Black Walnut, Classics, and Cold

Happy New Year. This is a photo from 1948 of my grandmother giving my grandfather (not married until 1950) Japanese silk pajamas. My mom stated that it was probably a smoking suit. Dreamy AND fun. In the vein of curious gifts, my parents gave my brother tap shoes for Christmas this year. 

Black walnut tree cross sections from the Anderson Farm in Ohio, made into lovely hangables:

Proof that the new-old 1977 F150 still looks so beautiful even in the snow.

Eventually I hung a white artificial tree from the ceiling by guitar rack, (not realizing the ceiling-tree's sudden popularity) but because it's so logical with annoying pets. This wood ornament was a gift from Collodi, Italy, the town where Pinocchio was from! 

Paper 21

I found a lot of new but old tiny-piece-of-paper memoirs while rifling through a box yesterday, this one seasonally appropriate. Happy post-Thanksgiving; I've realized I'm thankful for literally everything! This M. Cromwell card is at least from 2009 if not earlier. Neither of us won that contest, but Forrest and I did spend ten hours baking 3 pies and a cake this year with our homemade mixing innovation. 

The Cape, Boston, and the Mapparium

Last month I took Forrest to Boston for his 30th birthday. One of the most unique and outstanding features was unexpectedly the Mapparium. This is a multi-story, stained glass globe that was built in 1935, and correct politically to the world map at that time. You aren't allowed to take photos; so that's why I'm attaching this link "Mapparium". Not to mention that this whole thing is in the Mary Baker Eddy Library, which taking the time to read the tour signs, I found there to be a more complex rise of a religious movement than expected. The acoustics on the glass bridge of the globe were also surprising; you can hear yourself whisper in surround sound. 

While in Boston, we stopped at the site and love abounding memorial to the Marathon victims. On the 6th, Forrest was king of champagne and lobster. We stayed with the lovely Heather Falardeau, my roommate while in Savannah (and half of Two Girls Making Stuff)! I wish I had a photo of her very accurate studio. We also made it to CAPE COD. Warm enough to swim, smelled good like blankets of seaweed, awesome coffee shops. That last photo is some type of metals studio/renegade apocalypse shelter outside of the Cape. *ALSO* I was working on The Sketchbook Project during this trip-  more posts on that to come.

(instagram by Heather)

Paper 19

("just somewhere that has palm trees and monoliths")

Effort-decor

I know it's well into January. Happy New Year. Last month was my great big DIY Christmas. I presented my sister with a painted stick. There was lamb complete with homemade tabouli and baba ganoush, for a Christmas dinner straight from Israel that I somehow managed to sell the family on. And I painted over 60 pinecones that were strung up in my apartment. Here is my non-tutorial, ladies and gentlemen. Spray, drip, dry, tie, hang.  You can even do it late at night in the dark! (See below.) One time for this is probably enough, so I have a free pass to leave these up until I want winter to be over already. Pine things are still nice in February, and color is always welcome.