I fell in love with this Victorian sewing box-- with it's azure blue paper lining and sweet sweet notions... my favorite is the cloth measuring tape in its gilt washed metal case and hand embroidered flowers on ivory silk-- the back side of it is a fabulous sea foam green.  The buttons are early cloth covered on their original cards, and there are black and plain steel snaps. The box came with it's own pin cushion in matching azure blue silk, along with this wonderful handful of button hooks, thimble, sewing scissors, wooden needle case. All things enchanting a for a lover of sewing. Inside the lid, there is a chromo lithograph of a boy and a girl holding up a baby who is framed by the large branches of a tree. 
I am tempted to keep this fabulous piece, but thought I should tempt you with it first.... it's just been listed in 5gardenias vintage.
Wishing everyone the Happiest 2012-- just a few short days away!

Wishing everyone a happy Winter Solstice-- the longest night of the year-- may it bring you a restful sleep!

I can hardly believe it's so close to the holidays already. Things have been moving at a whirlwind pace. I'm guessing that many of you are feeling rushed and overworked right now with all the added planning and deadlines for things. ... Here's hoping we can all find some moments of quiet, -- some moments to catch our breath and unwind-- and then look forward to those moments for connecting- celebrating our bonds with the people we love and cherish. The holidays can be stressful and demanding, but they can also bring us together in unexpected and beautiful ways. Here's hoping we all find a balance and find the time to enjoy what it's really all about.... Happiest Holidays to you!

... and finally I have a chance to post above a few goodies currently listed in my vintage shop-- holiday decor--all wonderfully aged, full of story and personality from the 1930s... hope you enjoy.
top left to right:  antique celluloid reindeer on chenille wire stems , antique czech bohemian mercury glass airplane ornament, antique czech mercury glass and bugle bead star ornament,

 There are days and even weeks in the studio where it seems that the work stays still and in one place. Not stagnant -- but still. No movement forward. Just movement, like marching in place. At last, I  finally found some time to play and I'm as happy as can be with the outcome--a  new ring design-- organic and alive. Solid and earthy with a surface that undulates, gnarled -- organic and relic like-- as if salvaged from the sea or unearthed from a dig... this to me is beauty.

hope you to show you more when time allows.....

I can't believe it's already November. Each year when this month arrives, I tend to go into panic mode --this is such a busy time of year, with so much to plan for on top of all the every day ins and outs. But I do have fun gathering vintage holiday goodies for 5gardenias -- the shop is filling up with new finds on a regular basis. I love holiday decorations from the past-- always offering a bit more whimsy and character....Here are a few of the latest additions: clockwise from top left
1. vintage Marcrest Stetson Swiss Chalet, assortment of platters, plates and bowl  2. West German paper mache glitter bird ornament 3. Vintage 1950s Ceramic Deer Figurine 4. vintage mercury glass flower pick ornaments
Thanks for dropping by...  and have a lovely day!

I was listening to Neil Young this morning when "He Was the King" came on-- his song about Elvis Presley--  it put me in a nostalgic almost giddy mood. I wound up having fun making this treasury for the Etsy treasury listings...  so then I thought ...well..  we need the music that goes along with it...
just click on the link to listen if you like. Hope you have fun!  happy wednesday!

Old Lace

The old fashioned girl in me has always been in love with old lace. The idea that this intricate patterning, these web like worlds of beauty have been made by nimble hands from the past just drives me crazy with admiration. The tea stained and aged beauty of the threads draws me in and then sends me back to some other time I'm certain I must have known... somehow. 
I've decided to carry some vintage and antique lace in my vintage shop,  bits of trims and scraps--for those of you who love to sew, or make jewelry, or add to your latest ingenious creations-- or those of you like me, who love to just sit and stare and marvel and touch and imagine..
Happy Monday to you!

Some new pieces finished and added to my jewelry shop just recently....the finish on these pieces pays tribute to autumn and her golden leaves and black velvety trunks and branches that glow against the grey skies after an october rain.
There is one particularly long stretch of blocks near the park that I love to turn onto-- lined with rows of maples from one end to the other. They light up the landscape -- everything else falls away- the leaves glow and flutter against the grey skies and the trunks and branches seem to join from one tree to the next forming a continuous web and pattern. I'm always blown away. Year after year it never fails to fill me with intense happiness, and a bit of aching, knowing that in just days the branches will be bare...
I wish you all a beautiful autumn-- enjoy every moment of it.

I just love this sweet Jennie June china doll kit from the 1950s--- made by Mark Farmer Mfg co. Something about the way she's never been turned into a doll-- just pristine porcelain parts wrapped in aged paper and stored away in a box-- a box that was originally sent with live orchids from Hawaii to a certain woman in a specific town in the 50s -- a perfect little package stowed away in a drawer or attic chest.. she comes with her original paper instructions with printed hand drawn illustrations and an order sheet for more parts or doll kits. a captivating little package of nostalgia. i've just listed her in 5gardenias vintage.
it's  late in the day and raining here with 50 mile an hour winds that are beginning to die down now .. there was even a little bit of hail at 6:00 am this morning... so it's been a feisty but beautiful grey blustery autumn day. hope you're all having a lovely weekend wherever you are! thank you for stopping by...  : )

October Finds

it certainly has taken me a while to make my way back to posting. i've been rounding up and photographing october finds for my vintage shop, 5gardenias.  I've been drawn to warm tones-- aged brass, sepia, chestnut stained wood, textiles and baskets-- even a few special clothing and jewelry items that speak of autumn and the colder season ahead ( i can't even say the word that names that season yet! ) all of the items are recently or soon to be listed in my shop. from top left to right: vintage italian hand knit sweater , vintage iron tongs, antique framed portrait print "La Flora" by Titian, antique toleware strawberry cotton reel thread box , ( for sewing notions lovers )vintage Kreamer lidded tin pudding mold , vintage Skinner tool box, sweet grass lidded storage or sewing basket, pair of antique brass petite candle holders, made in England, vintage woodland red winter berries and bakelite log brooch.
...and here's to a lovely weekend for all-- whether your season is autumn or turning toward spring... enjoy the beauty all around you-- thanks for stopping by!

i adore clay. i've worked with it myself for almost 20 years. when i came across photo stylist dietland wolf's photographs of these ceramic pieces my heart skipped a beat-- or several for that matter. i could eat everything up here... the color, the textures, the touch-- the raw clay in contrast to the fired clay. i especially love the pressed clay pieces. the photos are exquisite --i hope you enjoy as much as i do. have a wonderful weekend ahead...

victorian wallet

i often wonder why i'm drawn to certain objects so strongly. i've had this little antique leather wallet for years, only taking it out every now and then to open it, to study it, to touch the soft delicate leather-- knowing it was at least 100 years old, knowing it shouldn't be handled often or with too much enthusiasm. i would take pleasure in touching the surfaces, opening all the secret compartments, enjoying all the beautiful attention to detail. what a strange and compelling thing good design is. no matter what century, no matter how small, the seemingly inconsequential can be wonderfully satisfying if it's been made with care. i love the now worn and scuffed surface of the chestnut leather.  i imagine the fingers that opened the clasp and unfolded the wallet--- what was it that was put away in this little arrangement of folds? money? -- notes?  a photo or two? a locket of hair? a list of to do's?  a love note?  this once belonged to O. V.  Metcalf of Georgetown Mass, and is so signed in delicate penmanship in pencil on the attached card. on the other side of the card  is a list of numbers, some crossed out.. what were they numbers for?-- a log of money earned, of business inventory, of payments owed? and the the paper thin leather section that opens to reveal an amazing show of magenta silk lining-- what sweet thing was stored there? 

i've decided to part with this fine little wallet. it's time to send it on to earn new history. it's funny how hard it's been to make the decision to part with it. i've hemmed and hawed and even put it back on the little shelf where i'd kept it-- a number of times.... but i'm trying to be good and let go.... 

i offer it up to it's next loving friend and keeper... you will find it listed in my vintage shop, 5gardenias

september

cozying up to september with some textiles, color,  pattern and warm tones.  these are a few recently listed finds from 5gardenias vintage,  clockwise from top left
vintage basket weave tablecloth,   vintage folk art woven and embroidered pillow cover, scrollwork necklace, antique patchwork quilt star, vintage scotty dog plaid tin toy cup & saucer

some autumn warmth..

i decided that these vintage aluminum molds would make lovely votive holders-- i imagine an autumn table lit up with them..

my latest vintage finds

 

i had some willing models this week for 5gardenias-- a pair of antique victorian leather gloves, an antique porcelain clay pipe and a charming vintage owl measuring tape. they sat quietly and held their poses for long hours....
wishing everyone a happy september!

i. klee

today i have to share these images with you by photographer and stylist i. klee -- her work is magnetic and inspiring....

5gardenias autumn

i've decided to add a small line of jewelry to my vintage shop--it all started after i was rifling through my drawers searching for something specific and in the process re- discovered so many fun and wonderful findings, stampings, beads, etc.. that  i've had stashed away for years. so i'm using the vintage and antique goodies and creating pieces for the impossibly old fashioned modern girl. these pieces will be popping up in 5gardenias vintage during the course of the week, and on an ongoing basis. the three leaves necklace and autumn leaf earrings are already listed.
best wishes and happy wednesday to you!

mid august vintage finds

finally a chance to post. i have to admit i've been trying to take it a little bit more slowly this summer, wanting and needing to enjoy the outdoors and escape from the house and yes ..the computer!
as the summer's end draws closer i'm feeling the light chill in the air-- loving the cooler mornings and evenings, watching the garden change, with blooms coming and going.. and now i'm anticipating the warmth of autumn's textures and light. one of my favorite tones of the season is sepia-- always making me feel nostalgic and comforted, and reminding me of the turning of leaves and stems from green to brown, and of the light that falls through windows at dusk ... so here are some antique finds that speak of that sense of change, of objects softly weathered and mellowed with age... top left to right:   
antique chinese tassels ,  antique villeroy and boch wash basin  , vintage rustic copper pouring pot , antique dressing table tray/plateau,

best wishes-- i hope you enjoy a wonderful week ahead!

simple summer meal

a simple summer meal--homemade flat bread empanadas with sharp melted chedder and sweet onions-- and fresh orchard cherries...  it's too hot for anything more!

mid summer vintage

 i know we're told not to hang onto old baggage..but sometimes it's best to hold on and enjoy every sensation and memory that timeworn objects conjure up...
...some recent sweet antique and vintage finds from 5gardenias for mid july that evoke an air of romance, of travels to and from distant locations, of dance steps to music still echoing, of kitchen aromas warm and inviting...
hope everyone is managing to stay cool in the summer heat -- and warm and cozy in the autumn evenings in the other hemispheres-- thanks for stopping by!

looping loops necklace

 i had a bit of fun the other day and finished this necklace- a loopy little summer number. here are a few views of the piece-- playful --with a bright splash of hot tangerine on a textured charm and some cheeky salmon coral seed beads looping together with sterling chain.  i love the subtle textures and movement in this piece...  reminds me of a looping line drawing doing a modern dance...