Toad Lilies!

My toad lilies are blooming and it is so very exciting. They are my favorite flower in the garden, and I was afraid that they wouldn't bloom.  Hopefully they'll come back next year.

These were the first two, but right now there are many buds ready to bloom, and I can't wait!

Trash Beach, Post Irene

I know I'm always showing pictures of of the loot I find at Dead Horse Bay, so I thought I'd show some pictures of where it comes from.  The Hurricane blew out tons of new detritus, so it was kind of an amazing wonderland of, uhhh, trash. I'll show my treasures soon.  

I know there are differing opinions on Dead Horse Bay.  What do you think; is it great for amazing treasure hunting or a sad instance of ruination? 

Vintage French Postcards

I picked up some old French postcards at a thrift store the other day. One is missing a stamp (was it worth lots of money?) and I think the postmark says 05.  That would be 1905, making these more than a century old!  I love the fancy handwriting in the bottom photo. They also make me nostalgic for handwritten letters (not that I have had many occasions to write them)  I have a hard time coming up with things to write when it's to easy to facebook/email/text/videochat with most of the people I know.  I'd have to hold off on communication in order to have anything interesting to say.

But these postcards may inspire me to try!

Trash Beach Treasures

We had a good run at dead horse bay last week. Sometimes I get pulled away by the rest of my party when there is still so much searching to do!  But we stayed until full high tide this time--and I'm getting better at culling my collection:  the final haul was relatively lightweight (and certainly exciting!).  Here are a few treasures from the recent trip:

Look at this nearly perfect old doorknob.  Somehow it's more exciting to find one on a beach than buy it at a flea market.  And the glass stoppers--I'm always on the lookout for them, but I got lucky this time.

Look at that glass dish and all of the beads.  I must admit, the beads have been collected from multiple trips, but the dish is from the most recent visit and it is in great shape.  

Some of my favorites are the military collar pin and the old locket below.  I can't open the locket without breaking it because the hinge has completely corroded off. I'm sure anything that was inside is long gone, but we'll never know!

Bleeding hearts and Broken teacups

My bleeding hearts are finally blooming!  I thought for sure they would just grow leaves all summer--don't they all bloom earlier in the year?  But look!  Here they are.

Also, I couldn't resist including a little teacup collection, they are some of my favorites from trash beach.

I hope you're enjoying your summer!

Rainy Garden

One reason we've been busy lately is that we've spent every free moment (and there haven't been many) on our garden.  When we first got here, it was a tiny concrete slab surrounded by warehouses. Remember the baby ferns from the first teasings of spring? Some of them have grown up, but some are still unfurling.  I've also been on a fern buying spree for the past few weeks; every time I see one I like, I'll snatch it up... but now I'm having a hard time placing all of them!  

We've been planting hosta, sedum, moss, impatiens and morning glory.  Hopefully it can stand the shade until it becomes tall enough to catch the sun--they all have string trellises to climb.  And I want to get some begonias, but I'll have to build some more wooden planters, since I'm out of container space right now.

We repurposed the planter in the back (it was an old media center that was about to get tossed to the curb) and we will be building benches one day soon, but my favorite place to sit is the swing:

It's the perfect place to sit and have a cup of tea in the morning. We made a small table that sits next to it and is perfect for a cup and plate of cookies. There's also a surprise that will be coming soon...

We're back!

After working a crazy job, being away, and moving, things are finally starting to settle down; just as spring is around the corner!  Plants aren't quite out here yet (although I'm starting to see sprouts and buds...) So let's go back to February, where a cold and rainy weekend in LA was still wonderfully temperate and plant heaven for my wintered mind!

I can't remember the last time I saw a roly poly; and I love the concrete staircase--but just look at all the green!  This house has the most beautiful garden--did you see the view from the french doors?  Luckily I didn't have to go back to the cold, dreary city right away.  I have some exciting things to share in the next few days!

Old Letter

We're moving this weekend and I found a store  near our new house that has drawers full of old paper ephemera.  I bought this letter (even though I don't need to add anything to my collections) and I want to frame it; I am smitten with the beautiful hand written calligraphy, even though I can't read it. Does anyone read french?

A Series of Small Collections

I've fallen in love with this photo series:

A Series of Small Collections by jessicanples on Flickr.

Click the photo above to view the series. (you really should!)  I've been clicking through each photo over and over.  I think this one's my favorite (but of course it changes every time I notice another interesting bit):

They make me want to organize bits and pieces and then photograph them.  But what I really like about her series is that they are all other people's collections.  Knowing that they mean something to strangers makes them even more interesting.  There is a story behind every collection, for every tiny piece. It's brilliant!

Beautiful

I am so in love with Van Der Glas's shop.  I want everything:

I love these pieces both as art jewelry and wear-it-everywhere jewelry. She's managed to take something slightly horrifying: cast off pieces of bodies; and made them into something hauntingly beautiful.  I especially love the teeth rings.  I'm also very interested in what she has to say about her materials:

"Hair and teeth were brushed, treated with colours and bleaches; fingernails were grown for show, painted and emphasized. When attached to the body, they are central to social values of beauty yet when they become disattached, the meanings they hold drastically transform."


And in case you were wondering, I like to make things out of hair, too.