Past life

I must have had a past life where these items were surrounding me....I'm so drawn to them.

Why is it that all the shops I seem to like, are on the other side of the continent?

Red Chair Antiques, New Hampshire

Seeing shadows

Click Hey Harriet for more shadow shots

Washed ashore

One of our favorite pastimes while vacationing at the beach, is to look for treasures that have been washed ashore. I think that's why I like the creations of Uri Eliaz.  He creates art from objects found along the shore. 

Image via Treehugger

Misery Ridge

Yesterday, the women in my family spent the day in the kitchen. Cooking, laughing, (drinking), essentially putting on a feast while the men took the kids (two of our nieces) and Trux on a hike up Misery Ridge.

A hike with a 700' climb at Smith Rock State Park. Nothing like keeping them out of the way!

photos via camera phone....

Putting it together

We have company coming for Thanksgiving....actually, they all arrive Wednesday. Problem: our dining table seats 4, and I only have 6 place settings. There will be 10 of us for dinner...the scramble is on! 

Folding table brought in, 3 tablecloths, a mix of chairs, dishes, silverware and glasses. I also decided I wanted to use chargers, but only had 6, so I improvised.  Last year, my friend Karen sent me this album:

I borrowed a couple pages out of it,

traced a pattern from my other charger,

and created my own.  

(Technically, these might be placemats...but I'm going with charger)

I like the mix of glitz: silver tray, glass candlesticks, depression glass pedestal cake plate and beaded garland, with the slightly decrepit: rusted film reels salvaged from the metal scrap yard and used under tea lights, a bronze gear with a wonderful verdi gris finish that just happens to coordinate with the homemade chargers and one of the leaf colors in my autumnal dishes.  

Pinecones used as place card holders...I think I'm set!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Distractions

One of the ways I distract myself from gloom and doom news, is to follow the fashion pages. A slightly distorted reality to take my mind off serious subjects; climate crisis, economy, war, etc.

The Obama's just hosted their first state dinner at the White House. Photos of past state dinners and first ladies' gowns have been floating around the internet for days. This photo of Jackie Kennedy caught my eye due to the flower hair adornment and dress color...

photo from here

...reminded me of my mother's wedding ensemble 44 years ago.

Snow fall

"I love snow, snow, and all the forms of radiant frost." 

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley

Countdown to Copenhagen

Tell world leaders what kind of deal you want them to make at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, December 7-18, 2009.

Vote

Windstorm

We're having an epic windstorm....which begs the question...

Why don't we have wind turbines here to harness all this energy?

"No one but Night, with tears on her dark face,

Watches beside me in this windy place."

~ Edna St. Vincent Millay

Image by Gothicrow

Crazy wind has brought us snow...

"Lo. sifted through the winds that blow, 

Down comes the soft and silent snow, 

White petals from the flowers that grow 

In the cold atmosphere."

~ George W. Bungay

Environmental design

Designer Michelle Brand uses the bottoms of recycled plastic bottles to create works of art.

The image, via Recyclart, fits the shadow shot theme

"To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,

Every cubic inch of space is a miracle."

~ Walt Whitman

Click Hey Harriet for more shadow shots

One year later

We adopted Trux, a four year old Aussie/Border Collie, exactly one year ago. 

Lookin' good as a slim 5 year old, eh?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cammie, on the other hand, is not a success story. We adopted her two years ago when she was almost nine. Two years of rationed, diet food later, and she is still the fattest 14 pound cat I've ever seen. Poor baby.

19th century marketing

The Victorians had it figured out.

Victorian trade card via Vintage Vendor

If only...

...these were real...aren't they fun?

Embellished slippers from A'Musements

~~~~~~~~

Paper heels from Jennifer Collier

Elf re-do

I was asked back to Santa Land...this time for help decorating the exterior.  Working outside in 40 degree-snow-any-moment weather is a bit interesting.  Manual dexterity goes out the window when your fingers are frozen. 

On another note, remember how nice the inside looked when we were finished?

Now it is trashed.

The local ski resort has been selling lift tickets out of this building. Evidently, customers have been allowing their children to run amok. Packages are knocked over, fluffy snow is destroyed, the spray snow on the windows now has finger marks and smiley faces drawn in it and will have to be washed off......the little darlings.

Nada

I've got zilch today....

photo from here

“I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about.”

~ Oscar Wilde

Charlie Brown Tree

This is what I saw when I walked into the kitchen this morning:

Mark had finished the Charlie Brown Christmas tree!

How fun is this?

Mark made the ornament out of copper.

(I'll get some better shots later when the sun is out...)

Manley Metal Works

Steel and copper Charlie Brown tree

Where the rivers meet

We hiked out Peninsula on Saturday...

Crooked River Canyon on one side

Deschutes River Canyon on the other

Gorgeous!

Don't fall

Hike to the edge...

Crooked River Canyon

"Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms you would never see the true beauty of their carvings."

~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Click Hey Harriet for more shadow shots

Color!

I went to a Yolo Colorhouse presentation last night. Its official....I really am in love with one of their new colors...

Which is probably why I'm drawn to Jan Fabre's Heaven of Delight at the Palais Royal Bruxelles.

But then I found out it was made from jewel beetles...

ummm....no, not for me!

images from here

Thanks for the link Martha!

Mark's show

Opening night:

Thursday, November 12th, 6 - 9 pm

Twilight Artist Collective

4306 SW Alaska Street

Seattle, Washington

One of Mark's decorative metal sculptures is featured in this show.

Click here for other images from the show.

When it works

I know items from the late 60's and early 70's are all the rage, but I normally don't care for them. I was raised in a sea of harvest gold and avocado green, polyester knits and shag carpeting.  I'm happy not to revisit that...but I do like this pendant grouping:

Photo: Ricardo DeAratanha/LAT

Similar pendants easily found on Etsy at Lovintage