ollie.

It's cold again. It felt like Spring the other day and now it's freezing, which is fine with me. I went to the library last night and checked out three Nabokov books, maybe the only ones I haven't read. I'm fairly certain that I acquired and read all the books I ever wanted to read by the age of eighteen. I own them all and I've read them all, multiple times, so now what do I do? If you have book suggestions, I'll take 'em. If not, well I guess I'll just keep reading the same ones over and over.

This right here is Oliver Francis, and that little black pile on the pink chair is Henry. Henry is a girl.

This whole week has been busy, moving in and getting ready for a yard sale my mom is having. Going through all my old things and deciding what to get rid of is not my favorite thing to do. But next week things will be a little more calm and I'll actually have time to rearrange and hang pictures and get my house looking how I want it and also start adding new things to my shop again. Since I have less room now, I'm thinking about just gathering up some really great things and doing little 'themed' collections each week or at least a few times a month, instead of just adding things as I find them. Also next week, I'll be able to start going to estate sales and flea markets regularly again, so I hope the weather stays cool.


and here's one more of little Ollie.

i'm here!

After a few apartment key mix-ups and leaky plumbing-related ordeals, I'm finally moved in to my new place. Aside from my dress form and record player and a few big boxes filled with my books, furniture is still scarce, but only because I'm selling all my old furniture at a yard sale this weekend so I can replace them with new old ones. I've been on the lookout for a sturdy antique bookshelf, a parlor table, and a velvet settee but I haven't had any luck finding what I have in mind. And to think of all the perfect ones I've passed by in the past for lack of a place to put them... 

I've been moving things around, trying to find the wall with the best light for my dress form...I'm planning to start adding new things to the shop very soon, with my new yellow walls as the backdrop but I'm a little nervous about the transition from the gray walls and my shop not having a consistent look. We'll see. 

I went to an estate sale yesterday that had hundreds, maybe thousands of records from the 1930s on, and like a dummy I wore this little dress because it felt like Spring, not realizing that the house was on the water and that they would be set up outside, on a sun deck. Windiest day of the century. So I couldn't even dig through the records, since both hands were full with gingham skirt pleats and tightly grasped at each side, holding my dress down. I was able to look through a box of old Decca records that was inside, and I left with an Ella Fitzgerald 33 and a few pieces of costume jewelry, so not a complete loss. 

I feel like I should apologize to anyone who had to see this. my legs, I know. So pale. Also, I went into a store wearing this dress and the girl at the counter said I look like Mary Poppins? okay. And that hair, well I'm just about ready to chop it.

new dwellings.

On a whim I decided to go look at an apartment a few days ago and I liked it so much that I went back the very next day and told them I'd take it. I'm so excited! It's pretty tiny but it has hardwood floors, high ceilings, and big windows with lots of light- pretty much exactly what I wanted, except I'm still in Florida but that's okay for now. It's located in the historic district and my building was built in the 1940s and is just a short walk or bike ride from historic downtown, where there's lots of little coffee shops and antique shops to browse through, my favorite record store and used book store, and even a WWII museum. There's a little farmer's market every Saturday where I can get fresh fruits and a big library to sate my reading addiction. Maybe the best thing is, there's a beautiful old post office right down the street where I can ship out my shop goods. OH and also, my favorite hole in the wall Thai restaurant is right there too. Perfect.

Right now it's pretty much just bare bones since I just got the keys today and my car is too tiny to fit anything substantial, so I just brought this chair and this hat and a little picture frame with a dried rose just to make it official. I live there! I'm excited to get in there and start putting all my old things about and hanging up pretty lace dresses on the wall and making it into a cozy little cocoon for me to rest my head.

new year's eve.

I spent New Year's Eve dressing up in 1920s dresses and coats and jewelry and trying to pick out what I wanted to wear, my room was a mess of silk chiffon and velvet and beads, which is obviously the best kind of mess to have. I decided early in the day that I would spend the evening drinking out of fancy striped paper straws and lighting sparklers, listening to records and having a Buster Keaton marathon, so I wanted to sort of channel one of my favorites, Sybil Seely, but instead I ended up wearing something more Anita Page/Broadway Melody which was perfect because what better time to wear sequins and tap shoes than New Year's Eve? At midnight we lit sparklers and fireworks, but just the small kind that sort of make a fountain and crackle and then die out, which was lovely. 

This week will be frigid, so naturally I'm excited and trying to think of fun cold weather activities to do since this will probably be short lived. Maybe I'll take myself ice skating.

lights.

still haven't made my way to st. augustine yet, but i found out they keep the lights up until january 31st. it doesn't quite feel the same after christmas, but it's still pretty. my best friend came into town for the holidays and we went to city center to walk around and talk and catch up and drink coffee, it's a little park with a lake and a library and every christmas season they cover all the little trees with white lights too, so it was a nice substitute. the weather is finally cold here, at least for now.

i have so many new listings and new blog posts in draft form, but i just can't seem to find the motivation to complete them these days. on top of everything, i got some bad news about my kitten gus today at the vet, and now all i want to do is curl up in a ball in my bed with my cats and watch movies and forget about everything.

gone wandering in woods.

Probably my favorite kind of dresses are floral cotton dresses from the 1930s and 40s, they're just easy and pretty. I bought this pretty one just the other day, and it's easily become one of my favorite dresses already.


These days I've mostly been lazing about; I wander, read Voltaire. Take naps with my kittens. Debate taking up painting once again, when I spy my lonely easel resting in the corner, but remember how fruitless it always is. I bore so easily. or distract, rather. A million unfinished books and paintings and half knitted scarves. It's inevitable.


I'm still waiting on Winter to arrive, Fall even. It's been quite mild here and although I do like that sort of weather, a bit of frost would do to help me feel more festive. Something feels a little off this year, I usually get excited about the holidays pretty early but that just hasn't been the case lately. Maybe I'll dedicate this week to baking and pom pom ornament making. St. Augustine is still on the schedule since we didn't end up going last weekend like we planned, so maybe that's what's missing.

(I can't tell if these photos are really blurry or if my vision is just off from lack of sleep. having kittens is like having a newborn, I swear. I was awoken extremely early this morning by Beatrix jumping on my face. So, sorry if they are.)

christmas parade day.

Every year we walk to my town's annual Christmas parade, which is mostly just good for being nostalgic about the holidays and also looking at old cars and dogs dressed in Santa costumes. The weather was really nice (but also unseasonable, and my attire is misleading since it was actually about 75°) and I brought along my new camera to take some photos of  wildflowers and Fall leaves, since we finally have a few of the latter scattered about. It's finally flea market weather, so this weekend I'm planning to go to the St John's flea, and then to St. Augustine for their annual Nights of Lights. Which basically is just when they cover the entire town in little white lights and put a big Christmas tree in the town square and have little carolers speckled throughout and jazz bands playing the Christmas classics. It's pretty magical. 

parade escapee

(sorry for the lack of actual parade photos, it literally was just pictures of old cars and dogs dressed in Santa costumes. and I don't think there'd be any interest in seeing any of that)