So Sylvie

Spring Forward

 

 

I caught a glint of sun on the windowsill over my kitchen sink, but it was fleeting. Shortly after snapping this shot it poured buckets and the wind it did howl. It's forcing me to postpone some of my furniture projects. One that I'm really looking forward to doing is a silver foil treatment on the top of my dining table, with its Queen Anne legs. I'll post it when it's finally finished.

For a bit of cheer until warmer days surround us, check out a favorite site, Tsé & Tsé . There are some wonderful interactive elements to it. You'll probably discover something new each time you visit.

The enormous Japanese maple outside of my home-office window is bursting with new leaves. They're so fresh and tender that they appear phosphorescent.

 

 

 

I leave you with a cheery image of a Japanese Temari ball, and a pink coverlet that I found at a San Jose thrift shop. By the way, what is the difference between jacquard, damask, and brocade? I need to look that up.

I can smell my soup calling from downstairs -- wild rice, carrots, turnips, rutabagas, celery, and onions --a reminder that there is still quite a chill in the air.

Care To Share?

I don't quite know yet how this blog interaction works, so I'm hoping that someone will take the time to fill me in. I have loads of great finds from Bay Area thrift shops that I'd love to share and swap with others. Here are a few things that I found recently...

 

 

 

I have four yards of this blue apple heavy cotton linen. I thought that it would make a  swell duvet cover for a child, or happy seat covers for kitchen chairs.

I have one yard of this 1960's "mathematical garden" fabric.

Here is sweet vintage Tiny-Town Togs dress; size 3. Does anyone know a little girl for this? It could be worn by a two year-old, I think.

I found a Trader Joe's related article on Shelteriffic -the new blog from the people who brought you Budget Living magazine. I don't normally promote chain stores, but T.J.'s does provide a good amount of organic foods at very reasonable prices.

Apple Blossom Time - Yum!

 

There's a funny phenomenon connected with Trader Joe's whereby people like to share their favorite finds from the store. I can't think of another grocery chain that stimulates this kind of conversation. People speak up in the aisles even; leaning over and suggesting an item that you may not have discovered. I've gone shopping there with friends, or run into friends there, and automatically we start pointing things out to each other. When others in earshot hear this, they begin to share. So, I'm starting a new category here for those of you who can't keep it to yourselves any longer and are just bursting with Trader Joe's tid-bits. I have a friend who always brings the frozen samosas to a gathering. What are your faves and how do you like to have them?

My latest discovery is Chudleigh's Apple Blossoms (see photo above). Usually, I like to bake my own pies, and am quite a stickler for organic ingredients, but I do have some flexibility. The ingredients in these tasty "blossoms" are generally pretty good...no hydrogenated oils or preservatives. I like to heat them in the "slow" oven and serve them with vanilla ice cream. Trader Joe's carries Julie's organic ice cream, Double Rainbow, and dairy-free Soy Delicious.

Let the sharing begin!

HooDoo You Love?

This is one of my JuJu, Charm Doll creations. It's 4" tall, has coconut shell button eyes, an oxidized copper bead for a mouth, and is wearing charms of its own: a Guatemalan worry doll and a silver heart. I used nubby silk and cashmere yarn for the hair. I've also made larger versions up to 14" tall. 

I wanted to do a yard sale today but the March winds are really howling. Maybe next weekend. I need to make more space in the garage where I have a homeschooling study area set up for Marcel. No outdoor activities today so I'll go have a cup of tea and some biscotti while organizing the myriad of pages that I've pulled from magazines. I try to keep them sorted in folders by category like, "Kitchen", "Bedroom", "Garden", "Projects", etc. Do other people pull magazine pages, I wonder?

Bufano Exhibit

We went to San Francisco yesterday to see a Beniamino Bufano exhibit at the Randall Museum. Henry Miller said of this this wonderful sculptor and peace advocate, "He will outlive our civilization and probably be better known, better understood, both as a man and artist, five thousand years hence." Bufano remained a free spirit throughout his life until his death in San Francisco on August 16, 1970.

 

Above is Marcel (6 years) with one of Beniamino's cat sculptures from the 1930's.

Whenever I go to San Francisco I can't leave without a visit to Chinatown. I found these happy finger gloves for 75 cents! So much pleasure in being able to travel to a "foreign land" without leaving home.

 

 

Dollies

I found a bag of dollies at a thrift shop in Santa Cruz the other day...

Mexican Femme, 14" Tall

Southern Belle, 10" Tall

Another Southern Belle, 8" Tall

Jester Girl, 8" Tall

Sailor Boy, 5" Tall

Copper, 6" Tall

Fuzzy Guard, 6" Tall

I paid an average of $3 a piece for these lovelies!
Until next time, I'll be out treasure hunting.

Ta-Ta, Sylvie