buy local calendar & tea towel in one, from terrain.

one of my favorite things to do is hit the farmer’s market on the weekends. we’re pretty lucky in san francisco, and there are several to choose from (even during the week, like the castro farmer’s market). i visit one i can walk to each saturday – the noe valley farmer’s market, and i often drive out to the alemany farmer’s market as well. it feels very community-oriented and affordable, too. i thought i’d share some handy accoutrement for shopping and storing your own local farmer’s goods.

striped toyko tote bag from rib and hull; manhattan wine tote from maptote; lightweight market basket from kaufmann mercantile; and BOUCLE WIRE SHOP BASKET from jayson home & garden.

pretty printed preserving jars from terrain; canning for a new generation by liana krisoff teaches us newbies in the art of making preserves, from terrain. not a local farmer’s market in your neighborhood? there’s a plethora of handmade and artisan foods online, like this sweet honey from ames farms; make your own salad dressings and store them in this pretty glass carafe from haus interiors.

pretty organic cotton produce bag from starflower; love the idea of this herb drying rack from cox & cox; or keep your herbs fresh is sweet little jars like these seen on tartlette; and these vintage jars from mary beth hale.

beautiful chemistry, via ethanollie.

i’ve been looking for some new, but vintage, accessories for the house, and i remembered a lot of wonderful industrial-like glassworks i’ve been seeing in the vintage etsy shops and around the design blogs these days. i love the contrast of the somewhat sterile, industrial looking glass partnered with some pretty flowers, single branches, and even terrariums. here’s a few of their wonderful glass finds i’m loving right now.

via emmas design blog.

Vintage Laboratory Centrifuge Tubes, via ethanollie.

fairy garden terrarium, via doodle birdie.

antique oil jug, via lucky little dot.

a lovely example of arranging via design*sponge.

vintage pyrex beakers, via cottage farm.

terrariums made by kat geiger at design spunk.

a boiling flask never looked so pretty, via trampoline.

terrarium diy project, via poppytalk.

via two angels in paris

i think we’re all doing our utmost best to try and get organized this year. just like every january, am i wrong? well, perhaps if we had some stylish containers for all this stuff, we might be a tad more inspired to get started on the task at hand! i know i feel more creative, and unencumbered when things are all in their right place – like things, with, well — like things. if it’s clean, coordinated and catalogued, i know just where to find that old, tattered piece of pink ribbon i socked away a few months ago.

via hindsvik

so, to stay feeling focused on creativity and not a wild goose chase, i scoured etsy for some vintage containers of all kinds — from tins to keep stray buttons, or perhaps a stash of wool, to boxes to hide away those nasty tax receipts we just aren’t quite ready to face, here’s a look at some alternative storage devices i discovered in etsy’s vintage shops. ready, set, get on it! here’s some methodical methods for storing your madness.

via shaving kit supplies

via tx altered art

via gems of time

via retro vertigo

via ingenuity on display

via lisa’s retro style

via jolly time one

via two angels in paris

via vintage starr beads

via stiletto girl

I love the look of old glass – from unique bottles to vintage cold cream jars, I love their beautiful thick glass, and old tin lids. I re-purpose bottles for a variety of uses around the house, and if they’re attractive enough, like Sophia Coppola’s shapely Rosé bottle, I use them on my dining room table to serve chilled drinking water to guests. Or, I add a stopper and put my best olive oil in them. Things just look nicer when they’re poured from pretty glass.

I also use old jars to store kitchen condiments and tea in, as well as my daily bath products, like q-tips and cotton swabs. I can display them decoratively, and yet still have them handy for every day use. I also use old kitchen jars to store all my pens & pencils, vintage postcards arts & craft supplies, old twine, paper clips and push-pins. They look organized and clutter-free, plus I can always see what I’m looking for through the lovely glass. Glass jars and bottles aren’t just for the recycle bin, they’re wonderful storage containers for an abundance of objects around the house. So, take a good look at your empty glass containers before tossing them, or look for inexpensive vintage finds at your local thrift shops, flea markets, or on eBay.