Some Stuff

Where have I been? I know... I could plead summer... and that is partly to blame. In reality though, I have not been in the mood to write anything. I keep finding nifty stuff to post about and I have a kazillion things in my "Draft" folder that I started to tell you all about, but since I lose interest these days a few lines in, I thought maybe I would just put some things out there over the next few days that have caught my interest. Totally random perhaps, but still worth note.


One of the things that is making me happy right now is that I found the sweetest blog called Dottie Angel. This woman lives the life I want to lead. And she photographs it and writes about her endeavors for me so that I can take a bit of time out of my day to look at her pretty life and wonder what mine would be like if...



It also inspired me to create the little bird mobile that she has hanging outside her dining room/patio door.


I saw it and thought I should have one, but I have so much stuff around here, I thought it better to make it for my friend's daughter's birthday. So when heading over to her beach party, stick in hand, my sons explained to the people on the little ferry that the stick was this little girl's birthday gift (I had the pretty birds in my bag). We got some wonderfully aghast looks when I followed up with "hey, it is a really nice stick."

I think it was Flickr that I found Tif's (Dottie's) fabulous photos on and followed her through to her blog. I ended up following posts back for eternity and looking lovingly through her house and studio. This woman is just inspiration incarnate. She lives in a photo shoot from Domino magazine, writes with a witty and uplifting and adorable style that is very refreshing, spends her hours revamping vintage whatnots and repurposing her lovely thrifted acquisitions. What's more, she has spent the last year challenging herself to purchase only handcrafted or secondhand goods for her home and wardrobe and successfully encouraging others to do the same. A rather lengthy list of fellow bloggers joined her in her quest which is rounding up in September. I think that in itself is quite an accomplishment, and one that supports all the things I find now daily in this apparent "movement" towards finding beauty and inspiration in a whole new box that is so much more rewarding that the new shiny one. She did a post awhile ago that made me smile when I came upon it... summing up entirely what I truly hope is the newest chapter of this book we call life while wallpapering the innards of an estate find cabinet:

"and then i pondered,

no, this sweetie was not going to end up in the thrift store later in life,

being mocked by passing strangers.

someone, somewhere will come across her,

gasp the gasp, i have gasped many times myself.

and then with a little bit of luck,

that someone will exclaim for all to know

"why this is the most fabulous example of the granny chic movement,

a movement that occurred in the early part of the 21st century.

it was not uncommon for discarded forsaken souls to be picked up

and adorned with paint, paper and fabric.

if i am not mistaken this looks to be a 'dottie angel' example...

yes, yes it is! look just inside the cupboard there,

the signature of the woman behind this granny chic redo.

one Tif Fussell aka dottie angel,

a lover of granny chic goodness...

oh this is indeed the most peachiest of finds"

I am happy to finally see somebody recognize and articulate what is happening now to be as important to design as perhaps the modern movement was, or any other "forward thinking" step we have taken in the evolution of both design and lifestyle choices in general. Going around and collecting old things or a particular style/designer is nothing new, but this new way of taking what is old and making it our own somehow, while ultimately changing our habit of seeing worth in terms of new or designer goods, is indeed a movement. Granny chic, vintage glam, upcycling... all are terms that even the shelter mags are throwing around right now to describe what devoted thrifters have known for awhile. One person's trash is indeed another's treasure.

*all images from Dottie Angel's blog except top photo which is from Spool

Sssssmokin'!!!

I don't know how to type that to make it sound the way Jim Carrey says it. Doesn't matter. The point is, these FANTABULOUS bags really defy corny segways, but the fact that they are comprised of retired firehoses makes it pretty much impossible not to try. I simply love it when eco truly goes above and beyond. Recycled stuff, cool. Street cred, cool. Great fashion sense, cool. BUT... anything to do with firemen is sheer awesome AND the fact that fledgling label ISSI took Elvis & Kresse's firehose bag concept a wee bit further and found some really talented artists and said "hey, we have some old fire hoses here, see whatcha can do with them..." WAY beyond brilliant. Leave it to the brits. I. Want. One.


The entire bag is made from re-used materials, including insides clad in parachute silk. I mean, c'mon... you just can't script cool like that. I know now what it takes me to pay that much for an "It Bag". Nevermind Balenciaga, or Hermes... although I won't bat an eyelash for a "re-cycled" one of those... but this yummy carryall below trumps both. Won't even cost as much as an Hermes... And waaaay less metal to contend with. SO nifty.



Yes, thank you.

Inside the Box

Some people just see things differently. It's a good thing too, it keeps the rest of us humble. People such as David Gardner from the UK for example. When he sees a light bulb in a package, he thinks "Hey, why couldn't that packaging be more lamp-shaped?" Well, apparently, it can.

This coarsely pulped paper is molded so that when the bulb is flipped around, it simply needs to be plugged into the wall to create a rather warm and cosy ambience.

I am not completely sure of how the local fire chief would side on this one, but it is an incredibly nifty idea. Sort of thinking inside the box. Or maybe inside the box's thinking.

Woah, deep.

Tim Walker = Genius.

This man is photographing my mind...

Photos by British photographer Tim Walker