barefoot contessa living

lessons learned

2011-12-03T22:56:00.001-08:00

Managed a trip to the Fieldstone Vintage Market today!

So glad I made it happen as it was wonderful wandering the stalls of vintage goodness. Even herded the girls and Dutch Husband into a portrait shot - there was a 'photo booth' set up with lovely old chairs and fantastic decor.

Can't wait to see how it turns out (they email the shot). Tho I am prepared to see my three year old grimacing, the six year old blinking and me yawning. Such is the fate of any family shot these days.

Even got in a wee bit of shopping - purchased five vintage linen stockings for Christmas this year. I was planning on sewing new ones myself, out of my enormous linen stash, but let's face it - it's not gonna happen.
Not this year. Sigh.

I've really had to be firm with myself. Talked myself off the Christmas guilt ledge a few times so far, and it's only Dec 3rd...
I am having to be reasonable (not my strong suit) and accept the fact that I will not get everything done that I would like.
For example, I am participating in one of my favorite craft shows - Got Craft? and have had to swallow the bitter, bitter, pill of reality.
I will have some of my handmade jewelry for sale, but not all the other wonderful items I've been scheming to make.

Everything got a start but no finish.
I'm looking at a studio full of half made...everythings.
Those lost weeks with the baby being ill really hurt my production line.

So this year, I am learning the lesson of patience and temperance.

THAT, and I am SO going to steal the twinkle-lights-in-old-canning-jars idea...I think I can manage to put that together this year.

What lesson are you learning this Holiday Season?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Christmas countdown

2011-11-25T22:12:00.001-08:00

One month to Christmas.

Maybe you didn't hear me correctly. Let me repeat that....its ONE MONTH TO CHRISTMAS!

People, I am freaking out.
Where did November go?
And why am I only realizing this now? I should have been panicking weeks ago, not saving it up for the last minute.

I know there are many of you who don't even begin to think about the Holidays till well after American Thanksgiving. I've even been told some wait for December to begin.
Personally, I've always been more of a "Oh-it's-September-the-leaves-are-falling-OMG!!!-Christmas-is-practically-here!" kind of hysteric.
What can i say? ...it's served me well over the years.

You see, I love Christmas and all it entails - I love the music, the decor, the tree, the hustle and bustle of those city sidewalks...I love everything about it with such a passion that my panic in its being only a month away is more about the running out of "Christmas magic time" than any fear of not finding a gift for all the names on my list.
I want my Christmas to stretch out before me in a heart warming lineup of parties, cookie baking, wine by the fire and assorted Holiday flavored activities.
I don't want one day.
I want my Christmas to last all month long, and with only a few weeks to go, I'm down to the wire of getting the aforementioned activities started.

There lies my panic.
I am way behind.

I know how quickly these next few weeks will pass and I don't want to have it all end with just one day - I want to savor it each and every day - and so should you.

Its the small gestures and quiet moments that make Christmas special for me.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

It's been awhile...

2011-11-19T12:35:00.001-08:00

So much has happened while I've been away. I don't even know where, or how, to begin.

Let's make it easy:

- I got pregnant!
After two unsuccessful years
trying, we finally made it happen. ( I don't discount the power of "giving up" and selling off all baby items. Had just sold off the last of the nursery furniture when I found out )

- It was a drama filled pregnancy.
Had originally set out to 'enjoy the process' this time ( I was so nervous when I was carrying Mia, it's all a blur ) So having complications threw a wrench in my 'enjoy being pregnant' plans.

Between competitive growing fibroids, a suddenly overactive thyroid condition and receiving a 50/50 chance for Downs Syndrome - it was an emotional roller coaster 9 months. Fortunately, everything worked out just fine.

- I gave birth to a super cute baby girl!
Named her Tallulah Grace and she is the sweetest little bun ever.

- 6 week old Tallulah Grace suddenly has a fever and we rush to hospital.
It's Meningitis.
I'm devastated.
Cue forward a week, to today, and she is doing great and we will be heading home tomorrow.
Sighs of relief all around.

There you have it. Some of the events of the last year. Well, baby specific events of the last year.
Lots of other interesting non-baby things occurred too but they would require more time (and coffee) for me to recount today.

This is just me saying "Hello, I'm back".

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2010-12-11T19:36:00.000-08:00

Tummy troubles have struck the household. I would have thought that there was a rule, written somewhere, that when the parents are deathly ill, the children have no business falling ill as well. Am I right? Can I get an "amen"?

Rules were broken in my home and all four of us were feeling the effects of the stomach flu these past couple of days. So not pretty.

So I would have to say that today I am grateful for....minor illness, and how it gives you a little reality check to how wonderful good health really is. I'm grateful for it's swift arrival and departure.

I'm also grateful for my wonderful staff without whom I would not have the peace of mind that I am able to enjoy when forced to stay home, ill, at the busiest time of the year as a retailer. Thank you ladies!

Also grateful to old friends who pick up where you last left off - making me even more acutely aware of how much I love, admire and miss them. 2011's first resolution is to keep in better contact with old and dear friends and my wonderful family.

I'm also super grateful for second chances. Aren't you?

choosing to be happy

2010-12-09T00:55:00.000-08:00

I have had, what could very well be, the WORST. DAY. EVER.

Now having said that, and upon retrospect, it's not the worst day ever - it's just been a bit of an emotional roller coaster day with lots of' 'busy' thrown in and lots of driving hither and yon.
I think it's more that I gave into the sad feelings and the overwhelming-ness of everything that made it such a terribly bad day.
Being sick doesn't help and well...it's been crappity crap all around (with a nod to Dottie Angel on that one)

I've read, more than once, that to be happy one must choose to be happy.
Apparently, it really is your choice.
Amazing isn't it? That if you stop for just a second and make that choice - to choose to be happy, to choose to change the direction of your day, it will change your week, your month, your life.
I believe it.
I truly do.

Doesn't mean I practice it as much as I should. Or could, but I am about to change that.

Consider this.

The top 5 regrets of the dying are:

1. Wish I'd had the courage to live my life true to myself and not the life others expected of me

2. Wish I hadn't worked so hard

3. Wish I had the courage to express my feelings

4. Wish I had stayed in touch with my friends

5. Wish I had let myself be happier

Read that again.
Seriously. Read it...again.

Powerful stuff. Found that tonight and I have to say, it's shaken me up a wee bit.

Numbers 1 and 3? I live them already.
Sometimes it's a struggle but I'm there for the most part.

It's those numbers 2, 4 and 5 that have got me shook up. Yikes.

I'm doing some serious thinking about those...and making changes.

My sweet child deserves a happier mom - heck, I deserve a happier self.
I consider myself to be a happy person but with all the busy in my life, and demands on my time and energy - I can't say that I'm always at my happy best.
I've lost touch with friends and I know I work too much and too hard.

Most days, I think about what I am grateful for, and that seems to get me on the right track.
I've not tried keeping a Gratitude Journal...yet (we just got some in the shops for Christmas so it's been on my mind lately).
The people I know who do keep such journals, have felt a real change within themselves and their outlook.

I like that.
I like that such a simple, quiet, sweet task can have such a profound effect.

We all have blue days, we all have troubles and regardless, we all have so much to be grateful for.

A gentle reminder of that is good.

I'm going to start right now.

Tonight, I am so very grateful for...
- the strangely comforting sound of the falling rain against my windowpane
- my healthy little girl
- delivery pizza that my daughter will eat cuz I'm too sick and tired to cook dinner
- the comforting light of candles
- and cold white wine

What are you grateful for?

"the road to hell is paved with good intentions"

2010-12-06T22:29:00.000-08:00

Don't I know it!
I won't get into my resolutions for the coming year - I'll save that for future discussion, but I will say that I have not meant to be away, again, for so bloody long.
Life happens.
And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

I'm happy to report that all are well, including my dear mother who is still with us, tho much diminished, but still here nonetheless. So far, so good, and I am hoping this will be a Happy Christmas after all.

And with Christmas on our doorstep I am madly trying to finish my windows and displays for the shops. Mia got sick and now I'm sick....let's just say I'm a wee bit behind.
Normally I'd have the stores done up by mid November, instead I'm up till the wee hours (hmmm...wonder why I'm sick) crafting with old book pages and burning myself with a glue gun.

This years display is all about old paper and it's looking great!
I just need more hands, more time and more stamina...sigh.
I will upload photos shortly!

dottie angel dearies

2010-10-01T18:51:00.000-07:00

What a weekend!
I was in Seattle for an ACE camp. It was with the amazing Dottie Angel and I can't even begin to describe how wonderful it all was.
Truly amazing.
I am so happy I managed to get away.
My mom, as some of you may know, is dying and I just couldn't see my way clear to being away for that long (three days!).
Finally, my mom was stable enough and encouraged me to attend.
That did it.
Off I went.
With a newly purchased GPS installed in the Mini (seriously, you don't want to know how bad my lack of direction is) and away I went.
This GPS has given me a renewed sense of freedom - I can now go anywhere without fear of getting lost, never to be heard from again.

With much anticipation, and a healthy dose of trepidation, I arrived...late for the evening meet and greet but absolutely thrilled to be there.
Everyone was wonderful.
All the "dearies" were, and are, amazing women.
Seriously.
Some heavy hitters in the group....Jade....Becki...Christina....Jessie....Debbee...Michelle...Stacy....Rita, Lynn, Lou, Diana and Rita.
Gulp.
Can you say...intimidated?

We ate like kings (queens?) and crafted for two days straight.
Into the wee hours.
The meals were gourmet, wonderful and generous.
The artist Dottie Angel - gracious, incredibly generous and so, so lovely.

I am so very grateful for the wonderful weekend of sewing, learning and sharing.

I promise, I will finally confidently cut into all my beautiful stashed fabrics and make wonderful things happen.

I will.
I will...
I will!

stressful summer

2010-09-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

I've been away far too long, and I apologize.

The past few months have been so painful and filled with anxiety and stress.
Some dark, dark days people.
My poor mother has been in and out of Hospital six times in the past two months.
Her condition has been increasingly fragile and I have had to prepare myself for what is essentially, the end.
She has heart failure, kidney failure, has suffered a heart attack, pnuemonia, fluid in her lungs and most recently, a blood clot.
It's been a helluva ride.
Each time I'm told it's gonna be the end and each time she manages to bounce back.

She is a strong woman, that one.
I can only hope that I follow suit and don't go so easily into that good night...

Needless to say (but I'm gonna anyway) I've been devestated at the thought of losing her.
I keep begging God for more time (and He has thus far been gracious enough to extend me some) and I have been trying to make the most of each and every day with her.

Some days are better than others.

The biggest challenge for me has been my own head.
The thoughts and fears that grip me and the back and forth of being in mourning and then...not.

I am emotionally exhausted.
Having my little girl to think about has kept me from completely falling apart.
For that too, I am very grateful.

thrifting finds and garden treasures

2010-06-08T23:19:00.000-07:00

I remember...
my Grandmother filling the bathtub with water and placing the cut flowers from her garden in their 'bath'.
It was her way of soaking out the ants and other bugs that invariably would be lurking in the blossoms.

It's funny how you carry on doing something a certain way because that's the way you learned how to do it.
It's a tradition that you don't even realize you are participating in.

That's me with cut flowers.
I lay them in the tub and give them a quick shower and let the freeloaders float their way out of the blooms.

Two of my greatest loves, and this is no exaggeration, are thrifting and gardening.

Thrift store shopping is something I have been doing since I was a little girl, much to my mothers mortification.
Back then it wasn't really something you did for fun - It was more out of necessity and thus something to be rather ashamed about.
I remember the stigma that came with wearing 'second hand' but I never really let it bother me. I really enjoyed hunting for the unique and special and putting it all together to make an outfit that I felt good in and proud of.
I also adored all the pretty plates and doilies and frippery I came across for pennies.

I think my love for the hunt and eye for quality and detail was honed and sharpened by those many thrift store forays.
I still have treasures in use today that I found when I was ten.

I've been trying to embrace simplicity lately.
Out of necessity more so than a change of lifestyle - "more is more" I always say!

But as my wee house gets overrun by the heaps of collected treasures I've accumulated over lo these many years, I have come to realize that I have allot of stuff.
Too much stuff in fact.

So I find myself digging thru boxes and making tough decisions about what gets to stay and what....doesn't.

It's awful.
I hate it.
So I decided to go and do something that really calms my nerves and makes me super happy.

I went thrifting.

But I can tell you that I went with the purest of intentions - I am in desperate need of more slips to dye and make lovely for the shops.

I have been remiss in my supplying the stores so I am making up for lost time with some heavy attention to the task.

And it was with complete innocence that I wandered thru the housewares section with no thoughts of really looking...till I spied this.

A hobnail milk glass vase.
I also found, with hardly searching at all, it's sister - a hobnail milk glass planter! (which I forgot to photograph for you in all the excitement of washing and filling my new vase with my just-opened-today peony blooms)

Even more shot's of my garden peonies...
In their natural state...

As I said, my two greatest loves are thrifting and gardening, well, last summer I started a garden in the boulevard - I used a discarded wicker rocking chair as part of the vignette.
The seat had long ago fallen out, so in went a rose standard.
I was pretty pleased with my idea and was even more excited when I noticed people stopping to admire it and snap photos.
I know it's horrid for me to say but...well, it was gorgeous.

Imagine my disappointment when a few months later, someone dug up my rose and walked off with it!
A few weeks after that, they stole the chair.

I gave myself some time to mourn.

A new wicker candidate has been found.

It's a vintage child's rocker that was originally intended for Mia...till one of the staff used it as a step ladder.

Sadly it is no longer a suitable rocking chair, but what a great planter!

2010-06-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

Dragged Dutch Husband and baby Amalia Rose, on my buying trip to sunny California. As fun as it was to have my loves with me - I don't think I'll be doing THAT again any time soon.
It's hard enough trying to dig up the pretty for the shops on my own - dragging an almost two year old behind me made it a bit harder. Dragging Dutch Husband made it almost impossible.

I drank allot of wine this trip.

This is Amalia Rose posing by the amazing Echevaria planters in the hallways of our hotel. I love Semprevivums - try to have planters of them each summer on the patio but can't compare to the size these monsters get to in the California sun. Fantastic.

Have decided on nickname for Amalia Rose....insert drum roll here....Mia.
Mia!
Love it.
Pretty yet strong.
Sweet yet...mischievous.

Had I realized what a work out saying "Amalia Rose" would be, I would have come up with something else.

I think I can be forgiven tho, I was, after all, under duress.
I had just had an emergency C-section (not pretty) and had finally woken up from anesthesia (SO not pretty) and then was wheeled into my room to meet my baby.
I was not myself.

It's taken quite some time to come up with a nickname - I refuse to have her go through life with a shortened name that I have no control over.
'Leah' is not an option - worked with a Leah and she was a complete and utter snot.
'Molly' also out of the question - too reminiscent of Pretty in Pink/the 80's/my dreaded high school years/ugh, ugh, ugh.
Tried, in vain, to get everyone to call her "Lola" - yeah, I know it's a reach, but I LOVE that name.
Anyway, I'm apparently crap at nicknames as I couldn't come up with anything good.
Thank you to my lovely and brilliant friend Susie who blithely tossed the name Mia my way and I have been in love with it ever since.

My sweet child just may survive the school years unscathed.

glamorous life

2010-01-28T22:13:00.001-08:00

This, dear readers, is a photo of my feet resting in the bottom drawer of the dresser next to the bed in the smallest hotel room I have ever been in.
This, is my glamorous life.
This is what it takes to bring the fashion to Barefoot Contessa.

It's funny cuz I know people don't realize what really goes into a buying trip.
It's not all cocktails and pretty dresses.

I don't like to spend allot (clearly) on the hotels I stay in as it means less money in my budget for stock (and I'm cheap) but even I know that this room is ridiculous.
I posted on Facebook how "my room is so small...I can sit on the end of the bed, reach over and flush the toilet with my feet in the shower"
Okay...so I exaggerated.
A little.
Cue next photo...

These are my feet in the shower, and you can clearly see the edge of said bed.

This is what you get for $69 a night (breakfast included!) and as I'm very close to my destination, I can simply walk there each day saving a ton on taxi's.
All part and parcel of my buying trips.

I was in Seattle earlier in the week and stayed at the lovely Mayflower Hotel (I do splash out occasionally) So I did have a much more glamorous buying trip whilst there for the Gift Show.
In San Francisco I stay in this ridiculously small hotel (or so I thought) on Powell street, right downtown. Close to all the great restaurants and fabulous stores and within easy walking distance to the Convention Center for the gift show that I usually attend.
My absolute favorite thing about it?
The little Mexican lady who sells fresh gardenia blossoms to pin to my dress!
Makes me so crazy happy and I would never have discovered her had I stayed at a posh place.

I have one more day of shopping ahead of me so I'd best head off to bed...I'll just pull my feet up outta this drawer and lay down.

Can't wait to show you all what I've found for Spring!
I'll take some shots tomorrow and give you all a sneak peak!

2010-01-01T21:39:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
The Holidays have just been a blur of activity and this year I feel they have passed all too quickly. I am currently in Nashville, TN visiting my cousin Maria - she is our family historian, having dedicated years to researching our genealogy. It's always such a pleasure to be here, to enjoy the hospitality and learn more about our history and share stories.

I hope this Holiday has found you all in the company of loved ones and enjoying the comfort that brings. I love this time of year - so magical, when the entire world seems to slow down, just a little.

Wishing you all good health, happiness and a year filled with possibilities.

birthday greetings

2009-12-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

I am old today.
I don't even want to discuss the number as I am having a hard time believing it myself.

I don't feel old.
Not really.
I do have the odd soreness in my back it's true, but I like to think it's directly linked to lugging a seventeen month old baby on my hip all day.
I don't think I look old - the esthetician I visited for my surprise birthday facial yesterday said I had great skin and that she never would have guessed I was...
So I've got that going for me.

But, I am indeed, old.
Today.

Funny thing is I don't feel this number.
I'm not sure what this number is supposed to feel like - but I think I can guarantee it ain't this.

Baby alarm woke me at the usual 7:30am this morning and my day began. We padded thru her Oma and Opa's log house to the kitchen to fix up her favorite toddler breakfast and then some quiet time cuddling on the couch looking at the amazing view of the snowy wilderness around us. I got my camera out to take photos of the sun rising over the tree tops and reminded myself, again, to sign up for some classes to learn how to use this thing.
I think I did okay.
Then outside in her first snow suit to look at her first snow for the first time.

I am older today but I don't feel older - I just feel happy.
And blessed.

2009-12-06T22:04:00.000-08:00

Took this photo a couple of weeks ago - It tickled me to see this palm tree growing out of the storm drain on a side street in East L.A.
How does something like this go...unnoticed?
Shouldn't someone take action?
Is this not a structural danger?
I mean, uh...HELLO.... There's a PALM TREE growing out of a STORM DRAIN people!
That can't be good, can it?
These things keep growing don't they? and they get pretty big too.

Once I got over the shock of it, the surreal feeling of seeing this, it made me incredibly happy.

How fantastic!
This palm growing in the most unlikely place, in the most inhospitable conditions.

If this does not teach me to persevere in the face of adversity....well, then, nothing will.

Perhaps I'll make it my mascot.

I'm heading back this week for a quick buying trip and I'm planning on checking in on this fella.

It's a bit of a challenge to think 'winter' and 'Christmas' when I'm in that sunny clime - I find myself dreamily handling the gauze and printed cotton sundresses. Buying for the shops becomes an exercise in restraint some days...

2009-09-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

I am not letting the reality of Christmas fast approaching get me down.
I have a million projects for the shops half finished - they won't sell very well half finished. I must make/find the time to complete these things.
I know that I am not alone.
I just feel that way.

It's been a crazy time lately - a quick little buying trip to L.A (it was fantastic - I brought back so much great stuff) the subsequent day spent at Customs dealing with the shipment from my buying trip, and then all the paperwork that has been gathering dust on my desk all month. Not to mention the everyday drama's of being a mom, entrepreneur and uhm...woman.

Busy month indeed.

2009-07-11T03:26:00.000-07:00

As some of you are discovering, I am a great horder of things. My Dutch Husband would probably take exception to the 'great' part of that statement but that's another story...
In all the purging and organizing and general simplifying of life that is going on around here lately, I stumbled over a box of broken china - before a collective gasp ensues, it was a horded box of broken china. It was already broken when the hording began.
I have been keeping, and adding to, this box of 'junk' over the years - if you have to ask why then you might wanna skip this post.

I have big plans for this box.
Back when I first opened the store I did an enormous mosaic in the front windows. I also sold a few pieces of furniture that I had worked my broken china magic on.
If you've ever done this kind of work then you will know how time consuming and challenging it can be. Needless to say I burnt out and haven't touched a pair of tile nippers in awhile.
This box of broken yummyness has been waiting for two 'big plan' ideas.

One - a series of stepping stones for my garden, featuring different rose plates broken and then "repaired" as the central motif. These would then be found winding in and out of what is turning out to be a rather wild cottage garden. I have 30 stepping stones.

Two - my masterpiece - the front facings of the cement stairs to my house. Again with the rose plates (did I mention I have a 'thing' for pretty rose plates?) re-assembled in their shattered glory and having the added practicality of the house number nipped out in black tile on the very last top step.
My husband is appalled.
The big plans have been on hold for awhile.

Cut to the other morning when baby and I went for a rainy morning stroll and I discovered this walkway in my neighborhood! It is a mix of tile, pebbles and what I can only guess to be painstaking pottery pieces especially made for this project. Incredible.

I stood there agog.
It was the entire walkway. I don't even remember if they continued up the stairs - I was in such shock by it's brilliance I don't remember looking up. I will have to return to see what they did to the stairs and report back.
It is incredible.
It made me happy.

2009-07-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

There is a bright spot in the midst of my dreary studio organizing ....a book signing!

This Thursday, at the Main street location of Barefoot Contessa, we will be hosting a book signing for the fantastic "Handmade Nation" author Faythe Levine.
She is in town promoting the showing of her indie documentary (based on the book) and I'm pretty excited about meeting her and having her in the shop available to sign books and greet her fans.
It's a whirlwind visit for Faythe but she will be available from 3-4:30 this Thursday.

Cupcakes and pink lemonade are in order.
I am completely crazy to attempt to bake cupcakes with my now crawling toddler trying to help at every turn, but I feel the occasion warrants a cupcake or two. ..

Please, do come out and say hello to Faythe and support this great documentary - tickets are still available and you can check out Handmade Nation at her blog - www.indiecraftdocumentary.blogspot.com

We will have books available for purchase at the signing if you don't already own a copy (and really, you should, it's a great source of inspiration)

This is gonna be fun!

never again

2009-06-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

Never again will I hoard vintage treasures!
I swear it.
I have spent all day, ALL DAY, in the old studio that I am quickly vacating, going thru boxes and boxes of stuff. Awesome stuff, but nonetheless, argh!
Why do I do this to myself? I have 5 days left to the end of the month and I hardly made a dent! Two full trailer loads and still I am wading thru vintage hats, teacups, gorgeous old linens.....double argh!

What is worse, I keep finding crafting stuff - don't get me wrong, crafting stuff is fantastic but this much of it? I don't realize that I already have loads of felt and buy more, or saucers to turn into little mirrors, or linens to be reborn as pillows....the list goes on and on.

I will take photos to show you my madness. Then it will be out there and official and I will be shamed into being a good girl. Walking the straight and narrow...

(Of course, all this drama didn't stop me from hitting a thrift store this morning and finding an old fisherman's creel! woo hoo!
I've been wanting one of these for ages! Gonna hang it on the front door and put flowers in it. It's gonna be awesome!)

Now, what was I saying?

a work in progress

2009-06-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

That's what my house is, a work in progress.
Unfortunately, with a small baby, not much progress.
It seems to take me forever to get anything done - I think that is the single hardest thing to accept with my new role as mommy. The sheer number of hours to make a dent in any given project.
Gone are the days where I could apply myself to a task for hours at a time, uninterrupted, till it was done.

I would not change my state for anything - I adore my baby and this adventure I am on - I just wish I could wave a magic wand and have dishes wash themselves, laundry fold and dinner prepare itself!
Notice how I would not use the magic on my many craft projects....I want to do those myself!
Magic is for getting the mundane out of the way - not the creative.
Doing the creative has it's own magic....

2009-06-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

Unable to throw anything out.
That's what Gordon, my Dutch husband, says is my biggest problem.
I protest, but secretly, I agree.
I just can't help myself - I find uses for things, I see beauty in the ugly and worn.
Funnily enough he's almost as bad as I am - this past weekend we finally managed to get the boulevard garden started.
I may have contributed the shabby wicker chair/now spiffy planter to the project, but HE dragged home the slabs of concrete he'd found to use as our stepping stones.
Me: shabby chair
Him: hunks of concrete destined for the landfill
Uhm.....isn't that the pot calling the kettle.....

I am really pleased with my little garden so far.
It needs some ground cover around the 'steps' and the jasmine vine to grow over the chair to be spectacular, but we'll get there.
We moved some unhappy lavender plants and pansies to this new spot and it looks like they have cheered up immensely. A small lilac cutting from a neighbour will also be added shortly - my hope is to have a lush little tableaux to look out on (instead of street traffic) when we are dining on the front porch.

Our neighbours one street over have the most amazing boulevard - in front of almost every home is a wonderful garden. It's so lovely to walk down the sidewalk surrounded by lush greenery and the jumbled scent of blossoms.
There are only a few of us on this street with plants out on our boulevard - but it's a start!

2009-06-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

I have been busy digging into boxes and boxes of my horded treasures.
(I have the excuse of hording items because I like to say that they are to sell in the shops, but I find that I don't seem to ever let them get to the shops)
Till now.

As a result, I have been doing allot of polishing of silver.
So much so, I find I am beginning to dislike polishing all this silver.
This is outrageous comment for me as I adore polishing silver.
I like to have it gleaming and on display around my house.
I am humbled by the sheer volume of stuff that I have accumulated.

I am trying very hard to let go of these pretty things and fill the shops with these treasures.

The only way I am allowing myself to keep anything is if I can use it. Right now. Preferably in some unexpected way. I must either replace and 'upgrade' what is existant or find a way to use the new piece immediately. I end up having to 'think outside the box' and now my makeup is safely hidden from view in a silverplated entree dish. Q-tips artfully arranged in a pretty gravy boat and my cottonballs in a lidded sugar pot. It makes for an awesome bathroom!
I've also hit upon the idea of using the "missing it's twin" sugar or creamers as little vases. To make this work I have to superglue a florist frog into the bottom of them.
So far, so good.

2009-03-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

It has something to do with my Catholic background - I simply cannot pass up a good saint.
I adore them.
I build obscure little shrines around the house, in my car and in the shops.
Imagine my delight when I found these matchboxes!
Now I can have my beautiful crazy altars, candles and pretty matches to light up my good intentions!

these just make me happy!

2009-03-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

In keeping with my resolution to simplify and de-clutter my life, I have been trying to start and actually COMPLETE tasks.
Seems simple enough, but for someone of my temperament - it's near impossible.
It's not that I can't complete tasks - I do.
I just have ALLOT of tasks going on. All at the same time.
Knitting projects, sewing projects, painting projects, refinishing, crafting, designing, writing, blah, blah, blah...and the list goes on.

What I am attempting to change is my approach - I will focus on one task at a time and finish it. Completely finish it.
As in, make so many that I won't have to make more for a very long time.
Normally I make a few of something, price and put into the shops. Now, I will make more than we need, exhaust myself and the supplies, and then move on to the next project.
Brilliant, no?

I envision myself emptying my studio, in a beautifully methodical way, of all the half finished projects.

I am giddy with optimism.

It was in this spirit that I began to tackle the boxes and boxes of vintage teacups and silver teapots that have been waiting for their moment in the shops.
I actually like washing dishes and polishing silver - it's one of those lovely satisfying tasks that is so Zen in it's simplicity.
However, one or two is Zen - dozens and dozens - not so much.
As a result, this job just keeps getting moved to the bottom of the list.

Until last night.

A couple of boxes done and a load of gleaming gorgeous teapots just waiting to be shown off in the shop windows.
I even managed to lighten my personal stash of beautiful old teapots - one of which sold today.

I won't lie to you, it hurt to see it go out the door, but it also felt strangely... good.

2009-03-14T18:49:00.001-07:00

This is one of those times where "little barefoot baby" and "barefoot contessa living" will have a wee crossover - I have to show you these little boots. Embroidered satin. I can barely stand it. Love them so much!
I keep saying that I will be bringing them into the shop....but...uhm...so far....still deciding which pair I want to keep for the offspring.

2009-03-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

I have been working on these collage candles of late....till late. My only opportunity to craft has been in the wee hours, when Amalia is asleep.
It's been so great to get back into my studio and putter about.
I am doing a 'line' of these - collage and mixed media - candles, matchboxes, journals, notepads and cards.
My use of glitter is bordering on abuse, but I sure like the results!
So far I've finished the candles and cards - the journals are taking a bit longer as I just keep adding to them. I want to have bits and pieces of found items tucked inside - little surprises to discover.
Years ago I bought a journal from famed Found Cat artist Anna Corba, it was amazing - bits of old ephemera tucked inside and odd little stamps here and there. You couldn't help leafing thru just to see what inspiration was already hidden inside this 'blank' book. It was so much fun to write in - such a treasure. I am hoping my humble journals contain a similar magic to them.

2009-01-18T17:46:00.001-08:00

2009-01-18T16:26:00.000-08:00

I am in the midst of trying to organize the bolts of fabrics, baskets of trim and overwhelming amount of vintage bits and bobs that I have collected...it's a treasure hunt and Christmas morning all rolled into one.
Trying to make sense of the mountains of stuff that has rendered my studio impossible to work in. Literally.
How could I have forgotten about that tablecloth or this bit of lace or....fill in the blank.

It's exciting and overwhelming all at the same time.

I am itching to sew, knit, crochet, sketch....DO SOMETHING.
Impossible until I organize and render this less a storage room and more an organized inspiration.

My renewed creative spirit needs parameters.
I will use all that I have stockpiled and collected over the years!
I promise that I will sort it as I go along!

Unearthing treasures long forgotten and with them, hopefully, my original idea of what they were intended for.

A crumbling children's book with letterpress pages just begging to be framed. Needlepoint napkins calling out for transformation (baby bibs perhaps? pockets on skirts?) and bags of vintage buttons....

Growing up I remember my mother saving the buttons from our old clothes. This was always the final step for any exhausted item of clothing - she could transform my fathers tired shirt into a little dress for me and the scraps added to an ongoing quilt.
I get a warm homey feeling just looking at old cards of buttons.
Like the heroine Amelie dipping her hands into sacks of grain - I get that same pleasure from handling my vintage tins of pearl buttons.
The unlimited possibilities gladden my heart.

juicy jewels

2009-01-09T18:28:00.000-08:00

I adore Earl Grey tea. There is something so immensely satisfying about a steaming cup of fragrant bergamot tea, don't you think? Add a lavender shortbread biscuit and I am in heaven.
Honestly, nothing cheers me up as much as this combination...well, that and a pretty setting.

I had just that this afternoon, when I caught up with Tracey Wood, the designer of the gorgeous jewelry line Juicy Jewels. Sitting in her beautiful heritage home, catching up and doing the nearly impossible task of choosing pieces for the shops.
I am so thrilled and happy to say that Juicy Jewels are back at Barefoot Contessa!
This incredible line manages to be delicate, romantic and edgy all at the same time. Each piece is so lovely, so charming, so...must have!
Tracey casts most of the pendant pieces herself from vintage buttons or other bits of antique loveliness that she stumbles upon (trips to New York and the flea markets there have given her so much to work from) The attention to detail is fantastic - from the afterthought of a seed pearl to the off-centre drop of a faceted stone.
I may have to keep one of her necklaces made from an antique bit of handpainted floral porcelain for myself. It's incredible.
An extensive selection will be available in both shops next week.
I, for one, can't wait.

new beginnings

2009-01-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

It's an old photo.
Before the birth of my daughter Amalia Rose, before expanding my little shop to two locations, the death of my father and the downturn in the economy.
A simpler time.

My life has changed so much since this photo was taken for a newspaper article on my planting gardens in front of the shop. I've made mistakes (more than I'd care to admit to) and also had some success - the best being my little baby girl.
I have made a career of encouraging people to live with lovely things, use them, enjoy them, wear them.
Not for me the cupboard of 'good plates' to only see the light of day when a fancy occasion presents itself.
I adore living with my vintage china, clawfoot tub and chandeliers (in every room - even the nursery!) I hope to instill an appreciation of 'all things lovely' in my daughter, a love of the old, the worn, the meaningful.

I have always taken my New Year's Resolutions very seriously, I ponder and reflect and plan for the coming year what I would like to achieve, change and encourage. I think 2009 will be the year of re-invention. For myself personally and for my shops - a simplifying, a going back to the beginning and doing what I do best.
Barefoot Baby will launch this year, starting with an expansion of the baby section in the shops, a renewed dedication to designing for Barefoot Contessa, and the return of vintage treasures that I have collected over the years.
A simpler, prettier, and hopefully happier 2009 to everyone!