Friday, August 24, 2012

Hooray for the Internet!

We have been doing a lot of job applying and a bit of traveling which has left little time for blogging!  Hopefully, we'll get together our pictures soon and post them.  But for now, links!

-Colleen
An elephants and hot air balloons carousel!
via Lou et Tom

If you have not heard about the campaign for a Tesla Museum on Long Island, go read up on NPR!

Pickles has a new cardigan pattern.
And Knitpicks has a new bamboo/merino yarn that I can't wait to knit with!


Coffee Caviar without all the special equipment!
via Sprinkle Bakes


I want our next apartment to look like this kid's room!
via Vaiko

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Welcome to California!


On Saturday night, I flew into San Francisco where Amy was waiting for me.  We now officially live in California!  This is the first time I have been to the west coast, aside from a layover at LAX.  On Sunday, we went on an adventure to the state capitol building in Sacramento.  


The idea of going to a state capitol originally sounded a little boring to me.  However, California did not disappoint.  There were grizzly bears everywhere!  The building itself was absolutely beautiful.



The state seal was all over the place too! 


The neoclassical building has ornate details carved into just about every inch.



The design is based on the United States Capitol Building, hence the dome.



I loved these lights because they are adorned with what appear to be winged sea horses.  Sea pegasus?



Amy feels that California has the best state seal.  While she may be a little biased, I agree that it's really neat.  There are tons of details, but my favorites are the two big ones: Minerva and the grizzly bear.  



Boring pole?  Put a grizzly bear on it!


The park around the capitol building has all kinds of botanic life.  I was so amazed to stand in one place and see a palm tree, a redwood, and an orange tree.  

I find myself looking around in amazement and thinking: I live here now!

Monday, August 13, 2012

Hooray for the Internet!

After several really busy weeks, packing, moving, and vacationing, we have finally arrived in California. It is really nice to be home and getting back to normal life. I have put together some links from around the internet this week. Hope you enjoy!


This couch is too cute!
via Apartment Therapy
DIY for a studded dog collar. This little pug is adorable!
via A Beautiful Mess
A great travel photo from India.
via Lost in America on Tumblr
Looks like an ideal afternoon with picnicking and croquet.
via Apartment Therapy
Lady copping wood!
via Lost in America on Tumblr
Lovely combination.
via  The Vintage Valley
Child in a vintage Citroën car in Paris.
via National Geographic
Vintage photos of tattooed ladies.
via Flavor Wire
<3 Amy

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Mason Jars and Antique Bottles


Colleen here, still on Long Island while Amy is already in California.  Staying at my family manor, where we have lived for the better part of a century, there is a lot of history in every bit of daily life.  One thing that we are surrounded by would drive Pinterest pinners mad: Our collection of vintage mason jars and bottles.


I loved these wire-top jars since I was a small child and would go down to the scary bowels of the "dirt room" to look at them.  My father told me about how our great grandmother used to use them for her canning.  He explained that we could not use them anymore because they do not make the rubber rings anymore and that these do not properly seal like our modern mason jars.  Nobody wants botulism. 



The antique soda bottles came from various places.  They were dug up in the backyard, dredged up while scalloping, or just found in the trash.  My favorite is one from Jersey City from the 1870's. 


But mason jars in our family are not a thing of the past.  We buy a few flats every summer for putting up jelly.  This year, my father put up a lot of wineberry and gooseberry jelly.  We checked out one of our spots for elderberry and it's looking like a good year for that, too! 


We seem to have jars from every decade of the 20th century.



These jars were the most recent to be brought up from the dirt room.  I love seeing them in the milk crates because this is just how I remember them.  


The jar in the middle here is pretty neat.  It has a screw-on ring like modern jars, but instead of a metal lid, it still has a glass one like the wire-top jars. 


And this scary place is the "dirt room"--my great grandmother's canning cellar.  I will never forget how terrifying it was when I was a child.  But I always knew that there would be amazing things hidden in there if I just went inside. 

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Hooray for the Internet!

It's been ages since I've put together a mish-mash of links!  Here are some of the things I've come across recently.  Enjoy!
-Colleen
Fried Gravy on Whimsical Cookery
The middle patty is actually gravy which has been fried.  This sounds horrifically delicious.
Sylvia Plath on 365 Lucky Days via Kireei
This stitch artist is creating one project a day for a year.  Some are literary, all are lovely!
There are also some great Wes Anderson themed pieces.
Art Journal on Bare Feet and a Free Spirit
I love watercolor painting for fun and I adore the idea of keeping a watercolor journal.


reCAP Mason Jar Pour Top
Now that I am home and surrounded by mason jars, I want one of these! 

Inkodye on The Purl Bee
I've posted about Inkodye before. I can't wait to get my hands on the stuff!

Maps on Kayla Danelle
I want to do this for every place I've lived.