I LOVE SUMMER (AND HOPE IT NEVER ENDS!)


























With August quickly approaching I am starting to realize, woefully, that summer is almost over! I can't believe June and July went so fast and know I need to make an end of summer bucket list stat. It will involve eating my weight in ice cream, sailing regularly, and BBQing as much as possible. What would you add to yours?

In the spirit of summer I wanted to share this fabulous photo series, entitled I Love Summer, by artist Krista Long. The Iowa-based photographer took high speed shots of people zooming out of a waterslide as a joyous display of summer fun. Now don't you wish you could be transported to the top of that waterslide right now?

See more photos here.


(Thanks to My Modern Met for the tip)


MY DREAM HOME: MAP WALLS

Anyone who knows me knows I hold a few things dear in this life: family, good food, stripes, polka dots and maps. I love all things cartographic: maps, charts, globes, everything! So for a long time when I have envisioned my dream home I have pictured it to heavily include maps of all shapes and sizes in the decor. Like how great are these map murals? I am drooling over that bathroom, especially with that oversized gold mirror. Swoon!

sources: topbottom

Click through to see my other map-loving picks!

THROWBACK!



This weekend I went to a (free!) concert on the green in my hometown of New Haven, CT. I have been going to this concert series for years and have seen some awesome acts—like Ray Charles, Little Richard, the Roots, Dave Brubeck, and more. This weekend is was one of my favorite throwback hip hop groups: Salt-n-Pepa! I have never seen any place so placed with people dancing, smiling, singing and generally having a blast. It was a really cool experience. If you are ever in the New Haven area in the summer, check out one of these concerts!

















Anywho, listening to all of Salt-n-Pepa's killer hits from the late 80s and 90s reminded me of this fabulous site: The Nostalgia Machine. Basically you put in a year and it pops out all the hits from that time, including their music videos! Instant throwback! Go check it out; trust me, it will instantly call to mind some major memories.

Hope you had a great weekend too!


(top video from my instagram feed, check out more here)




GUILFORD CRAFT FAIR 2014


















This past weekend, amidst grey skies and perfectly cool nap weather, I went on my annual pilgrimage to the Guilford Craft Fair. As always, I managed to find a lot of fun things to buy and even more fun things to drool over. Without further ado, here are some talented craftspeople with work you should definitely check out . . .

above, Hoist Away Bags are made with recycled sails in bold, bright colors. Every detail has been taken into consideration for these totes, pouches and dop kits—from a detailed label that explains where your sails came from to zippered pockets and drawstring tops to keep everything in order. Each bag even comes with a bottle opener keychain! As a sailing nerd I couldn't live without one of these and I suggest you check out their Etsy shop to pick up your own.


























I also discovered the beautiful ceramic work of Kiara Matos. I love the sophisticated colors, patterns and organic references in her work. Couldn't you just picture these on your dresser or side table?

As usual, however, the majority of my drool worthy moments were from jewelry vendors. Here are some pieces I had my eye on:































The setting on this ring is an innovative take on a solitaire setting, no? It's not quite my style but I still think its amazing! Made by Stephen Leblanc.





























I have written about Dana and David's work before and their work continues to impress. How gorgeous is this pendant necklace?
























Dahlia Kanner was another new-to-me jeweler with very cool things this year. I particularly love her collections focused on dots and scribbled lines. Pretty, right?





































Rachel Atherley's jewelry deals with natural patterns like snakeskin and leopard spots to create a lovely interplay between light and shadow. How chic is that cuff bracelet?



































I also fell in love with Naomi Grace McNeill's jewelry featuring hexagon and honeycomb patterns. Somehow she manages to make her work seem tough and delicate, abstract and scientifically exacting at the same time. A mean feat with spectacular, unique results.
























Last but not least, I wanted to share the work of Martha Sullivan—another new discovery for me. I fell instantly in love with her simple rings and bought one in silver for myself. Now I have my eye on one of those diamond bands, but isn't that petal pattern pretty too? Decisions, decisions!

That's all folks! Back to regular posts tomorrow.




BRIMFIELD RECAP

Every year my Mom and I go to a huge antiques/vintage goods show in Massachusetts called Brimfield. Usually we go as buyers, but this year we decided to mix things up a bit and act as sellers! And guess what: it was exhausting but so fun! Here are some shots of my favorite things we had on offer . . . 






















Tiny plastic doll food!













































Baby ironing boards, toy irons and tea sets!













































And how about this 1960s-era Pillsbury Dough Boy? Perfect condition!
















































We had lots of great vintage board games and kids toys, including my Mom's personal favorite—a Howdy Doody hand puppet.















































We also had a big rack of vintage clothes, lots of old magazines, and random decorations.


































My favorite, by far though, was dishes of silver, pretty cordial glass sets and funky late 60s-era gold coffee pots.













































And how great is this little barware set we put together? That huge mixing glass with cocktail recipes, that green ice bucket!




















And fondue forks! Nothing more vintage than fondue forks!






















It was a great weekend! A lot of hard work, some wonderful quality time with my Mom, and a tidy little profit to boot. Not bad, all things considered.






















And you know what? I did manage to steal a couple minutes to do some shopping on my own, picking up some great things for my own collections, like this mini metal globes. How awesome are they?


Like hearing about Brimfield? Check out previous posts here.


HAVE A COLORFUL WEEKEND!














































Do you guys have anything fun planned for this weekend? I am headed to Connecticut today to go sailing, check out this craft fair and generally relax. Next week I am looking forward to sharing my tales of selling at Brimfield and all the fun plans I have for the rest of the summer. In the meantime, go out and enjoy some sunshine!

(The images above are a totally random selection of colorful photos I have stumbled across recently and couldn't wait to share; top to bottom, image links here, here and here.)