old books

Oh dear.  It looks like I might have started to collect old books.

Only a few so far.  I was really excited to find that copy of Here Lies: The Collected Stories of Dorothy Parker.  I wonder if books, especially old books, will increase in value as people start using e-readers more and more.

No, no, don't worry.  I'm not stockpiling these like gold, hoping I can retire on the profits of selling them.  Much worse, actually.  I'm just collecting them because I like the author...or thought they were pretty.  For example, I doubt I'll read The Man from Red-Keg.  But what a gorgeous cover!  And I love the author's name.  Eugene Thwing.

Great dust jacket on the Ferber stories.  And I pretty much only bought Jo's Boys for the acorns on the cover.

Sometimes what's inside design-wise is just as exciting as what's on the outside.  Look at these Dorothy Parker endpapers.

I'd like wallpaper made from the Edna Ferber endpapers.

xo

K

synesthesia part 2: the summer edition

I am not a synesthete.  I am just pretending to be one for the purpose of this blog post.  Synesthesia is, according to Wikipedia, "a neurologically based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway."  An example of a synesthete is a person who automatically and involuntarily associates colors with certain numbers or letters.

In my previous synesthesia post, I matched some of my favorite fall and winter perfumes with items of vintage clothing I found on Etsy.  I'm doing the same again, only this time with some of my favorite summer scents, and including vintage and reconstructed fashions from Etsy, as well as jewelry.  This was fun for me--hope you enjoy!

Here's my current top summer scent rotation:

1. Etro Anice.  A sweet, yet clean, black licorice scent.  Like Good & Plenty candy, or better yet, a cool cocktail made with absinthe.  Maybe I'm being too obvious, but this 1940s corde bag from BessGeorgette naturally makes me think black licorice.

2. Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca.  A refreshing blend of mint, citrus, and grass.  Sparkling mint green celluloid buckle from jeanjeanvintage.

3. Miller Harris En Sens de Bois is a woodsy vetiver scent.  Vetiver is a tall, fragrant grass native to India that is often used to control soil erosion.  It has an earthy, rather smoky scent that I love; many of my favorite perfumes include vetiver as a primary note. And I have to share this beautiful quote from vetiver.org:  "Indian poets referred to vetiver scent as 'the smell of the first monsoon shower on parched soil', and 'the perfume of a rejuvenated earth.'"  Moss green lace and satin dress from DearGoldenVintage.

4. CB I Hate Perfume Memory of Kindness.  Probably my favorite summer scent.  Very simple--smells like tomato leaves.  Not tomatoes, but the plant.  Heavenly.  1950s tomato red Lilli Diamond dress with a leafy print, from clostetcaseVNTG.

5. Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Foglie di Basilico.  Straight up basil leaf.  1950s kelly green cocktail dress by missfarfalla.

6. Hermes Hermessence Rose Ikebana.  I am not a big fan of floral scents, but I do like the scent of rose, especially when it's blended with something zingy like--in this case--rhubarb.  Rhubarb rose chalcedony pearl necklace from fiveforty.

7. L'Occitane Verbena.  A sparkling lemony verbena scent, hugely refreshing and energizing, and probably my most-worn summer scent.  The matching scented Soothing Body Ice Gel is one of my summer must-haves.  Shimmery 1960s pale yellow silk shantung beaded cocktail dress from  HinterlandVintage.

8. Rosine Un Zest de Rose.  A lemony rose scent (see my comments about Rose Ikebana).  Pretty reconstructed rose pink dress from AdelaideHomesewn.

xo

K

Getting to know me...

Ah, isn't that an ego-centric title! Well, I happen to be a member of the most amazing team on Etsy--Team Treasury. And I am the lucky Featured Member on the team blog this month. I had to answer a questionnaire and submit some photos. Rather than email the photos I thought I'd post them here on my brand-new blog...

A photo of me in my work space:

But here is the Real Me!

Here I am with Small Earth Vintage's other half, Andy, taken up north at one of our favorite places, Legs Inn (with Lake Michigan in the background):

And here we are, all blurry in New York City in March, celebrating my 40th birthday:

A photo of the beautiful lake we live on, taken from the canoe:

And amazing wonderdog Lucy in the canoe (she doesn't like to swim, but she sure loves being in the boat!):

Andy on the North Country Trail, one of my favorite places to walk in the woods:

Our home is an eclectic mix of mid-century modern, kitsch, and whatever catches my eye. I try not go overboard (after all, we sell vintage and only have so much space), but I do have a few things I like to collect. Perfume, paint-by-numbers paintings, colorful Pyrex and melmac in the kitchen. I also have an unhealthy appetite for animal figurines, especially dogs. Here's our hall table with the dog collection (check out the cast iron Scottie dog lamp), and some kitsch art on the wall behind:

My favorite 1950s lamp (black and red!) and a couple owls:

A chair I reupholstered in pink and mint barkcloth in an extremely rare moment of craftiness:

And a final shot of the beautiful lake!

Thanks for taking the tour.

xo
K