sinister soiree 2009

"once upon a midnight dreary, while i pondered, weak and weary..."

mr poe's poetry seemed so apropos as i sat here, waiting for my photos to upload. and the most fitting line of all? one little word: "nevermore"!!!!!!!!!

i must confess that i worked myself into a real state this year. it may have had something to do with the fact that "mr vintage patina" chose party day as the perfect opportunity to install a new dishwasher, despite my dire warnings of ill will. maybe it was because as of 40 minutes before our guests arrived, we had no water supply to the kitchen (refer to original project description). but i don't think it had much to do with the fact that every single cleaning agent stored under the kitchen sink was literally under my feet as i tried to prepare the food. or the fact that he left twice for previously scheduled, but never previously mentioned, appointments - while water and tools and mysterious substances oozed across the floor. all in all, upon due reflection - i think it was me who overreacted.

not so much!

i hope you enjoy these photos...it's a self guided tour this time...i'm off to see my shrink...

further introspection leads me to believe this vignette was a cry for help...

or...at the very least, a grim self portrait

**disclaimer** it is entirely possible that i may return with further insightful edits, comments, and overall cheerful recollections of this most merry halloween; i hope yours was happy!

{not quite vintage} black friday

tonight is our annual neighborhood party...here at our home, so i'll be busy, busy, busy all day - but i hope to make the black friday rounds this weekend. have a wonderful friday!

and that's all she wrote

white wednesday again

chippy, rusty medicine cabinet that i found for a song this fall
in it, you can see the reflection of the $5 white desk found at a garage sale this summer, as well

architectural salvage pieces that i've had for several years

wonderful color and shape

and its mate!

this was a raw wood, homemade candle holder that i painted white...75 cents at a garage sale, and it has a twin, too!

more over at kathleen's - home of "white wednesday"

muted

the autumn colors just haven't been on full display this year, like many places, due to unusual weather...and i was feeling a bit disappointed. but i spent some time visiting family in canada last week, and one day, the light was simply perfect for photos. so my sister took me out for a drive so i could take a few pictures. and you know, i just love the muted colors, too...

it turns out that one of the most beautiful, rusty old things of all was sitting right in their backyard. this is an old truck from my bil's side of the family. shades of light blue...

shades of green...and black

(shades of bonnie and clyde!!!)

rusty and rather despondent, left sitting...forgotten

i'm just sure there'd be some good stories if only this old mercury could talk

isn't she lovely?

sharing old treasures

there's a blog party over at flea market style...i'm so eager to see what others are sharing today! i think that this old scale is remarkably beautiful...i acquired it just a couple of weeks ago from an antique mall at a very reasonable price:)


thrift store find...love the shape and color...and just everything, i guess

i also found beauty in the colors and graphics of this not quite vintage watkins bottle - thrift store, also

a lovely, serene mix of colors, textures and graphics

and just a little peek at my "vintage hydrangeas" in the front yard...rather stark beauty, but beauty nonetheless:)

hauntingly magical...

welcome, friends, to vanessa's hauntingly magical celebration! a preview of halloween 2009...but i have a secret i must confess. we have not yet started preparations for our sixth annual neighborhood party, at our home...so i have posted photos of our 2008 sinister and spooky soiree:) please do come back in a couple of weeks for the 2009 edition!

thank you, vanessa, for hosting this spooky celebration!

white wednesday

"White ... is not a mere absence of colour; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black.... God paints in many colours; but He never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when He paints in white."
--Gilbert Keith Chesterton [British author, 1874–1936]

more wonderful white over at kathleen's...white wednesday at faded charm!

{vintage} black friday no. 3

this black hatbox is vintage black perfection, in my eyes...it is worn but very sturdy and has a lovely old ivory interior.


the worn spots and scratches only make it more appealing

i'm truly bursting with joy over these gorgeous old cameras! i found all three waiting for me in a glass display case at a local thrift store...for only 5.99 each! i don't know if that price was a steal or a rip-off, in fact. but to me, it was worth every penny - i've wanted a couple of these for some time - but just never ran across any. and really, isn't that the question: what is this worth to me?

and here's a "photography" quote i really like:

All the technique in the world doesn’t compensate for the inability to notice. - Elliott Erwitt

i just love simple truths:)

white wednesday

i've been enjoying the ongoing white wednesdays, as an observer, for quite some time now...and today i am joining in! thanks, kathleen at faded charm, for the beautiful series of posts you've inspired:)

this piano was our first major joint purchase that my husband and i made as newlyweds, 14 years ago; and we bought it "used" through the want ads!

this is the china i chose as a bride-to-be:)

funny - i was just thinking/remembering that i chose an all ivory bedroom - way back when i was only 12 years old...the carpet, walls, bedcovering...all shades of cream. i guess i've known what i love for a long time:) if i can dig up any old photos of that bedroom and learn how to scan them, i'll share them here...

black friday number 2

join the black friday caravan over at the gypsy brocante!