After two years.....

Anyone out there?  It's only been, um, 2+ years since I've posted.  And I can tell you so much has happened.  Just as I'm sure two years changes a lot in your life too.  So where did I leave off?  I stopped blogging to focus more on my job with the family plumbing and heating company.  At the same time my husband's position change at work made his work-life balance almost all work :(  So I gave up blogging to do the more important things in life.  It was a good break, and completely necessary in order to keep me focused on what truly mattered. Then big changes came along and I well, blogging was at the bottom of my list.  But - I will be back (on a new blog).  So here's my big changes in the past two years:

BIG CHANGE #1:

Meet Adrienne June:



My little sweetie (now already 15 months old) has consumed my days and nights -- and I LOVE it.  She arrived on May 29, 2012 and this spunky, little chicky has filled our worlds with joy.

You can follow me on Instagram to see oodles of pictures of her :)

And because of Big Change #1, Big Change #2 had to happen (I sound as if I've read too many Dr. Seuss books, right??)

BIG CHANGE #2:

Goodbye Hand Me Down House.....a little sad, but very excited, too.  We are moving!  I'm super, duper excited -- but honestly, as I'm packing up my house (especially Adri's room), I'm getting a little teary-eyed.  We put so much work and love into this house that it will be sad to go, but I'm so excited for our new adventure on Parkridge Drive :)  

(I am hoping to have a little bit of time to get up some final before and after pictures.  We updated a lot since I've been absent from my blog and I think it'd be fun to see the final product).

I also think I might like to start a new blog (or add on to this one??) with all the changes we will be making at the new house.  It's outdated, but we love the style, layout and neighborhood. 


BIG CHANGE #3:

In addition to my job with my family's plumbing & heating company, I've added one more venture to my list :)  I have created an activewear site that carries some awesome brands.  This is where I've been blogging recently.  I got serious about exercise and healthy eating after Adrienne was born (yup, I packed on 40 lbs -- ugh).  But it eventually all came back off (and that 5 lbs I was trying to shed before I got pregnant even) with a little extra work.

www.alldayactivewear.com

I'm so excited about all the changes that have happened, and I know there will be more to come. 

Check these out!

First, I want to say thank you to everyone who sent me wonderful emails introducing themselves.  I'm so excited to get to "meet" you all and introduce you to the rest of my readers and followers!  (If you haven't sent me your email yet, you can get all the details here).

Well today, I'd like to introduce you to an absolute GEM -- Village Boutique.  (They are also the newest sponsor of the Hand Me Down House!)

 

The minute I saw this fantastic shop, I knew you gals would love these bracelets and goodies too.  One of the most awesome things about these bracelets is that they are completely unique, which means no one will see your bracelet and say, "I have the SAME one from Target!" (Don't you hate when that happens!?!).  The spoons that she uses are from years when they didn't have machines to replicate the pattern -- so they are hand-crafted designs.

Village Boutiques has bracelets, key chains, necklaces and bracelets with charms -- and they are all made out of silverware!  They are fantastic!  Here are a few of my favorites:

Bracelet made out of silverware from the Spring Bouquet Pattern, circa 1954

I LOVE this bracelet - it's from the Century pattern collection, which was discontinued in 1923

Aaaand, you can put a charm or jewel on your bracelet for some added bling!

Isn't this amazing!?! She put a typewriter key in the center of this bracelet!  Gorgeous!

What's even more amazing is to see how most of the spoons are originally found (before she cleans them up and makes then into beautiful jewelry):

Incredible right!?!

The spoon fanatic behind Village Boutique learned her crafting and creating skills from her Grandpa as a little girl.  Over the years she's perfected her craft and well, you've seen the outcome -- amazing jewelry!  She puts so much love and care into each piece of jewelry she creates - and it shows; they are beautiful!

And just like me she's fascinated by history and the thought of where this silverware may have come from and who may have used it over the past hundred years.   I think that's what initially intrigued me about this amazing jewelry -- it's already older than I am, yet it's a brand new piece that was JUST created. 

She also has a fascinating blog that has TONS of interesting and fun facts about the spoons she uses for her bracelets -- so your jewelry comes with a mini history lesson too!

These bracelets would make wonderful gifts too!  You could give your mom or grandma a truly unique, meaningful gift of a bracelet that was originally made in a year that was special to them -- a birth year, an anniversary year?  How special would that be?!

I'm SO excited to have this wonderfully, beautiful jewelry here!  And I'm SO glad I got to share it with all of you, too!  Be sure to visit these little gems at Village Boutique!  

Be sure to stay tuned for tomorrow, too -- you might just have a chance to get one of these awesome pieces for yourself! :)

It's nice to meet.....YOU

Over the past few months things have changed A LOT at this little blog.  When I first started out, I LOVED being able to visit all your blogs and see what you guys have been up to, too.  While I'm lov-ing the fact that there are just over 700 of you who want to read my blog and are interested in my weird ideas (it means the WORLD to me!) -- it also means that I'm not able to visit every single one of YOUR blogs.  I LOVE all you readers and followers -- and I've thoroughly enjoyed "getting to know" some of you.    And because I want to continue to get to know all of you, we're going to start a little something different over here at the Hand Me Down House.

Every week or so, I'd like to meet one of YOU (yes you!) and introduce you to everyone else around who here who follows along too.  

What does that mean, you ask!?

It means send me an email and introduce yourself to us! :)  Be sure to send me a link to your blog and links or pictures of what you've been up to lately -- projects, crafts -- anything you'd like to share with us. 

I can't wait to get your emails and get to know more of you out here in blogland!

The First Post! (And a brief history)

Well here we are....our first post about our house on our brand-new blog!

First things first....some introductions:

Amanda: I am the blogger in our family...so pretty much all of what you read here will be my ideas, points of view, etc. My love for creating, transforming and crafting has been a long time in the making...and now I'm enjoying channeling that energy into our home.

Kevin: My partner in home-improvement crime! He's the more realistic thinker to my crazy-over-the-top-bite-off-more-than-I-can-chew ideas.


Ruby: Our Mascot -- and comic relief! Although we have our moments of naughtiness (at which time she is affectionately called "Rubert!"); our little Australian Terrier ignores most of our home projects by finding a quite spot in the house to sleep.

The Hand Me Down House:(read even more here)

Although this house may not be our dream-home yet, we knew it was something we could work with and transform exactly how we wanted.

Our lovely abode has been my home since I was ten years old. Of course after moving out on my own I never thought I would be living in that house again. I was glad to have a place of my own in a busy suburb with my neighbors so close I could hear their alarm clocks in the morning. It was the perfect place for one....but then add two! Kevin joined the living quarters along with all of our wedded-bliss-must-have-gifts. And then came Ruby and we realized a larger pad was definitely in order.

When my parents were ready to sell our current hand-me-down we jumped at the chance. Knowing that we could change our house but not our location or property we felt we could make this a house we love. And that's when it started.

Before we knew it we were tearing out carpet, ripping off wallpaper, painting, spackling and everything in between. It was a whirlwind of a month before we moved in. I wish I had been more on top of things when we moved in and really documented our changes -- but alas I was not. So starting a year and a half late -- here I begin our transformations.....with more to come!