Meet the Newest Member of the Family

We have taken to calling him Bob. We don't know why.

Bob actually joined us a few months ago, adopted from an Etsy seller, and I've been so impressed with how he just moved right in that I forgot to show him off. I like that he's big (12 inches tall), bold, and brassy.

He lives on the fireplace mantel under the sunburst clock.

If it needs saying, I have no trendy plans to spray-paint him white or some ungodly neon color. Just like Mr. Rogers, I like him just the way he is.

I hope he maintains his dignity when I put tinsel on his antlers at Christmas time.

The Need for Red in February

Let's just say I hate Valentine's Day and get it over with, shall we?

I hate the subliminal message that women's good will and adoration can be bought with heart shaped diamond pendants, or pink furry stuffed animals, or boxes of mass-produced and slightly stale chocolates. I hate overseeing the handwriting of 25 valentines times two for two boys who utterly detest the chore and yet are obligated to complete it so that Valentine's Day can be another opportunity for the school to teach them handwriting. I hate the cloying artificial sentiment manufactured and marketed by card/flower/gift/candy shops. I hate the feeling of obligation it sets up in otherwise sane couples. And to be perfectly truthful and yet contradictory, I spent not just a few years of my marriage and then divorce, sitting at home in sweatpants doing nothing, feeling sour, and then feeling sour that I felt sour about being neglected on a holiday I hated anyway.

It's enough to make this usually level-headed woman eat a whole bag of potato chips at one sitting.

Now that we're clear on the that, I am still in favor of the color red in February. I think most of us who experience a true winter like we do here On the Doorstep, need a blast of warm, fiery color to counteract the gray skies, dirty snowbanks, and mucky streets we struggle through for months on end.

Red's a master of many roles: cheerful, passionate, saucy, loud, every one of them a good antidote to February blahs. I believe every room, no matter what's going on in it, needs a little red to keep things from being boring.

Here are some of my favorites, from Etsy sellers:

                      

                   

                   

                       

New Mid-century Art: Great Things on Etsy

Mid-century design enthusiasts are constant and savvy second-hand and vintage shoppers. But it doesn't always have to be a scavenger hunt.

Don't get me wrong. For people who love the design styles of past decades, the thrill of the hunt is part of the passion. But Etsy artists are turning out a lot of new and amazing stuff that would go seamlessly in Mid-century modern homes.

Here are my top picks from a recent Etsy "window-shopping" foray. The links to the items are in the captions.

This clock from CoMod Classics is amazing. I thought the clock was constructed of wood with metal "rays" like the vintage starburst clocks. On closer inspection, it's entirely laser-cut wood. It's a sharp, smart-looking update to the design, and the rays on this clock are reminiscent of the hairpin legs on tables from the time period. Double design win.

Mid-century inspired clock by CoMod Classics, Etsy.

I might just flat out get this Mid-mod monkey, from gutentagfibers. Not that I'm a monkey fan (other than the ones I gave birth to) that much. But the little guy is a cheeky take on Mid-century modern sculptor Henry Moore's abstract reclining nudes, and I love the little inside joke there. 

Mid-century Modern Monkey, by gutentagfibers, Etsy.

Is it just me, or does the print below, from Pool Pony Design, remind one of the Partridge Family logo? (can I have a show of hands for David Cassidy fans?) C'mon get happy even if it doesn't, because the Etsy site has lots of great prints of owls, cats, abstract designs, and even Catherine Holm bowls in lots of Mid-century appropriate colorways. 

Short Stack, Mid-century design art print, by Pool Pony Design, Etsy.

I'm also seriously considering where I might be able to work in one or two of these kidney shaped tables from Lunar Lounge Design. I think they have the most impact in groupings of two at least. The Esty seller makes other high-end pieces that are worth a look. 

Kidney Bean Coffee Table by Lunar Lounge Design

Do you own any new, but definitely Mid-century in spirit items? 

Quick and Easy Wall Art

I found this super simple display idea at Kudzu, the antique and home decor store in Decatur, Georgia. While the vendor kept it simple with the brown office-issue clipboards to complement the colors in the seashell botanical prints, you could go all sorts of directions with this. Vintage clipboards or new ones covered in vintage wallpaper scraps to tie in with the theme of the art, or the colors of the room. Spray-painted in bright colors to complement that ever-rotating display of kid's art. You could display vintage fabric swatches, advertising, old greeting cards, even doll clothes or pieces of lace with this concept. If you're the type of person who likes to change things up a lot, this might be the way to go!

Specific (not random) Bits and Pieces: Flowers, History, Painting, and Love

People like to say "random" about seemingly unrelated things.

I don't. I believe in the specific. First because I don't believe there is much in this world that is actually random. Secondly because the things I discuss in this post are not only specific but related.

They are related by joy, because they all give me just that.

The garden, while still under construction, surprised me this week with bulbs planted by former owners. That pile of dirt is trying to be beautiful:

Pay no attention to the gigantic pile of of waste sod behind us.

Now pay no attention to the crappy cell phone photography. Ooo, pretty colors!

I also took possession (yes, it took a little while longer than usual, though there were no legal concerns) of the official abstract and deed to my property:

What da heck is a rod? It's so biblical!

A stack of property transfer records seems like dull reading, but I was riveted. My purchase of the property was the 99th transaction on the property, but I haven't sorted through it all figure out how many owners it has had. Since the house was built, in 1939, it's had four owners not including the builder and including me. Not bad for a house this age.

It all started back in 1855, when a man named Ira Rees was granted a patent on half of a quarter-section of land (80 acres), which included the land my house stands on. 1855! In my Midwest state's history, THIS is what was going on:

A Wikimedia Commons image, public domain, U.S. copyright expired.

European settlement West of the Mississippi. Covered wagons. Disappearing prairie. It's hard to look around my very urban core historic neighborhood now and think of that.

The abstract helps me piece together some of the history of this house; that's another post for another time. It's been almost a year since I purchased my home. I'm only just a little ripple on the surface of its history.

Valentine's Day: I Love My Sister

 What's not to love about this?

My sister, the very same sister superhero of my renovation summer, sent me a package that arrived this weekend. I'm terrible at waiting if it isn't Christmas or birthday, so I just went on ahead and tore into it. And you see above, my lovely Valentine's Day gift.

My sister is a painter (I just love saying that. I love bragging on her talented behind). And the little nuthatch on a branch is just what the doctor ordered for my usual mid-February slump (I'm not much on winter). It's a nice perk of sisterhood with Dyan that I get the blessing of her talent. She also paints pet portraits and jewelry: her Etsy Shop is here.

The little ACEO (Art Cards Editions and Originals, if you've always wondered) came in the pocket of an apron, also made by my sister. Aqua floral, crisp white, and red ric rac. How can you go wrong?

The aqua print is from a vintage feed sack that came from the fabric stash of our Great Aunt Elizabeth. Aunt Elizabeth passed away last November, and we miss her. She was a school librarian and band director/music teacher in rural Missouri schools her entire adult life. She was a little prim, but she was smart and good and an enthusiastic follower of all her many great nieces and nephews, since she never had children of her own. It's a gift with the extra sentimental value built into every stitch.

Here's a closer detail of the fabric. It's so cheery and bright:

I hope you had a great Valentine's Day too!

Quickie cool stuff: vintage ephemera

Today I received some Etsy finds in the mail:

The "Furnished Room" sign is from Salvage Nation. The architectural book plates are from theCandyShoppe. She's also got a lot of fun things for scrapbook enthusiasts as well as maps, old botanical and medical illustration plates. These are all headed for my oldest son Grant's room, which you'll see more of in future posts.