let it snow *

"To appreciate the beauty of a snow flake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold."

factory girl *

It seems as though my weekend plans might be foiled by some impending wintery mix. I'm in the middle of a project that requires me to make dozens more of these, so it might not be so bad to be snowed in. The work is a bit tedious, but I can't really say I'm working in sweat shop conditions. Mostly I'm sitting on a couch, wrapped in a blanket, eating cookies.

If my fingers do tire, I'll garner inspiration from Anna Von Mertens. I was lucky enough to meet this talented lady a couple of years ago and fell in love with her hand died, hand stitched quilts- gorgeous and obsessively meticulous.

eccentric interest: the baker hotel *

A few months ago, on a road trip, I was confronted by an enormous abandoned structure, towering over the low profile skyline of the tiny town of Mineral Wells, Texas. I later learned that this infamous building is or rather was the Baker Hotel, and have since developed an odd interest in the place.

This hotel, built by Texas hotel magnate Theodore Baker, opened in 1929 as a health spa destination, because of the supposed medicinal benefits of the town's mineral water. It experienced a lot of financial strain, closings, and periods of renaissance throughout its history, but in 1972 closed it's doors for good. Since then it's accommodated vandals, photographers, and ghost hunters.

I know this is kind of a strange post for me, but I'm totally enchanted by this place and the legends that surround it. Maybe someday I'll explore those halls, but for now, I'll just enjoy these great Flickr pics from *brynne (left) and Noel Kerns (right), and these delightful mid-century designs from the Baker's official website. Oh, I almost forgot, it's for sale.

good folks *

This Indian folk art from 'The Night Life of Trees' was found on the ever enthralling BibliOdessey. If I had this book, I'd cut out pages and frame them. Thats right, I cut pages out of books... shameful, I know.

boys don't make passes at girls who collect glasses

Well I guess one boy does, but I hooked him long before this recent obsession really took shape. I'm from a family of four eyes, my collection contains 14 pairs: 3 from my younger days and 11 from different family members. A couple of precious pairs are over a century old.

A few weeks ago, my adorable but occasionally terrible terrier, Maybee, used my specs as a chew toy. The whole experience of getting new ones got me thinking. Not only do glasses literally shape your visual reality, they make a big statement about the kind of person you are, and when lenses and frames combine, your pair becomes as unique to you as a finger print. I've been playing around with these images and have plans for this collection, well.. plans to make plans anyway.

creature comforts *

Enjoying a day at the Natural History Museum. Hope you're enjoying your weekend too.

Charles Wilson Peale's, The Long Room, 1822. Peale's natural history museum was the first of it's kind in America.

let's be friends, Lauren Nassef *

What better subject for the inaugural post of my hopefully weekly "I like this artist" feature, than Miss. "A Drawing a Day" herself, Lauren Nassef? I say "hopefully," because unlike the talented and consistent, Lauren Nassef, I lack the self-discipline to make that kind of commitment.

Lauren Nassef's "A Drawing A Day" blog is so charming, I could look at a drawing a minute. Whether it's true or not, I like to think of her as the kind of gal who shuns erasers. Her drawings are effortless, purposeful and, definitively enigmatic.

treasure hunting *

My mom and I had a nice weekend of junk store rummaging and estate sale hopping, but we sure do miss my sweet dad. He always loved to see our little discoveries. I found these iron pieces at an estate sale, and mom gave me this obviously much needed spool holder.

Speaking of treasure hunting, I was recently reminded of my all time favorite Antiques Roadshow moment with ol' Mr. Ugly the clock. Someday I'll make this kind of find... you'll see.

shadow boxer *

As much as I would love to claim the attitudes of a clean and organized minimalist, I regretably cannot. I have the tendency to clutter and collect, and my love for teensy treasures knows no bounds. Some of my largest, fondest memories take residence in the smallest of objects.

The two images above are of shadow boxes in my house. I made the hinged window boxes a couple of years ago, and discovered the small wooden boxes (top) in my garage holding nails and other woodworking notions. There are lots of unique ways to display your little gems, so I say, break them out and give them a special place in your home.

hello new day *

Over the holiday my family suffered the sad and unexpected loss of my dad. Death has a way of making us dread the ordinary goings on of day to day life and it will be hard to get back into the swing of things. Fortunately I am surrounded by so many people who love and care for me, and have a lot of things in my life that make me happy, this new little blog being one of them.

Here are some pics taken by D in the past couple of weeks with our new camera.