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!