Normalcy Returns

The last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic for us over here at Ferguson's! We have finally finished all of our Christmas festivities; the loot has all been squirreled away and the candy has all been devoured. Now it's back to work! Our brick and mortar store is getting ready to change its hours, and we are pretty excited about it! It will free up some time to go "picking" as The Fox likes to call it on the weekends and hopefully give us more time to take care of our home and selves a little better.
Our Etsy shop has been growing- there are all sorts of pretties to check out there. I plan to get a few more items listed over the next few days- with New Year's just around the corner it keeps me from being as productive as I would like!
As our shop grows, we are hoping to start adding some other things aside from jewelry- look for neat vintage tchotchkes, cookware, and maybe even some goodies made by yours truly! It was somewhat of a homemade Christmas this year, as you can see below. There's a framed button portrait of our sweet Westie, Julie, as well as all the fur-babies paw prints, haha!
I also can't stand the thought of paying for something to be thrown away, so instead of using wrapping paper from the store, we wrapped our gifts in newsprint from the local newspaper offices and decorated them ourselves. It's a little on the janky side.. but we've decided that we are ok with that!

     

A few parting photos from our Christmas adventures!

 

Thanks again for stopping by to see what we're up to! See you next year; we hope you have a wonderful day!

Looking forward to Morn's Rise

I am almost too excited to sleep, knowing these are tucked snugly away in my fridge until tomorrow dawns anew.
I never thought to add blackberries to my cinnamon rolls, or hell, to even attempt more than a pillsbury can, but these... These inspire poetry, melodies, entire operatic performances devoted to their honor.
It's late and I am acting kooky in case you couldn't tell, so I'll catch you up to speed first thing tomorrow with live action footage of the finished product and recipe info/appropriate credits.
Until then, sweet dreams!

Planning Ahead

It's that time of year again! Nope, I'm not talking about shopping for presents or over-eating or burrowing down in your snuggie for another episode of Honey Boo Boo. I'm talking about garden planning.

"Say Whhh-aat?!" You might be crying out. And I don't blame you. A few days ago, the thought would not have even flitted through the vast cavern that is my brain.

Then, without any warning or announcement- I received not one, but two seed catalogs.

The thrill of getting just about anything in the mail is hard to beat, and these had the double whammy of surprise and beauty. That second one may seem a bit strange, but take a look at this cover by Baker Creek.
 That is just gorgeous! And it's as thick as a magazine- glossy color pictures and descriptions that make your mouth water. I have two garden boxes in my backyard, making space somewhat of a premium, but I'm having a difficult time choosing between about four different kinds of carrots... And that's just the carrots! I didn't even know there was such a thing as white carrots, or twenty-five vastly different types of eggplant or a thing called a "celtuce". It sounds pretty wild but it is really just a lettuce with a celery like stalk. Go figure!

I know I should be focusing on things more business related, or at the very least, finishing up my Christmas gifts (it's one of those homemade years. That's really not such a bad thing, I just need to get cracking!), but right now, it's nothing but "how many different jalapeño plants can I justify?" and so forth. At the very least, I've learned there are more edible plants than I could have ever imagined. Feel free to share the oddest plant or veggie you've ever heard of- we would love to hear!
Until then, peace!

Puppies, Pretties and More

   Well it has been a pretty exciting week so far! We found out yesterday morning that our Yorkie is a proud new father! He had spent some time with a lady friend a couple months ago, but we were fairly certain that nothing had come of it. Apparently not, though! The mother's owners never noticed any signs of pregnancy, but it was because there was only one puppy! We were glad to find out that their "conjugal visit" had been a success. :)

"Proud Papa"

On a less awkward (puppies have to come from somewhere, right?) note; The Fox scored a really cool vintage ring mounting and a couple awesome pairs of old boots. The boots got hustled off to his closet, but we are going to get the ring all gussied up and swap out a diamond from a plainer setting and put it into this one.We aren't sure yet, but more than likely it is 14k with white and yellow gold and has a fantastic look.

Isn't it great? Definitely rough, but it will be a knock out soon enough!

I did finally get a couple pieces added to our etsy shop (The Tiger & The Fox) which are all under $100. Any purchases this week should still be able to arrive in time for Christmas! And Valentine's Day is not too far off, either. This time of year is crazy for us- The Fox's birthday is around the first week of January, mine is the day before V-Day, and our anniversary (#6!) is February 26. So by March, we are almost a little relieved to be done with everything, haha!
Be sure to check in again- I am hoping to have some more earrings and maybe a pendant or two added in the next couple of days.
Happy Christmas!

Coming off a Pie High

Well, Thanksgiving was pretty fantastic overall for us this year. Lots of good food, as well as time with family and some friends that are just as close as family. The Fox and I enjoyed having a few days off, although getting up at 5:30 this morning was even harder than usual, haha.
I hope everyone has been hitting up some fantastic deals this morning- unfortunately I have been flying around like a mad squirrel and haven't even had a chance to check it out. I did see where Snapfish was doing penny prints today- up to 300! I, of course, decided to get the last 3 years worth of pictures developed about a week ago at nine cents a pop. Still pretty reasonable, especially with a coupon, but my timing never ceases to be bemuse me. Alas.
In shop news- I have done a terrible job! I have two silver rings, three sets of gold hoops, and a gorgeous jade necklace to add, and instead of getting them photographed and listed yesterday, I decided to go on a purge of the craft room. It needed to be done, but maybe not right then. At any rate, be looking for some fab pieces to be showing up at the shop sometime today or tomorrow.

My final tidbit for today- Never Fail Pie Crust

I found this recipe on MADE (Dana Made It)- and it was incredible. I don't know if 'never fail' can be guaranteed, but it sure worked for us. The Fox is pretty awesome at whatever he sets his mind to, but I need all the help I can get. When he decided he wanted his pecan pies to have homemade crusts instead of our usual Walmart specials, I set to searching. And what I discovered is, it is really hard to find a recipe that doesn't call for shortening. This recipe does, too, but it allows for butter as a substitute, which I did. I also halved the recipe. When The Fox rolled them out, we weren't sure.. they were really thin and maybe I shouldn't have refrigerated them over night? But our worries were all unnecessary- they turned out to be the best pecan pies I have ever eaten. His grandfather even told me, "Be sure to eat some of that pecan pie. It is the best you'll ever have!" He couldn't believe we were actually the ones who had brought it! I don't know if The Fox is willing to divulge his pecan filling, but if you use this crust recipe, you will not go wrong!
So bust out the Suzy Homemaker, make some pies (Lauren Conrad did say they're the new cupcakes. I don't know if that is true, but I won't be complaining!), and be sure to check back with us soon. There's always something happening!

Etsy Treasuries

Our first Etsy treasury collection to celebrate both our new shop and new blog- "The Tiger and The Fox"- is now available for viewing! There are a ton of fascinating things to find featuring both animals; although I did notice there was a lot more selection for foxes.
Hip tip: Foxes are the new thing! I suspect they are going to be as popular as owls in a short while. Tigers don't seem to be quite as popular, but that's ok.
In case you hadn't guessed already, those are Thomas's and my pet names for each other- he's called me "Tiger" for years, but I've only started calling him a nickname recently. It is hard to think of a good name- it's going to be at least somewhat permanent and you've got to make it count! We like to say "crazy as a fox" and he is starting to silver up a bit around the temples.. so it seemed appropriate.

Anyways! Check the treasury out- it has got some great stuff by some great people in it, and really, who can resist browsing the wide world of etsy for a little while?

We Now Present...

I always have a difficult time starting new things, and this blog doesn't seem to be breaking the standard, either! I suppose the best way is to jump in feet first (not head first, because that is dangerous, my friends!) and go for it. 
A brief introductory so that we are all acquainted:
My husband, Thomas, and I have been married for nearly six years and have both been self-employed most of that time. He has been a barber at his grandfather's barber shop for nine years now, and I worked as a nanny for approximately four. We have been avid antique collectors since our marriage, and as our knowledge grew, we started buying not only for ourselves (we ran out of room pretty quickly in our little house!) but to re-purpose & re-sell. Once we got into the resale side, something clicked! We knew this was something we both enjoyed, and both were pretty good at doing, but our "real" jobs were our main focus and what kept the bills paid. Over time our interests grew to cover all kinds of neat things besides furniture. Glassware, cookware, miniatures- all sorts of fascinating old things that had been left behind as styles and people changed. One day while at our local flea market, we began talking with one of the other regulars who sold costume jewelry. That was her personal niche, but as we listened, we learned that her husband was someone who bought gold and silver to sell to the refineries. The more we heard, the more intrigued we became. With precious metals being at record prices, it was completely understandable to sell to refineries, but so much of the jewelry being scrapped was still gorgeous! It just needed a little love, a little polish and someone who could appreciate it and the character it had, instead of seeing it as an old junky thing. 
So our focus switched a bit- we still love going out on the hunt for a great piece of Pyrex, or finding old tables to put back together- but there is just something about taking an old, tarnished, beat to hell ring and bringing it back to its full glory. The last couple years it was more of a hobby than anything for us, but in April, Thomas was able to open up an actual store front right next door to the family barber shop. The kids I had taken care of for the last two years began school full time a couple months later, and it all kind of fell into place. He still runs the the barber shop with his sister, but between the two of us, managing everything has worked out well. We don't make a ton of money by any means, and working with your spouse can have its difficult moments, but the rewards of being able to be together and build something that we can call our own is so rewarding. We hope that you as a reader will enjoy our many hijinks we get into, and stick with us as we grow!