The weather is changing, days are getting shorter, and I've caught myself feeling rather sad that summer is indeed over – it's time to settle in for the long, wet and cold winter ahead, ugh!
The nice thing is that I get to spend cozy weekends lounging on the sofa with a hot cup of tea and a warm blanket and purring kitty on my lap. Those are the times when I look around in contentment – things are as they should be: hubby in his chair, dogs at my feet, candles lit... I'm home!
I thought I'd share a few of my favorite things around the house that make me feel at home, and at peace.
Todd spotted these love birds at last year's
Super Colossal Holiday Sale. I love the gestural quality and simple design (sorry, can't remember the artist...)
This antique wall clock has been in my mother's family for generations. It belonged to her grandmother – she even remembers it hanging on the wall when she would go visit her oma! My great-aunts gave it to me and Todd as a wedding present, and I absolutely cherish this family heirloom. Because we emigrated from the Netherlands when I was 16, I only have a few things that were handed down to me, which makes this clock with its worn patina and pretty sound extra special.
This darling mug was given to me by a very dear family friend when I was little and living in Denmark. It reads "Alexandra" and, quite frankly, I had forgotten all about it until a few years ago my mom pulled it out of a cupboard during a visit home. She had saved it for me all these years – thanks, Mom!
The first year we were married, Todd and I expanded our fur family to include a Dutch mini lopear bunnie we named Knuffeltje ("little huggeable one" in Dutch). We discovered an artist at a local gallery who made these wonderful rabbits, so for Christmas that year, we had her make one that looked like our little Knuffel!
I've loved transferware for a long time, particularly red, brown and black pieces. I have a little collection of mismatched pieces that I display in a small hutch. I should really start using them more – they make me happy every time I look at them!
I bought this piece in San Francisco while shopping with a friend. I'm sure I overpaid but I loved the crackly, creamy finish.
This orchid has been alive longer than any of its predecessors – that, in and of itself, deserves a spot among my list of favorite things, given how I manage to kill most plants within mere weeks of bringing them home!
We found these apothecary jars at
Sesame & Lilies in Cannon Beach. They had one that said "cannabis," too, but I liked how these two are at different heights, creating more visual interest.
More containers, this time in the kitchen. I bought this set at the Portland Antique Expo almost 7 years ago, to reward myself for launching
Defteling Design (quite a scary thing, to leave a steady paycheck and jump into the world of freelance – so I figured I deserved a little sumthin' sumthin').
The vendor who sold me this vintage slide tried to tell me it was taken in France but I know better: there's nothing more Dutch than this, an old cobblestone street with the typically Dutch stair-stepped gables!
This little metal lunch pail sits on a shelf right inside my office downstairs. Currently, it's empty but I'm enjoying the thought of what I might stash in it someday...
A few years ago, I came across a box full of old letterpress letters. Love at first sight! Sadly, the letters were quite spendy so I picked up only a few – enough to spell out "design" and my initials.
So while the skies turn dark and grey around me, and wet leaves fall from the trees, I remind myself of how lucky I am to be surrounded by so much love and visual inspiration – I guess 't is the season to be thankful!
He totally reminded me of the little elephant that I found last spring, which I promptly turned into an assemblage piece:
Once I got home, I checked and yes, they're both made by Rempel, a toy maker from the '50s! I already have a few ideas for this little piggy so stay tuned to see how his new home turns out.
Check out this along with a few other assemblage pieces in my Etsy shop, AtticAntics.
Todd spotted these love birds at last year's Super Colossal Holiday Sale. I love the gestural quality and simple design (sorry, can't remember the artist...)
This antique wall clock has been in my mother's family for generations. It belonged to her grandmother – she even remembers it hanging on the wall when she would go visit her oma! My great-aunts gave it to me and Todd as a wedding present, and I absolutely cherish this family heirloom. Because we emigrated from the Netherlands when I was 16, I only have a few things that were handed down to me, which makes this clock with its worn patina and pretty sound extra special.
This darling mug was given to me by a very dear family friend when I was little and living in Denmark. It reads "Alexandra" and, quite frankly, I had forgotten all about it until a few years ago my mom pulled it out of a cupboard during a visit home. She had saved it for me all these years – thanks, Mom!
The first year we were married, Todd and I expanded our fur family to include a Dutch mini lopear bunnie we named Knuffeltje ("little huggeable one" in Dutch). We discovered an artist at a local gallery who made these wonderful rabbits, so for Christmas that year, we had her make one that looked like our little Knuffel!
I've loved transferware for a long time, particularly red, brown and black pieces. I have a little collection of mismatched pieces that I display in a small hutch. I should really start using them more – they make me happy every time I look at them!
I bought this piece in San Francisco while shopping with a friend. I'm sure I overpaid but I loved the crackly, creamy finish.
This orchid has been alive longer than any of its predecessors – that, in and of itself, deserves a spot among my list of favorite things, given how I manage to kill most plants within mere weeks of bringing them home!
We found these apothecary jars at Sesame & Lilies in Cannon Beach. They had one that said "cannabis," too, but I liked how these two are at different heights, creating more visual interest.
More containers, this time in the kitchen. I bought this set at the Portland Antique Expo almost 7 years ago, to reward myself for launching Defteling Design (quite a scary thing, to leave a steady paycheck and jump into the world of freelance – so I figured I deserved a little sumthin' sumthin').
The vendor who sold me this vintage slide tried to tell me it was taken in France but I know better: there's nothing more Dutch than this, an old cobblestone street with the typically Dutch stair-stepped gables!
This little metal lunch pail sits on a shelf right inside my office downstairs. Currently, it's empty but I'm enjoying the thought of what I might stash in it someday...
A few years ago, I came across a box full of old letterpress letters. Love at first sight! Sadly, the letters were quite spendy so I picked up only a few – enough to spell out "design" and my initials.
So while the skies turn dark and grey around me, and wet leaves fall from the trees, I remind myself of how lucky I am to be surrounded by so much love and visual inspiration – I guess 't is the season to be thankful!
I love successful Goodwill hunts, especially when done in the company of a good friend who, like me, can see the beauty in the old and discarded.
My favorite finds are definitely this old rubber squeaky toy of a big bull and this much-loved lion:
And I totally scored at an ephemera booth that had a couple of shoe boxes filled with cheap photographs. Most of these beauties cost me only a quarter each:
At another booth I found stacks and stacks of glass transparency slides. Not sure yet how I'll incorporate these into my trash-to-treasure art assemblages, but I'm sure I'll figure out something (if anyone has any ideas, please let me know!):
The same booth also had these old cardboard film canisters – love the graphics. And the old glove mold is now the third in my collection of necklace holders in the bathroom:
Last but not least, I couldn't pass up this wonderful snowman:
And yes, there was one thing that got away: a gorgeous vintage dressmaker's mannequin! It was in great condition and had a metal cage and cast iron stand on rollers. Just couldn't justify the price tag for something I don't really need (although I've been told $295 wasn't really that bad a price – darn it!)
Because of the various house projects this summer, I had to move my Attic Antics studio from a tiny room at the top of the stairs to my original graphic design studio next to our bedroom.
It feels great to be back in my old work space! It looks quite different now with the rough, paint-splattered fir floors and all my vintage treasures. Moving gave me a chance to get organized and now I can't wait to get to work creating some new trash-to-treasure mixed media pieces.
The shelves along the left side of the room are organized by grouping like items together. This way, I see at a glance what I might want to use for any given piece.
I also have a table filled with smaller items right next to my desk. I love being able to just grab little accents and play with the composition this way.
Now I just need to find the time to go play in my new studio!
