Great Joy

"An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.'" Luke 2:9-11

Kindred

Who else is thrilled to be watching Anne with an E Season 3?! The visual beauty of the production makes my dreamer heart sing, and I appreciate their contemporary twist on the Anne series. There is clever story telling, excellent acting, and a very thoughtful eye behind the camera. In the words of Anne, "Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world."

Minxy Vintage

I found this book (or it found me), rather appropriately, at the local thrift store along with some clothes to repurpose. I highly recommend! It was exciting for me because there were so many moments of "Wow, this lady crawled inside my brain!" in terms of fashion philosophy and winging it to produce some sartorial statements. Here's a particularly well-expressed tidbit of fashion philosophy I have to share: "I can attest to the importance of finding clothes you can integrate into your existing style. I'm not about stridently holding up the ideals of other eras--the modern world is grand. It's precisely the mix of old and new that I love...And who wants to be, or slavishly replicate, a woman in the pre-feminist 1940s? Certainly not me...Long live our love for cherry-picking the best bits from the past, and making them new again: reinvention, rather than nostalgia. Whatever you do, just make sure you own it. Individuality is a quality to be admired."--Kelly Doust, intriguing point.

May Bulletin 2019

Strong ladies, treasures, and ornamentalism

Solemates

Behold these shoes. 

Sturdy Italian leather oxfords, peanut butter hued, equally smooth, with pretty perforations.

I have stalled on this post because there is so much to say. Conveyed poorly, it could seem like materialistic worship, but oh the depths of how much these shoes and I have gone through. I will keep this as concisely explanatory as possible because my real tome is going to be an epic tale crafted through much praise and reflection. This is actually pair N°2. The original pair now looks like this: 

Now, I found these well-loved beauties at Value Village for $13 in fall 2013. They carried me through 6 solid years of constant use, innumerable adventures and places and monumental life events. The irony of ironies is that a week or so after buying them I was at the very same Value Village and saw the very same pair, but, not having worn them yet, I smiled and strolled on, amused by the thrifty happenstance of seeing the same item I had just purchased. Little did I know I would fall head over heels in love with these shoes and spend the next 6 years kicking myself for not buying that pair that got away. I wore these shoes with everything and walked everywhere in them. I have hot glued their toe seams at least 3 times, and, for the past couple years of their life, the left heel has been entirely supported by gravel that packed itself into a hole in the rubber sole. Amusingly, the sheer laces I replaced the original laces with stood up to all that constant wear! Who knew sheer ribbon was so indestructible?! Anyway, I even recently took them to a cobbler to see if they could be resoled and all that jazz, and he said they could, for $60, as he lovingly admired the quality leather. So I contemplated facilitating a shoe resurrection as I simultaneously kept kicking myself for not buying that second pair when I saw them. Rationally, in their current state, I have had the urge to flat out chuck these shoes in the garbage on several occasions, but as oddly materially sentimental as it sounds, they truly are like old friends and I just couldn't. These shabby suckers deserve a proper burial if and when they leave my closet. I actually started a massive memory document, a shoe narrative, the aforementioned epic tale, about all we have been through, complete with photographic evidence of those past 6 years. Until that is complete, they shall stick around for inspiration. 

So the other week I was at Value Village and my jaw dropped to the floor when I saw the shoes, MY shoes, MY solemates sitting on the shelf in my size in perfect condition. No more grief about the demise of pair N°1 or regret about the pair that never was! I picked them up in amazement and said a laugh-filled prayer of blissful thankfulness about how beautifully life is weaved together. God never fails to circle things into life right at the perfect time, at the end of an era, to seamlessly blend one beautiful phase into another. So here's to chapter 2 with pair N° 2 and all the adventures we will, stroll, frolic, and bound through together these next 6+ years!

Rushing Waters

I have been delighting in the abundant beauty of life this weekend! There is so much vibrant hope visibly (and invisibly) surrounding us through the enchantment that is springtime. He is risen!
"Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!" --Revelation 19:6

100 Years

I find it fascinating how WWI launched the world out of the poise of the Edwardian Era, and caused the reaction of the Roaring Twenties. WWI is the pivotal point of vast societal change, which influenced everything stylistic as well--design, décor, architecture, fashion, and so on--read any history of design book and you'll catch on to that trend pretty quick. Here's to those who sacrificed their lives and lifestyles, creatively adapted to new ways of life (I would love to hear more of their experiences), and helped give us the freedom we enjoy today! 

October with Anne

In the words of Anne Shirley, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." The trees are rivaling Anne's hair. Tonight, on this chilly autumn evening, I am hunkering down to watch some Anne season 2!

Martha Garden

This garden plan on the endpaper of Martha Stewart's Gardening Month by Month caught my eye while I was leafing through some gardening books. I adore this style of garden illustration--the angle of the perspective, the monochromatic details, and the script labels. It makes me want to wander through all these inviting greenery rooms--down the antique brick path, across the croquet lawn, and into the rose garden to forage a bouquet!

Overcome with Good

I adore the hope of Easter in Christ! In moments when things are seemingly hopelessly flustered I praise Jesus for His beautiful truth, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

He has overcome the world!

Blue Skies

Cheery yellows and blues and birds!

Sans Reproche

I am amazed by the intricate details of this antique book. It is a Value Village find, Sans Reproche by Edmond Coz, circa 1913, although the Art Nouveau styling leads me to presume it's actually from the late 1800s.

Look at the stunning black and red cover art, with the misregistration of the black outlines over gold floral. That star pattern below the title gives me fabric collection coordinate ideas. Plus the book has gilded pages.

The flyleaf inscription even boasts this elegant handwriting! I feel like every time I turn the page of an antique book I am flinging open another door to clues of social and stylistic history--what a treasure hunt.

Valentine Transferware

This fine collection of red and white Transferware includes a plate of particular interest...

Another Chatsworth House, a.k.a. Mr. Darcy's Pemberley, plate! The view is of the house in 1792. I love how this dish illustrates the house from the side, from the River Derwent, through the arches of the bridge (which pictures the statue that is no longer there), nestled in the foliage. The clouds look like pointillism. In 1792 I suppose Mr. Darcy would have been a boy playing in these grounds, or, you know...diving into the lake! (Hope that induced a Happy Valentine's swoon!)

Bound by Joy

I have acquired the full Anne of Green Gables series, in the cheery floral hardcover glory that is the Tundra Books edition! To close this delightful year of 2017, here's an excerpt from Lucy Maud Montgomery's diary on Tuesday December 31st, 1889. "Well, journal, this is the last day of the old year. to-night we will say farewell to '89, with all its record of joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, and bid the New Year welcome. God grant that it may never record unfulfilled aspirations, unsatisfied longings, or ungathered flowers. Good-bye, dear old year. You have been on the whole a very happy one for me." 

Swing Dance Book

I'm devouring this book about Swing. It goes over the origins of the Charleston to various forms of Swing, complete with style and music info, dance tutorials, and excellent vintage and contemporary photographs of people swingin'! It makes me want to leap up and start dancing while reading (which I may have done)!

The Pretty Lady

I found this edition of 1918 novel The Pretty Lady by Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) at a book sale for a song. I admit...I bought it purely for the title and the glamorous gilded pattern on the black cover!

The Soldier's Service Dictionary

This pocket-sized dictionary is 100 years old. It was printed in 1917 by Funk & Wagnalls Company in New York. Then it was presumably used in WWI, and about 70 years later my mom picked it up at a book sale. I wonder if in between it was picked up and used in WWII.

The interior translates common military terms into French for practical use by the "Belgian, British, and French armies." It even translates geographical terms in a pictographic way.

Quite the fascinating read!

Reformed Floral

In reading about the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation (which is today!) I stumbled across this issue of Tabletalk and the cover caught my eye. The surface pattern design was created in 1617-9 by Italian artist Jacopo Ligozzi (1547-1627), who designed for pietra dura and embroidered textiles.

A Tangled Web

 Lucy Maud Montgomery's A Tangled Web, published 1931, is a novel about two intertwined founding families, and the drama of inheritance and romance. It is full of Montgomery's witty, descriptive observations.

Steadfast Thanksgiving

I'm off to a Thanksgiving meal and am so grateful for God's steadfastness! "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.'" --Lamentations 3: 22-24