enhabiten: November 2009

Monday, November 30, 2009

Saturday, November 28, 2009

We had a nice overnight visit with family in Maine. I drank too much wine. We laughed a lot. It was blustery and cold. My brother-in-law and his partner have done a lot of work already on the house they just bought. It's an old 1700s cape, little and sweet, with an art studio in a separate building on the property. We had a great meal together and sat by the fireplace all night (here's where the too much wine came in). Thanks Jim, John, Kevin, Suzanne and Pete.

Friday, November 27, 2009

heading to maine

We are heading to Maine to spend some time with family. My brother-in-law bought a summer house there, an old one, and it will be the first time we see it. It's drizzly and dreary here so I will take pictures to share and hope they turn out ok. Here are some images for you before we go- Maine folk are, scenery.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

coco

I forgot to report back re. "coco before chanel" so I thought I'd do that while I wait for the chocolate pecan pie with caramel sauce to finish baking. Yep. You heard right. Sounds yummy, no? It's my dessert contribution for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. It will probably be the most sought after dessert and I will feel just a little sad for all the other dessert makers who will have just one slice taken out of their cakes and pies. Ah well.

And I liked the movie pretty well. This is what I came away from it thinking...

-I didn't much care for her love interests. And the only time I felt at all affected by the romance part of the movie was at the very end during the flashback scenes. And this had to do with identifying with her sense of loss and getting older and loneliness, not the particular men she remembered.

-I did not know anything about her prior and I do not know about the history of fashion and it was awe inspiring to see how ahead of her time she was and how much she influenced fashion then and now.

-The clothes I really responded to were the earliest ones she made and her philosophy of simple and sort of rustic and austere. You could see the influence of the orphanage.

-She was portrayed as incredibly confident in her vision. This was the best part of the movie.

800 club

Hello sweet darling people who visit my fledgling blog. I love you. I do. And I just wanted to pop in and say that I'm on the cusp (hate that word) of 800 sales in my etsy shop. I know, it's not 500 or 1000 or some number that seems like, WOO HOO, let's celebrate. But still, it's EIGHT HUNDRED!! Honestly, I never thought my shop would be successful. Not that I thought it wouldn't be. I guess I really didn't think. But here we are. And it's almost Thanksgiving. And I really DO feel thankful this year. It's not that everything is perfect here in my little life. But it is that I am happy to be alive. With all the trials and tribulations and hurdles and beautiful moments that bring tears to my eyes I most days wake up and think, MY GOD. I"M ALIVE. What a hoot.

So anyway, Happy Thanksgiving to you. I really do hope that you have a great day tomorrow. Even if you fight with your sister try to make up before the day is over. Even if you don't get to be with your Dad, call him. Tell him he rocks. You get the picture.

If you wanna get a pressie for yourself or someone else in my shop today it's 20% off for the rest of the day. Just mention "800" in the note to seller.

luv ya,
liane

PS- are you dying to see a detailed and complete list of all the words I hate? Do you even know I have such a list?? Well I most certainly do. And if you really really want to see said list I will be publishing it here on this very blog, an enhabiten exclusive, if you will. Next week. Be here. And be prepared to laugh and be grossed out. Two of my favorite things.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

hi bye

On my way to hopefully see "coco before chanel". I gotta see it and stop talking about it. And here's my little fashion post...I like clothes. But I haven't done a lot of clothes shopping these past several years. I did, however, go to Marshalls with my 17 yr old daughter recently and now I keep thinking about clothes. Not that I didn't think about it before in the "I like clothes but don't have any and wish I had better stuff" way. I bought this jacket there. The hat is (well, was) my daughter's. She bought it for a dollar at the mall. I generally think I look like a major doofus in hats but whaddya think about this one? Not bad, right? I really hate the mall. But I gotta admit, I'm a wanting to go back to Marshalls. The scarf is from http://www.uniform-studio.com/index.html.
OK, that paragraph was not genius writing, but I gotta get out of here and get to the movies.
See ya!

i want this look

www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com

no one does it like you

found via http://prettygingham.blogspot.com/.

Friday, November 20, 2009

one more cuz i love me some avetts

shopping for old

The day started off rainy but cleared up before lunch. I went to a spot I don't go to frequently (rte. 4 in northwood nh) for vintage because it requires a good amount of driving from one shop to another and I don't always have luck but today was an ok day. I was really looking for fabric and that was a bit of a bust. I did however, get a huge lot of old burlap bags. I will need to put some time and effort into cleaning and inspecting but I have a little idea in my head for them. I'm wanting to combine unlikely materials like burlap, velvet, lace trim. We'll see...

I also got a few things for my house. I like the contrast of the white hobnail milk glass with the dark calico shade, the hand-braided rug was a steal and I like the subdued colors. The little tea-strainers I got because I liked the designs and I was thinking that might be a fun thing to collect and hang in a group on the wall. Last, the money bags need a good washing but I think they will make awesome lavender or balsam pillows. The patches? I love patches. Bring 'em on.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

a very favorite

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

cute kitten and kitten lost

The cuteness of this picture above kills me. It's from this site: http://www.theittybittykittycommittee.com/
and it makes me almost want a new kitten here at casa enhabiten. Below is a picture of our cat, Ollie, who disappeared this past July. Just typing that sentence makes me choke up.

It took me by surprise how hard I took his disappearance. I know my family was worried about me because I searched for him relentlessly for a few weeks. And I kept crying. And what was so strange was that that was not my normal. I love my pets and I've had many but I really fell for this one. And I'm not exactly sure why.

In the end, in a strange way, this sad story makes me feel good. It makes me think that there are mysterious bonds of love that can't quite be figured out and that quality of mystery gives them extra meaning. There is love and affection which can knock you off your feet when you least expect it. Love that makes you walk the streets of your neighborhood for weeks calling your cat's name out.

So Ollie, wherever you are, you were so loved. That's all.

vintage textiles

Oh, vintage fabric, I love you.

All images from a great reference book titled "Textile Designs: Two Hundred Years of European and American Patterns Organized by Motif, Style,Color, Layout, and Period".

handmade notebooks

I love handmade notebooks. This is part of a funny little one from I can't remember quite when, I can't find a date anywhere. What I like is that you really can make one in about 10 minutes without any special materials. I think using a variety of papers is interesting. You can poke holes with any old thing (a kitchen fork tine?) and string it with anything again.

The other thing looking at this makes me think is that there are so many hints of ideas that never get followed up on. Maybe someday. I notice I liked "little"in this. I made tiny little weavings and glued them in, I cut out tiny boats (a recurring theme here) and glued those, too.

If you make your own notebooks I'd love to see them.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

folk art,memory, movies and suckin up

I have a wicked crush on folk art right now. I 've been buying used picture books on the subject lately and these images are all from one titled "Treasures of American Folk Art". I read these books, too. Raptly. I'm fascinated. But my brain doesn't retain information the way I want it to. I wish I was one of those peeps who has a memory for details. What do you call that? See, I can't remember. It's not even funny so I won't add a little "haha" or smiley face.

What I think I do is store the images and details of images in some non-wordy part of my brain for use later. For instance, with movies or books I remember the feel of the thing, I remember certain scenes, visually speaking, but I entirely forget character names and plot.

Which reminds me, I really want to go see "Coco before Chanel." And then another movie I saw the preview for and for which of course I can't remember the title. It was

"_____ Education." About a young girl and older man having an affair. Do you know it? If so, please tell me.

I did go see "The September Issue" with my fabulous friend Emily. It was her idea. I have to be completely honest here and tell you I am not really Vogue literate. The movie was entertaining. The photographer/Art Director seems really talented. But kind of sad. Stuck making interesting work in what is fundamentally a shallow environment. I mean, I like clothes. I really appreciate the self-expression of getting dressed. But the whole Vogue-y world leaves me feeling a little dirty. And if you saw it, tell me you didn't want to hurl with all the kiss-ups working for the magazine. The guy in the white suit? Sheesh. Totally blew with the wind and whoever he happened to be talking to at the moment.

Ok, I know I will lose you if I keep a-rambling. Thanks for reading.

Fondly,

Liane

Monday, November 16, 2009

best i got

I had every good intention of sharing some images that I'm currently really inspired by that are all folk art related. But it's Monday. And it didn't happen. So instead here are some pictures I took today around my house. It's the best I got.