Baby, Powerdrill, Medicine

Remember how I kept mentioning exciting new news? Well I told you about 15%. Oops. For one, my baby brother is getting married! He and his fiancé live just round the corner in Atlanta, and she (Ashley) was in town about a month ago for country music festivities. We had a cute shopping trip to Wonders on Woodland and Hip Zipper. And of course... Las Paletas. Also... my other little brother and his wife are expecting! The baby is due sometime round Christmas... but you better believe I already have a vintage suitcase full of girly clothes up to 3T. I gave them a couple of the smaller baby clothes (and shoes... including saddle shoes imprinted with a gold drawing of a deer, by a brand called BABY DEER... apparently my Deer Ones label isn't too original) and we spent a wonderful weekend experiencing my favourite things in Nashville... more Las Paletas, the couture exhibit at the Frist, Fido, cooking with yummy farmer's market goodies, shakespeare in the park, ballroom dancing in the park, and of course... playing lots of mexican train. I promise that as I make cute frilly things for my little niece, I will share.



We also went to the flea market at the Fairgrounds, which you probably have caught on is another favourite event of mine each month. I give myself an allowance each time, which is typically more money than I have to spend. The last few months I've been looking for an old medicine cabinet. The ones at home depot are just too ugly to spend $100 on, (or $10 on), and any vintage ones I've found online have been upwards of $600. Not joking. My bathroom isn't tall enough for such an extravagance. Well, flea, you finally came through. I score this old beauty for a mere $80. (all I have to do was bat my eyelashes like, twice and the old man came down twenty bucks). It did need a little love. Bryan cleaned it up with a clorox wipe while I made lunch and thought about how I was going to put the heavy cabinet up on my powdery bathroom walls. I'll tell you the truth. I don't mind being a helpless girl. But the fact of the matter is, I'm past my prime, unmarried, and I just have to do these things for myself or I won't survive. I still make silly mistakes ALL the time, and it takes me awhile to figure projects out, but I do. I mean, it took me 5 weeks to get my studio set up (because there are no studs and it is made of wall mud, not dry wall, omg). I'm happy to say this project took less than an hour. I attempted using those plastic thingies you put in before a screw, but banged up my binger trying to hammer them thru the tile post-drill hole. I have been using those plastic thingies for ages, and always had trouble getting them INTO the wall. But hey guess what? TONIGHT I realised that I have a special drill bit just for those pesky, lifesaving plastic thingies. I know, I'm an idiot. I was so frustrated I didn't even use them. The medicine cabinet was REALLY heavy but I some how managed balancing it, my ipod (gosh I love that level app), and drilling at the same time. Right. I'm a superhero. Seriously tho, I don't know how I did it because I am short and it had to go a little high. My new drill made it thru that tough tile and I got it up there with 2 screws, and only -.03 off, according to my level. That's nothing. Next up? Attaching the front face. It was the heaviest part, and very flimsy. The wood attaching it was cracking (how old is this thing, I can't place it in an era... if you know help please) so I had to be careful. Fortunately I had cute little gold screws on hand. But first! I noticed there were only two nails still in the back of it, so I found itty bitty nails and tacked the mirror down. This was scary, as the old oval mirror is fragile and the wood backing it was pretty thin. I was sure I'd crack the mirror and have 700 years bad luck. If you're a girl I hope you've made it this far in my lengthy essay, I'm just trying to encourage you (YOU CAN DO THIS TOO!) Okay I didn't crack the mirror, and somehow got the cute gold screws on the inside there. The front still may need some tacking, but I'm worried due to the cracks in the wood. Oh, and I figured out why the door was unattached after I screwed it in.... because the shelves will no longer slide out. Good thing I had placed them back in their spots.





Anyways, it's there. So if you're over and you have a headache or need to brush your teeth, help yourself to it's inhabitants. And if you're in need of girly or hair products, please take note of the vintage makeupcase below the sink (also compliments of the flea, $5). This weekend was a definite win.

Quilling Fleurs

This ancient art was first introduced to me at about age 8, by my mother. She would curl long, skinny strips of coloured paper into beautiful works of art. I wonder if there are any left in our basement, they may have all been given as gifts. Anyhow, I had to try to make everything that she did, and so I was motivated into creating lots of little cards and the like. I'm not sure how many I actually finished, as it is quite the time consuming project.

I was reintroduce recently at work, where we had to make little designs to be used as art for teacher products. I immediately became re-obsessed with this lost art, making mini scissors, globe, apple, numbers, and such. I aspire to the talents of Ms. Yulia. In the meantime, these pretty petals are the height of my labour.



Also, I'd like to sidenote that for years I have been making up my own phrases. They roll right off the tongue and make sense to me. and I'm tiring the deletion of literally hundreds of these sayings (from my blog, emails, censoring myself in conversation) simply because I may be called out or no one will know what I'm talking about. I'm comfortable settling into "strange old lady" lifestyle and speak. If you can't embrace it then follow another blog. JK don'tleaveme.

Modern Dear

Rather than trying to make one ridiculously image heavy (and explanation soaked!) entry about my ever changing abode decor, I'm going to share bits and pieces with you now and again. New projects, findings, creations, and repairs are a constant, anyhow.

This book, Modern Clothing, is a 1938 original I found at an antique shop in a small town somewhere between here and Atlanta. If you know me, you know my obsession for old hardcover books. The older, the odder the language. The golden deer candle was found for less than a dollar at the Fairgrounds, and the doily is one of dozens I have acquired from Grandma.

Excerpt: Problem 4: What are good buying habits?
Courtesy. What would you list as first in the list of desirable shopping habits? Certainly if you were a saleswoman you would place high on the list, and probably first, the habit of Courtesy in one's treatment of others. The impatient shopper who announces after a brief wait, that she hasn't "all day to spend and why doesn't the store get some live ones so people can be waited on some time in the natural lives," stimulates by her lack of courtesy a discourteous retort from the saleswoman. She may find her shopping attempts made difficult because no one wants to wait on a troublemaker, and so she is passed on from saleswoman to saleswoman, as rapidly as possible. Her own discourtesy has cost nervous energy and has led to disappointment and wasted hours.
The shopping list. Second in the list of desirable shopping habits should be the practice of making and using a shopping list. Such a list may be made to express one's needs, and to indicate the relation of the mode or fashion to those needs. For example, the shopping list may read:
1 blue tweed coat, unfurred, leather buttons, not over $35
1 felt hat to match, not over $3.50
1 pair blue shoes- sports wear- not over $6.50
1 pair pigskin gloves (advertised at $1.50)
The detail as to color, buttons, and lack of fur has been previously determined from fashion notes. With such a statement of her needs in hand, there is no occasion for the shopper to spend time looking at fur coats, Japanese kimonos, or Turkish bath towels. She knows she wants to look at blue tweed coats of a given price range, and proceeds forthwith to the matter at hand. She may have to forego the leather buttons or make other concessions, because of the limitations of the store, but in every way the possibility of getting what she wants is greater because she knows what it is.

I love these books. They make such wonderful bedtime reading. I also love knowing the costs of things and the necessities of other periods.

This old George Washington was found at a thrift store for about a dollar. I kept him in a closet for a long time, while considering painting over his face to save the frame, or trying to fix the unattractive scratches. Eventually, I pinned on a bow with some vintage lace I had found at the flea. (I collect old lace, I wish I knew how to place them in decades!) The sweet little deer was given to me by a friend, and the heavy damask gold curtains are a secret.


My fireplace is made of unsightly yellowed tile, very unfitting to the lovely rich wooden frame, and a first matter of business was masking that with pages from a 1950s heath and business book. Until I found a better solution. Which I still have not. Here upon the mantle sits a handmade leatherbound journal I bought at a street market in Florence, Italy, a framed and lace-embellished page from a 1930s screenplay, a wooden Cloverbloom cheesebox (rare, circa 1940s?) I found at the Fairgrounds Flea to house some tea lights, a music box from Sloane, and scrabble letters from my table at a friend's recent wedding. Offset by old bronze deer, Fairgrounds Flea (I think these were $3?!), old books from a friend, including "Due to Lack of Interest Tomorrow Has Been Cancelled", weathered brown tags which I use to label items and instructions around the home and for gifts, flowers in a tiny Dulce de Leche jar (another gift from S). I keep lots of old jars around the house for flowers. I think that's very important.

People keep telling me to google specific things and I just keep forgetting because it is such an affair. I still love not having the internet, but it is still quite inconvenient for a small percentage of my week.

Vacation Day

I never really get vacations. Even when I go out of town, I combine work and don't get much rest. Today I had the perfect vacation day. We rented a pontoon at the lake, grilled out, swam to several islands, tanned, and relaxed sans distractions. I got in a little embroidery, but mostly I set guinness world records for times jumping off the 2nd level and sliding down the slide. Pontoon day is my favourite day of the year. I already can't wait for next summer.

Spools of Lilac

Home sweet home... nesting is fun. I do wish that I could share more of my creations lately since I was on such a blogging kick, but I'm really enjoying my limited (eh hem, very very limited) access, (as in if I'm online for more than 3 minutes you'll see a post from me here). I'm enjoying summer, and I'm enjoying work. I'm also enjoying quality time with friends. And specifically, my darling friend Lori.


I could gush for hours about her, but I will basically let these photos of her home do the talking. She is so creative and good at spilling her vivid imagination onto everything she touches. I wish I could be more like that. Lori is an aspiring children's storybook writer, and you can see sparklings of that here! And OH MY GOSH. Look at the photos of her parents with deer?!



If Martha Stewart came out with a Barbie Doll, it would look like Lori, head to toe.

Today a wish sat next to me on the train ride home.
She didn't say much.
Just smiled.
Ever so sweetly.
Ever so simply.
I didn't need words.
I didn't need a touch.
I just needed to know she was close.
And within my reach... when I was ready.
(by Lori)

I have some great little updates on Say Ooh. Be on the lookout!