Listening to: Chromeo

Just a little something to brighten the day.
Great cleaning music by the way!

Curing what ails my house...

I just signed up for the "Kitchen Cure" and "Home Cure" e-mail events through Apartment Therapy. I was planning to do a full cleanse from now through the winter and this should be just the thing to help me get started. My impression is that I will receive weekly e-mails with assignments to tighten and tidy things, gradually, over a period of about a month or so. What a great opportunity for those who have a difficult time knowing where to start with a project of this magnitude. The best part is that it's e-mail so you can choose to do as much or as little as you want.

I'll keep you updated. Wish me luck!

Wine Tasting Winners!

We just had our monthly wine tasting at the store and these were the winners in my book:

1.Adelsheim Pinot Gris 2007 (Oregon) $16.99
Fresh and fruity with a little more weight than other pinot gris. Love this with lobster.



2. Domaine de Régusse Vin de Pays de Mediterranée Aligoté 2008 (France) $13.99
This was my favorite summer white this year. Wonderfully fragrant nose, spicy peach and yellow apples. Lovely and sophisticated.


3. Falesco Vitiano Rosso 2007 (Umbria, Italy) $12.99
So good for the money! Nice complexity, definitely Italian.


4. Montaria Reserva Vinho Tinto 2006 (Portugal) $10.99
Just a good little Portuguese.Peppery spice, nice fruit and a dry finish. Really stands out from others in this price range.

5. Ferrari-Carano Merlot 2005 (California) $23.99
Rich, rich, rich. Big Cali merlot and awesome.



6. Hugl Zweigelt 2007 (Ketzelsdorf-Poysdorf, Austria) $15.99 - A 1 liter bottle!
Perfect for this time of year between summer and fall. Good with food, medium weight, and spicy.


7. Apaltagua Pinot Noir 2008 (Chile) $12.99
Great bargain pinot and tasted like pinot.


8. Thorn Clarke Shotfire Ridge Shiraz 2008 (Australia) $21.99
Oh my, this was good. Rich and complex. I can see myself sipping this all evening next to the fire!

Yard Sailing!

Everything in the above photo, aside from the driftwood, was found while yard sailing. Some of my recent favorites are:

Metal Cat Soap Dish


Arabia Finnish Cow Pitchers



Scherzer German Dessert Plates




Buddha Drinking Mugs from a NYC Restaurant













Meakin Antique Pitcher and Costume Brooch













Art Deco Horse Head Vase/Bookends

Wow...

...or Not!

Listening to: Goldfrapp

On a recent road trip with friends I was turned onto the electronica duo Goldfrapp. I'm willing to bet I'm pretty late to this party, but I just had to express my delight in this discovery!

(I seriously can't believe this is the first I'm hearing of them.)









Here's one of their most recent "Big Hits":




More goodness:




A little less dance:




All this amazing music and she's a costume girl too!


Great videos, great music, great style. For more about Goldfrapp you can visit their blog and website. Unfortunately, I have been unable to locate any tour dates for the States but am anxiously awaiting any news.

Come to America Goldfrapp!

Anthro's Fall Windows

Can I just tell you how much I love Anthropologie! Here are a few of their fall window displays inspired by "the beauty of motion".

Orlando, FL


Philadelphia, PA



San Jose, CA


Marlton, NJ


"A whirlpool funnel. Light dancing across polished glass. Cresting waves. A deck of cards falling one by one. These are just some instances of motion that we find endlessly inspiring. Take a look at our fall windows, which evangelize the beauty of movement. Made of cardboard, lumber and fallen branches in mass, each is an exquisite, unexpected sculpture meant to contrast a store’s architecture."

Weck Canning Jars

This summer I am planning to take on the annual task of making "The Pickles" (one of my grandmother's infamous recipes). This will be my first venture into canning. While I was cruising through my Apartment Therapy e-mail I spotted an article on jar lighting which led me to the Weck Canning website. I was thrilled to find that there are alternatives to the classic Ball Jars and these are sassy!


I particularly enjoy the Tulip Jar and can't wait to see beautiful jars of pickles wintering in my basement. This may inspire me to make "The Wild Strawberry Jam" next summer.

Weck is also a classic having been around since 1900. This is a photo of old weck jars in a European Museum. For more information on canning safety with Weck jars see their website.

I Heart Vermont

Swimming holes,


farmers' markets,


artists,


country charm,


critters,


shopping,


comfy inns,


fabulous food,


artisans,


and beautiful weddings.


Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a wedding in the amazing Mad River Valley of Vermont. I highly recommend this as an any time of the year destination.

Glowy Summer Evenings

Really loving this decorative touch from Sunset Magazine!

Yard Sailing!

Yes, I do realize that's not the way you would spell sale + ing if it were indeed a word. I just decided that this spelling sort of works for me.

Here are a few of my more recent finds:


I was so thrilled when I saw this dress form! Unfortunately there was another woman who wanted it, but she let me have it. I think she was pretty disappointed but I did ask about it first and have been looking for one. I believe I will need to expand this lady as big as she'll go. The bird cage was a couple weekends ago. I think I may make it into a hanging lamp.


The wood and glass display case looked like a cold frame for greens to me. However, I have received a few raised eyebrows at the thought of leaving this fine piece outside all winter...we'll see. The two plate holding racks you can barely see will work splendidly in my garage entry for shoes to hang on and that rustic shelf has to find a place somewhere.


Last, but not least, the chairs! I have been searching for a cheap alternative to new dining room chairs which I was planning on spending about a grand on. These were $35 for the lot and will help me quench some fabric thirst in the process of refinishing them. I don't even need to disassemble them first!

Extreme Knitting

Speaking of knitting,

THE Pouf

I don't know how many of you have seen these poufs before. I saw them a year or so ago and was totally enamored with them (especially in the natural colors). You can get them at DWR for $680 and $1360 (on sale) depending on size, which means that these beauties were not meant for my sweet little living room.

I was thrilled to come across a link to the Pickles blog which had instructions on how to make them yourself! Now, they may not be quite as luxurious, but some of that depends on the type of yarn you use. Thanks to More Ways to Waste Time for passing along the info.

Here I am!

I am here!