The Great Remake

Since the mid-March misfortune I have been melodramatically referring to as "the crash," I've been hard at work rescanning my sketchbook and recreating lost work. Working from shop photos and the remaining stock (pictured bottom right), I've been meticulously making exact replicas of my designs. Luster, Robin Egg and Prim Rose Tags have all been recreated and I'll be starting next on the mushroom and butterfly tags (bottom left).

In remaking the "thank you flat card" sent out with each and every order (top), I decided to take the opportunity to revise the previous design and I am infinitely more pleased with it. In sum, I'm so thankful for both the opportunity to improve and the kind words of support I've received from you all! Thank you so very much.

Past Presents

Looking around my cozy dwelling, it's easy to spot some of my dearest little possessions. Many are lovely trinkets given to me by those who know my penchant for history, and others are little indulgences from me to me. Nonetheless, they're quite an inspiring, old-fashioned lot. The following arrangement is chock full of ideas, draw on them the next time you find yourself in want of a present - for a loved one or yourself.No. 1 The Royal Blue Scarf After an afternoon of weekend errands - from the corner drugstore to the local market - I turned down one of my favorite tree lined streets. In the window of a sleepy second hand shop, I spied a smart navy scarf. To my mind, no other accessory achieves such a jauntily classic air. Try searching for bold nautical hues like red, yellow and navy, or tastefully small prints like pin dots or delicate florals.
No. 2 The Golden Locket All the themes of a good Victorian romance novel seem to dangle from the end of a chain. The locket is timelessly sentimental and intriguingly secretive, whether it was discovered in your grandmother's jewel box or uncovered more recently in the Rachel Abroms Vintage Collection.
No. 3 The Historical Journal It's lore and legend are perhaps almost as endearing as its cream colored pages and brooding black binding. It's quite a lovely daydream - to pour your thoughts into the same Moleskine notebooks used by Hemingway and Van Gogh.
No. 4 The Vintage Box Quaint boxes and old containers cast off through the decades have a revived charm and peculiarity - and an inherent utility. This old travel soap dish "made in Spain" is perfect for housing smaller treasures.
No. 5 In the Dark Room In black and white, modernity fades. For old fashioned appeal, go grayscale when it comes to cards or other printed goods. The card above is from the J. Paul Getty Museum, and features the photography of Josef Sudek (Czech, 1896-1976).
No. 6 In the Boudoir The scent of lavender always strikes me as thoroughly historic, it always seems to stir images of French countryside and old world trade routes. Its clean and simple fragrance still graces modern niceties, easy to find and inexpensive yet modestly elegant like this one from a health foods store.
No. 7 In the Post I've been humming "My Favorite Things" since attending an interview with Julie Andrews live at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, two Sundays past. Predictably I've especially delighted in "brown paper packages tied up with string." Rustic and antiquated, this little parcel is wrapped in crinkled kraft paper, a length of embroidery floss, and crowning royal blue butterfly.
No. 8 In the Library This copy of The Original Girls Handy Book (I've been meaning to share this with you for quite some time!), was a Christmas present from a beau who knows me all too well . It's a reproduction of the original 1887 edition, complete with charming engravings and excessively flowery prose - not to mention a litany of instructive little chapters on crafty, domestic and cultured pursuits for proper little ladies.