Win A Pin

 

Win a Pin!!!

Please leave me a comment if you would like your name to be entered to win this adorable giant safety pin wall hook. The peeps at allmodern.com/CSN  have generously offered to send this to one very lucky person in the U.S or Canada! I am so happy to have a giveaway before I ship off to China. I will randomly draw one name on Valentine's Day, good luck!

Don't forget to leave your name and a way to contact you.

cute mail boxes courtesy of:

moremailboxes.com

American Man Doll

How cute is this? The creative people at American Girl made Gar into a doll as a farewell gift! I love his little suit and silk tie, and the briefcase is loaded with tiny books. They even replicated his identification badge and watch. The greying hair is spot on. Do you suppose Mattel will make a Ken version of Gar in China?

Top Five From The Junk Heap

If you had to pick your top five finds from junk stores, flea markets, estate sales or the curb, what would you pick? As I assess the usefulness and aesthetics of everything in our home I have given this question a tremendous amount of thought. The green map chest is perfect for organizing my ephemera, the church bulletin board is an excellent way to display things (junk), the birdcage is perhaps the least practical but it makes an excellent candle holder. Deke's odd semi-circle wine tasting table makes a perfect desk, and the old hotel chalkboard is the only way I know where I am supposed to be every day. These are all keepers.

All Modern

The good thing about pruning the contents of our home is the eventuality that it will all need to be replaced! I am day dreaming about a new look and style for our home. I have found a spot that carries just about every piece of furniture I have ever pined over, All Modern.com. They carry Herman Miller, Harry Bertoia, Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen and Philippe Starck.

(photos courtesy of AllModern.com)

Philippe Stark's Kartell Bubble Club Sofa is my favorite piece of outdoor furniture. I hope it will still be at this low price in two years when we return from China.

Johnny Rotten summed it up with "No Fun"

I fell asleep last night watching a documentary about the rape of Nanking in 1937, not recommended viewing before bedtime! I awoke around 3:00 am  and did some light reading on Chiang Kia-Shek.  I spent the rest of my day planning my wardrobe for the next two years. Sorting, packing, storing,  and Chinese documentaries, oh my!
 I am asked every evening "what did you get rid of today?" A certain someone has an expectation that I am going to expunge all of our belongings before we move. The company will gladly store all of our junk for two years, so why not sort it when we get back? Imagine the dialogue from A&E's 'Hoarders' and you get the drift. It ends up that I am married to a flea market bulimic who has spent the last 20 years binging and now expects me to do all of the purging. You can see why I am looking forward to curling up with the Opium Wars tonight. No fun.

The Dumbest Thing I Ever Bought

Delirium tremens, the DTs, the horrors, the abdabs, the jimjams, and the shaking delirium are all names for  acute episodes of delirium  caused by withdrawal...  from Ebay?
I love junk/antique shopping and this part of my life has come to a screetching halt as a result of our impending move. Why buy more stuff only to store it for the next few years? I have succesfully steered clear of the flea market, after Christmas sales and my favorite antique malls for the past couple of months. But in the last 72 hours I have figured out a dangerous outlet for dealing with my moving anxiety by shopping on Ebay. It is safe to say that the UPS delivery truck will be a constant fixture in front of our home for the next week.
In a matter of minutes I picked up a small library of antiquarian books, vintage Barbie doll cases, antique chocolate molds and Queen Victoria's hair. When I fall off the wagon, I buy it. I think it's the creepy hair purchase that has me feeling so low. When I told Lulu that I had gotten a great deal on the Queen's locks and they are worth ten times what I bought them for, she wisely responded "what is ten times the value of nothing?" God save the Queen and our bank account.

Living Out Of A Suitcase

Have you ever seen anything cooler? I love these repurposed suitcases by South African designer Katie Thompson, the founder of REcreate Interior Design.