Vintage Gifts

In keeping my promise that my gifts this year will be coming from Etsy shops, I found a few vintage treasures to share.



































This glove mold from blue bell bazaar would look great on a dresser keeping necklaces in order.






















These vintage glasses from lucky little dot would also be a nice touch as votives – or to drink from.






















And these locker baskets are great for the organizer on your list.

The Awakening

Stop for a minute. Do you remember the first time you listened to a song and felt ... something, something was changing, and you got to be a part of it? You were eight or ten, even twelve and you suddenly felt like you had your finger on the pulse of what was really going on? Well, this song was that for me, and I'm pleasantly surprised at how well it has stood up to the test of time.



What's yours?

Coco: The Woman

Having just seen the film Coco Avant Chanel, I have this desire to purge my entire wardrobe and start over. I won’t, but I will tell you a bit about the icon who changed the way women dressed forever.

The life of Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel is not your typical rags-to-riches story. Accounts of her life vary because she herself told such extravagant lies about her past. It is true that she was born in a poor house and was later given to an orphanage by her father because the only work he could find was far away and too demanding for a single father. Coco learned to sew from the nuns at the Catholic orphanage, a skill that would sustain her in her particularly lean years. She met with failure more than once, and she met it with her characteristic unflinching manner.

The film collapses chapters of her life, and removes the complication of her going into and out of business repeatedly. It also only covers the early part of her designing years, which is to say, before she slept with the enemy, literally. Her storied affair with a Nazi officer during and after WWII enabled her to keep an apartment at the Hotel Paris Ritz, though it cost her dearly in popularity with her beloved France.

Coco was a true original. She began designing during the Belle Epoque, when women’s fashions were at their most complicated. Either because she herself could not afford the fashions of the day or because of her unerring vision of how women should dress, Coco created garments whose lines and textures were inspired by menswear. She discarded corsets and petticoats, but her designs were not lacking in femininity; they just rejected the current definition of it. I confess I'm not a huge fan of what came to be known as the Chanel look. I prefer her work from the early years, and her gowns were always breathtaking. Coco gave women casual elegance. She gave them trousers, interesting textures, perfume … and the little black dress.

How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something, but to be someone.

Gratitude

This year has given me ample opportunity to reflect upon the things that are truly important, and for which I am endlessly grateful.


I am grateful for my sweet husband, my dear friends, neighbors, colleagues, and family for their tireless support, generosity, kindness and encouragement. And for my charming eighteen year old cat, who persists despite all the odds. Without all of them, I would be lost.




































I am thankful for the bounty of food that not only sustains all of my efforts, but delights my taste buds as well.




































I am grateful for the way nature constantly renews itself, giving our senses new pleasures every day.




































I am grateful for the warm, loving, and safe home I return to every day. It has been, and will continue to be, the scene of tears over sad movies, my cooking experiments, and the laughter of friends.




































I am thankful for books; an endless source of solace, delight and wonder, especially during long, cold winter months.




































I am thankful for the energy and drive to repair and improve the things around me that need care. It is how we lovingly preserve and respect the past for what it has given us.

And I am thankful to you, dear readers. Some of you I know personally, others I do not. But you are all a source of inspiration and joy.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

The Love and Care of Clothes

I love clothes, but I confess I'm not always great at taking care of them. We live in a culture that emphasises acquiring things, but not necessarily treating them well. Often, when I get home I change into something more comfortable and whatever outfit I was wearing goes in a heap on my bedroom bureau. It's not a habit I'm particularly proud of, and perhaps contributes to my daily struggles in putting together an outfit that doesn't make me look like a bag lady.

I'm not overly fond of ironing, so I try to avoid buying anything that requires it. But I also can't stand synthetic fibers, so the option of buying viscose, rayon and lycra garments is something I wrinkle my nose at too. The drawback is that much of my fall/winter wardrobe seems to exist for the sole purpose of feeding fragile little moths throughout the winter.

But I continue to buy woolen things, and they get dirty and wrinkled (mostly wrinkled) when they're not being eaten up. So they go to the dry cleaners where they come home looking all fresh and new. At a cost. For the sake of taking better care of my clothes and saving a chunk of change, I'm considering buying a professional garment steamer.

Am I the only one with these problems?

A Personal Touch

I’ve decided to attempt to do all of my Christmas shopping on Etsy this year. The idea of supporting talented and creative individuals selling handmade and vintage goods lends a personal touch to the season. The problem I run into is the ‘one for you, and one for me’ issue (as my stylish friend Courtney puts it). My husband says that my gifting habits tend towards the aspirational, but when you’re smitten with something, don’t you want to give it to someone you adore?

This sweater wrap would keep your dearest friends pretty and warm on cold winter mornings.

I like the way these Rosaline Czech glass earrings glimmer in the sun. And seriously; eight dollars?

This mother of pearl inlay bowl would look stunning in any home.

And for the shutterbug in your life, how about a classic Polaroid land camera? (hint, hint)

The romantic gal in your life needs one of these. Truly, she does.

My Other Life

You know when you have those brief fantasies that you're living this completely different life, doing something entirely different in a place far away? It's not one of those, "My life is miserable and I wish it was different" fantasies. It's just a fanciful play with what might have been. For me, it's living on the West Bank in Paris in an apartment painted varying shades of blue. I ride my red bike to work every day to a jazz radio station. This song is one of those fantasies, which is a celebration of the imagination.

Faces

I've been pouring all of my productivity into my day job these days, and I'm actually quite lucky with the project I've been working on. Me and my partner have been taking pictures of every. single. employee. This is no small task, since it involves actual thousands of people. But what has fascinated me about it is how, when people submit themselves for a brief head shot, you get so much information from their faces; what they're wearing, whether they smile, if they look straight into the camera. It's a fleeting moment, but I've noticed how varied and beautiful the human race is. As many of these people are relative strangers, you begin to wonder how well they slept last night, if they listen to jazz, classical, or indie music, whether they have some serious chocolate addiction. It's endlessly fascinating. I can't share them with you, of course, because they are not my pictures. But I recommend you take pictures of strangers and learn something for yourself.

Putting the Garden to Bed

Getting the back yard ready for winter is a bittersweet moment for me. I like it looking neat and tidy, but I have difficulty letting go of a whole, wonderful season.

When the cold winds come in, it's sort of like driving through Kansas. When you can only see flat plains for miles and miles, you can't imagine there existing mountains or cityscapes anywhere in the world. It's the same with the approach of Winter. Covered in layers, as you rake the red, gold and burgundy leaves, if you stop for a moment and close your eyes, you'll recall the feel of the sun on your face and bare arms. And it's glorious. I think I can even hear the voices and laughter of friends.