Vacation Mode On

We are on vacation! While financially the wrong time due to the house moving and all, the perfect time physically as we are exhausted of all the moving :) We had planned this trip before buying the house, or we wouldn't have gone now but we are thoroughly enjoying the break and are vacationing on a tight budget, will blog about that on our return.

Just like last year, we flew into Miami. But this year our flight was at 6am (on Friday) so at the end of the trip we had skipped two nights of sleep and we are only now starting to get over our horrible jetlag. The day after our arrival, Saturday, we planned to go to the Key's right away but not before visiting some thrift shops as we have been missing those the entire year :)

On our way out of the Motel we noticed a cute Church, I honestly felt too tired and hungry to look but Mum insisted. Turned out a fascinating place. Our Lady of Sorrows is a Catholic church, established only 30 years ago by a priest who used to work for Panair so he traveled a lot and bought statues at all his travels.

The church felt like a museum, but mass was about to start so we only took a few photos and left.

 My photos aren't doing the place justice, it was a special place.

So after quite some thrift shops and hours of driving we arrived at Marathon which is in the middle of the Keys, Key Largo is the first and Key West is the last Key.

Although we stayed here on our last trip too we only had two nights then and we hadn't gone to Sombrero beach which turned out to be very close to where we are staying.

We found some beach treasures, and relaxed, it really does feel like a vacation even while our sleep rhythm is still horrible.

About the only selfie I'll take this vacation :)

Lots of Iguanas at the Motel's property. Although they look like dragons they run away when you try to approach.

I find them intriguing and beautiful.

Beside interesting creatures, you can also come across interesting people, like this lady who clearly loves this season.

We drove to Keywest and visited different places than last time.

The beaches are still our favorite place to visit.

And after the super Christmas Bicycle we also saw this artwork of a car.

It had real shells, all kind of plastic figurines, I think it was a Honda once upon a time :)

We've already been here 3 days, time flies when you are having a good time! I'll blog again soon with different places as we are leaving the Keys tomorrow.

Newly Listed; Vintage Lesbos Map

Vintage Nautical Sea Map, Maritime Chart, Lesbos, Greek Island, Turkish Coast by StarHomeStudio
Greece Islands by MosaicArtandPainting
Greek island art, Greece photography, Colorful wall art, Patmos print, travel photo art by ReneeMcMahonimages
Greece, Windmill Photography, Mykonos Island, Travel Photography, Greek Islands by PetiteWanderer

Newly Listed: Ombre Kelp Scarf

Ombre Kelp Scarf Purple Green Ombre Hand Knitted Luxurious Accessory by StarsWear
Botanical Wall Art Print Tree Seed Pods Mauve Nature Photography by LupenGrainne
Nature Photography, leaf with autumn rain, wall decor, raindrops by LynnLangmade
Wall Art Nature Floral Print Photography Fine Print anemone, Home Decor by DanielDanilovArt

Newly Listed: Soft Pastel Striped Cowl

Soft Pastel Striped Cowl, Knitted Textured Scarf, Stripe Textures Cowl, Silk and Wool by StarsWear
Barn Owl Photography, dreamy fairy tale forest, woodland pastel photograph print by BokehEverAfter
Fairy Tale Woodland Photo, Ethereal Forest, Light Whimsical Photography by missquitecontrary
Nature Photography, Tree Photo, Landscape, Dreamy, Pink Sky, Romantic Mauve, Wall Art by KateRyanFineart

Shabby Flea Market

This past Sunday we went to İzmir again for a second trip to IKEA, but we went on the busiest day as we wanted to combine it with a visit to the Flea market which is only on Sundays. Izmir is more than a 3-hour drive so we usually combine a few things.

The Flea market had moved to a new location, and it couldn't be shabbier. Absolutely adorable, the way to it was a very narrow road, and looked totally like a village but Izmir is a huge city with more than 6 million people!

A few vendors were on that street

Among laundry that was not for sale :)

But most activities were in an old factory building.

All kind of stuff was for sale, lots of total junk but there were also some great treasures.

Despite the shabby place lots of vendors were asking too much, still we had lots of fun and found a few pieces.

A very attentive cat selling drills :)

It was busy and messy but super fun and had a great atmosphere. Izmir is the most democratic city (and province) of Turkey and has a pretty relaxed and warm vibe.

It was worth getting up at 6am and we are definitely going to do it again!

There was also a woman making Gözleme, a typical Turkish food, thin dough filled with cheese, or vegetables or both, it was warm and fresh and the woman was hilarious.

Turkey keeps us surprising of the fun and exotic places we keep seeing. Izmir is always super messy, shabby but loads of fun.

Happy Coincidences

A few weeks ago we saw an L-shaped couch that seemed perfect for our new home. It was somewhere between our old and new home, pretty high in the hills. It wasn't as soft as I hoped it would be and it turned out to be brown not gray as it seemed in the pictures. However the same lady had also this coffee table and when I said I liked it, it turned out she was selling that too so I didn't leave empty-handed.

Of course, I loved its legs and bought it to turn in to a big statement ottoman.
The top was of course very securily attached like everything that needs to be removed. The top was the exact right side for a table we have, I still need to paint it but it is already attached.

The legs I sanded and then painted in a distressed gray and then varnished it.

I had to do everything twice as things didn't go as planned first time around.
But with many layers, linings it finally worked out.

Deciding last finishing touches.

Tadaa! The top is made with a kilim we bought this Summer during a small local auction, the size was PERFECT for it (just like its original top was perfect for another table.

I love the color combo, and the happy coincidences of all the perfectly sized things were extremely satisfying.

Although it seems just gray it also has the same pink and mint green as the kilim in its paintwork, but very vague.

I upholstered the foam first with gray fabric as the kilim has weaving holes, the gray fabric now pops through giving it an extra pattern.

This one of a kind beauty is available at StarHomeStudio.

With all the moving this will most likely be our last furniture project for this year, but we have plenty of pieces in the shop.

Newly Listed: Pebble Fish Decor

Pebble Fish Decor, Paper Weight, Nautical Beach Decor, Pick Your Favorite by StarHomeStudio
Ocean photography, Beach home decor, seashore, summer decor, beach photography, seagulls by VintageChicImages
Sand Photography, beach photo neutral wall art seashore print coastal photograph, Sandy Shore by CarolynCochrane
Whale Tail Photo, Ocean Water, Whale Art Print, Coastal Wall Decor, Beach Decor, Ocean Waves Art by GoodVibesHotel

Home Progress

We finally managed to fix the table that has been lying upside down on the floor for weeks. The feet are new and putting everything back together took many hours. This table was our table in the Netherlands but had been in Kütahya (the old house that I mentioned a while back) for more than 20 years, besides the middle part which was in our attic, nice to have it all back together again.

The chairs are all mismatched vintage beauties, the house is pretty modern so it is nice to have some warm and playful furniture. Slowly the house is becoming a home, and with the table, the odd large L-shaped kitchen makes much more sense. We also went to IKEA for some new beds, still working on those!

We also made good progress on the atelier. Just moving a home is a lot of work but for us it is the ateliers that are the biggest task, both are fully packed, and we still are on the first!! But we are getting there.

Every time we go we fill up the car till full capacity the house then becomes a mess which we then clear up. It all takes a lot of time and effort but in the end, we will hopefully have a great working space!

The sewing side is looking good, but there is still loads of fabric to move!

Newly Listed: Whimsical Embroidered Scarf

Whimsical Embroidered Scarf, Fairytale Wrap, Mori Girl, Vintage Embroidery, Dwarfs, Mushrooms, Flowers by StarsWear
Abstract Nature Print, Colorful Nature Photo, Magical Forest Trees Art, Modern Wall Art by KateRyanFineArt
A magical fine art photographic print of a Fly Agaric toadstool on the forest floor by GreenManPhotography
Whimsical Forest, Tree with Door  Winnie the Pooh Digital Backdrop Digital Background by 4PhotogsByaPhotog