Micro car love

I'm crazy for Minis (surprised?). My love for them runs deep. Some people get it, others don't, but I'm always excited when I come across someone with the same enthusiasm for a unique little car (even if it's not a Mini). A member of my local car club shared this heartwarming video the other day about a man and his Isetta. Check it out, I think you'll enjoy it.



Here's the original post on Jalopnik, a great site for car buffs.

Spotty gold

I've been on a gold kick lately and apparently I'm not the only one! Better Homes and Gardens blog featured DIY Gold Polka Dot projects last week, and whaddya know, there's my gold leaf confetti bowl project!



Click through to see some other great spotty gold projects that you can try yourself! I'm especially loving that cute tray from For Chic Sake. Happy Monday!

Etsy Pop-Up Shop at West Elm

I have exciting news for California Bay Area peeps: I'll be participating Etsy Pop-Up Shop event at West Elm in Palo Alto!

Mark your calendars for August 10th! I will be selling my wares along with 7 other Bay Area makers. I'll have a few unique items for sale that haven't been listed in the my Etsy shop yet, so come check it out. Get some of your holiday shopping done early this year! I know I already have a few items on my shopping list. Click here for the Facebook event invite for more details. I hope to see you there!

My trip to London

I mentioned my trip a bit here on the blog but never posted photos. With all the UK buzz going on this week with the birth of the royal baby I thought it would be a perfect time to share some of my pics! This is just a random sampling.

Evidence that I was actually there! That's me on the Millenium Bridge. It was a little breezy.

My first Calder with a Delaunay in the background. Two of my favorite artists together!

Warm, rainy afternoon.

Big B.

I got pretty good at navigating the Tube.

Beautiful afternoon in Oxford.

Ahh, it sure does! At the Lady Di Memorial Playground at Kensington Palace.

Fat pigeon at Kensington Palace.

Beautiful view from Buckingham Palace.

New stamps in the shop!

Happy Friday! I've been busy working on restocking the Etsy shop over the past couple weeks. I've been sold out of many of my popular items, like the Union Jack Coasters, so I've been working hard ordering supplies and getting products restocked. If you follow me on Instagram you would have seen some of my process shots for printing what felt like hundreds of coasters. In addition to working on some of the old favorites, I've also got some brand new stamps for sale that I'm really excited about:


Classic Mini Cooper Thanks stamp! I've had this design drawn since the very beginning of my shop (2008). I even drew it digitally in Illustrator way back when, but could never find the right application for it, so there it sat until the right situation came along... I'm glad I remembered it because it's absolutely perfect on a stamp! Use it to stamp up thank you notes, cards, heck, even your rent check envelope. Coming soon in a new MINI style as well.


As a variation on my Classic Mini and Trailer print, I have a new "Let's go camping!" set of stamps. It features a Classic Mini, a teardrop trailer, and a pine tree. I had so much fun stamping up little scenes with this trio. This set coordinates with my trailer fabric print. You can find and purchase these and the rest of my Mini Cooper stamps in my Etsy shop.

Have a wonderful weekend.

A day at Heath

When my friend from college said she was coming to San Francisco and wanted to spend the day with me, it wasn't difficult to decide on an activity for us: the Heath Ceramics factory tour in Sausalito!


A few years ago, I worked at a firm within walking distance to the factory which has been home base for Heath's ceramic production since 1959. I never made it out for a visit when I lived and worked so close-by, but I thought this would be perfect opportunity to make a day of it with my friend. If you haven't heard of Heath before, click here for some more information. The factory didn't disappoint! It was so inspiring to see the machinery, learn about the history of the company, and, of course, ogle the finished products! I took lots of photos...


One of my favorite parts of the visit was the trip through the shop. I came home with a gorgeous green bud vase and beautifully-simple coffee mug. It took so much restraint to keep from coming home with one of everything!


If you ever find yourself in beautiful Sausalito, I highly recommend a visit. It's a must for any mid-century design, ceramics, or art enthusiast. Check out the Heath Ceramics website for more information. And while you're in there, I highly recommend Arawan Thai on Caledonia for Lunch, and Sausalito Bakery and Cafe on Bridgeway for coffee and bakalava. Don't forget to check out Sausalito's famous houseboats!

*All photos by Casey | Vitamini Handmade

Retro clock stamps

The other night I was feeling the need to make something, but I wasn't feeling the creative buzz. Like, at all. In times like that it always helps to just start DOING and then the ideas will start flowing. So I sat down with a brand new block of Moo Carve and my Speedball carving tool.


Looking around my apartment for inspiration, I spied my George Nelson-style ball clock and thought it would make a great stamp! So I got to carving (check out my DIY stamp carving project post for detailed instructions). And what do you know, after I finished the first stamp I was inspired to make a few more. So long, creative slump!


With my new collection of George Nelson-style clock stamps, I decided to make some cool party invitations. I stamped them up in bright colors on blank cardstock. Then added the perfect sentiment, "Time to Party!" to the inside with a spot for the place and time. I accented the inside with another hand-carved star stamp.


Perfect for a retro-themed summer soiree and so much fun to make. This was my first time using a Moo Carve block and I enjoyed it. It's got a nice weight to it and doesn't crumble. Give it a try and let me know what you think.



And what a coincidence, Retro Renovation is featuring vintage clocks today! Take a look at their gallery for some clock inspiration of your own. I may have to pull out my supplies and carve a few more to my collection. Have a wonderful weekend!

*Project and photos by Casey/Vitamini Handmade. All opinions my own.
*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to products that I personally use and recommend. I may receive a small commission on the sale of a product linked to in this post. But don't worry, I'll never link to something that I don't love!

Retro modern jewelry

I decided to treat myself to a little accessory shopping over the long weekend. Browsing around at Macy's I found this great set of earrings and matching pendant from Fossil.


So cute! I love their simple retro/modern style. I went bold and chose a chartreuse pendant and bright blue earrings. They're also available in white and coral.  Even better, they were both on super sale!



This is not a sponsored post. I just really like these pieces.

Yankee Doodle Dandy!

Happy 4th, friends! Don't be afraid to show some sparkle, Liberace style!

image credit: Whorange