finds to fancy: late edition

how is it already Sunday evening? this past week, and really the entire month of May so far, has just flown by!

i realize that i skipped finds to fancy this last friday, so in an attempt to make up for it, here's a little peek at some of my fav finds from the week...

fun colors!
cameras! (that instamatic in front is exactly like my mom's) 
party game in near perfect condition 
love the instructions in that brass pill box
fiber art? check. seashells? check.  pastels? check. 
classic 70's polaroid 
tempted to keep this desk lamp for myself 
i was just wishing i had some of these last week! 
a new horse for my little collection 
cool old darts with real feathers
a mini printing press
everyone loves these light cages 

i didn't have much time to hunt this week (farm chicks prep is king these days), but i hit a few sales on friday and they yielded some good finds!

what did you find this past week? i'd love to see! you can also join me in playing along with Her Library Adventures in her weekly Flea Market Finds share-along! take a look at the fun finds over there, then share your own link!

a curated life

i'm excited because today we have another curated life submission via my bestie and fellow blogger, Melissa from re.stock.



about her vintage suitcase collection, Melissa had this to say:

in my super cute old house we have one closet. yes, you read that right, one. and it is tiny. my solution? vintage suitcases. i store everything in them: summer clothes, coats, craft stuff, things i'm saving, things i can't part with, things i don't want my husband to know i'm storing (ha)! they are cute and functional. i like to stack them up (obviously). i also keep a few empty for when we go on trips because i like to travel in style. 


fun! thanks for sharing your suitcase collection with us Melissa!

do you have a collection? i'd love to share it here! send me a message and we'll set it up!

gratitude

today i'm feeling grateful for little moments of delight...


in the midst of chaos.




it's a bit wild around here lately- prepping for the Farm Chicks Show has completely taken over our apartment, and most of my waking moments. i'm so excited for the show this year, but i will be so glad when i get all the cleaning, sorting, pricing, wrapping and packing completed! until then, i'll strive to find gratitude in the simple things.

what are you grateful for today? i'd love it if you'd leave a comment and let me know!

finds to fancy: mother's day edition

blame it on the fact i've been collecting, washing and packing so many of them in preparation for The Farm Chicks Show but i've got mason jars on the brain.

mason jars on our easter table
i've always loved old canning jars. they're useful, simplistically beautiful, and so durable they've stood the test of time. you see them go in and out of fashion, but i think they're a classic- and why shouldn't they be? there's so much you can use them for!

for this finds to fancy roundup of DIY mother's day gifts i used two guidelines- it had to incorporate a mason jar and it had to be simple enough to make in a day, using easy to find supplies....

{photo via Rawmazing}
a recipe for body butter from Rawmazing that sounds good enough to eat. customize the scent using different essential oils. use your imagination with the packaging- twine, fabric, washi tape, permanent markers- the options are nearly endless!

{photo via Sippy Cup Mom}
another way to pamper mom- a yummy and exfoliating mojito sugar scrub from Sippy Cup Mom. using this basic recipe you could also make different scents by changing some of the ingredients. i love her packaging, with the little wooden spoon.

{photo via Ruffled}
you might surprised at how easy these soy wax candles from Ruffled are to make! all of the supplies can easily be found at any of the larger craft stores (if you don't have a candle supply store in your town).

{photo via Lovely Little Details}
an idea i've seen used in a variety of ways lately- wall mounted mason jars. this simple bathroom storage project from Liz Marie for Lovely Little Details uses supplies found at any hardware store.

{photo via Camille Styles}
another awesome variation on the concept, this mason jar herb garden from Claire at Camille Styles is on my project list for this summer. i love how the painted pipe clamps add a little more polish to the project.

{photo via BirdHouse}
okay, so these succulent terrariums aren't in mason jars, but the tutorial from BirdHouse was so good i had to use it. the process will work the same in a wide mouth mason jar. this is another project i'm itching to work on!

{photo via The Nap Time Chef/Babble}
rhubarb is in season and one of my favorite ways to use it is in a crisp (or crumble)- yum. food made in jars is all the rage right now, and this strawberry rhubarb crumble recipe from The Nap Time Chef via Babble looks both cute and delicious! make a batch, grab some spoons and have a little dessert picnic for mom in the yard, or nearby park.

{photo via Some Drink Recipes}
no special day is complete with a special drink! this Shoo-Fly punch from Evie on Some Drink Recipes, served in a mason jar, fits the bill perfectly! (if mom isn't a drinker- just substitute the bourbon and ginger liqueur for some orange juice).

what are you giving mom this mother's day? do you have any project ideas you'd like to share? leave a a link in the comments so we can all check it out.

happy mother's day to all you mamas out there! i hope you feel loved and well cared for this weekend and always!

a curated life

today i had this great plan to feature one of my mama's collections (you know, since it's Mother's Day week and all). unfortunately, i didn't plan the photo taking far enough ahead of time and my mama isn't feeling well today, so we had to cancel the shoot. that leaves us with one of my collections instead...


this vintage scissor collection is kind of an accidental collection. i started buying them at estate sales because they're always low priced and i love the look of them. i intended to sell them once i had enough to create a good display, but i've yet to be able to part with them. 


i'm contemplating displaying them all on a big old board or something- wouldn't that look cool? i may also bring them to The Farm Chicks Show this year and let them go live with someone else. it's a tough choice! 


do you have an 'accidental' collection? i'd love to hear about it! leave a comment or send me a message. 


happy Thursday! 

gratitude

with Mother's Day just around the corner, what else could i be grateful for today other than, my own mother?


that's her there- circa 1985. isn't she pretty? i love her outfit in this photo too- pretty sure that was a pink skirt with an awesome blazer that had pastel vertical stripes.

my mom is an amazing lady. after my parents divorced when i was 7, she basically raised me largely by herself. she worked several jobs, but things were tight, so we would hit the estate sales, yard sales, and thrift stores frequently. my mom taught me how to spot a valuable antique in a pile of junk, and how to bargain for a better price. by the time i was 12 we would divide and conquer at estate sales- splitting up and searching for all the good stuff. i loved those Saturday mornings spent driving around town, newspaper in hand, looking for good sales, digging through boxes, and discovering new treasures!

i think kids who grow up around antiques, vintage, and thrifted items either grow to love it or hate it. i love it (obviously), and i owe much of that to my mama. she taught me the value of things with a history all their own, and that saving useful or beautiful items from being discarded is more rewarding than buying something brand new.

i am the person i am today thanks to my mom and i hope i can do her proud when i become a mom myself in the future!


what about your mom (or other mother figure) are you grateful for? how did she influence you? i'd love to hear- just leave a comment below!


happy weekending

i'm just about to jet out the door and hit the road. heading over to Yakima for a few days with the bestie- we're having a work/crafty weekend where we'll be making the backdrop for the booth at The Farm Chicks Show! 

don't worry- i'll keep an eye out for rattlers! 


of course, we'll also be checking out some estate sales, so in lieu of a regular finds to fancy post, see what we're finding by following along on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram

happy weekending to all of you! 

new arrivals

a few new goodies arrived in the vintage mall space this week...

i just realized i set the date on that perpetual calendar wrong!

if you're ever interested in an item i post, but aren't local to Seattle, please message me and we can probably make arrangements!

a curated life

today's collection is one that was mine, but is now looking for a new curator.


i found most of this set of Brusche 'Contempo' dishes at one of the most memorable estate sales i've ever been to. my pal Abbi and i arrived at a sale that looked less than promising: it was in 'no sidewalk land' (which if you ever read Yard Sale Bloodbath, you know is never a good sign); it was a newer home in a new sub-development; and there was hardly anyone there. we decided to check it out anyway and at first weren't finding much. then we noticed a big pile of trash bags and boxes and asked if any of the stuff in those was for sale. the woman replied- 'oh, that's Goodwill pile. if find anything you want you can just have it'. seriously? well, we accepted her challenge and started digging through this mountain of stuff. sure enough, this is where all the good stuff was! vintage clothes, dishes, an entire set of china, linen, and more. we tried to get her to take money from us, but she wouldn't accept much. we even told her that the stuff she was giving away is what she should be selling (i don't think she believed us). it was by far the biggest haul we had ever scored, for the smallest price tag.

these dishes were in one of those boxes and they caught my eye. i didn't recognize the marking on them, but they were fun colors (there used to be a few more grey pieces, and there were also some burgundy colored ones that i foolishly left behind because i didn't like the color), and i liked the clean and simple style. i took them home, researched the mark and discovered that Brusche was a sister line/offshoot of Bauer, made by one of the potters there, that had a limited production run so they're actually a bit rare. what a find! i decided to replace the new Fiesta Ware we had with this fun set. over the last 4 years i've added a few plates, the cups, and the soup bowls, as well as some plates that aren't Brusche, but complement the set.

while i still enjoy these dishes, lately i've been wishing i wasn't so limited by their palette, which is why i decided to move on to white milk glass- more flexibility. since we'll be moving soon, and will be living in rentals for a while to come, it doesn't work to have more than one set of dishes, so these get to find a new home! they're currently in the Gather and Hunt space at the Fremont Vintage Mall, so if you're in Seattle and like them, feel free to go check them out! i kept the price low, since i received such a nice deal on them!

don't forget- i really prefer to share your collections here, so email me your photos and a bit about your collection and you can have your very own curated life post!

xo

gratitude

it seems a bit fitting that i'm posting this later in the day than i normally like to, because today i am grateful for...


time.


just a few short weeks ago, wednesday would find me scrambling to get a blog post up, get ready for work, prep some goods for the shop, and race downtown to put in a few hours at my bookkeeping job. rushing to the shop space afterwards to get it stocked before closing time, then back home to get a meal ready for the mister and i. now, i know this sounds a lot like everyday life to most of you, and i'm certainly not complaining about having work in this day and age when so many don't. but, days like that were wearing me down. (getting a little personal now) having fibromyalgia- a chronic pain and fatigue condition- makes normal tasks seem overwhelming at times, and juggling 3 jobs and a business could just push me over the edge into painful exhaustion.


fast forward to today. so much has changed in those few weeks. now, with one less job to juggle, i spend wednesday's working on blog posts, thrifting new goods, prepping inventory for the shop and Farm Chicks, re-stocking the shop, attending to issues in the apartment building (job #2), and taking care of normal life stuff. it is an unbelievable gift to have an extra day each week to get things done and i am so thankful for it.


i'm grateful for my mister, working a job he isn't enthused about, in order to provide some financial stability for us and allow me to take the last few months we have in Seattle to pursue my business more fully. i'm grateful for all my customers, whose purchases support this passion of mine and who motivate me to keep finding vintage treasures. i'm grateful for you, dear reader, and for your comments that remind me that i started this blog to inspire and build community around something we all enjoy. i'm grateful for all the blessings in my life, and for the provision of additional time to enjoy them all.


i know time can feel like an enemy some days, and even with that extra day, i still know that despairing feeling well- a never ending to-do list vs. days with never enough hours in them. i'm trying to let my gratitude strong arm that despair into motivation, but i'm curious- how do you find time for what you love to do and what you must do? what's your relationship with time like?

i'd also love to know- what are you grateful for today? i enjoy getting glimpses into your lives through your comments!

p.s. all the clocks in these photos will be available for purchase at The Farm Chicks Show- just a short month away!

tried and true

for today's tried and true, i felt inspired to bring you more than just a product. another passion of mine is cooking and entertaining (i worked in restaurants and coffee shops for years and even owned my own catering business for awhile), and i've been longing to incorporate more of that passion into the gather and hunt blog, while remaining true to the vintage theme. so today, i bring you a tried and true cocktail: the old fashioned.

Mad Men's Don Draper drinking an old fashioned
{image via}
the old fashioned, which many people have become familiar with thanks to Mad Men (it's Don Draper's cocktail of choice), is one of the oldest American cocktails. officially introduced by James E Pepper, a bourbon distiller, in the 1880's at the Pendennis Club in Kentucky, it's a cocktail in its truest form: spirits, bitters, water and sugar. though there is a bit of debate among purists about the recipe for an old fashioned, it's generally considered to consist of bourbon or rye whiskey, sugar, bitters, and a twist of lemon or orange. some recipes also call for soda water and a cherry. one of the earliest accounts, written in 1885, has this recipe: "Dissolve a small lump of sugar with a little water in a whiskey-glass; add two dashes Angostura bitters, a small piece ice, a piece lemon-peel, one jigger [1.5 fl oz or 44 ml] whiskey. Mix with small bar-spoon and serve, leaving spoon in glass." (Modern American Drinks: How to Mix and Serve All Kinds of Cups and Drinks). 

the old fashioned has long been my own drink of choice. not too sweet, the flavors mingle well with the spicy bite of bourbon (my favorite spirit). though i make it at home frequently, i do enjoy one when prepared by a good bartender as well. the claim of the best old fashioned i've ever had belongs to Kings Hardware, in Seattle. there, they understand that the drink should not contain giant chunks of fruit which can obscure the flavor of the bourbon. even better- the cherries they use are made in house, not like the bleached-then-dyed-red maraschinos most bars use.

now for my personal recipe...



you'll need:

whiskey of choice (today i'm using Bulleit Rye)
soda water (not tonic water)
Angostura bitters (or your bitter of choice, i like to experiment)
slice of a smaller, ripe orange (tangerines and blood oranges work well too)
sugar (i prefer evaporated cane juice)
cocktail cherries (mine are homemade, but most specialty stores sell nicer cocktail cherries)
ice cubes
old fashioned glass (or any glass with slightly rounded sides and a fairly broad base)
cocktail spoon

make it:


add 1 t. sugar (more if you like it sweet) to the bottom of an old fashioned glass.


add 4-8 dashes bitters to sugar (if you've never had bitters, start with 4, then add to taste).


squeeze the juice from one orange slice into glass. swirl mixture around to partially dissolve the sugar.


add ice. true purists would say to use 1 large cube, but i like to use tiny little ones- about 1/3 a cups worth.


add soda water. the amount depends upon your preferences. i usually use about 3-4 oz (a little less than 1/2 cup), but i like mine to taste mostly like whiskey, so if you may want to add more.


add whiskey to taste. again, i like mine fairly strong so i generally use 2-3 oz (a little more than a large jigger full), but you may like it with less or more.

to finish you have two options...


add the orange slice you previously squeezed and a cocktail cherry (i love cherries, so i usually use closer to 5), plus a little of the syrup from the cherries.


serve with a cocktail spoon (the true old fashioned way to do it).

or


if you want to be extra fancy, skewer an orange slice and a cherry and place in glass. let your guests squeeze their own orange slice into the drink.


enjoy!

if you try making this at home i'd love to know what you think! if you're already an old fashioned drinker, i'm always interested in variations on the recipe as well- leave me a comment!

happy may day!

i've got my eye on...

now that i've found new dishes, i'm jones'n to put our boring (non-vintage) glassware set in the garage sale box and start adding some more fun vintage glasses to the few i have now! i don't think i want a matching set, more a collection of unusual ones that strike my fancy (or the mister's, though he rarely has an opinion about such things).

in my search for some additions to the collection, i've found lots of fun sets on Etsy and i thought i'd share them with you!

fun flower set with a carrier from Olive and Frances

gold foil and green leaves from Of All The Fish Vintage

love these retro stars from The People Place

pitcher & glasses set in great colors from Flying Buddha Monkey

yellow swirls from The Fancy Lamb

this white floral motif from Tinted Vintage would complement many different dishes

i actually may have to order these great you and me glasses from Etna Street Modern!

do you collect vintage glassware? i'd love to know what kind you collect! even better, send me a photo and i'll feature your collection in a curated life post!

stay tuned later today for a special tried and true post, complete with a recipe you might be able to put to use this evening!

this and that

hello everyone! how was your weekend? i apologize for my extended absence last week- things are getting busy around here and i had to choose something to neglect. no promises that it won't happen again, especially with all the prep for Farm Chicks ahead of me in May, but i'll try my best to keep up here! 

here's a little instagram'd peek at what's been keeping me so busy...

thursday









thursday was filled with about 8 hours of estate sales, thrift stores, earthwise (a salvaged home materials store), a quick stop at an antique mall, and one of my favorite annual rummage sales! i arrived home with a very full vehicle but very tired muscles. 

friday







friday i hit the sales (with a quick pit stop for top pot doughnuts), this time with my mama! i found a ton of great goods (some of which is still in the car), including some of my first major furniture inventory- those great mid-century side tables and the huge ottoman! after all the sales we prepped stuff for the Fremont Vintage Mall space and headed over there to re-stock. happily, i timed my visit just right so i could give a goodbye hug to one of the awesome gals on the mall staff who is moving away today. by the end of day, i was exhausted and ready for sleep! 

saturday






saturday was a day off from vintage for me- so we could volunteer at a Habitat for Humanity job site! we had a great time doing some demo work in order to get the home back up to code, as well as ripping out some really terrible flooring in order to expose the beautiful hardwoods underneath. it was a lot of hard work, but we really had a great time with our friends who volunteered with us, and we enjoyed meeting the rest of the work crew, including the future home owner. we arrived home completely wiped out (and in a crazy amount of pain in my case), but luckily i had enough energy to check the mail, since there were not one, but two packages in there for me! my black and natural bakers twine from Knot & Bow (one of my favorite Etsy stores) arrived and so did an adorable vintage dress from Bamboo Bettie (another Etsy store) that i'm planning to wear at Farm Chicks! a long and tiring day, but filled with wonderful moments. 

sunday

 
sunday i awoke barely able to move. i'm not kidding- my mister had to help me roll over in bed because my muscles were so weak and sore i couldn't do it on my own. we were scheduled to sing (me) and drum (the mister) in the band at church, so we had to get up and get ready, but believe me- if i could have stayed in bed, i would have. i couldn't even put my own shoes on i was so tired and sore- it was almost comical! after church and grabbing some quick lunch, we headed home and i spent nearly the entire day in the setting pictured- on the couch, under a soft blanket, trying not to move. some much needed recovery after three days packed full of activity and heavy lifting! 

what did you do this weekend? whatever it was, i hope it was great! 

gif mania!

remember that post i did last month about old neon signs? and remember that cool sign from Yakima for the Sports Center bar? well i finally buckled down today and learned how to make an animated .GIF in Photoshop (as you might have noticed in today's earlier post), so now you can see that sign in it's full glory! (well, almost. i didn't quite capture the entire sequence on camera and not every shot was taken in the exact same place, so there's a bit of a skip, but it's still pretty fun).

silly? yes. fun? absolutely! i hope you enjoy it at much as i enjoy making .GIF's now (it's so easy i want to make a whole bunch more, but i'll restrain myself, i promise).

have a lovely evening!


gratitude

after a few lovely, sunny days here in Seattle, it's back to being cold and rainy. weather like this makes me feel like making a cup of tea, putting a record on, and curling up under a soft blanket. ah, if only there wasn't so much work to be done! but hey, i can still put a record on while i work, which is why today i'm grateful for...


this cute little record player is one of my favorite things, especially because it reminds me a wonderful friend who now lives very far away. 


my friend Alison and i found this little charmer at the Fremont Sunday Market several years ago and she loved it and purchased it. i was a tiny bit jealous- i mean, it's so awesome how could i not be? 


then, about a year ago, Alison decided to downsize in preparation for an overseas move and asked me if i would like to have the record player. at first i thought it only played 45's which i have none of anymore, so i told her i would sell it for her and give her the money.


however, while i was cleaning it up, i realized it would also play LP's! i talked with the mister to make sure he was on board with me trading this in for the d.j. style turn table he had given me for my birthday a few years ago (i hated to make him feel like i didn't like his gift, but this record player was just so amazing!), he agreed, and we set this one up in it's new home! (not to worry, my fancy record player went to a good home with another friend). 



i just love all the fun little details- the cute cowboy and cowgirl graphics, the amazing colors, even the smokey the bear sticker left on the front of the cover by it's original owner. oh, and best of all? 


it lights up and flashes in time with the music that's playing! how cool is that? 


i also happen to think it looks pretty cool over in the corner with Johnny! if you'd like to have a similar one, i've seen several cute ones on Etsy, including this amazing rainbow one:

{photo and rainbow record player via ani. and. Rose Vintage}
what do you have gratitude for this week? leave a comment and let me know- i always love hearing from you!


this and that

i'm a little dumbstruck that it's tuesday- i feel like it was just thursday! maybe i had too much fun this weekend, or maybe it's just that it was such a very busy weekend, but it really flew by!

here's a bit of what i've been up to (well, the instagram version at least)...

stopped by Twede's Cafe, aka the Double R Diner (of Twin Peaks fame), on the rainy side of the pass
dry road at last
Yakima, here i come
i always plan to get a photo of this sign, but never have until this trip
the lee's have chicks! 
melissa and i headed out to Selah for an estate sale- pretty!
a little stop for refreshments between sales and thrifting 
melissa kind of looked like a super hero!
a cape buffalo
i found these unusual frogs- one for me and one for the shop!
another photo i've always meant to capture- i love this old fruit stand building. isn't it amazing? the colors!
found these mugs on my way home- perfect sentiments for a day with the bestie
at a rest stop outside Yakima
see you later Yakima!
sunset on the Cascades
always happy to be home after driving the pass at night (my least favorite drive)
lots of good finds
Yakima=Fiesta Foods run=mexican for dinner the day after!
refreshing margaritas on a sunny saturday!
carne asada tacos!
this weekend marked the 50th anniversary of the Century 21 Expo (aka the World's Fair) in Seattle. that means the Space Needle is 50 years old! they've even got it all decked out in the original colors currently!
some close ups of the goods
fun cameras!
cute thermoses, awesome flashlights, and more
last but not least, i finally found enough affordable milk glass dishes (mostly Fire King), to swap out our green Brusche dishes for the milk glass! i'm still looking for some more dinner and salad plates, and a few more larger bowls, but other than that- we've got a whole (mismatched) 'set'! so excited!
sunday was filled with church, lunch with a friend, running errands, and making dinner for and visiting with our friends who just had their second baby. he's a little cutie- as babies tend to be!   
whew! no wonder i was so tired this morning! what have you been up to?

finds to fancy


yesterday i spotted this sad looking blue case at an estate sale...


ever the optimist, i set my bag of other goodies down and opened the case up. expecting to find an ugly, broken typewriter inside (like most of the typewriters i find out here), i was completely floored to find this inside instead...


amazing! such a lovely color and it even had it's manual and the dust cover in addition to the case! i've never found one with it's dust cover intact!



i love it so much i want to keep it! i think i should probably let it go live with someone else though- i already have a cute grey one, and with a move coming up, this is no time to start another collection!




what have you found this week? i'd love if you'd share! as always, just email your finds to me at danae{at}gatherandhuntvintage{dot}com.

today i'm out on the hunt with the bestie over in her home base- Yakima, Washington. i'm excited to see what we find! if you want to keep tabs on what we're gathering, follow along on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (my username is danaerolyn) or Instagrid for those without 'smart' phones.

i hope you all have a lovely weekend and happy hunting!

a curated life

today we're taking a look, not at one of my collections, or even one of yours (which i love best), but at a rather famous collection- the Musee Mechanique.

{photo via Wikipedia, edits by moi}
the Musee Mechanique, located in San Francisco, is a museum of working antique and vintage penny arcade games and mechanically operated musical instruments, and is one of the largest privately owned collections of such games. Edward Zelinksky, the collector of all these contraptions, began his collection at the age of 11 and exhibited it at Playland, an amusement park that operated from the early 1900's until 1972 in San Francisco. after the closure of Playland, the collection was moved to the basement of the famous Cliff House until renovations forced another move, this time to Fisherman's Wharf, where it remains today.

'Laughing Sal', one of the more well known (and slightly terrifying) attractions. 


the mister and i visited the Musee Mechanique last winter, and though the pictures are not amazing (very bad lighting in there), i thought it would be fun to share some of the highlights.





the mister conquering some sort of space themed arcade game. 
though i look happy, i'm pretty sure i lost at this hi-ball esque game!




such an unusual pin ball theme!
skee ball- our favorite! of course we had to play a few rounds.

this is one of my favorites
love the 60's era photo booth they have! 
now that's a dedicated collector, right? if you're ever in San Francisco, i'd encourage you to check out the Musee Mechanique. admission is free, and the games are only a quarter or two to play- well worth your time and quarters!

as always- i'd love to see your collections too! send me a message at danae{at}gatherandhuntvintage{dot}com, and we'll talk!

gratitude

the other day my mister and i were talking about how much use i've gotten out of my iPhone. i waited a while before getting a smart phone, but boy- how much easier certain aspects of life have gotten since i made the jump! so, today, i'm grateful for something decidedly non-vintage- my phone!

the pretty side of my phone!


but what's a smart phone without apps? not much, that's what! so i thought i'd also share some of my favorite apps of late...

for photos:









Instagram.


i know, i know, Instagram is old news, but it has remained one of my favorites. i love that you can take a photo that might not be perfect and make it look a lot better with one of their signature filters. the social aspect of it is also a lot of fun! for you android users- if you haven't already heard, Instagram is now available for you too! free.









Phonto.


this is one of my new favorites. it's a typography app that allows you to create images with type on your phone and then save them or send them to social media sites, including Instagram. i had fun playing with some of the different fonts on this free app...













Photo Frame HD.


this is an easy to use app for combining multiple photos from your phone into one image. there are a range of layout options and you can save, email, tweet, or send to Instagram each image. free and paid versions available.


for home and work:









Zip List.


this is a great app for managing your shopping lists! you can make multiple lists, keep a recipe box, even add items to your list from recipes you find on tons of the best food websites online! you can also access it online, so my mister (who doesn't have a smart phone) can add things to the list from work, and they automatically sync to my phone. free.








Stylebook.



this one is great for fashionistas- load photos of your own clothes, create mood boards, keep track of your outfit inspirations, and more! i like it for the packing list- you can make outfit lists for each day of your trip and then create a packing list. $3.99. 











an easy to use app that lets you scan a product's barcode and then compare prices online. it also works as a QR code reader. free.











an amazing app for anyone who likes to decorate (and even professionals like stylists and designers). you can browse thousands of interior photos, create idea books, and even shop, all from this one app! it's great for on the go inspiration and even syncs with their full website. free. 











this app from Sherwin Williams lets you match a paint color to any photo on your phone! it'll also suggest coordinating colors and help you create a custom palette. free. 











this free app turns your phone into a level! it's great for hanging pictures, and can be calibrated so it maintains accuracy. 











another great iHandy app, this is one of the brightest phone flashlights available. i love it for estate sales when i don't feel like carrying my mini maglite around. free. 











i spend a lot of time driving for my business. i've tried notebooks, saving my GoogleMap print outs, emailing myself the directions to every estate sale and saving them to enter later, you name it. i just wasn't able to use any of those systems consistently, but MileTracker has changed that- it's so easy to use, and since it's on my phone it's with me everywhere i go! no more missed mileage deductions for me! $2.99 











for those who aren't hip to Square yet- you've got to try it! an affordable payment processing service/free card reader device that has no contract required and runs off your phone or iPad, Square has changed the lives of many small business owners, myself included. i'm now able to take credit cards wherever i have a cell phone or wifi signal, and i don't have to set up an expensive long term contract with a bank! Square even lets your customers sign on the screen and then have the receipt emailed or text messaged to them. the fees are affordable, and the extra sales you gain from taking credit cards more than makes up for them. Square has even recently rolled out a register system and the ability to pay with Square. free (except for processing fees). 

for fun:









Country Living's Treemail.


this fun app let's you 'carve' a message in the tree of your choice and then send it to whoever you choose. it's sweet, silly, and a lot of fun too! $.99


what apps do you love or find useful? share them in the comments so we can all check them out!