Tif, a.k.a. Dottie Angel, is yet another one of my lucky Flickr finds. She comes across as the nicest person and so full of wit - the brilliant British humour I so enjoy, yes, she is British living in the US. When I read her bio I had to ask her how she managed to be so creative with her Etsy store of 'handcrafted goodness with a vintage vibe’, write an inspiring blog, raise four kids and care for a number of pets (some furry, a few with wings and one with a shell).

Her answer was that it all comes down to doing what you love and everything comes together one way or another. Tif has set a brave challenge for herself and anyone who wishes to join in, which is to only buy hand crafted and second hand items for her home and closet for one year. She will be twittering about it here.
Her home is a reflection of her challenge already, full of hand crafted and thrifted items. I fell in love with one of the many lovely items – a thrifted stool upholstered with a green flowery fabric. In Tif’s own words: "A thrift store stool holds so much potential... when i come across one, whilst browsing the 'shelves of despair', my little pulse starts to race and my heart quickens. For armed with nothing more than paint, vintage fabrics and a few doilies, i know the 'little forsaken soul' before me will have a chance to shine in all it's glory. Going from being an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan, and all it takes is a little imagination and a pair of rose colored spectacles."

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