Giveaway! // Certain Something Vintage and Handmade

EDIT: Thanks to all who entered! We have a winner - Birgit! Congrats!

Happy Monday! I love starting out the week with a giveaway. This one is with my friend, Kat, who runs Certain Something Vintage and Handmade on Etsy. I love gazing through her shop because she finds the neatest vintage things and also creates her own sweater clips and shoe clips. Her shop will spice up your wardrobe in no time! She is kindly giving away one of her adorable sweater clips today! First, a little about Kat!

"I'm Kat, a 25 year old gal living in heart of the Mitten State. I work during the day as a receptionist, but I moonlight as a photographer, artisan, and vintage aficionado. (I'm also a crazy cat lady and self-proclaimed fashionista).

I grew up in a small town in a house that has been in my family for several generations, and it is full of all kinds of relics from the past. I was always intrigued by old things as a child and was constantly asking my parents about every single thing I found in the house, and that interest only grew stronger as I got older. 

My mother (and her mother, and her mother...) is a very creative lady, and also a very talented seamstress. I'm quite thankful for that having been passed down to me! We spend a lot of time together looking at vintage fashions and exchanging ideas. She is a great source of inspiration for several of the things that you will find in my shop. I love that so many times, when I show her one of my latest vintage finds, she'll look at it and say "Oh! I remember those!" and go on to share all kinds of nostalgic memories with me.

I get so much excitement and exhilaration from traveling around in search of those rare vintage items that have that special "certain-something." Every once in a while I find an incredible piece that jumps right out at me and nearly makes my heart stop--and those are the items that find their way here! My vintage hunts and research also fill me with countless ideas, and the other half of my love of all things vintage is creating accessories inspired by styles of the past. I'm constantly inspired and overflowing with ideas, and I am always so excited every time I have a new one to share!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get this gorgeous 1970s Polka Dot Ruffle Dress here!

You know how much I love owls! It's available here.

P.S. Kat is offering Lovely Llorys readers a 15% discount during the giveaway! LLORYS15 is the code! She also will be putting most of her jewelry and shoe clips on clearance this week, so definitely head over to her shop!

Good luck! The giveaway ends this Saturday at 11:59pm and is open worldwide!

Giveaway // October Native

**Update: The winner of the giveaway is Elise from Black Ant Beads. Thank you everyone for entering, and keep Beckie's shop in mind for Christmas gifts!!**

I can't think of a more perfect way to start off the beautiful month of October than with a giveaway! Beckie from October Native (how appropriate) is giving one of my readers a gorgeous button ring that she has created. Beckie's etsy shop is full of vintage and handmade items that were inspired by her grandfather's travels around the world. She has lots of treasures! This forest green button ring can be yours if you leave a comment telling me which item you like the most in her shop! There are a lot of other ways to win below!

First, a bit about Beckie!

"I am from Florida, born and raised, and I currently live in St. Petersburg. I was just blessed to be able to move into a house with my husband and cute little choweenie puppy, which is ever so peaceful compared to apartment living! I work part time as a companion for those with disabilities and I am a full time volunteer as a team leader for a non profit called Young Life Capernaum - a club for those with special needs. In the midst of all this I get to indulge in my crafty and eclectic obsessions with my etsy shop!

I started collecting vintage when I was a kid. My grandpa was a big traveler, going all over the world and bringing back amazing unique items. I loved to go to antique shops as a kid and look for notes in old books, imagining who those people were. I have always been fascinated by the fact that those notes were written by ordinary people, and that maybe one day my scribbles could have an impact on someone in the future. I love the timelessness that vintage items hold. I also love crafting - that excitement and challenge of working on a project and coming to the point when you've finished and it looks amazing! The feeling never gets old.

My shop stands out because I have vintage items that will have a new life, and I also have items that I have worked hard on bringing to life through my crafting. My shop's tagline is "Bringing Fragments in Time to Life."

Now onto the giveaway! Good luck everyone: )
(GFC refers to Google Friend Connect and that is located under the ads on the right side of my blog!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Collections: Owls

As a precursor to a new giveaway I'm hosting tomorrow (check back!), I'm sharing my owl collection with you! I know it's like super cliche to have an owl collection now, but I started mine a few years ago, so I think it's legit. I went around the house getting things to photograph, and the collection is actually pretty sizable these days! I even have a.) more here than I didn't photograph and b.) more at my parents' house, so I'll get to do a follow-up post at some point! Something to look forward to: )

Above, left to right: Mug from a thrift store, mug from China Town in SF, painting I did of the picture frame in the below picture, cookie cutter that was a gift, and figure/not really sure of its actual purpose that I found at a thrift store.

Golden figurine from thrift store, iron-on labels that were a gift, picture frame from Urban Outfitters, napkin holder from thrift store, clips from IKEA, tea light holder from UO, little figurine from Target's dollar section, flower-owl figurine from thrift store, little figurine that was a gift, owl made of stones that was a gift. (Paper underneath is from World Market).

Clock from a thrift store. It works and is totally silent, so I love it!

Owl Always Love You decoration from Urban Outfitters, container from Urban Outfitters, bottle opener from UO (super sturdy), catch-all from UO (yeah, redundant, I know!), hot plate holder from thrift store, white container from UO, and two containers on the right end from thrift stores.

Cuff from a stand on the island of Hvar in Croatia, "Give a Hoot Don't Pollute" pin can't remember from where, two rings - one from Forever 21, the other from Rue 21, necklaces - Forever 21, gift, yard sale, etc., and a candle holder from Bath and Body Works. The painting is by my friend Brea. So detailed!

Tank top from Forever 21 and bag from Kohl's.

Towels - all gifts, mostly from Kohl's!

There you have it. I haven't been thrifting much lately, but all the well-known stores around here seem to lack owl things (darn hipsters). So I have to dig off the beaten path, but that's half the fun! I can't buy everything owl thing I find... or can I? Anyway, what collections do you have? I shared my mug collection here, and I also collect mushroom things, vinyl, pin-back buttons, and a few other things. I've always been like this - my mom claims I brought home used napkins from birthday parties, but I don't remember that.

Happy Sunday! And remember to check back tomorrow for the giveaway I mentioned: )

Mug Collection

so i don't really know what kind of a blog i want to have, but i've just been so inspired by some of the other blogs i've been following that i know i want to try and keep it up! since nothing totally exciting has happened since the gala (except our trivia team came in first on sunday with a near perfect score of 85!) i thought i would share one of my collections with you. since i am a barista, and i love coffee, it's only fitting that i have a much too large collection of coffee mugs! i have several of them stowed away at my parents' house, and some of them packed away in the attic because our kitchen isn't ideal to display allllll of them. but here are some of my most prized!

my go-to mug these days. this morning it holds my gevalia french roast and hazelnut coffee-mate creamer.

the above mug is from the very talented etsy-ist MaidOfClay, who custom made this true blood mug for me! (i found her through a similar one by her on pinterest that drew me in, btw) i love love it, but i keep it up on my desk because i don't trust anyone and i don't want it to be lost or broken. if you haven't seen true blood, listen to the theme song and you'll understand! the fang marks on the rim are the best part: ) the front says "i wanna do bad things with you."

this mug has sadly been worn out since this photograph. one scary similarity is that this photo was taken the night my two front teeth were chipped and alas, the mug is now chipped. it still sits on my desk because i love it too much to say goodbye.

this is one side of my vintage owl mug that i found at my favorite big rapids thrift store, the wise shopper. i hope nothing bad ever happens to this lil guy!

found this cutie during our stop at minty keen the other day! the year on it says 1956, and it's just adorable. if you're in grand rapids, you must check out this shop: )

i love my south dakota mug. not sure why, i guess because i like that it's kind of etched and not just printed on. makes me want to visit one day, for sure!

 if you haven't been to tim hortons, GO!

self-explanatory!

this tuesday i have work and trivia, or that is the plan. and i've been missing the sun, so hopefully it makes an appearance today. i also have to announce that today is exactly one month until our trip to croatia!!
what have you got goin' on? do you collect anything? watch for owls, mushrooms, and pin-back buttons at some point!