Black Star Vintage @ SOWA Vintage Market

After many conversations about our vintage addiction, friend and Crocodile Tears blogger Keyse and I decided it's time to purge and clean out our collections. We have joined forces as Black Star Vintage and will have a booth for two consecutive Sundays at the SOWA Vintage Market.

So come on down to say hello and pick up a little vintage for your pad! Sunday June 10th and 17th!!

A sample of my wares,

and a sample of Keyse's!

New Art for the Apt

Two new pieces for the apartment! First up is this beast which I got at a yard sale for $3 I think? Smarting after the loss of the 6 foot lithograph I left behind, I was psyched to find another big piece (just under 5 feet!) for the long bathroom wall.

I think it's going to get a little "update" a la my other thrifted artwork, I just need to decide on a color and shapes.

Next up is this print by Gene Matras. I found it in an Adirondack themed store near my Dad's house in Northville, NY. With the exception of some of the furniture, Adirondack rustic is not really my thing, but there was something about this print that (as a friend of mine would say) gave me "feelings" - it reminds me of standing still in a snowstorm when it's so so quiet and the sky is that pale gray color....... Anyway, it's hard to see in my lousy pics, but it has amazing detail and line work, I love the high contrast black and white.

Things I did not buy at Brimfield

So I know nearly every blogger in new England has posted a Brimfield Antique Show roundup, but what the heck, I went and had a lovely day with Keyse and the gang from Ampersand and I took some pictures, so here you go. I didn't purchase much - a little jewelry, some doll house furniture - I'm going to be having a big purge and sale this summer, so I wasn't looking for anything large.

Anyway, here are the beauties that got away!!

I don't know what these are and they don't even look that comfortable, but the lines! the lines!

Heaven. Double-sided Heaven.

A whole collection of crazy fun time hangers/hat racks. Would've bought them all and hung them like this in an entry hall.

Spindle style chair and rocking chair. New upholstery and wham! amazingness.

This....this was a big debate for me, a 6 foot lithograph of Copenhagen harbor. I really wanted this for my loooong bathroom wall, but it was unframed and glued to paperboard, so the moisture would kill it, and  there's no way I could have afforded to frame it. Keyse talked me out of it, but I'm having some small regrets.

Review: Keetsa Mattress

I have desperately needed a new mattress for years now - and have desperately avoided going shopping for one. Mattress shopping is on par with what I imagine new car shopping to be like: too many choices, pushy liar salespeople, the constant feeling I am going to be ripped off and hate what ever I'm buying, and general anger/anxiety feelings. This is why I've only ever driven used cars and slept in a slumpy pile.

Then this happened - Apartment Therapy reviewed all kinds of fancy and not fancy mattresses, and one of them seemed the perfect fir for me. Keetsa is a California based mattress company that will ship you a green-ish (there's some debate about how truly "green" they are) coil/foam/combo mattress in a box! AT gave a great review, and the price was right and I decided to go for it, figuring even stacks of newspaper would be better than what I had.

I ordered the Pillow Plus, and it's been 3 weeks and I love it! Nice and firm, with some top softness from the memory foam topper. I have noticed I sometimes get a little warm, but I also haven't switched to my summer bedding yet. I also noticed no off gassing. For $680 I'm very happy and would recommend it to friends.

In the box!

Inside box#1 is box#2 with wheels - which I did NOT know about when I was pushing it up my stairs.

All folded and rolled up.

After wrestling it onto my Ikea frame and post expansion. (It did get a little bigger by the next day)

A Glimpse of Glamour Interview

I love meeting other Boston bloggers, and was fortunate enough to meet Samantha Ramage of the very, very cool local blog A Glimpse of Glamour at a Barrio pop-up dinner event. We had a lovely evening and she graciously asked for an interview! Thanks Sami!

You're all probably sick of hearing about me, but if you can take it, here's the interview.

Let's Build a Table: Part 2

Made some progress on the doll house table I made with my Dad, I've added the legs and got a coat of stain on it! Not bad for plywood, eh? The grain really came through when I put the stain on, I'm glad I sprung forth birch veneer. My dad recommended using bolts to secure the legs, so I bought brass nuts and bolts, which I think adds a nice little design detail.

Next step is a finish coat of Tung Oil, but I need to do it outdoors so I have to wait for a nice sunny day.......

Passing the Mic: So Long MCA

In high school and college I was a HUGE Beastie Boys fan, and for a long time I stopped listening because the music was wrapped up in such overwhelming nostalgia that it was hard for me to listen to it, but a few weeks ago I re-introduced myself to my favorites and was finally enjoying the music just as music - amazing, awesome and brain-exploding.

Anna over at Door Sixteen has written a really lovely post about her feelings on MCA's passing in much more elegant terms than I can.