Hard To Get

Oh! While thrifting this afternoon, I found a painting that I absolutely adore!

I didn't buy it. It was one hundred sixty-five dollars. Which is nothing for a piece of art ... but quite a lot of something for a gal with two jobs as it is. But, I'm really itching to build an entire room around it -- I liked the colors and the mood that much.

Back when I lived in Baltimore, a wool Pakistani rug stole my heart. It was a lot of money for me. I bought it anyway, and sat on it every night, eating nothing but cheapo soup. That rug cozies the floor of my current cupboard ... and I still love it and have used it as the central color story here.

What I'm saying is this: It's those big-ticket items that get me every time. I'm okay passing up most of the smaller things I admire in shops, but it's the one-of-a-kind, loftier-priced items that I see as investments ... in my personal style, in my future cupboard, in my contentedness with my home ... and the price tag doesn't seem to matter as much because I figure I'll do what I need to do to get by.

So, friends, do I venture back out and buy the piece? Or, do I save the one-sixty-five for a couple pieces of fall clothing I've been eyeing?

Thank You!

Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm! What a wonderful way to kick off a new venture of mine. I'm still working out the kinks in the shop {can't quite figure out shipping -- USPS website seems to indicate that my goods would cost eight dollars a piece in postage!}, and would appreciate any and all feedback, plus tips you might have if you're an Etsy seller. My email address is right over there, in the sidebar. I'm grateful for your help.

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In other news, I picked up a used copy of I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith, this afternoon. I'm very excited to fall into it. I remember seeing the film some time ago -- and being quite moved -- but I'm fuzzy on most of the plot. I think I'll really begin it tonight, before bed. What are you reading at the moment?

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I'm completely itching to rearrange everything that's hanging on my cupboard walls. I've been digging simple compositions, and I sometimes feel as though I've got too much going on in such a small place {hence, I suppose, its museum cupboard-ishness!}. Would I be happy if I simplified? Hmm. I'm not entirely sure I'm sold on the concept. Still ...

Hanging On Every Word

Inspired by her blog header, I'm sort of itching to begin
a collection of these:

from In With the Old

from Elizabeth Wren Vintage


from Material Excess


from Kitchen Cupboard {a name after my own heart!}


from Peppermint Bark

I'd likely use the hangers for displaying a few prints I haven't gotten around to framing ... maybe even some more vintage postcards. Love notes, tea tags, favorite ribbon. Endless options.

But I'm also really keen on the idea of just letting them be: pounding a nail into the wall, hooking them on, and enjoying the way a good, old, wooden hanger speaks for itself.

Are you beginning any new collections, or have you admired another's collection{s} lately? Tell me about them.

About Postcards, Part II

An early start today because of a new job that gets me up and out as the sun rises. The world is so different at seven in the morning ... I like it.

These are three postcards I picked out because of the messages written on them. Click on the photos to enlarge.

My heart is a little broken over that last one, a line of which reads: "By the way, _save this_ card for me and later I'll keep it for a memory." The cadence is lovely, as is the sentiment. Beautiful things sometimes make me inexplicably sad.


P.S. You'll notice these postcards are in plastic box frames ... I'm beginning to hang them in my cupboard.

A Place To Hang Your Hat

And your keys! I'm completely charmed by this vintage brass key holder from Dandelion Girl.


P.S. She also has this, which -- you might remember -- incorporates one of my new favorite fruity design motifs.

Wall Flowers

I'm loving this idea from Post Road Vintage,
a shop with some of the best salvaged pieces I've ever seen.

Leaves

I know it's officially summer and we're thrilled with it, but I have a confession: I'm more of an autumn gal than anything else and, while I'm delighted by my freckled shoulders, bare feet in grass, and the smell of sunscreen on Mr. Original, I adore the moment when the leaves go amber and pumpkin, and I can resume my quest for the best hot chocolate in town. Here's a little autumn indulgence for those of you who are like me.

Look here, here, here, here, and here.


{Poplar Print by MWilson}

Seduction, For Real

This, and several other cheeky screenprints, available at Linocut Boy.

Tulips In The Kitchen

I think what I like most about tulips is their deceptive demeanor: They appear to be tidy and modest, a cup-like bloom atop a skinny and sometimes floppy green pole. They keep it together, complying with any vase or arrangement, dignity in their petals. But then, they inevitably crack up: They lose their composure and erupt in laughter. They fling themselves open, giggling and chortling. For a second, you can't tell if they're laughing or crying, the emotion is that gaping. Strange, but I think that's when tulips are most beautiful, most true to themselves -- when they're unable to maintain reservation because it just isn't who they are.

Herewith are some tulips, ready and waiting for all kinds of joy in the kitchen {which happens to be my new favorite place ... yes, I've been cooking!}:

from Patti's Polka Dots

from Buttons 'N Such

from Lilia Rose

from General Whimsy

Get Your Clip On + UPDATE!

Somebody out there needs to get her hands on this baby: a 1920s metal clip-board, perfect for a wall in need of organization. {If my cupboard had more walls, I'd surely swipe this before you could say, "Hello, perfection!"} I spotted it in Blue Bell Bazaar's shop {a bona fide treasure trove of vintage items} last night, shortly after it was listed ...

UPDATE: Wow, someone already bought it!

Someone for Everyone

Amy Ruppel has a new sweet print out, "I believe there is someone for everyone," available in her Etsy shop. It even comes with a kraft envelope, in case you plan on sending it to a certain someone ...

Art on Heels

I'm really digging this See by Chloe silk minidress,
found on net-a-porter.


Maybe it's because I like the idea of wearing something
that makes me look like a Klimt painting.

Mine!

So, this one I couldn't put out there until I purchased it myself:

It's a vintage illustration page from the story, Wake Up, City!, written and illustrated by Roger Duvoisin, featured in the Weekly Reader in 1950 {he also did the book Petunia, in case the name's ringing a bell}. I think it's just too sweet. The colors and drawing style remind me of books I read as a child. Check out Olive Someday's Etsy shop for more.

Onward & Upward

I survived my defense! I have an MFA now!

Full speed ahead ...

There's something I really love about hot air balloons. In the spring and summer, I spot groups of them floating in the sky, likely getting the most spectacular view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I think this vintage print from Banana Strudel's Etsy shop would be really sweet in a nursery or child's room. So fun to look at, and also oddly hopeful and ebullient.

This is 100!

Yippee!


{Helen on left, dear pal Lex on right}

Sunday Best Sunday

Happy Easter, my little birdies!

I've found a couple happy places to visit: Kate Wilson's blog and Etsy shop. For more birdie cuteness, peek into both.

Meet Tessa

Last night, I was at a tea bazaar where a local artist had covered the walls in portraits. I mean, covered. It was something else. Each portrait was held in a simple wood frame that was flush with the canvas. Portraits are fascinating to me. That kind of unflinching conversation between the observer and the subject. I could look at portraits for days.

The above gocco-printed pieces are made by Etsy artist, Amanda Blake of thisisalliknow. They have the simplest, most enchanting titles: Tessa with an Egg, Tessa with a Secret, etc. I want them all, but mostly the egg and pomegranate ones.

I found Amanda Blake's work completely by chance while browsing Etsy last May. The print below stole my heart, and now it's hanging on a wall in my cupboard, still making me happy a year later. Can you read the handwriting? It says: "Charlotte and her imaginary friend always wore matching dresses." Swoon.

{Click on any image to link directly to its Etsy page,
except for the Charlotte print--click on that one to enlarge.}

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.

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?

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.}