Out Of The Office

This morning, I'm wishing I had the time and focus to prepare something in this space for you ... but, the grind of having two rather consuming jobs has rendered me capable only of sipping my coffee {considering putting the water on for a second press} and slowly, slowly planning a work outfit.

I'll have something for you later tonight {if I don't fall asleep the second I cross the threshold of my cupboard}, and tomorrow morning. Please pop back in.

Monday

Amused myself with a new toy this weekend ... it's a ton of fun coming up with short phrases for stamping. Digging the red and turquoise combination all over again.

Still not used to the opportunity of the early morning -- feeling continually charmed by how many more hours there are in a day when the day begins at 6:15 a.m.

A cupboard rearrange? Maybe. A microwave shelf is being built for me, which will open up a window sill for succulents and oddities {will post photos of said oddities later}. Am truly hankering for something exactly like this -- though, as I've said -- my cupboard doesn't afford me the space, unless I do away with my pedestal eating table ...

Tell me something: What does your morning ritual look like? I'm curious.

Listing

I'm having my morning coffee, and slowly, slowly getting ready for an afternoon at work. Naturally, I'm using the hour to look for charming things. Here's what I've come up with:

*This is a fun pattern and would look adorable in the kitchen. This one, too.

*This is sort of silly and sort of perfect all at the same time.

*I love the color of this cake carrier.

*I don't know if I'd ever wear it, but I can't stop admiring this.

*I desperately want napkins like these.

* * *

And then, there is this, the strangest and most intriguing thing I've found in my searches:

A roll of vintage French raincoat labels from A Good Vintage {a brand new shop that I just know will be amazing}. I don't even know what I'd do with them if I had them, but that doesn't seem to stop me from wanting them just a little bit.

Happy Saturday, friends.

Won't you leave me a note, telling me what you're up to?
xxo

Chin Up

Today was a crumbly, wet day. Not my best, but definitely not my worst. It was a forget-you-raincoat-wipe-your-nose-on-your-sleeve-lie-down-with-a-bellyache kind of day. But it's almost over and I have a blanket and this cake, and people who love me.

In other news, my neighbors and I are having a porch sale on Saturday. We're all looking to make a buck the old-fashioned way. I'm going with the Presentation Is Everything approach, and doing up my goods in simple but cute ways. Remind me to tell you how it goes.

My sweet neighbor offered me the lily pad lamp above. She was going to sell it, but said she preferred to pass it along to someone she knew would love it. Needless to say, she passed it along to the right person.

Vice Into Virtue

I am not a smoker, nor do I think you should be. But that doesn't mean we should turn our backs on cute, vintage ashtrays! This polar bear one is the most unique receptacle I've come across. I like that he appears to be standing before an ice hole, maybe waiting for dinner to swim by ...

You know that my new favorite thing is talking about repurposing vintage objects, so: If this landed in your cupboard, what would you use it for?

{Polar Bear Ashtray from Red Eye Vintage}

BFFs?

There is so much whimsy out there, I can hardly keep up with it all. This whale, for instance: I love his grandness {he's 11" by 12"} and that shiny little eye and the fact that his blowhole is filled with a succulent {I don't mean for that to sound dirty ... but, now I've drawn your attention to it, haven't I?}

And this giraffe: I suspect it's not easy being this tall {17.25"!} and this cute.

Lastly, this mouse: He's always working {he keeps receipts on his tail}, but he makes time for cheese fries and half-priced beer and even lady mice, as long as he doesn't have to pay their bills.

{Vintage Whale Planter, Vintage Brass Giraffe, and Vintage Brass Mouse from DomestiKate}

Gather Round

On the front page of Etsy are these darling raffia cup holders {presumably for cold drinks that like to sweat in the summer heat}. I think they'd also make a fabulous corralling zone for house keys, spare buttons, loose change, and the like.

Hanna Werning, Part II

Oh, the color! Oh, the pattern!

{All images by Hanna Werning}

File Systems

I've been working on getting my little cupboard into order now that I'm done with school. Generally, I'm a pretty tidy person, but I have a tendency to save bits of paper, receipts, bills, old drafts of stories ... pretty much anything I think I might need at some point in the future. This is all fine and good, except that it clogs up the flow of activity here in my impossibly tiny dwelling, so that, instead of having a Museum Cupboard, what I have is a coffin crowded with things I will not need in the afterlife. Did I mention I'm claustrophobic?

Scouring Etsy is always a fun activity, but especially when I have a mission. I like to consider alternate uses for things {a la Leigh, most recently, who I mention over here}, and some Etsy sellers make that really easy by showcasing their goods in not-so-obvious ways.

This fabulous file system is actually, I think, an organizer for records ... specifically LPs. But it's pretty perfect for bills and correspondence and, sitting on the kitchen table, can be easily lifted and moved to another room when company arrives.

This charming box is, obviously, a great storage solution for school papers -- financial information, student healthcare paperwork, essays, and transcripts. In a tiny cupboard, you wouldn't even need to hide this {like I do my plastic tubs of important stuff}. It's a great display piece for the tops of cabinets or under a TV table.

A simple, handmade wooden tray, like this, is slender enough to slide into a drawer, but lovely enough to leave out and use as a stage for a rotating display of porcelain doll heads {!} or antique spoons or heart-shaped rocks.

This brushed steel organizer promises to be a trough of creativity. How easy it would be to store all manner of paintbrushes, gel pens, glitter sticks, and rubber stamps in each of the bins, and then stow the whole thing inside a cabinet. Or leave it out! After all, it is handsome ...

To me, this collapsible metal organizer is screaming, "Don't make me go back to the office!" I'm pretty sure he'd be much happier holding outdoor dining utensils {forks, knives, and spoons each get a tray}, the most current issues of favorite magazines, or crafting supplies.

Lastly, this happy chocolate-colored ceramic toast rack does not discriminate: toast or papers marked with shopping lists, craft ideas, and phone numbers? Either! Both!

To those of you signing off for the weekend, enjoy the next couple of days. And to you others, sticking around, see you in just a little bit.


{All photos from sellers. In order of items listed, sellers are: Yellow Dog Vintage, I'm Wishful Thinking, silocurb, Extra Virgin Home, Modish Vintage, and Sparker!}

Houdini

Hi! I disappeared for awhile there ... but I'm back. You'll be hearing from me a little later today.

P.S. I've missed you.

What You Never Knew You Always Wanted

Somebody buy this cutie.


{Vintage Pink Pig Letter Organizer from Bouquet's Etsy shop}

Bus Stop

My dear friend Alexis, featured in my one hundredth post, took this photo of me when I was visiting her in San Francisco, almost two years ago. She just recently sent it to me, and I think it perfectly captures the spirit of our nights in the city.


P.S. My hair was big then. I mean, LOTS of high-volume curls. Eeeps.

Sunday

I'm hunkering down in my cupboard today, aiming to get some serious work done. Spring seems to be here in earnest {I can tell because I'm restless}. What does you Sunday look like?

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.

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.}

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.

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.

A Tiny Milestone

I'm always one for a celebration, so today is a little hurray! that I'm at my 50th post. I know that's not a lot, but it is the beginning of something bigger and evolving, something that's been a ton of fun so far. I'm thrilled to have met you all.

Won't you have a celebratory cup of tea with me?