some time to enjoy the snow...

new year refresher

as i mentioned the other day, i've been making some slight changes in the gather and hunt space in the fremont vintage mall. one of the biggest is trading out the grey shelves, which were a remnant from the dear darling vintage days, for some larger, brighter pieces. in addition to the new fixtures, and some rearranging, i'm also planning to recover one of the walls this month with some natural canvas fabric. i think these changes are slowly helping to give the space the gather and hunt feel.

while i was bringing a few new items in yesterday, i actually had my phone with me so i snapped a few photos...

what do you think? i feel like it's coming along nicely!

here are a few new arrivals as well...

perfectly patina'd typewriter table with two folding 'wings'. i really wanted to keep this one, but now someone else can give it a good home!

really old, cast iron music stand with a beautiful decorative base.

rustic and useful, this drawer unit is made from an old wooden liquor crate and has some cool old shipping tags from portland and seattle stuck to it.

that's all i have for today! this weekend i hope to share with you some of the happenings around here as i prepare for alt summit!