be a deer

Yes, folks, this is what $3 will get you on ebay these days. It arrived in the mail today and frankly, I love it. I don't know if it's a deer or a donkey, and I don't care. The strange pose, the tongue sticking out, the sheer fact that someone thought to manufacture this thing - fantastic.

yay, shop update

New in the shop: several new recycled journals for scribblin' & a new gocco printed card.

whiskey tango foxtrot

An Open Letter to the Proprietor of the "Estate" Sale I Attended Earlier Today

Dear sir,

I can only assume that it was you who placed the "Estate Sale - Victorian house and contents" ad in the classified section of our local paper, allowing me to foolishly draw the conclusion that you were holding an estate sale this weekend. After arriving and politely ignoring your stacks of pornography in the corner and the pervasive mildew smell emanating from the many questionable boxes and plastic bags piled all over the house, you can imagine my surprise when you were reluctant, some would say completely unwilling, to sell many of the items included in your sale. This is a curious new tactic in sales that I was not previously familiar with. In retrospect, I think you may also be the same gentleman I encountered at a community yard sale earlier this summer who tried to convince me that a strange off-brand mixing bowl was "practically the same thing" as Texas Ware and thus warranted the hefty $20 price tag that you had affixed to it. In the future, I think it would be best if you and I are never in the same place again. So, thanks for the seedy morning and I think I'll go wash my hands.

Sincerely,

Jennie Lynn

leafy greens

This was part of dinner last night, and I can whole-heartedly recommend it:

Strawberry and Spinach Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

for the dressing

1/4 C sugar
scant 1/4 C veg. oil
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

for the salad

1/2 pint strawberries, sliced
1/2 small red onion, sliced
1 package fresh spinach leaves

Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl, add to salad, toss. Wonder quietly why you hadn't thought to put strawberries in a green salad before.

my work table

Corners of my home: the sewing room. The shelves were originally built to live in the also lettuce-colored bathroom at our last house, the notions/thread storage is a repurposed tackle box, the print is a piece of estate sale fabric stretched over a board. The lady by the lamp is my Visible Woman, a 1960's era anatomy model I assembled a few years ago.


Favorite thing in room: matching pony boy cap guns, because I am secretly a gunslinger.

a sad day for books

The news from home is not good. Apparently, the city is short on funds so the branch libraries are closing.
I spent a lot of time at the Mt. Royal Branch Library from the time I was old enough to ride a bicycle there. I remember clearly the day it opened, because we were there, 7th graders, gleefully in line to check out books. And as if that weren't enough to bear, I'm reminded of the closure and eventual ignominious end of of my dear R.O. Carlson's Used Book & Record, where I used to sit for what seemed like hours sifting through records piled on the floor, hesitantly expecting the shelves to cave in and bury me in literature. Yes, the old man was creepy, but it was Duluth's Finest Tourist Attraction.

ode to a favorite chair

Well, we participated in our first Gloucester Farmer's Market this morning, so thank you to everyone who stopped by. After all that early-rising and fresh air, I think it's high time for a nap. And in honor of my last post, I am including a portrait of my favorite plastic chair, which also attended the market as our seating, along with it's orange twin.




Our chairs where manufactured in good ol' Wisconsin - and you know what else comes from Wisconsin? Why, Ellinger's Agatized Wood Products, anchor burgers, and the lovely Nyssa June Krause.

sea cow kisses

In the shop now: a new chubby wool manatee and Lucy, the fairly regal goose from my last post. Now, I'd love to stay and chat, darlings, but I've got to get back to the sewing machine to get ready for this weekend and get some boxes out in the mail.

Speaking of mail, I love stamps and I love chairs, so a gold star to the post office for their Charles and Ray Eames stamps. Good show.

honk, honk

In progress: more feathered friends. One that started out on the road to becoming a swan, but ended up with a distinctly goose-y quality. You know, I kind of like it this way. More avian-inspired projects will be in the shop soon.

Word of the day: portmanteau - "a new word formed by joining two others and combining their meanings." see "frankentruck."

bizarre market, check

Two boxed lunches, one POM Wonderful and several sunburns later, we're back from the Bizarre Market in Richmond. Thank you to everyone who visited our table, you're a peach, every one of you. Next weekend: Gloucester Farmer's Market.

Hi-Yo Silver

Lately, we've been on a mission to sort and neatly arrange Joshua's family photos. Right now they are spread out several inches deep on our dining room table as we diligently stack them into related piles. It's been a good project, I think, because I now know that I've married someone who as a child ran around in white underpants and a lone ranger mask.

a place for one's pins

In progress: two robust tomato-y pin cushions to keep the little green one company. Also, does anyone know what to do with lemon cucumbers once you've grown them? Don't get me wrong, they look nice lounging around the house, but they must be good for something.

Happening this weekend: The Bizarre Market at 205 N. Sheilds in Richmond, VA on Saturday, Aug. 9th, 11-4. Remember your sunscreen.

yay, shop update

This time, a graceful swan, an American black bear, and a homely, myopic little polar bear.

things I love on etsy for august

At the start of every month, I plan to do a post about things I'm pining for on etsy, a little rabbit-rabbit showcase, if you will, starting with this one.

The wooden toys over at Woodmouse. I love everything about them really - whimsical, non-toxic, handmade in charming colors - but what really gets me is that someone had the good sense to make two things I love into toys: sewing machines & stand mixers.


This houndstooth bear from Crafternoon. So forlorn, so much personality.


These wonderful mid-century modern-inspired drop bowls from Ninainvorm. Gorgeous, organic, clean...one of these would look awfully nice perched on our dining room table. Sigh.

golden orbs

Despite the best efforts of the surrounding zealous weeds, our yellow tomatoes are gamely hanging in there, maybe even flourishing. Whew. Shortly after this photograph they were made into a lovely, briny batch of fresh salsa (heavy on the lime juice) and devoured with corn chips. mm. summer.