introducing- a curated life

i've always loved museums. at one point i even wanted to be a museum curator or a museologist. the closest i've come is volunteering as a docent at the Laramie Plains Museum at the Historic Ivinson Mansion in junior high and high school.

 photo: Ivinson Mansion via Laramie Historic Photos 

over the holidays, Bill and i visited the Smithsonian's Museum of American History, and while we were there it dawned on me that though i may never work for a museum, i am a curator- of my own life. we are all curators really- if you collect things, decorate your home, save letters or birthday cards, or make photo albums- you're curating your life.

photo: pocketful of pretty's vintage fan collection 

it's in that spirit that i'd like to introduce a new weekly feature- a curated life. each week i'll share a collection with you, either one of mine or one of a reader or fellow blogger/shop owner. to start us off, i'm sharing one of my collections...

brooches aren't just fun and beautiful, they're a portable collection! i love wearing mine on my vintage coats especially, but they really make any outfit more interesting and they're an easy way to add a little bit of vintage every day.

want to see more great vintage brooches? my pal Jenny at Frecklewonder is doing a week-long series on her favorite collections and today she's featuring her brooches! apparently great minds think alike! take a look and stick around to explore her site- you'll love it!

now it's your turn- i want to see your collections! send me a message at danae{at}gatherandhuntvintage{dot}com and i'll send you all the details!

happy curating!

gratitude

with Valentine's Day happening this week, i thought it was the perfect time to share my gratitude for...

Bill on the day of our wedding

that's my mister. his name is Bill and i love him even more than i love vintage! he is an amazing husband and i'm so thankful for him and all he does. for instance, he...

makes me awesome cards, by hand...

surprises me with treats and gifts...

has fun with me...

plays along when i throw parties with silly themes...

lifts heavy vintage objects for long periods of time and rarely takes breaks (i don't know how we could have done Farm Chicks without the husbands last year!)...

puts up with all my cheesy photo shoot ideas...

tolerates enormous piles of vintage stuff sitting in the middle of our apartment...

and even stands in the rain while we get the perfect photo next to a cool old truck! 

see? he's pretty awesome right? beyond all that fun stuff above, he works hard to provide for us, is passionate and not afraid to follow his dreams, is kind to others (especially people that many would ignore), is patient and secretly funny, has an awesome beard, and he's handsome to boot! for all those reasons, and so many more, i am grateful for him.  

what are you grateful for this week? i'd love to know- just leave a comment! 

(p.s. if you're interested in theology or the bible, Bill has a new blog of his own that i think you'll like! take a look and let him know i told you all about him!) 

fridays are for fightin'

today i awoke with a rather large list of to-do's in my head. hit some estate sales, sort/clean/price inventory, work on the website, clean the house, show an apartment. i also awoke with a migraine in said head. a battle ensued. the migraine won for awhile. i skipped the sales and stayed in bed a bit. then i decided to fight through. i'm still not feeling great, but with a mountain of vintage goods to deal with, and a desire to have a life, i couldn't let the migraine win.

here's to fightin' through! what are you battling today?

gratitude

photo via grey square designs

i have a confession. i spent way too much time on etsy yesterday. now, don't get me wrong, etsy is wonderful- i love etsy. but i notice that days when i've spent too much time on there (or on blogs, pinterest, etc) i find myself slightly less content with my own home, my own wardrobe, my own website, my own life. i don't like that. i go to those sites for inspiration, or maybe to find something i'm looking to purchase, but i don't want to become a less content person because of all the wonderful things that i find.

so, i've decided to do something about it. i'm going to focus on what i already have in my life that i'm grateful for, and i'm going to share those things with you. sometimes it might be tangible things, other times things that you can't put a price on. i hope that not only will this new segment help me to dwell in gratitude more consistently, but that it will also inspire you to look at your life and find the things you are grateful for.

today's gratitude: a vintage star chart that served as the keystone piece for our bedroom decor. i found it at an estate sale a very long time ago and even though i hadn't figured out what to do with it i held onto it. when we moved into our current apartment i knew it would be the perfect centerpiece for the new look i wanted.

isn't it fun? it may seem silly, but i really am grateful for such a simple and unique piece. plus, the lovely blue shade adds some calm to the bedroom.

what are you grateful for? i'd love if you'd share in the comments! or, if you have a photo, send it to me and i'll share it in a post tomorrow!

p.s. a special hello to all of you who are visiting for the first time via The Farm Chicks, Brookelyn Photograpy, or Bowtie and Bustle. i'm so thankful that these lovely sites and the amazing ladies behind them would link to lil' ol' me! thanks for visiting Gather and Hunt- i hope you enjoy your time here!

new arrivals!

some fun new goods arrived at the Gather and Hunt space in the Fremont Vintage Mall today! i know not everyone reading this is in Seattle, but i hope you can all enjoy a peek at some of the treasures i've found lately!

fun horseshoes

player piano scrolls

great brass whale bookend

a few new industrial office goodies

kitschy ceramic unicorn and eagle crewel

new business cards are available now! 

on the hunt in Salt Lake City

during my recent trip to Salt Lake City for Alt Summit, i managed to escape the hotel for an afternoon to do a little thrifting with my friend Jenn from Scout. Vintage Rentals. we didn't have much time but we fit in a couple of great shops, and had a little fun in the snow too!

the snowflakes were huge and slushy

our first stop was Capital City Antique Mall. i had seen a spread about this shop in Cityhome Collective and it looked like a good spot- filled with treasures. it didn't disappoint.

i have a thing for lightbulbs ever since seeing the Edison exhibit at the Smithsonian in December

serious looking couple

a plate from my home state

i really wanted to take that blanket home (such pretty shades of green), but opted for some items that would fit into my suitcase a little easier.

after our taxi finally arrived (SLC is not really a taxi town), we headed over to Decades, the most amazing vintage clothing store i've ever been in! everything was immaculately organized and the store is just packed full of everything you could imagine. unfortunately, they didn't want us taking photos, so i only have one pic that was snapped before i asked if we could take photos. they also don't seem to have a working website, so the link above will direct you to a NY Times Magazine post about the shop.

the only photo from the shop- a case (that filled a whole wall) with amazing vintage jewelry

a few clutches i couldn't pass on (that peachy one is my favorite color right now)

as i write this, i'm wishing i had driven out to Salt Lake so i could have gathered even more treasures to bring home with me! there was some amazing vintage out there and the prices were so affordable. those of you living in SLC should count yourself very blessed!