Hello World! Spring is in the Air!

Wow, its been a really long time since I've updated this blog! I've been having some pretty bad cervical spine issues these past few months that have been causing really intense physical (and emotional!) pain. I almost stopped doing everything I enjoy doing, and for a while I was reduced to a sniveling lump. I even thought I was going crazy for a minute. My GP tried all kinds of pills and steroids (which helped me to blow up like a cow) before I finally went for an MRI and was told I needed surgery for bulging discs. Well, I'm not buying it! I am going to try to do everything I can to heal myself; and yes this is possible since I (luckily) don't have any nerve damage yet. Knowing the problem has helped me to start taking it more seriously instead of just trying to push through the pain like I was doing before. I have good days and bad days but this is not a pity party!!! With the world coming back to life outside my door I decided to get out my camera and capture some of the beautiful spring ephemerals blooming right now; blink and they'll be gone! So, without further adieu, toothwort, hepatica, trillium, blood root, and elusive morel mushrooms, show thy selves!!!

 The image above is toothwort, sometimes called birdsfoot, the roots taste somewhat like licorice and they will numb your gums, an old remedy for tooth-ache!

If you are in to mushroom hunting there are many guides around Georgia who can take you on a hunt and help you identify these beauties correctly. While morels are prized and quite valuable (up to $40lb) there are many false morels that can make you very sick. Also, please don't pick Trillium flowers!!! These flowers have a complex seeding process (it's done by ants) and picking one will not only destroy the root system, it will prevent the flower from reproducing. You can NOT seed trillium's by yourself, so take pictures instead!

Happy Spring Everyone!!!

Trillium

The early evening star

The muse of three ivory words

Tied to one gravity of reason—
Tied to the gold pollen
Of birth and rebirth and rebirth.

The trillium and all her creamy luck
Equal in truth—unbiased, measured, even
And blooming silver on all three faces
Of muse. Serving sincerity
On all three plates of heaven.
The trio of power, wisdom, clarity
Paralleling the blonde expressions
Of stars—and the outstretched
Limbs of stars—
Blooming and bedding against
A warm cliff—Soft on a poetic landscape;
Unfolding
On a precipice, leaning clear over its demise:

--Masiela Lusha

Passing Time...

When I was a little kid I used to love going to spend the weekend with my granddaddy. We would go to the movies or the dollar store or to pick peaches; but the thing I remember doing most was going visiting. Usually we would visit lovely old ladies who would put me down for naps under crocheted blankets in sun rooms filled with spider plants and philodendrons. Or we would go see scrappy old men with howling bloodhounds tied to trees who would feed me Brunswick stew with saltines and ‘get’ my nose. One lady we would visit was a widow who lived a few doors down in a white painted brick house with magnolias in the yard so huge, nothing else could grow.  She didn’t put me down for naps- we would have sweet tea- and her walls were covered with paint by number landscapes, covered floor to ceiling. I didn’t think much about it then- if those were places she wanted to go, or why she painted so much- but I thought about her the other day and was inspired to do a paint by number for myself.

 Now I love being creative; and like most people I know, I want to be unique. But painting by numbers is a new way I’ve found to spend time that is surprisingly relaxing. I sat down to work on this 9x12 wolf and before I knew it three hours had passed.  I felt good. I’m sure many people would say that painting by numbers isn’t really art, but I respectfully disagree. If you remember the film Mona Lisa Smile, you may remember the scene where Julia Robert’s students each presented her with the exact same completed paint-by-number, no two were alike.  Because of this, I believe it is still art; we are all so unique that not even a mass produced project can make us the same!

I know that old lady died long ago. I wonder if she had kids and if so, did they keep any of her paintings?  Really I guess it doesn’t matter- I’m sure she did the paintings to pass the time. But I also believe she did them for herself- because she enjoyed it- and that’s why that little old widow, in her sunlight dappled sitting room, was the first real “artist” I ever met.

These little artworks are a fun and kitschy way to decorate, so have fun with it!

 

Cloudy Day Delights

It's been raining here so of course that means...mushrooms! I love hunting for unusual mushrooms, but the best ones are those I just stumble upon, like these!

Vintage Record Wall Decor

Vintage album covers make great wall art, especially for a kid's room, where you might not want to invest a lot in catering to ever changing tastes. At under $5 each at most thrift stores and frames going for around $10 each, why not bring the kids along and let them make their own selections? Many album covers from the 60's and 70's feature beautiful artwork- here are a few examples from my collection:

When shopping for the rest of the house, you might like to choose a theme for your albums, such as movie soundtracks or Broadway musicals:

It doesn't matter if the albums themselves are in good shape or if you like the music or content itself (but if you do that's even better), just look for covers that inspire you and fit with your overall color scheme and/or decorating style. Here are a few more fun theme ideas: Girls with guitars, guys with beards, musical genres, nature sounds or images, fitness albums or books read by the author; get creative, the options are endless!

Vintage Book Love

I love books. I have spent countless hours in libraries, thrift stores, yard sales, and book stores looking at books- not looking for anything in particular, just marveling and how many stories have been told, all the imagination and experience there is to share.

I get the appeal of digital readers, I really do- an entire library at your fingertips anywhere you go, and more available for purchase in an instant-great, but I feel like something’s missing. The individuality of the books that comes from the texture of the paper, the chosen font, the cover- you don’t get that with digital readers. Maybe it’s not so important with magazines and periodicals, or throwaway ‘beach reads’, but when I read a novel I develop a relationship with the book that is as much tactile as it is intellectual. When I pick up a book I read years ago, I remember when I read it, I remember the feel of the book in my hands, and I even recall images of the book -in my house, when I read it on a train or in bed, laying on my nightstand.  

That’s why I have kept so many books that I know I’ll probably never read again- they remind me of my history; and that’s why I love collecting antique books. Torn and tattered, I wonder about the people who read them before me.

So, today I’ve decided to share some of my vintage books with you- enjoy!

Ever heard the term "Svengali"? Well, it came from this book-  George Du Maurier's "Trilby". My husband got me this copy for my birthday this weekend and it's lovely cover and illustrations inspired this post. This is an 1894 edition, same year the novel was first published:

These next few are from a 1925 lesson book on music history- a cut and paste book! The language in this book is amusing, note the word 'savages' in the fourth image, second paragraph. Excuse the lopsidedness, I tried to get them as straight as I could without adding any more creases to the bindings.

 

This is one of my favorites- well, they're all my favorites but I like children's books the best. "Water Babies" was written by Charles Kingsley for his youngest son in 1916 and illustrated by Jessie Wilcox Smith, one of my favorite artists:

I hope you have enjoyed some of these images as much as I have!

Last but not least I will share with you a 1905 edition of "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Anderson. I love fairy tales and the classics never get old. Here is a great website all about fairy tales if you want to dig deeper.