Cold Winter Remedy - Hand Cream...?

Ok, so it's a little bit of a strange wording for a title, but hear me out. When I woke up today I knew this weekend was going to be one that didn't involve alot of outdoors activities. Although the snow has let up now, and the sun is actually somewhat shining, it was the complete opposite this morning when I got out of bed. Here's my proof. Any typical Canadian would not be surprised by this picture...it's what most winter scenes look like for almost 6 months out of the year in Canada!

Scary eh!!!

When it looks this dry and cold outside, I sometimes inexplicably feel the need to surround myself in warming moisture. How many times has anyone felt the roughness of their hands after a long day in the cold? I admit I am one of those women that carries hand cream with them constantly. I just can't stand the feeling of dry skin! lol Because of this, I know my moisturizers. My face is a different matter completely (I am a bit of a skincare junkie) but when it comes to body and hand lotions, I have my absolute fav's with me all the time. In terms of hand creams, I without a doubt have my tried and true's. One of those is the wonderful and retro Crabtree & Evelyn Lavender Hand Cream.

Now, it's been a long while for me since I bought this...sadly there are only a few select stores that carry it in my city. Thankfully though, I went to the mall and purposely made a point to go to the Crabtree & Evelyn store to pick more of it up. And it was just my luck when they were having a sale. Instead of almost $20 for one tube (I think it's something like $18.50 now) the sale was 2 tubes for $25...deal! :)

I picked up a Rosewater one as well since it too has a really nice floral warming smell that reminds me of a garden in the spring. And how cute are these tubes! I have to admit that their look is a big part of why I love this hand cream. Don't get me wrong though. Whatever's in this stuff really works. If you have dry and rough hands, you GOTTA try one of these creams! There's quite a few scents of it out now, but the base cream for each one is the exact same. The formula is never greasy. It just leaves me with smooth, soft and beautifully moisturized hands. Regardless of what the weather does to them!

All things vintage...I wish!

So to say that I have a love for anything vintage would be a bit of an understatement, I think. I'm sure just by looking at this blog, it's not hard to tell that. In a way I feel actually somehow physically drawn to items that look like they've come from the countryside; things that seem a bit 'weathered'. Most of the time I could only find these things in thrift shops, or if I was lucky, an interesting find from one of the very few flea markets in my city. I used to love garage sales for this hunt, but alas, they also seem very few and far between. Not to mention that more often then not it's a pityful excuse for finding any treasures.

Thankfully though, it seems that more and more places/companies are designing things to look vintage inspired. I've even lately been drawn to the more woodsy and enchanting themes. Birds, trees, owls, greenery, deer, etc. It all seems very whimsical and almost child-like in a way. When I can find something styled like that, as well as having a vintage feel to it, well there's no question that it really draws my eye.

The reason I am explaining this is because of some recent purchases I made this weekend. It's a long weekend in Canada and my mom, sister, and I all decided to go shopping at one of the local antique malls.

Now I know these look 'grandma-ish', but honestly that's just how I like them. I'm actually pretty sure these two were owned by some little baba sitting in her house knitting with a cup of tea! :)

Now this item isn't a vintage or antique per se, but  it sure does look that way, doesn't it? I found this at a store called Winner's, which usually carries a very eclectic and unusual variety of housewares. It was only $12.99 as well. Bonus and bonus, I say. I meant to take a picture of it before I put all my jewellery on, but because I was so excited about my new pretty thing, I just couldn't help but start putting it to use!