Some things never change

I haven't caught the "I feel old" bug yet, but it occurred to me last week that I've been using this same purple-flowered cloth to clean my violin for almost 24 years. I can't think of any other material possession that's been in my life so long that I still use! I have a pretty clear memory (that I confirmed with my mom) from one of my first violin lessons where my teacher pulled out a stack of all these neat old handkerchiefs and I got to choose one. I remember that it was a very hard decision and I didn't spend as long looking at them as I would have liked, but I'm still very happy with my choice! Perhaps it's time for a hand-wash?

Bedroom

I'm finally getting around to doing something with our bedroom. I was originally going to do something with birds, but now it's more nature-in-general inspired with a neutral palette. The walls will probably be a light yellow/gold color. Here are some details of what I've done so far. The armoire is just a cheap one that I painted and added new silver hardware.

Welcome to my new office

Actually, all those commercials with people working on a sunny rooftop or in a park are a joke. It is just too bright to see the screen unless you want to look like a freak with this on your computer:


I will have to save the deck time for the less bright evening hours. Notice all the ugly brown peeling paint? What kind of genius paints a deck? We say every year that it will be our summer project, but we are serious this time. Scraping doesn't really help, so we have resorted to a toxic chemical peel and we'll stain it after that.

Amaryllis

I bought this amaryllis bulb for a dollar in October and then it got lost in a corner with some junk. I came across it again in April and the box said to plant between October and April, so I gave it a go. I did not expect it to grow, but it went crazy and some days I know I could see it sprouting up as I watched.

Lilacs

I wish you all had smellivision so I could share the delicious lilac scent wafting through my house. I am so lucky to have a whole row of them! These two look like a butterfly, don't you think?

It's a sign!

Nate's new sign went up today! I'm disappointed that the bracket on the left is trying to escape off the top. It was even with the other one on MY file. It isn't too obvious from the street, but I think I will still have them redo it. I hope they can just paint over that one section. Eventually we'd like a carved sign, but those are really expensive!

This is the full logo, which appears on the door.

Fun with Concrete

When I was out in Washington, my aunt and I made these decorative garden blocks from a kit she had. Since the concrete takes a while to dry, I couldn't take mine home and she mailed it out to me. Thanks Ginny!

This jade plant has quite a history. It came from a cutting that my second (double!) cousin gave as favors at her wedding. The cutting was from a plant that my grandparents gave her parents as a wedding gift! I think I have that right....

More Weekend Photos

It turned out to be a very rainy weekend overall, so I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked to. We went out on this boat, the Mount Washington, on Friday night for an indoor ride. The Weirs Beach sign is just one of many fascinating sites here in New England that seems to be stuck in time. Alone they may not look like much, but even a short road trip off the main highway has so many interesting homes, vacation rentals, and stores that haven't changed in decades. It makes me oddly nostalgic for something I never experienced in the first place!

Lake W.

We are in Meredith, NH up on Lake Winnipesaukee for a couple days. Nate has a conference here every year and I tagged along this time. I am currently snuggled up in the most comfortable bed ever. It has six pillows and there are two extra in the drawer for some sort of comfort emergency that I can't fathom. Today was a little chilly and grey, but here are a couple nice shots.

Parcel

I've never heard of Parcel handbags or their parent company, Loop, but I found this cool bag at TJMaxx and my research tells me it was quite a steal!

Tutti Frutti

I made up this cocktail the other night with ingredients we had around. That did not include ice, so I used frozen fruit. It was delicious!

The Namesake

This weekend we saw The Namesake. It was one of those rare times where I enjoyed the movie as much as the book and I recommend both! I especially loved the parts that were filmed in India. As well as she describes it in the book, it makes a huge difference to actually see it. I had no idea the Taj Mahal was SO white. I always thought of it as an off-white like the cover of the book, but that's probably because I've just seen many pictures of it at sunset where the building is reflecting all the colors.

Edit: This article turned up on Yahoo today about how air pollution is turning the Taj Mahal yellow.

Root Beer Floats

Today was a great afternoon for root beer floats. I like any excuse to use my spoon straws! How cool are these? The handle is actually a straw! Form+Function all the way. Nate's mom brought them back from Denmark, but I also found them available here.

Yard Sales :: Week 2

We had so much fun last week, that we went to more garage sales this morning! This time we did it right and got up early. Many of the ads warn against Early Birds, and one home-owner even said she had people show up at 6:30 am, but she made them wait until they opened at 8. I hope I'm never that crazy. We definitely cannot do this every week because I will end up with too much stuff. Today's finds include a pie cooling cabinet that is perfect for the entry way, a white chair, a beautiful old copy of A Girl of the Limberlost from 1909, 2 wooden boxes for craft supplies (the big one is handmade), spice jars with cork lids, enamel bowl, metal bucket, a little watering can, and 2 more bottles. Whew!

Peachy

I've been experimenting with collage lately. It takes some trial and error, but I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out and the techniques I'm learning. I'll share more tomorrow.

It's fiddlehead season!

I've been keeping my eye out for these tasty veggies and last night I was successful! I sautéed them in olive oil and garlic and then added salt & pepper, lemon juice and a little butter. The man at the local shop says he'll have them for a solid three weeks. I wonder how many times I can eat them in three weeks? Just to prove they are appropriately named, I've done a side-by-side comparison.


[I'm still annoyed about the colors of my photos. Now I realized that there are even huge differences between Safari and Firefox. Safari is much better.]

Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra

Here is the latest poster I did for the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra. This should be a fun concert for us at the Rochester Opera House with pieces from Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Exodus, Star Wars, Wizard of Oz and more that I can't remember! It's also for a great cause—part of the proceeds will benefit A Safe Place, the local domestic violence support center.

House Projects

This past weekend we spent a lot of time working outsite. One of the projects was to replace the ugly plastic lights with these new solar ones. I love copper and we have a copper number "8" and hurricane lamp next to the door (I guess they didn't make it in the picture). Another fun project was to organize all the summer deck gear in the mudroom.

My Finds

Yesterday we went to a few garage sales and these are the items that came home with me. I guess they call them yard sales here and you must pronounce that "yahd" sale. Some people even write that on the signs. Anyway, I wasn't having any luck until the last stop! My favorite is the ring holder. The original state and post-polish state are below.

I love sun

Here are a couple shots I snapped in the park yesterday while I was enjoying the weather! The colors are not nearly as vibrant here as in the original files. Why is this? I'm not changing the quality, but maybe Blogger does. Anyone know? You can see the difference when you look at them in flickr. <-----

Mailbox

The mailman was very good to me today. I got my new shoes that have been back-ordered for a month AND a collection of catalogues from the Emigre Foundry!

It's Official!

I love Blueprint Magazine. I love a lot of magazines, but this is my new favorite. They've only had 4 issues so far. I was getting pretty anxious during the long haul between the first couple issues, but now they seem to be on a regular 2-month schedule. It's published by Martha Stewart, but definitely geared towards a younger readership. It's very well designed and I am in love with the font. Beyond that, it's smart-sounding and you can tell it's well-researched. They actually feature things you haven't seen in 10 other places. They also have a blog that's worth a read!

Card Making

I made this card for my neighbor who is in the hospital. The paper still wants to wrinkle—even after a night under the dictionary. Any suggestions for a good glue to use? There are so many!

The little flower accents are rub-on transfers called miniMARKS. I got them at paper*source last year, but I don't see them on the website.

You can browse the whole collection at American Crafts. There is also a page that lists online and local retailers.