Three Weddings, One Dress

Mr. Original and I are attending three weddings over the course of three weeks later this spring. We'll be celebrating friends' marriages in Boston on May 23rd, Maryland on May 30th, and here in Virginia on June 6th. Naturally, I'm already tossing around ideas about what I'll wear. It looks like Anthropologie just put up some new dresses {!!!}, so here are my top picks:

Opinions welcome!

Two Things ...

that might be really funny or incredibly annoying on this sunny morning. I'm not sure which.

1. There is an alarm clock going off in the apartment above my cupboard. It's been an hour and a half now. I suspect the gentleman is at work, and won't return until 5 or so.

2. A man is painting the house next-door. He is whistling. The same tune, over and over. It's been an hour and a half now.

I'm having a bad face day today. Have you had one of those? Sometimes, I have a few in a row. I suspect this week might be a week of bad face days.

I had weird dreams last night. Lots of embarrassing moments and anxieties revealed. I need to remind myself: They were just dreams.

On to my second cup of coffee, and then a shower. Another day it will be.


P.S. Above, is a milagro, or miracle. Today, I'm petitioning for wings.

If Loving You is Wrong, I Don't Want to be Right

Have you ever decided that you're going to start a collection of something specific ... and then you realize it will be quite an expensive thing to acquire? Meet majolica: ceramics with molded surfaces and colorful lead glazes. I want a wall of those leafy babies. Though, any of these would do just fine, too:

Something tells me I'm going to have to settle for my own {cheap} imitation foliage.

There Will Be Bread

I think we now know each other well enough. Lean in, I'm going to tell you a secret:

You will need 3 or 4 ripe bananas {I like 4}, smashed; 1/3 cup melted butter; 3/4 cup sugar; 1 egg, beaten; 1 tsp. vanilla; 1 tsp. baking soda; a pinch of salt; 1 1/2 cups flour {I don't level off, and sometimes, I don't even do a full 1 1/2 ... to keep it moist}.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Mix melted butter into mashed bananas
3. Mix in sugar, egg, and vanilla
4. Sprinkle in baking soda and salt
5. Add flour last
6. Pour into a buttered 4 x 8" loaf pan
7. Bake one hour

Report back, sweet friends.


P.S. Mr. Original always likes to throw in some chopped up chocolate. You might try it.

Friday Night

Reading tonight. Unfortunately, not from these shelves. Soon enough, my priorities will shift again, and it will be wonderful to have a new set of projects in front of me.

A Maze

I try to keep my worries off of this blog, but today, I can't help it: I'm overwhelmed. I have so much to do, I can't even get started. Silly, I know. Just attack one thing at a time, until everything is done and checked off. Still, it's difficult to begin.

{Click on image for its source.}

Monochrome

Small Scale

I bought this tiny painting at a crafts fair a few months ago. It's a piece of wood with a staple in the back for hanging. The artist told me this is a pekin robin. Pretty cute, huh?

The Blue Above

Last night, just as I was getting out of Mr. Original's car, I pointed out the porch ceiling: It's a light, airy blue. I've noticed this before, while rocking on the porch swing, but tonight, I really noticed how wonderful and intentional it is. Even in the darkness, it sort of glows and looks as if the house has its own miniature sky, suspended above. In the daytime, it's light and cottony and pretty blissful. I let myself into the house and then into my little rented cupboard, and did a bit of research on the practice of painting porch ceilings blue. Apparently, it originates here in the south {though, really, closer to South Carolina}. Check out this NPR All Things Considered article {it's quite brief} for some fascinating reasons, as well as this information on the specific color, referred to as Haint Blue. Had any of you heard of this before?

When I own a cupboard with a porch, this is a tradition that I'll incorporate right away.

Elaboration

Lately, I'm really into ornate fonts and/or a combination of several fonts in one design. The soaps from Santa Maria Novella {bought by a dear friend while she was in Italy -- she picked the iris scent because it's my middle name} are so pretty, I couldn't possibly unwrap and use them.

As a child, I had a book on lettering that I'd consult whenever a handmade birthday card was in order. I'd trace carefully, eyeballing a straight line, and wind up with something that transformed the phrase Happy Birthday into a little work of art.

Do you have a favorite font? How about a go-to, classic font?

Accidental Acquisitions 3

LOT 3

Seven Royal Staffordshire Jenny Lind pink transferware
teacups and one saucer. Good condition; some slight staining
inside cups. Acquired in Summer 2005, where they were left
behind by previous tenant, name unknown,
at 601 E. 31st Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218.
H 2.25 x D 3.75 in. {cups}
H 1 x D 4.77 in. {saucer}


{Previous Accidental Acquisition posts are here and here.}

Bandwagon

The Ranunculus epidemic is one I couldn't resist. They're just so happy. And antenna-like. And they share a genus with buttercups {remember buttercups?!}.

Mathematics

+

=

{Original Postcard designed by Lotta Jansdotter}

Journal, Anyone?

So, I have a notebook obsession. I know I'm not alone. As I start my Saturday of {I hope} productivity, I thought I'd share with you some of the notebooks that have made the cut in the past {because, you know, with an obsession, it's all about hoarding ... some notebooks feel too pretty to write in and remain in the cupboard, untouched}. The five notebooks below are ones that have freed me -- have allowed my handwriting to grow loose and occasionally illegible, my sentence fragments to linger unfinished, and my best ideas to march forth onto the page.

Do you have a preferred notebook? Do you buy the same one again and again? Lined or unlined? Hard cover or soft? Give me the details.

My Colors

This color lithograph is a floral design intended for wallpaper, made in 1876 by A. Goater. It would look fantastic on one of the walls in my cupboard ... all my colors are there!

{Click on image for its source.}

Why Don't You ...

make a tailored, white denim jacket your
signature outerwear for spring?

Embellish with a vintage brooch or two,
roll the sleeves, and pop the collar.
Wear it dressy or casual. Be remembered for it.


{White Denim Jacket purchased from J.Crew}
{Previous Why Don't You ... posts are here and here.
Leave a comment if you'd like to play, too!}

Accidental Acquisitions 2

LOT 2
Three kitchen knives: one wood-handled chef, one plastic-handled serrated, one rubber-handled small bread. Fair condition; some white paint on handle of bread knife.
Acquired in Summer 2005, where they were left behind by previous tenant, name unknown,
at 601 E. 31st Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218.
13 in., 12 in., 9.25 in.

Good for Your Eyes

Color and pattern inspiration abounds ...


{Click on any image for its source. Then go get lost in the NYPL Digital Gallery.}

Accidental Acquisitions 1

I've acquired a few treasures from the various cupboards I've called home. I'm interested in the concept of cataloging things {perhaps still inspired by this and, come to think of it, by this, too} and keeping records, so I'd like to formally note when certain items became mine, specifically the ones I acquired by accident.

LOT 1

A framed, reproduction print on canvas, depicting
the Temple of Bacchus in Baalbek, Lebanon.
Acquired in Summer 2006, where it was left behind by roommate J.M.
at 601 E. 31st Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218.
7.5 x 9.5 in.

Ode to a Late Night

It's raining hard right now. I can hear it drumming down the gutters. It's rained the last three days.

Right now, it's just before midnight and I have tea beside me, steeping. Cream-filled cookies are looking at me from the top of the refrigerator. I will write a book review because it's Something That Needs To Get Done. I will blink at the cookies on top of the refrigerator. I might even bat my eyes at them.

I will stay awake until Too Late. I will ask the cookies over for a snack in the Wee Hours. They will agree. But I will do all the snacking. They will do what cookies do best.

Why the boots? you ask. Why not? I answer. It's late ... you're dreaming ... nothing needs to make sense.

Sleep tight, friends.

Awash in Assignments

I'm trying to keep the cupboard clean because it's Monday, only the very beginning of the week; but, the fact that it's Monday is exactly why the cupboard doesn't want to stay clean. I don't really mind Mondays. Do you? Sundays nearly destroy me, but not Mondays.

I am about to get cracking on my work this morning, and thought I'd pass along my latest obsession: J. Crew's spring lookbook, as well as their studio board. Take a peek for some inspiration {but don't blame me if you end up slipping your credit card out of your wallet}.

Why Don't You ...

write your Saturday to-do list on the prettiest sticky note you can find? Use fine-tip pens in cheery colors to check off your accomplishments.