Break from blogging.

Maybe you can tell from my previous post that I'm blogged out!! So I've decided to take an indefinite break from blogging. And the Google Reader too!! My full-time job, my part-time dabbling in finding the perfect job, the Olympics, the upcoming presidential election, trying to finish several sewing projects, cleaning the apartment, and my voracious policy wonky reading habit are all taking precedence to this blog right now. Anyway, knowing me, I could be back within a few weeks or as soon as tomorrow. See ya when I see ya!!

Blog overkill.

I have a serious case of blog overkill. I get sort of demoralized when I open Google Reader and am confronted with 87 unread items that have accumulated since I last checked Friday afternoon. Is it sad that one of my favorite things about the weekend is not having to face the endless onslaught of fake-cheery blog posts, innumerable galleries of Stepford-perfect homes, the latest eco-chic designs, and magazine worthy vacation pictures? That the prospect of the interminable Monday morning scrolldown makes me break out in hives? Of course, I've got to 'fess up to my own contributory negligence in the matter, but seriously, either I have to be more selective about my subscriptions, or I will go certifiably insane.

Pattern potpourri.

Sometimes I wish I were a textile designer or a printmaker or a letterpress artist, because I've always wanted to take all these patterns and prints I see on vintage housewares and do something magical with them. Maybe one of these days I'll get around to it, but for now, here's an assortment of some particularly pleasing patterns I've seen recently on etsy. Click on the picture to check out each past present.

A midsummer night's green.

I very nearly bought myself a pair of black suede boots at the mall the other day before I caught myself. With temperatures in Atlanta still hitting the upper 90s, I don't think I'll be wearing boots for a couple of months. So since everything here is still lush and verdant, I thought I'd post a few items in honor of the color green before we all switch over to black, gray, winter white, and what is apparently the color of the fall season, purple.

Top row (L to R):

1. set of 8 Homer Laughlin bowls and extra serving bowl, $24.50 from Jen's Closet
2. fondue set, $10 from Aunt Sissy's Attic
   
3. 4 coffee mugs, $15 from Modish Vintage
   

Middle row (L to R):

1. Pyrex mixing bowl, $12 from Soulful Hues
   
2. 6 glasses with wheat design, $10 from Miscellania Mania
   
3. enamel pot, $22 from White Elephant Vintage
   

Bottom row (L to R):

1. vintage modern swing arm lamp, $38 from bluebellbazaar (reserved)
   
2. 6 tumblers, $8 from geo pillow
   
3. Shenango creamer, $11.95 from LadyFran
   

We have a winner!

I'm back from the beach and, as I promised, here are pictures of the past presents I've put together for the first Past Presents Shop giveaway contest. And based on my highly unscientific method of picking paper entries out of a baseball cap, Leah of moxie photo & design is our lucky winner!! She has such great taste, I'm a bit wary of how my small efforts will be received, but you can't really argue with a free giveaway, can you? Can you??

Vacation this week.

I'm trying to wrap everything up that I've got to do this week and avoid getting any new assignments before I leave for the beach on Wednesday, so posting will be lighter than usual (or completely nonexistent!) this week. Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway contest by Thursday, July 31st! I'll pick the winner and post pics of the prize package when I get back from Charleston. Have a great week and see you when I get back!!

[photo from the New York Times]

Flotsam Friday: Old photos and paper ephemera.

I never knew ephemera was an actual term until recently. I thought it was derived from ephemeral. Which just goes to show you how little I know. At any rate, one of my lovely readers (from Singapore!) wrote when she entered my giveaway contest, which you can still enter by the way, that she'd been searching high and low for vintage postcards and other such things but that hardly anyone ships out to Singapore. I figured I'd keep an eye out for some paper goods for her, since I love going through boxes of old postcards at antique shops too. The two pics above are from Rust 'n' Dust Antiques in Chamblee's Antique Row district. This post is for you, Melly!

Top row (L to R):

1. 1906 alphabet fonts, 2 pages, $4 from otherpeoplesflowers
2. "chubby boy takes a plane ride" - 5 snapshots, $5 from Jack's Jill Vintage Miscellanea
   
3. 6 children's playing cards, $3 from Vintage Market
   

Middle row (L to R):

1. roll of faux bois wallpaper, $50 from Utopia
   
2. postcard folder of San Francisco's Chinatown, $19.99 from TooTooCute
3. 2 part map of San Francisco, $37 from Emily Lynch Vintage
   

Bottom row (L to R):

1. 10 wedding thank-you notecards, $4 from Humble Labor
   
2. 1944 insects illustration, $10 from sushipotparts
   
3. postcard folder of Yosemite National Park, $19.99 from TooTooCute
   

Gilded glassware.

I picked up these gorgeous gold glasses at the Kudzu Antique Market parking lot sale this weekend and couldn't resist looking for some more dishwasher-unfriendly glassware on etsy. Here's what I found:

Gold-rimmed glasses with a steamboat design (set of 8 for $36 from bluebellbazaar).

6 glasses with an owl design for $26.99 from FlightoftheRadish.

Gold-rimmed turquoise bluebell glasses (5 for $20 from Vintage Darling).

8 glasses with a gold scroll and diamond design for $38 from High Street Market.

Vintage TV tray.

My apartment is tiny and the dining area is pretty cramped (it doesn't help that I have a big buffet/china cabinet that takes up a fifth of the space), so it'd be nice to have these lovely TV trays around for when guests overflow into the living room. There are two available for $12 each from etsy seller Rabbit Oh Rabbit.

Found: framed doily.

I picked up this framed doily for 2 dollars at My Favorite Place in Chamblee this weekend. I've had doilies and lace on the brain for a long time (I was married in a lace dress 2 years ago), and I was also inspired by the framed doilies in Holly Waterfield's office at her West Village boutique Camp (see below, as featured in the Spring 2007 issue of the now-defunct Blueprint magazine). Anyway, I probably won't assemble a collection of them (too kitschy!), but lace and doilies are still lovely in small doses. Here are several of my picks for today (all from etsy).

Lace cocktail napkins ($15 for a set of six from Historically Inspired Designs Vintage).

Lace tumblers (set of 8 for $40 from etsy shop Foo Foo Vintage).

A random assortment of 20 stamps, including lacemaking stamps from the USA that were issued in 1986 ($3.50 from Missgaylee). Check out a full sheet here (available on ebay for $5).

Lace glass plate ($5 from The Seasonal Cottage).

Doily cards ($6 for a set of 4 with envelopes from Beau Ideal).

Coral Gables doily notecards ($12 for a set of 6 with envelopes from Beau Ideal).

And do check out Holly Becker's comprehensive compendium of doily love here.