Seymour and I have the privilege of living very close to Point Isabel Regional Shoreline. It is made up of two big meadows on either side of a canal which runs out to the Bay. There are always tons of dogs running around (it's one of the few off-leash parks in the area) and swimming. Seymour gets incredibly excited the minute he realizes we're heading in that direction, and the look on his face when I let him out of the car is priceless. When I think about all the things that make me happy (Resolution No. 5), Seymour is on my list every day, and seeing him gleefully prancing about at Pt. Isabel cheers me up no matter how bad my day might be. Here are some pictures I took this evening, during low tide. You can almost make out the Golden Gate Bridge, silhouetted against the setting sun.
Here's what I bought at Alameda Point last weekend: a set of vintage nautical pennants, which I think I need to reframe.
And... an adorable ice bucket that matches my mugs, snack bowls, and Martini pitcher! This pattern, if you're wondering, is called "Country Club by Yona" and I always find it in the most unexpected places, but it appeals to me not only because of the red and white stripes, but the labels! There is something so great about drinking out of a mug that says "MUG" on it.
*Also, I just want to apologize for my fuzzy photos of late; my camera lense got scratched, and I have yet to fix it.
Somehow I am always on the hunt for the perfect lamp, whether it's sconces for my living room, a chandelier for my dining room (also here), or a table lamp for the entryway... And all I ever come up with is lamps for bedrooms. In fact I have so many nightstand-type lamps that I have to store most of them in the garage. For the dining room, I've always fantasized about this option from Anthropologie, but I don't think it would work with the style of my home.
But finally, I think I may have found the right chandelier! It's not exactly the MCM teardrops I'd had in mind, but given my very low ceilings, I think it might actually be a better fit. I love my Danish furniture, but the 1940's architecture of my house and my collection of dishes are not especially modern. I feel like this lamp it somewhere in between: shiny and minimal, but also very vintage. It's on sale at Pottery Barn Teen- what do you think?
Here are my pictures from this month's antique sale.
I kind of love the idea of these candlesticks in a non-Christmas setting. It could be really cool to have a collection of them displayed on a mantle year-round.
As part of my resolution to start regularly attending the Oakland Art Murmur, I am planning to do a monthly entry about what I saw there that I liked. Last night, I was pleasantly surprised to run into my friend Billy Sprague, who was showing at Fort Gallery. He does the most amazing drawings and prints. I really love the direction his drawings have gone in, and I am planning go back and buy a small one, if they haven't all been bought up!
Happy New Year! 2008 was a year of a lot of big changes for me, personally and professionally, and I am pleased to say that I think I came a long way. I am expecting 2009 to be great and can't wait to see where I am this time next year! Without getting too sentimental on you, I will say that I really like myself and like where I'm going right now, so this year's resolutions are all about continuing with that theme and fine tuning things so that I can feel good about myself all the time. And here's some music to accompany my list.
In No Particular Order:
1. Floss more. I have nice teeth, according to my dentist, and although I brush regularly, I am often lazy about flossing. This little thing doesn't take much time, or effort, but it will make me feel good about myself, so I'm going to try to get on the ball.
2. Read more. I usually average about 3 books per month, but this year I had a lot to think about and I stopped reading alltogether. I want to pick up where I left off on my list, and plow through.
3. Go to more shows. A couple years ago I was going to at least one show a week, just checking out new bands and mingling. I miss being in the loop, musically, and I really need to start meeting more people, so this is a good one. It will take a bit of effort, though, since I no longer know what's going on, and since it's sometimes hard for me to get myself out of the house.
4. See more art. Yeah, I went to art school, but I have been very negligent in my patronage of the arts. It's not hard to check out the Oakland Art Murmur once a month, for starters, and get a steady dose of new and interesting art. This also serves as another entree back into "the scene" which I have been out of for so long.
5. Keep a list of things that make me happy. This is sort of silly, but there are little things every day that make me smile, and I want to start keeping track of them.
6. Keep my house more tidy. This is probably the hardest thing for me, as clutter seems to follow me wherever I go, but I always feel good when my home looks nice, and if I make small efforts to keep it that way, maybe it will stick.
7. Finally learn to make cheese! It's about time, right? I only bought the supplies a year ago...
8. Spend lots of time with friends. I've been working on this one for a while, but I want to continue to see my people more often, including those who are out of town, which means more travelling as well.
9. Be like Jim Carrey. I need to start saying "yes" more. To dates, to social invitations, etc.. You never know when you're going to have a great time.
10. Don't settle for less than what I want. I've started standing up for the things I want in life, and that has felt very good, so I plan to keep doing that, which goes hand-in-hand with being direct with people and not shying away from confrontations.
11. Cook more. I love to cook but I have all but stopped cooking for myself, and pretty much subsist on leftovers and one-pot pasta dishes. I throw a big dinner party once a month, and that is fun, but I always enjoy making simple meals for myself and feel good about it, so I should do that more too.
I got my new tattoo on my birthday. It was done by the wonderful Jen Lee, of Tattoo City in San Francisco. I think she did an amazing job- isn't it beautiful??? I love it, and I think she captured the Victorian spirit of the image perfectly.
My friend Piper took these pictures yesterday while I was getting inked. I never realized how small my feet are.
In addition to being my birthday, and the winter solstice, last night was the first night of Chanuka! I celebrated by eating donuts from Dynamo Donuts in San Francisco with my friend Piper and the guys at Tattoo City. This year my family's having our latke party on the last night of the holiday, so I'm going to have to do my best to eat my share of fried food on my own until then.
Today being my 28th birthday, I thought I'd share a Toni Basil (yes, she of later "Hey Mickey" fame) song from 1966 that always makes me laugh. I certainly don't think that being single at 28 is any cause for desperation, but I am wondering if I should start wearing heavier makeup and more fur to attract men? "I'm 28" was the B-side for Toni's "Breakaway" single, which inspired artist/ filmmaker Bruce Connor's film of the same name, and helped launch Toni's career as a coreographer for many famous artists such as the Talking Heads (she coreographed this video), David Bowie, and Tina Turner. The lyrics to "I'm 28" are below, and you can listen to the song here.
I'm 28, it's getting late What have I got to do? My time is going, my fears are growing, My chances now are few Lacquers, lotions, sprays and potions Scented, unguent, mild and pungent Lipstick, pancake, shadow for the eyes... It's all been advertised But... it's getting me nowhere
I'm 28, it's getting late What have I got to do? My time is going, my fears are growing My chances now are few Dress revealing, sex appealing Fur and feather, suede and leather, Naughty, haughty, sure to glamorize... It's all been advertised But... it's getting me nowhere
It's nice to be respectable, Saintly, sweet and fair But I don't want to finish off alone... In a rocking chair
This lamp always been one of my favorites. I loved the turquoise color, the teak details, and the tall, slender shape. Then a couple years ago, I made the mistake of bringing it with me to New York for a trade show, and it cracked in my luggage. I managed to get it home without any further damage, and the crack was so fine that I was able to hide it when I put the lamp back in my living room. But last week, after having moved things around a bit to rewire my speakers, I bumped into the lamp and it fell and broke cleanly in half. So now I am on the lookout for a replacement, I suppose... I haven't found anything I like in the usual places, so I guess I'll have to wait until January's Alameda Point and hope that something there will catch my eye. In the meantime, farewell, lamp.
Between the chilly weather and the holidays, I may not be posting here as often during the next couple of weeks. I'm planning to check in here and there, but in the meantime, I want to share some of the things I've been drooling over on Etsy (links below, as usual).
I've been eyeing the address file above, from Lovely Design, for a long time, but they've been out of stock for just as long, so I decided to take a look for something similar. I'm not sure who came first here, but I can't help loving all of these, made from recycled paper and wood.
My name is Hannah and I own a small letterpress company called Pie Bird Press in Berkeley, California. I love color, food, collecting, and taking photos. Check out what I'm cooking here, and my documentation of sidewalk stamps here.
