The Garden of Pink Shadows

Vintage Beach Cottage - part 2!

As you can see, I've taken my current blue/green love to my blog design for a change. I just can't seem to stick with my blog design for very long! I get tired of looking at the same thing. I just did a little quickie last night tho - continue to love those pastel shades - aren't they so pretty?

Here's some pictures of the little box I made for Sherry in the Vintage Beach Cottage Swap. Unfortunately my photos didn't come out so I grabbed these off Sherry's blog! We were both amused by the similarities in color and elements in our two gifts!

I put a little collection of seaside ephemera in an old wallpaper envelope - tucking in "sea" from a vintage children's dictionary! - and added one of my Nantucket button hearts that I had in my Etsy shop last summer.

...and filled in the bottom with beachy treasures - shells and seaglass from my collection and a bit of "beach grass" (ok, its just raffia ribbon!) I know I've said it before but this swap made me miss Sconset so much! Wish I was going back there this summer. Really, I wish I lived there year round! I could take island winter, couldn't I?

Here's another Sconset photo.. you can see what I mean, can't you?

Yesterday I was doing one of my favorite lazy Sunday things to do.. sitting at a window table in Borders Bookstore's bright cafe with a tall iced coffee and a stack of magazines. Ah.. heaven (so long as I can filter out the various, often weird, conversations around me..) I was looking at Living, Etc, a British modern design magazine and came across an article on the LA home (her other is in Australia) of actress Rachel Griffiths and her family. I am completely split personalit when it comes to home design and I think my ideal home might really be one of those houses you sometimes see where someone has built a modern glass box contemporary out the side of an old New England colonial home. I like both. No, I love both and have both deeply rooted in my soul.

Here she is with her husband in one of the more glass boxy sections of her home.. But what caught my eye is one very cute photo that they don't show on the online article, of her and her daughter snuggled deep in a big chair, reading, and beside them on a little table is her cup of tea and a glass of orange juice, and as it says in the caption the sidetables are by Paul McCobb. My daddy. (that might sound silly, but I was nine when he died so in my head he is still "daddy")

It always makes me proud and pleased to see his furniture in magazines, and I admit, even more fun when it is celebrities I know - and like. Thom from Queer Eye has several of his pieces. They pop up very often these days in home design magazines and are sold for far, far more than they were at the time. For a while I was keeping a blog of McCobb designs I'd find in magazines, or people would email me links.. it was too time consuming so I gave it up but I may start it up again sometime.

Anyway, I wanted to share this picture of me - someone had emailed me and asked if my father had designed any children's furniture and as far as I know this was all their was (in addition to a low round table to go with the chairs). This photo was from an ad in the February 1961 New Yorker magazine. I was two. Cute, huh?

Tales from My Kitchen

I just wrote a long post on my Tales from the Kitchen blog about our delicious Marinated Flank Steak and New Potatoes with Rosemary and Olives. If you have a moment, please go read it. I really want to resurrect this other blog of mine because (as you will read) planning meals and cooking is a really big part of my creative life!

Post Party Update...

The birthday party was a big success - as you all assured me it would be if I would just relax! I did manage to get the house (pretty..) clean, got everything wrapped, and cooked a yummy dinner - Andy made grilled marinated flank steak per Emily's request, and I made the traditional companion dish, sauted new potatoes with rosemary and olives. Yum. I think I will actually go over to my very long neglected Tales from the Kitchen blog and write up the recipes if you are interested!

But.. it was very warm.... It rained in the afternoon and everything got steamy, as was the kitchen from boiling the potatoes and blanching some green beans. We had a total of 12 people which is pretty much a crowd in our house. All in all though, everything worked out well. My sister in law brought wonderful hummus with feta and olives (she is 1/2 Egyptian) and her yummy spinach dip she serves in a hollowed out pumpernickel bread - yum!

Emily got a Wii (kudos to Andy for actually going at 8:00 a.m. last Sunday to get a voucher from Circuit City, then waiting around till 10 to get it..!) and the kids played it way into the night (I went to bed!) I just now played it for a bit - "Cooking Mama" (ironic, huh?) - fun but frustrating - harder than actual cooking!

Anyway thanks for all your supportive thoughts after my last post.. I'm feeling much better - but you knew I would, didn't you?!

Blue

I kind of hate to bring it up.. but I have been feeling a bit blue this week. Not color-wise, but emotionally. I think #1 it's hormones because it's that time of the month.. again.. and recently it really wipes me out. And gives e an upset tummy. Plus I'm feeling a bit stressed. Friday  Emily's 17th birthday and while we always want our children's birthdays to be happy times, don't they always end up stressing us out? I remember when the girls were little and - since I have always had to try to do things creatively, on limited funds - I came up with various themed parties for them and made most of the decorations and games. One year we had a Little Mermaid party (Sarah's.. 6th? 7th?) and I made a fishing game with mermaids and magnets on poles, and mermaid crowns and wands, etc etc. One year (when they were not so little!) we made huge boards with cut outs that you stick your face thru and have a funny photo taken - it was Austin Powers and.. I forget the girlfriend's name now. They were quite mod and such a big hit we also used them at the school end of the year party.

I haven't done any art for recent year's parties. The creativity seems to me more in the planning - and the financial planning. Money ha always been and will probably always be a big issue for us. Maybe if I had not insisted on a life as a stay at home mom ad artists and had some higher paying career this wouldn't have haunted me all my life.. But.. you know.. it just wasn't me.

I took these pictures of onions in blue bowls yesterday when I was photographing the clothespins. I was walking thru the kitchen to the back porch and saw them sitting there in their blue net bag and they looked so pretty. Now they seem a bit odd next to my complaints about feeling blue, stressed and having an upset tummy!

But.. they are pretty, aren't they? Back when my tummy was feeling better (just a few days ago!) Andy grilled some onions, eggplant and italian sausage and we had it with pasta - yum. Last night I made the mistake of ordering pizza - this always happens when I'm not feeling great - I don't feel like cooking so we ievitably get take out and that makes me feel much worse! It was good pizza tho.. with artichoke hearts and well.. more sausage!

I also invariably feel stressed right before a zine comes out. The bit between finalizing the layout, printing, packaging, and mailing is.. well.. not that much fun! It usually takes me about a week. A week I feel like pulling my hair out! Which is why I decided on early July rather than late June -  that week would have been this week! Thank goodness for that! Hopefully by next week I'll be feeling my old self and able to tackle that. For the rest of this week I'm just trying to take it as easy as possible and finish what needs doing: 1. Clean the entire house. 2. Restock the now empty fridge 3. Finish birthday shopping and wrapping 4. Create menu for Birthday party 5. Shop for and cook food for birthday party 6. Try to look decent even tho I don't feel so great 7. Throw birthday party 8. Remember to relax and enjoy it!

clothespins!

I knew I had some clothespins somewhere.. I bought a whole bag of them a while ago at a flea market, pulled out a few (which I use often in my studio to hold things together while the glue dries!) and put the bag "away" only to be forgotten. Well, while getting out the air conditioner for my studio the other day (yup, it's that time of the year already.. and just when our electricity bills were hitting a yearly low..) I saw this old Piggly Wiggly* bag hanging there and shouted out - "my clothespins!" And they have been rediscovered! Almost better than discovering them in the first place..!

And just look at the lovely shades of blue and green they are in! Hmm.. what will I do with them? I'm envisioning some sort of hanging art clothesline or something! I only hve a few of the hook ones - but aren't they fun? I'm not sure if you can tell from the photo but the blue one above has a flower pattern embossed in the clip part. Something special needs to be done with that one!
 
And speaking of something special... look what arrived for me from Sherry Smyth in the Vintage Beach Cottage Swap! Isn't it beautiful? And I think Sherry will have a surprise when she opens her package from me because we both used the same colors and many of the same elements... well.. I guess those are "vintage beach cottage" elements, huh?

*A possibly little known fact about me is I lived i the south for just under a year when I was 12/13. We moved there briefly from New York City (long story..) and as you can imagine the culture shock was quite something! We had an apartment in a little complex with a swimming pool that seemed like a hotel to me, but just out on the main road was a fast food BBQ place called Piggy Park (where /i first experienced corn dogs) and across the road was the local grocery store. Piggly Wiggly! I really thought the world had turned topsy turvy.. Ok, maybe Gristede's might seem like a strange name for a grocery store to someone not from the northeast, but I just couldn't understand this obsession with pigs... Piggly Wiggly still makes me laugh.. and this bag of clothespins brought the memory back!

Blues.. (and greens!)

Well, I guess I jumped the gun a little bit on Blue Week yesterday for Shades of Inspiration. Blue week starts today! Apparently I missed White week.. too bad.. I love shades of white.. If you haven't seen the photos from the Shades of Inspiration Flickr Group go check it out. Sadie Olive originally started it with I Saw Red and now each week is a new color. For a color lover (would that be a chromophile?) like me it's a lot of fun, but I just don't always have the time to hunt out and set up photos.. so here is a not too current photo above.

I shouldn't have a problem with blue tho.. I'm a little bit blue/green (as in aqua/lime) obsessed these days! As much as I love pink you won't find much of it in my home (except my studio) - everything is much more neutral and cool tones.

Speaking of which... this was my apartment as a child in New York City. The large painting at top is in my current living room. It and most of the paintings above were done by my father who also designed the furniture above. There is another painting of his I can't find a decent photo of right now, that is a color study in blues and greens. My mother gave it to me when I had my first apartment (in a groom's quarters on a horse farm in Westport, CT) and it's been prominent in my homes ever since and a big color influence to me in my homes.

Another of my favorite blue and green things is this little creamer pitcher that was part of my father's china line (though I'm pretty sure it was my mother who designed the motif on this one) I have a sugar bowl and a cake stand with the same motif.. and it just occurred to me.. I should dig out the coffee pot I have with the same design... I doubt I'll use it for coffee (we are more of a double shot espresso over ice family these days.. don't even own a proper coffee brewer anymore..) .. but I can always fill it with flowers! Or just display it.

Well, lots to do today so I had better get on with it. I am trying to make an effort to not ignore my blog for days and days at a time tho!

Vintage Beach Cottage

Here is a little peek at my package for Sherry in Kat Fuller's Vintage Beach Cottage Swap. (Sherry, if you are reading this your package will be on its way tomorrow!) I had a lot of fun making this gift and it brought back memories of my favorite of beach cottage places, Sconset on Nantucket

Seashells, faded pastels, weather worn wood, hydrangeas and roses, seaglass and sandcastles.. the sound of the waves, the smell of the salt air, lobsters and chilled white wine (or fried clams and beer!) Ah how I miss that place... Don't think we will make it there this year so I'm attempting to replicate what I can in candles and potted plants on the back porch!

A special thank you to Casie of Vintage Image Madness for the lovely Seaside Beauties Postcard images!

P.S. I just realized this week's Shades of Inspiration is BLUE so, these two photos above are my first addition to Blue week!

Erraticus Zine Summer Issue Coming Soon!

I've been working hard gathering up some wonderful blossoming artwork, along with interviews, articles and even a couple of how-to's for summer fun and inspiration. The design is just about complete and then - let the printing begin!! To give myself a little leeway, I'm commiting to a July 1st debut with the first 100. After that.. we'll see! So if you'd like to reserve a copy please go to my Etsy Shop and Pre Order a copy HERE!

I think you will find this issue will "grow" on you!! :-)

stuff!

What have I been up to...? I never seem to get around to writing in my blog recently. I really need to make it - and taking photos - more of a habit. Now that school is out and it is "summer" (ok, to me it's not really summer until the solstice) all my usual routines are changing. Though it has been wonderful to not have that #&$% alarm clock go off at 5:45, I still find myself waking up around 7. Today I had nothing in particular to do and nowhere to go (since my car is in the shop) so I stayed in bed until.. gasp!.. 8:30!!!! I do want to stay in the habit of getting up pretty early tho, because I can do all the bring stuff like cleaning the house, showering, etc before it seems like the day has even officially started!

Yesterday was the last day of school here, but Em was really done with finals Thursday last week. She had two end of the year art critiques that took about an hour or two each on Friday and Monday. Then that was it! I can't believe she is a senior now and next year will be her last one - and MY last year of having kids in public school.. my god it seems like forever since Sara was in kindergarten, Emily in a baby seat, and I was class mom making cupcakes and doing crafts with the kids.. sooo sooo long ago! In those days I wore my hair long, pinned back at the top, and wore smocky, flowery Laura Ashley dresses.. oh and those denim jumpers! Anyone else? I'm sure there are several of you out there!

So what else have I been doing? A little bit of summer house decorating.. got some new blue and green pillows for the living room, redid the mantle with white ceramic pedastal planters, and green glass. I like living with blue and green. Now that the dining room is blue (and the living room has always been pale green) since cooridinate nicely from one room to the other. I saw these fun huge blue glass bottles on sale at Pottery Barn and some bright green and blue dishes they have on sale.. I just may have to get me some of them!

Well... this photo I have above just doesn't seem to go with anything I'm writing about! As I said.. I need to take more photos!