I know this is obvious to most of us but vintage is green! Taking something that already exists and giving it a new life is a great way to reduce our foot-print on the earth. This is one of those things I’ve known in the back of my head but never really thought about. That is until I started watching Dresscue Me on Planet Green. I don’t live out on the coast so shopping here isn’t an option however Etsy is an option and I just found a great new  (and local for me) store.

Here are a few of her cute vintage items:

But some of here best stuff is her up-cycled vintage and just plain worn out jewelry boxes:

 Cool right? Well check it out they even come with a “Green Guarentee”

Yes,  green guarantee. My vintage boxes are rescued from dumpsters, thrift stores, garage sales, etc… Most of them are worn out, chipped and just straight up U.G.L.Y with absolutely no alibi.  If they’re not already in a dumpster they will be soon.  I take these jewelry boxes, fix them, sand them, paint them and ultimately bring out their real beauty. 

Here are a few more fun facts about  her store:

 How I started:
I started Happy Day Vintage a couple years ago after my second child was born.  I was a former R&D Engineer turned stay at home Mom. I needed an outlet as well as a way to make a little extra cash.  Selling vintage on Etsy seemed like a natural choice, and it was.  The business evolves as I do.  I continue to sell vintage housewares, decor, luggage, etc… on HDV but my real passion is refurbishing old jewelry boxes. I adore transforming these pieces into something beautiful and use-able.

Why the Name Happy Day Vintage?
The name Happy Day Vintage was coined by my then two year old daughter. After a day of treasure hunting (as she called it and still calls it) I decided to open a shop on Etsy. I was trying to think of the perfect shop name when my daughter looks up at me, as she’s rummaging through the treasures we had just purchased, and yells out “Mama, today is a Happy Day!” The rest is history.

How am I Green?
Wow, this is a harder question to answer then I thought it would be. Everything I do revolves around being green, reusing, recycling, upcycling, and ultimately creating something beautiful out of something that was left behind.  Other then giving old items a second life, I also take great pride in the fact I use all recycled packaging.
There is no question that purchasing new items has a negative impact on our world – whether it’s through harmful emissions or sweatshop labor, the manufacturing process is destructive. Taking something old and recreating it into something beautiful has so many benefits.

So go on find some vintage in your area!

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I will warn you before this starts that I’m going to go into detail about some of Mark’s complications at the end of his life. I’m not going to be graphic, but I think it may be intense so I wanted to give you all a heads up. Oh and its long….

As you all know my faith is a huge part of my life, and because of that my Pasor is a big part of my life. He supported Mark and I thought the hard times. He did Mac and my’s pre-marrital counseling and performed the ‘legal’ part of our wedding. (Mac’s Dad did the sermon part.) He was also diagnosed with melenoma a few years back and after some intense Chemo it was seemingly taken care of.  Seemingly, early May late April Ron went back to the doctor reporting shortness of breath and after a few weeks and a few tests they confirmed, the cancer was back and it was in his lungs.

BAM! What, in the lungs? How? No this can’t be happening again. I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. OK hold on Amber, there are lots of ways Cancer can spread to the lungs, not good ways but different ways, ways that arn’t the same as Mark right? Nope, not this time. I started talking to some of the people around him (we have since moved on to a different Church because of our schedule) and found out infact it was presenting exactly how Marks did when it hit his lungs.

I  DO NOT want this to happen again, not to anyone, but especally not to anyone I know. I didn’t know what to do when I heard, infact for a while I just ignored it. But over the July 4th weekend when everyone was here for Mac’s surprise party we attended my old Church…wow.  He was skinny, guant, using pillows to cusion himself, a wheelchair to get around and on oxygen. I lost it right in the middle of worship. My SIL Bec, held my hand for abit gave me a hug an helped me snap out of it, for the moment.

I went back the next week to see what we all predicted would be his last sermon. His wife was on stage with him, she read over 50% of the sermon from his notes and as he sat on stage, I just knew. I knew that he was closer to the end than anyone wanted to see, including me. I had the chance to talk to his wife. I went over to the house and got to re-assure her that  her feelings were normal, that she was behaving completly ‘normal’ for the situation.

We talked about plural-talc’s, a proceedure to bind the lung wall to the plural space wall so that fluid can’t build up and cause the lungs problems. He had already had one succesfully (Mark’s failed) but they had decided to forgo the proceedure on the otherside. It just wasn’t worth the hospital stay, yep I understand that. Then we talked about the possibility of a plural-cath. This is a way you can drain the fluid from the plural space at home. As often as needed. Mark had one of these, and for me at least at first that was a relief. I could finaly do something to help Mark when breathing bcame  difficult. But  as  it progressed and we were draining 2 or more times a day with no relief it just became one more thing to do. I hated that I was doing something that should help but it didn’t.

I hated watching Mark struggle to walk. I hated driving him to work because he coudn’t anymore. I hated carrrying around oxygen and the clanging the tanks made in the back of the car. I hated it so much I made little pillows to stop them from rolling around. I hated the day it became nessacary for a wheelchair. I wasn’t strong enough to transfer him in and out of it as often as he needed. I hated every min of it. From the moment he was in the wheelchair I was watching him die and I knew it.

What I hate even more is to watch someone else  go though it. I would rather suffer alone. I don’t want anyone to relate to. I don’t want anyone else to lose their spouse or child but I really don’t want them to have to watch them suffer. I don’t want this to be why I experienced life with cancer, because I don’t want there to be another person that has to go thought that, it sucks. I get mad, I get sad, I cry my eyes out and none of it helps. He was still sick and I couldn’t do a thing about it. I don’t want anyone else to ever feel that helpless.

I don’t want to help anyone else ‘suffer well’ because I don’t want anyone else to go through this.

I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.

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Just wanted to pass on a few ideas on how you can beat the heat since we have had our Heat index at over 100 degress for the past few days. Current Heat index 102  which is much nicer than yesterdays.

1. Close all drapes, shades and blinds during the day.
2. Get a  good fan and have it follow you around the house.
3. Use your programable thermostat at your highest comfortable temp and remember to only veiry the temp 3-5 degrees when sleeping and at work or your AC will have to work too hard to cool it back down.
4. Hang out in the basement so you can keep your house warmer.
5. When you get home from work, change into as little as you feel comfortable in.
6. Line dry your clothes.
7. Dont’ cook inside or use a toaster oven insted of a full size or a crock pot.
8. Air dry your dishes in your dishwasher (you should do this anyway.)

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Have you heard of Ciao Mom, a day in the life? Me either until the other day and that is when I went to Sellabit Mumand saw her post My Wrinkles and Muffin Top – Oh Yeah, I Own You. First of all what a great title I think I need to re-work my boring “Things I like about me.” Title Secondly what a great post she listed 13 things that she genuinly liked about herself. I was intrigued and decided to check out her insperation Ciao Mom. Her post was too amazing but check out this one specific quote:

Today is all about celebrating who we are and what we like about ourselves. It is about sending a message to ourselves, to society, and even to our children, that finding the positives in yourself is an important and essential endeavor.  Maybe just maybe, thinking about what we like instead of what we would want to change, will increase our self confidence. Maybe it will help us see things that we have not noticed before. And maybe it will send the message that we are ENOUGH just the way we are.

OK enough talking, this is going to be hard so lets get down to it. I like:

1. My Faith, I’ve been through some tough stuff, middle school (trust me), losing a husband to cancer at 24, family crisis, but through it all my faith has not waivered. I know that Jesus died for my sins to save ME and that dosen’t change because I’m having a bad day.
2. I like my calves, no matter what they always seem to look good.
3. I like that I’m not superfical (in the body image sort of way), I’m not ‘happy’ with my weight but I’m not so concerned about it that diet and exercise consume my life, they are a healthy part of it.
4. I like being the wierd green chick, I don’t nessacarly think I’m going to save the world but I can do my part to help.
5. I like being the friend that people call when they need someone, something or some help.
6. I like my laugh, its loud but I look good doing it I have wedding, engagment and just family picturs with Mac with me laughing and they are some of OUR favorites.
7. I like that I’m emotional, it means things hurt more but it also means that I can love more, be happier and laugh harder (see #6.)
8. My Family, I’m blessed with parents that are still together, 2 yes 2 great sets of In-Laws (Mac’s and Mark’s) and amazing brother and sister in law and some pretty great extended family too.
9. That I’m not a ‘normal’ photographer. My SIL Bec is a great portriate and artistic photographer but that is just too much pressure for me I much prefer my sports and landscapes.
10. I like my quirky misspellings so much so that I decided to not spell check this post.

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About Me, Faith, Happy Thoughts, Insperation, Life, Things I Like