So Sylvie

Vintage Trays

I saw these sweet little green vintage trays in Drew's Etsy shop (4 for $10) and because I have a tray fetish -- especially vintage trays from Pasadena -- I liked them instantly but didn't think of a use right off. I have enough jewelry trays on the dresser. "Could I use them in the bathroom? No." They kept haunting me over the days and then it hit me. I needed drain trays to go under our miniature succulents. Parfait!

 

 

 

You'll find Drew's Etsy shop, Kitsch Café HERE. Here's a sneak peek at what you'll find there-

Paul McCobb Dessert Cups:

 

Humpty Dumpty Lamp:

Orange Fabric Covered Box:

 

Vintage Ice Bucket with Fabric Insert:

Green[house] with Envy

We've been having such a lot of rain this past week that cabin fever was setting in. Marcel and I took advantage of a slight break in the weather to venture out to the neighboring college horticulture department. We really had to get bundled up against the icy damp chill. When we arrived at the campus for our little stroll we were like moths to a flame when we eyed the little hoop house greenhouses containing the succulent collections.

 

It was so warm and toasty in there and the moist air was a welcome treat for dried out winter sinuses and skin. Ahhhh. Like taking a bath with your clothes on. Hmm, that doesn't sound very pleasant. I'm making it a goal to someday own one of these enriching little pleasure domes (boy, that "someday" list is getting long).

We also visited the hydroponic veggie greenhouse. This place would make a great home!

Charts suspended from the rafters:

 

We ended our visit with Ernie the horticulturist sending us off with a bunch of freshly harvested Satsuma Mandarins from a nearby orchard. Little globes of sunlight!

Good Thrift Karma

Housing Works of New York gives you several reasons to shop their thrift this Saturday. One is their brown bag event at the warehouse in Long Island. For $20 you can fill a bag with clothes and accessories; no bag limit!

 

 

 

Also happening Saturday is the Around The World event at their West Village thrift shop location. The promo reads: "Travel around the world with us and shop fabulous finds from the 7 Continents!" You can also bring items to donate.

 

 

 

Through Sunday is their incredible Rugs, Rugs, Rugs event at the Gramercy location. I'd go tomorrow if I were you, before they're picked over. The rugs come donated from none other than The Rug Company! With the tags still on them! Marked down 75%! Also featured are rugs from ABC Carpet & Home.

 

 

 

On a serious note: you may have read my previous posts about Housing Works, an amazing community-based AIDS service organization. If not you can read more here. They are now collaborating with PHAP+ -- an umbrella group that links 15 outreach organizations for the Haitian HIV/AIDS community. They received an email pleading for assistance following the quake, “We need some doctors badly!!! First aid kits, food! Please bring tents.” Haiti has the highest HIV/AIDS rate in the Western hemisphere. If you're moved to help you can go to the Housing Works donation page.

 

The Double-Crossing Red Cross

Okay, I'm going to dare to be the lone voice, the dissenter, the unpopular one. Please think twice before donating money to The American Red Cross, and any of the other corporate "charities", for Haitian relief. I don't usually get political on my blog. This is the place where I come to get away from it all. But I've been compelled to respond to all of the blog hysteria of otherwise intelligent people with good intentions urging their readers to donate to the unethical  Red Cross.

 

NOT as innocent as they appear

 

Please, please don't be offended if you have been a part of this plea to the corporate charities. I know where your hearts lie. If any of you truly want to help, consider taking the time to read this article: Haiti, "Classquakes," and American Empire. It includes links for charities that are trustworthy. The writer, Paul Street, is highly regarded in humanitarian circles. Thank you for considering an alternative. I believe in you!

Migraine Marijuana

In the last episode of my 30 year migraine saga (as I wrote in this post) my hopes for pain relief were dashed yet again when my Cancer Doc nixed the natural hormone remedy. Well I'm starting a new chapter with my introduction to medicinal cannabis. It was prescribed to me by a board certified MD, who could have just as easily prescribed to me an FDA approved, highly addictive and highly toxic synthetic pain remedy. But I've tried ALL of those, some with incredibly severe side effects that sent me to the ER more than once. Enter The Capitola Cannabis Collective; a home delivery service!

I was interviewed by the local paper about my experience from a member's point of view, and I'm willing to write back to anyone who wants to learn more about this in general. And if you have any misgivings or doubts about the issue and are willing to keep an open mind I have some great talking points to share with you. 

 

 

 

As for my pain relief, I tried the medicine for the first time this week. I had a bite of a medicinal food bar and enjoyed a most dramatic sunset that night (I checked with the family the next day and I hadn't imagined it, they saw it too, maybe not with the same intentsity). The migraine pain persisted for the duration that the medicine was in effect, but the next morning I awoke migraine-free. This is a major improvement as normally, once my migraine hits, there's no turning back and I'm in bed for three to four solid days, writhing in pain and vomiting, unable to keep food or water down. 

 

I will have to see what happens in the next couple of months (these are monthly menstrual migraines). Here's hoping that it breaks a vicious cycle that's been plaguing me for my entire adult life. I must say thank you to the people who make it possible for pain sufferers -- people with cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and more -- who against great odds, amidst slander and negative profiling by some in the media, have persevered to bring pain relief by way of an organic herb.

Click HERE for a list of 21 other herbs that could potentially bring you some relief. 

Slow Interior Design

emma's stove

I have a wonderful new design job in the San Francisco area set in a 1920s Spanish Mediterranean house. I was describing the style of my work process to the client -- "I don't decide on a fixed design with plans and drawings right from the start. I work in a much more organic way. Feeling out the design and letting it grow slowly as I go along. I also make every effort to buy locally from the independent shops, the family shops." I realized at that moment that what I was describing was Slow Design. You may be familiar with the Slow Food movement that originated in Italy in the late 80s. It was a response to a fast food culture and all of the consequences of that lifestyle -- not eating local produce, not eating at home with family, and in general not slowing down and considering the process and the sources of the ingredients. The whole spirit of that movement -- eating locally grown, lingering over a meal, recovering "slowness" -- suits me down to the ground. I always knew I belonged in Italy!

In thinking about an image to go with this post I decided to step outside my house and see if there was anything that spoke to me of "slow" and funny enough this is what I found, smack in my front yard:

 

Parfait!

So, in the spirit of the new year, while we're embarking on new endeavors, let's all, from time to time, "prepare to stop".