The Painted Man

The Black Apple

I'm newly obsessed with this Portland artist and especially her "Lost on the Midway" series. It reminds me of one of my favorite books, Geek Love, and it fills me with the warm fuzzies. I'm not sure how many unframed prints one infant girl needs for her nursery, but one more can't hurt, right?

In other news, Ceci had an epic meltdown tonight. The girl was very tired after a long day with no nap. I continue to be baffled by this child that fights tooth and nail against napping during the day. If someone was cooing to me, reading to me, and cuddling me all day I would sure as shit be happily sleeping all the livelong day. I love sleeping. I love sleeping so much that I believe the sleep deprivation is the hardest part of parenting. Even when Ceci is a hormonal teenage girl attempting to stab me with a shiv, I will be thinking -
"This teenage homicidal angst IS challenging, but really, that sleepless screaming baby was INSANE"*.

I'll have a triple espresso, please.

Bookworm

My parents drove up from California with a whole slew of children's books for Ceci that have been mouldering in their garage. The publishing dates range from the 1940s to the 1970s and again I am amazed at all the stuff my Mom has held onto from my (and her own) childhood. 

I haven't actually read any of them to Ceci yet, but this morning I started flipping through them. 

So far I'm more excited about the ones from my childhood, although frankly I don't remember reading them. But some have amazing illustrations- 

Like this one from "The Secret of Beaver Valley".

And this one from a "Little Golden" book. I like the illustrations so much I'm tempted to tear some out and frame them. 

The jury is still out on the books from my Mom's childhood. 

Some of them are kind of neat in a chirpy, sing-songy way.

But some of them are poorly disguised Jesus propaganda!

And some of them appear to be erotic fiction. Which I can get into, but it's hardly appropriate for a 11- week old baby. 

The Usual Suspects

Sean Tubridy

Because robots are so stinking cute.

Savannah Crush

Hello all. The Satorialist was in Savannah a few weeks ago, and as much as I admire his amazing eye for person-on-the street fashion I found myself ignoring his subjects and instead devouring the background of every picture for familiar places. I have a serious crush on Savannah. Matthew's parents have a house nearby, so we've been lucky enough to spend some time there in the last few years.
There are so many things to like about Savannah. Its quirky beauty is the most obvious. Savannah is beautiful but none too clean, too hot, and full of eccentric people. It's kind of like snooty Charleston's funky cousin. The restored historic district stretches for miles, and you can lose yourself for within it for days.

You see what I mean? Dreamy. 

Other things I like about Savannah- The BBQ, this restaurant where I gorged myself on a potted foie gras terrine, and the Savannah College of Art and Design. 

A word about SCAD. The presence of an art college injects some youthful vigor into what could be a stuffy old Southern City, and the art in the student shop is kick-ass. 

I've become infatuated with SCAD alumnus Stephanie Howard. It's difficult to get the full effect of her art from the website, but she makes expansive and meticulous pen and ink drawings on paper. She draws a lot of beauty queens, and uses cultural imagery that doesn't make sense to me as a stranger to the South, but I like the way it makes me feel, and that's how I know I like art. 

One last thing I like about Savannah- my maiden name pops up everywhere. I saw it on street signs, engraved onto tombs in the cemetery, and on local Bed and Breakfasts. I imagine my ancestors smeared themselves all over that part of the South before moving on to be debauched and disease-riddled in other parts of the U.S.A. Ah, the beauty of being a French American!

All Good Things

Here's a few good things to check out-

Magar Hatworks in Charleston, South Carolina. The owner makes one of a kind handmade hats using traditional blocking techniques. I tell ya, my husband wore a fedora every day of out our honeymoon in Kauai, and I've since developed a man-in-a-fedora fetish. These are some of the nicest I've seen.

Freitag messenger bags made in Zurich. These are the coolest. They are made out of used truck tarpaulins. The site allows you to pick a tarp, and then use your mouse and their online template to design it yourself. The result is a snazzy, personalized, and eco-conscious bag. 

Seattle artist Susanna Bluhm paints moody and beautiful landscapes. We have one of her paintings hanging next to our bed and it's lovely. If anyone wants to buy me one just drop me a line and I'll send you my address. 

XO

What Summer?

Wow. It's August 31st and the summer seems to have ended. It's been raining sideways all day and it looks like it may stay this way for the foreseeable future. I guess God 86'd summer. Lame. It's days like this that make me wonder why I moved away from the Homeland (California) to the great dreary Northwest. What was I thinking? 

What seems to happen every autumn is that I become wrapped up in the pleasurable pumpkin carving / leaf changing/ woolly sweater magic just enough to forget that a long, dark, miserable winter is quivering right there on the horizon. But today winter is in my face. It's an aggressive, surly winter that doesn't want to wait for it's moment on stage, dammit. It's ready NOW. 

It also just occurred to me that woolly sweater magic won't be mine this autumn either, not until I get baby X out of my womb and into the world. All I have is one eggplant colored maternity sweater and an old, giant blue hoody to fit over my girth. No way am I going to spend more money on maternity clothes with only 8 weeks to go. Double dammit. 

On a happier note, isn't this the cutest baby mobile ever? Our friend Karie Jane made it for us and she may be the most talented person in the galaxy. She started a site here on blogger but hasn't started posting yet.  If you like this mobile as much as I do then maybe send her an encouraging message and she'll start posting some of her art stuff. Peace out. 

Gaston Delittle

Ninon

I'm developing a tremendous fondness for quirky children's toys. Blame it on the hormones. This fantastic monster bears my Maiden name as well. What's not to like?

This very crafty lady lives in Berlin and makes all her monsters by hand. I'm thinking baby X might need one for her nursery. 

Pretty Happy Things

Mary Kate McDevitt

I'm really digging this wood sliver painting. I want to see it hanging in a mud room with the rain boots. It's reminiscent of (but such a welcome departure from) the tacky wood sliver junk you see all over Humboldt county. 

Farmer's Market

Today seems like as good a day as any to start a blog. I was struck with serious blog envy last night after running across two amazing blogs created by my old friends Estelle and Megan. I'm also dealing with a burning desire to document my life during these last few months before my baby meets the world. All of a sudden the mundane events of my existence seem terribly IMPORTANT. This could either be the effect of hormones or the beginnings of mental illness.
Anyway, here's a synopsis of my Saturday.

Thank goodness the farmer's market is back and in full swing. The long, cold months of winter here in the pacific northwest are hard enough to bear without any fresh berries or local produce except for squash. 

It was just perfect today in the farmer's market depot- bustling but not too busy. As much as I want the vendors to make loads of money I get a little anxious when the place is swarming with tourists and mommies with giant strollers. It seems like the sunny days bring out throngs of people who don't necessarily want to shop for produce, but to lurk around causing traffic jams while they soak up the ambiance. 

I'm always grateful to be there, regardless. And there were some gems today. 

Lovely Libby of Moth and Squirrel has some new plush animals made from soft, thrifted sweaters. They make sweet baby gifts. 

The stegosaurus is my favorite. 

I'm not sure what this lady's name is but she can make a cute planter out of anything. 

Including her old purse. 

We had to hit up our favorite antique store that has been closed all month while the owner was in Eastern Washington. She reopened with some great stuff, like these spoon garden markers. 

And this awesome vintage colander. I seem to be developing a colander fetish since my friend Julea gave me a cherry red one for my birthday. I passed on this one because the enamel was chipped on the inside. If it keeps me up tonight I'll be back in the morning for it. 

I've also been nursing an obsession with vintage bird planters for  a few years now. Amazingly, I haven't bought one yet. I'm still on the hunt for the right one. The one I really can't get over is sitting in the windowsill of an apartment downtown. I'm coveting a stranger's bird planter and I can't move on. 

Here's what I came home with. A new (used) sewing box for my future baby afghan. 

Matthew scored this vintage gold frame that happened to fit an unframed print from our wedding. I don't think the picture even does it justice, it's hot stuff.
Happy Saturday!