Snowing . . . again!

{view out my back door}

Almost the end of March and it is snowing again! After the gazillion inches of snow we have had this year and a taste of a couple of days in the high 70's a week ago, I am ready for spring!

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Brush Up on Proper Dental Hygiene for Your Opossum!

Have some extra time on your hands this weekend? Why not brush up on some proper dental hygiene for your opossum? This video will provide all of the details (and more) that you will need in order to keep your opossum's teeth looking white, shiny and gingivitis free. If only I had had this knowledge back when Scurvy was visiting ~ perhaps he would have been a more congenial houseguest?!

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Buttons, Buttons, Buttons!

While visiting Mission Road Antique Mall a couple of weekends ago, I spotted these lovely antique calico buttons in a showcase. I see this type of button now and then, but not very often and they are always rather expensive.

If you happen to be in Kansas City though, visit the Steamboat Arabia Museum, where you can see thousands of these beautiful buttons ~ and learn a bit about some history as well. The photo above was taken at the museum ~ click on the photo for the source.

Don't know that I have ever found an entire card of calico buttons ~ thanks to the internet though, I was able to find these and an interesting article about calico buttons. Some day, when I am more organized, I will take a few photos of some of the calico buttons I have found over the years ~ I have some great stencil buttons too.

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A Different Kind of Delectable

Found this tasty jar of glass buttons this weekend while shopping at the Platte City Antique Show ~ I guess I just have a thing for mayonnaise jars, now that I have mentioned them two days in a row! As you can see, this is actually a Miracle Whip jar, but close enough. I have to admit, I prefer Miracle Whip over regular mayo ~ always a point nf ridicule in my household as my boyfriend is quite the foodie and Miracle Whip doesn't cut the mustard in his book!

This jar was packed full of all clear glass buttons ~ I have never bought many of these before, but the jar looked so appealing I couldn't pass them up. Upon closer inspection, some of the buttons have silver or gold metallic accents, so these are even better than I realized. Looking forward to sorting through the rest of the buttons and discovering all the different patterns ~ I think these will look great used in the brooches I make!

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Delectable Paintings ~ Shawn Kenney

A couple of weeks ago my RISDxyz arrived ~ that is, my Rhode Island School of Design alumni magazine ~ a new format and design. Food was the theme and one of the artists featured is painter Shawn Kenney ~ an illustration major and 1993 graduate.

Wow! Shawn's paintings are so beautiful, I just had to share. I am especially enamored with his seemingly effortless brushwork and his gorgeous use of color. Whether the subject is a fancy mini cake, a humble box of blueberries or jar of Fluff, the end result is simply delectable! Visit here to see more of his work.

{all images via Shawn Kenney}

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Beautiful Book ~ Antique Packaging

While in NYC a couple weeks ago, I stopped in at Kinokuniya Bookstores near Bryant Park. Kinokuniya carries a large selection of magazines, books, stationery and gifts from Japan ~ I especially love the bottom floor where there is a great section for crafts.

While looking through the art section on the second floor, I found this wonderful book ~ Antique Packaging by Josep Ma Garrofe. This book contains a lovely large collection of antique packaging ~ organized by theme or industry and photographed in a unique way. The examples shown were carefully selected from a private collection ~ most of which was collected by one person ~ Francesc Serra.

Primarily chosen for their design and aesthetic aspects, the packages also had to be made of cardboard for this project. The book has a vintage and tactile feel to it as it is printed on uncoated stock and is gorgeously designed. Below are a few of my favorite spreads:

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Special Delivery!

Have admired this file cabinet (above) over at scissor variations for quite a while, so when I came upon a similar one (below) on a recent outing at Bottoms Up, I didn't hesitate ~ well, actually I did ~ I had to do some serious thinking as to where I could put it and if I should spend the money!

Since the foot of snow has melted, the man I bought it from is delivering it tomorrow ~ I will be making a temporary space for it in the garage so I can clean it before bringing it inside. My plan is to add some casters to the bottom and then put it in the foyer ~ it will be a great place to organize and store the magazines that I save. I'm not sure if I will keep the cordovan colored finish or not ~ but it will be another huge project I don't need to strip it if I decide to do that!

I was told that the cabinet came from a city office where there must have been a wall of cabinets like this ~ notice the mismatched drawers. Not sure of its age, but I would guess the 40's. Too bad those Budweiser lamps weren't included?! Ha ha!

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