her mom thinks she's swell

I found Brittany's blog after stalking and eventually purchasing a beautiful turquoise bracelet from her etsy shop, willowfibers, where she sells her handmade jewelry and textile crafts. (She also has another etsy shop for her vintage finds.) On My Mom Thinks I'm Swell (feels goofy to type that, although I'm sure my own mom does in fact think I'm swell), Brittany shares her crafty studies and adventures, flea market finds, recipes, garden, home and life as a student in the Midwest.

Brittany had a photo in her blog header of a beautiful shibori piece she had done, and I asked her if she would take a commission for a scarf. After much anticipation, it arrived yesterday, and I cannot get over how beautiful it is.

(I stole this photo from Brittany's blog) Follow this link to her photo-post on the process of making this gorgeous piece. Thank you so much, Brittany!

Hey, it's July already. What the heck?

Yesterday I got a Glamour magazine in the mail. I had to check the address to see if it was indeed my Glamour magazine and yes, it was. Apparently the geniuses nice folks at Condé Nast decided that because I had been a loyal Domino subscriber, I would of course enjoy a subscription to Glamour magazine in its place.

Not so much. I don't think I'm their target market. At all. Some of the choice articles in the August issue include "Men Answer: What Kills the Mood for You?", "7 Sexy Things That Aren't", and "Couple Time: Ashton Kutcher Gives You Love Advice" (I could not make that up). I will admit it's been a few years since I've picked one up (a Glamour magazine, not a man, although now that you mention it...). Apparently Glamour ain't all that glamorous any more.

Honestly, I looked for something, anything redeeming in there that I could show you, but there was nothing, people. If you are interested in reading any of the above articles, just drop me a line and I'll scan them for you or, even better, send me your address and I'll fish that Glamour magazine right out of the recycling and send it off to you.

* * *

I did, however, find a couple really great, colorful, my-kind-of-spaces in the May 2009 issue of Elle Decoration UK. Enjoy.

no, I cannot buy this

Even though I really, really want to.

I told you I'd show you one of my favorite things I've currently listed. Here it is... The Chef-An-Ette! A vintage metal recipe file. Green & white, recipes included! So cute.

Here's a little sneak peak of one of the recipes~

I haven't tried this one, but come on now, Alice Olson's Swedish Meatballs?

Oh, hey, hi!

Wow, I haven't posted in over a month! I have been so busy, a new job, then there's my other job, (more about that later). Between that and somehow killing my second hard drive in a year, I kind of lost my momentum.

But I've missed blogging; I really need to find more time, because I'm always finding stuff I want to show you. So hopefully I'll at least be posting a few times a week.

Like this...

pair of linen and applique tea towels I found at an estate sale this weekend.

Here's the blue one again, this time with a

gorgeous wooden vase! I work for an antiques liquidator, helping to post things on eBay (see link, above), and I posted this inlaid wooden vase, but then I fell in love with it and had to bid.

There is another really cute item I'm going to list for him, which should be up later this week. I'll show you then.

See you soon!

a couple things...

...are growing around here. Inside...

oregano

basil

Outside...

apples

pears

Let's see if I can keep most of these guys alive this summer.

bench monday again

(except that's a chair)

hey, knitting is making a comeback!

So says Harper's Bazaar UK in their May 2009 issue. Shows you how out of touch I am; I was completely unaware it ever went away!

Anyway, in celebration of knitting's resurgence in the face of the "state of the economy" (maybe my most-hated turn of phrase), designer Paul Smith has "created a summer hand-knit exclusively for Bazaar readers, which you can download right over here.