20s Style

After spending the summer in headscarves and kimono robes, my Gatsby fashion fever is still not abating. I got engaged in May (!) and my ring, which came from an estate sale, is an antique 1920s art deco with a central diamond surrounded by baguette sapphires; as I was admiring it one day, I had an idea. I compiled some old broken jewellery, feathers, cufflinks and a glue gun and created this:

 

 

Then this...

Then this...

 

Then this...

 

 

 

 

Then this!

 

 

 (Click on photos to enlarge)

 

I'm not sure what I'll do with them all. Wear them in rotation? Sell them? Give them as bridesmaids gifts someday? All I know is, I can't seem to stop.

Vintage Drinking Glasses

Life's too short to drink out of boring glasses, so every time I'm at a yard sale or thrift shop and spy a fun little beauty for less than a buck, I take it home. From vintage carousel animals to Mad Men whiskey tumblers, here are some of my favs:

Weekend Project: Door Belle

Poor S.B. All he does is work, work, work. This time it was repainting Old Blue, our peeling, weather-battered door.

Old Blue

New Blue!

Lookin' good, coming or going!

Magic Mike Ate My Parsley!

 

 

Mike choosing his next snack.

 

 

Living in this house is a constant battle against nature. First, there's the ants who we discovered had built colonies in our walls. Then there are the giant spider webs that reform daily over our windows. Then there's the mice, including the one with the giant head with whom I had an epic day-long, Itchy and Scratchy-esque battle royal. Then came Jeremy the Weasel, who made a brief but memorable appearance, leaving behind a souvenir turd in our bedroom. And throughout all this, Magic Mike the Muskrat has been the decent one, hanging out under the shed looking cute and minding his own beeswax. Until yesterday, when he scampered up to the garden, hunkered down in the dirt and ate all my parsley in three chomps. He ignored our yelling, grinning with green stems sticking out of his teeth while I snapped a picture to show the cops.

 

S.B. sprinkled some cayenne pepper around, but I fear Mike is making our garden his
personal refrigerator. And I only had to google 'Muskrat Attack!' once to become more afraid of him than he is of me.

 

 

P.S. - Giant sunflower update: Sadly, the sunflowers are no more. I started the seedlings too early and the growth of the roots was stunted by the small pots. I moved them to bigger pots, but they instantly outgrew those, too. By the time I put them in the ground after last frost, they were deformed and twisted, and finally withered. Lesson learned. S.B. took it hard, as he had given them all names. Sally Sunshine, Matilda Sunshine, Tallulah Belle Sunshine...

Wanderlust

A religious procession on Hvar Island.
We just happened to be sitting on the dock as it passed.

The top ten most memorable moments from mine and S.B.'s journey through Italy and Croatia:

-Sprinting through the Frankfurt airport Amazing Race-style after a series of unfortunate events. We only caught our flight by a hair.

-Getting lost in Venice. There's no better place.

-Eating the most delicious food in the world in Naples. At a famous pizza place, we ordered two huge pies and two full bottles of wine by mistake because the prices were so cheap.

-Exploring the eerie ruins of Pompeii.

-Being rocked to sleep in our bunks on the ferryboat to Croatia.

-Entering the imposing old city walls of Dubrovnik.

-Swimming nude on a deserted beach on the island of Vis.

-Having drinks in a crumbling mansion with a quirky Maltese diplomat.

-Watching the fish jump in the teeming Plitvice Lakes.

-Running into a friend at check-in at the Zagreb airport and sharing one last adventure on layover in Germany.

As wonderful as it was, I was just as excited to come back to the beach house. In my adult life, I've lived in 15 different apartments; none of them felt like home until I'd gone on a trip and then returned. This time I had that feeling times infinity. I wanted to roll around in our bed, frolic on the lawn, blast our records and drink out of all our cups. Except that I was absolutely exhausted and fell asleep the minute we walked through the door. 

Mudroom Makeover

As balmy summer nights approach, S.B and I started brainstorming where we can sleep more guests. We decided to put a daybed in the mudroom, and in a flash S.B. built a frame using wood leftover from our deck rail (which he also built!) Inspired by how it freshened up the space, I overhauled the whole room into the ultimate chill-out zone.

Here's the room before we started:

The white floor was dingy from muddy winter boots and piled wood.

There's S.B. in the background, running away from home.

First we painted the floor a dark chocolate brown. Afterward, I added a

large mat in the same colour to protect the paint from sandy beach feet.

We acquired a comfy wicker chair, courtesty of Mom.

I placed a soft hemp rug under the daybed, moved in some plants and a 

woven ottoman to use as a side table. I sewed most of the cushion covers 

myself out of colorful cloth lap napkins I bought for 50 cents a piece.

A portable turntable provides the soundtrack to summmer. 

On the other side we have additional seating (recognize the chair?),

walls hooks for coats and a steamer trunk for footwear.

Presto! Mudroom, guest quarters and relaxing hang-out zone in one.

Total cost of makeover: $40 (for paint, cushion covers, candles and mat)

Rock Revamp

S.B. has about ten band t-shirts that are too small for him so he asked me if I wanted them. I watched some online tutorials and found all kinds of ways you can redesign t-shirts without sewing. My favourite is a sort of braiding technique that brings in the sides and makes the shirt more fitted. I'm going to invite my girlfriends to come over with some old t-shirts and have a contest to see who can come up with the most kick-ass revamp.

 

Two of my re-creations.

Giant Sunflowers - Week Four

 

Whoah!

Weekend Project: Pretty in Pink

So, I'm driving to work when I spy this hard-done-by chair sitting on the sidewalk. It had been left out in the rain all night, seat covered in cat fur, legs that had served as the naughty cat's scratching posts for years. But it had some exquisite detail in the woodwork, and as I cringe at the idea of antiques going to the landfill, into my backseat it went.

Blah.

At home, I unscrewed and removed the seat cushion before cleaning and sanding all the wood.



Next I stripped off the filthy seat fabric and reupholstered the cushion with a white bandana from my old Bandidas roller derby uniform. Then I painted the chair cotton candy pink, which surprised even me. I've never been a fan of pink, but lately I find myself intrigued by its moods. When I first found this chair, it was sort of masculine and authoritative-looking. But now...

Can I get a witness?



Since the chair and the fabric were free, altogether this project cost only the price of three coats of paint, which was on sale for $6.00.

I've never done this refurbishing stuff before. I wouldn't have had the patience for it in the past. But now I'm hooked, and I already have my next challenge...



A woman at a rummage sale gave me this for free. Apparently it came from an old church that used to stand across from Queensland Beach. I kind of hope it's haunted.

Fresh Catch!

I love the musical knocking sound of bamboo wind chimes. Back when I lived in England, I bought some at the market in Camden Town and have hung them at five different addresses since. I finally had to find a replacement after they got beat up in this winter's icy winds, and it wasn't easy. Most of the ones in Halifax shops are mass-produced, flimsy things. But kijiji saved the day. Look what I found! A gigantic carved wood and bamboo work of art...

This heavy sucker is 35" head to tail!

The woman who sold it to me said she bought it at a yard sale in Edmonton and hung it up back home in Hubbards. Now that she lives in the city, she hasn't got a place for it, and is happy it's returning to the water. It's funny how objects can adopt a kind of personality.  He looks happy, doesn't he? I already find myself saying hello to him in the morning.

Giant Sunflowers - Week One

Now that the spring breezes have melted all the snow, we've been thinking about starting a vegetable garden. I've never planted anything in my life (hell, I've never had a yard before) 
so I'm testing my prowess on sunflowers. I decided to start the seedlings indoors and they sprouted within a few days. Apparently these babies can grow up to 14 ft. and now I'm worried I may have started them too soon. I can't safely transfer them outside until after last frost in early June, and at this rate, they'll be busting out of their pots before then!

When I woke up a few mornings ago and saw green, I screamed my head off. "Don't you think there's something inherently creepy about plants?" I said to S.B.

He patted my shoulder and sighed, "City girls." 

Weekend Project: Mirror, Mirror On The Wall

Step 1: Buy an outdated old mirror. This heavy bastard was $10 at Salvation Army.

Step 2: Clean it, sand it, update it with a fresh coat of paint in a modern colour.

 

Et voilà !

My Favourite Room

With only one guest room to display many objects and double as my writing nook, the decor has a bit of a personality disorder. Yet, call me crazy, but I think there's an offbeat harmony in the mash-up of By-The-Sea, Girly Vintage Cowgirl and Wordsmith.

The 'Howdy' sign is a souvenier from my Texas road trip.

This wall seemed a natural place for my shell mirror.

The birdcage was a housewarming gift used as

a plant holder. I painted it white and added the
crow to mimic this local art piece.



S.B.'s mother found this wrought-iron wind chime.

My writing corner.

Can you spot all three themes?

Boots. Shells. Flowers.

Why not?

Everybody loves a cowgirl.

But how about a cowgirl writer by the sea?



Vintage Cheese Boards

The first one was out of necessity. The second one I justified by saying, well, it's only $2, and if I use one for cheese, crackers and grapes, I can stick cured meats and olives on the other. By the third, I just have to admit I'm just becoming a cute cheese board collector. Sue me. 

This one came with the original cheese knife, which clips on to the board so
I don't tear the kitchen apart trying to find it in a drunken, cussing, pre-party frenzy.

Sometimes I put toothpicks where the knife is supposed to go. Naughty.

I think the handles are for the kind of hostess who actually walks around
serving guests, saying thing like, "I'm so pleased you all made it over to play
Bridge with us this evening" rather than those who yell from the sofa,
"Grub's over there. Don't forget to put your keys in the bowl!" 

The Tickle Trunk Album

            Left to right: Age of Aquarius, Elves, Wanted Poster.

A friend just asked me, "How the hell did you ever find someone who likes to play dress-up with you?"

Fluke! Bizzare, awesome fluke.

As a kid, I was obsessed with Halloween and costumes, and to this day everything I am drawn to: theatre, roller derby, even writing is an extension of my desire to try on different personas. And I obsess about the details, which is what led to the photographs - all that hard work ought to be shared, right? So before S.B. came along, many scenes from my imagination had already been brought to life on camera.

Breakfast at Tiffany's 'Moon River' scene.

I don't think I even asked him if he wanted to join in my warped little hobby. I think he suggested it. And now that he's in on the photos, they seem to have twice the effect, generating comments ranging from wow!!! to wtf??? (not a week has gone by since Christmas that someone hasn't mentioned our Elves Photo Spectacular, which included shots of us frolicking in the yard, drinking beer and doing calisthenics).

I'm glad people get a kick out of it, at least. The adult world is entirely too serious, and I for one won't ever let it take me. So stay tuned for weirder and more elaborate tickle trunk photos in the years to come. Perhaps I can even convince some friends to get in on the fun.