my mom's table setting circa 1980

love this... found this picture while i was home last weekend... i was one year old. :)
and i now own part of the navy dish collection.

all is love

last week was a very sad week... my grandma vi passed away. thankfully she passed at home on her ranch in california with all of her kids and some of her grandchildren by her side. she was an amazing and strong woman that i love dearly and the ultimate matriarch to our family. we are all mourning the loss but will always celebrate her life.i have always cherished this necklace that i have that she made for my mom in the 60's. my grandma was an avid rock hound until the end. she collected, polished, and cut stones and made beautiful jewelry... just one of her many hobbies.
in the sweet bye and bye
violet christine jordan 1922-2009

teddy's first snow day

*booties are to protect against the salted sidewalks & coat because of crazy shivering. function over fashion... but it makes us smile.

a few of my favorite things (vintage wrapping supplies)

i always collect bits and baubles and eventually use them for wrapping gifts (or some i just admire because they are too pretty to part with!)...

all wrapped up

i finished my holiday wrapping!! this year i used navy bias cut fabric ribbon, silver sparklers, brown boxes, and craft paper. i picked up these discarded rolls of blue bias cut fabric in downtown la. I couldn't leave them as i saw them near the fabric scrap dumpster one day at work last year. the silver sparklers actually were previously part of a x-mas light set. I picked up a huge bag of them at a thrift store a few years ago and use them every year for adding sparkle to wrapping!and i had a special helper who just wanted to play!

holiday cheer

holiday cheer has been brewing in our cozy apartment...

a walk in the woods... 3 abandoned houses

on thanks giving weekend we to a long walk in the woods in pomona, ny and came across three abandoned houses...

1. the mid century modern house. previously used for a summer camp this house is amazing with all of the built in details, and it's in the woods with a stream running along the back side of it. it was locked but we managed to peek inside to see all of the 50's details. this is the type of house i dream of buying and restoring...
2. the early 90's modern house. this house is frozen in mid-construction with tools and materials still on the site. this was so eerie to see and there isn't even a road to this site... it's just in the middle of the woods all by itself! it would have been an awesome completed house...3. the boarded up house. this house was scary. we managed to go in the back door and it was as if some one was living there not to long ago. it was empty, but the bizarre part was there was refrigerator that was stocked with really old beers. oh, and i saw real live holly with berries... so cute!

a hop, skip, and a jump from the city... jamaica bay wildlife refuge

today jonah and i ventured just outside the city to the jamaica bay wild life refuge. it was great to walk off some of the holiday indulgences and see such awesome landscape!


jonah bird watching... very seriously.on the way home we stopped at the farm on adderley for brunch in ditmas park. we discovered that they have salted and buttered chocolate brioche toast... to die for. we will definitely go back for more!

the long weekend ahead...

i can't wait to relax, spend some time with loved ones, and eat yummy holiday foods!happy thanksgiving!

top photo from here, bottom photo unknown.

my menagerie

my accidental collection of taxidermy... antlers from a so. cal thrift store.phil collins (the rooster) jonah inherited from my mother.
owl inherited from my father.
squirrel inherited from my father.
black forest antlers from a flea market in germany.i will be sure to share if the collection gets any bigger.

cornishware hearts... old and new

i picked up new cornishware salt and pepper shaker set a few years ago. i have always loved the bold stripes and have fond memories drinking out of my grandmother's cornishware cups and saucers as a kid. this weekend in nyack i picked up a great gravy dish/mini pitcher. the antiques dealer told me that it is from the 40's or 50's...
today one can buy new cornishware here. it's a bit harder to buy here in the u.s. though. here is some info for buying antique/vintage cornishware. cornishware stripes are definitely on my radar when i am out and about!

wooden rosy cheeks

i couldn't resist this lot of wooden ornaments on ebay. they all have the cutest rosy dotted cheeks. i think it might be a pink christmas this year?