Catalog of Love: A Perpetual Anniversary Gift

May 19, 2009 by

Handmade wedding toppers

My husband and I are happily celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary this week!  Handmade gifts and treasures have always been a part of our relationship, including our wedding cake toppers above.  My husband made the “mini us,” and I made our canine daughters all out of clay.

This year, I wanted to give him something that we could add to each year as our relationship grows.  Thus, the Catalog of Love was born as a perpetual anniversary gift!

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This is an antique wooden library card catalog box that now will hold the chapters of our relationship and life together.  I created faux Dewey Decimal catalog cards, where the book number is replaced by milestone dates, chapters of our love overwrites book titles, and important locations substitute publisher cities.  One day, when we are both old and wrinkled, I hope we will be able to fill the box completely with our life’s chapters together.

If you want to create your own Dewey Decimal cards, which can be used on a variety of gifts, such as birthday cards or present tags, visit the Catalog Card Generator.  I’d love to see what you create!

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Season of Poetic Change

Apr 28, 2009 by

vintage-pencil-sharpener

Symbolized by the changing seasons, I have been contemplating new changes for Poetic Home that I sincerely hope you shall enjoy.   I have sharpened my pencils, opened my drawer of art supplies, and spent more time with my vintage typewriters.

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After much soul-searching, I came to the realization that I would like to be an originator of ideas — not an aggregator of existing ones — to feel fulfilled.  I’m very grateful to have an opportunity to share ideas and be inspired by all of you, and I hope you will join me on my personal journey of creativity.

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How shall this translate for the future of Poetic Home?  I will be viewing the blog as a canvas for me to create original DIY projects, more repurposing ideas, vintage inspired photo shoots, and collaborative curations that involve you, my wonderful creative friends.  While this may not translate into daily posts, I will look forward to sharing my own original ideas and creations on a weekly basis.  May I invite you to join me, starting next week?

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A Repurposed Cabinet of Curiosities in My Family

Apr 23, 2009 by

Please forgive my sporadic posting!  While I do have internet now, I have been spending time away from the computer….admiring my talented mother in law’s cabinet of curiosities and vintage vignettes!  She has graciously allowed me to photograph some of the vignettes in her home that I am excited to share with you.  I did not even have to “style” any of the photos — they were beautiful just as she had creatively displayed them!  Can you tell she previously worked as a shop window decorator and designer?

vintage cabinet of curiosity

An antique jelly jar becomes a beautiful cabinet of curiosities — if you are curious about vintage lanterns, artisan pottery pieces, and an array of bobbins from many eras.

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This cabinet of curiosities holds an array of vintage treasures, including wood bobbins repurposed into candle holders, as well as a study of mining artifacts.

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Bundles of candles are wrapped in antique music sheets, and as you gaze at the cabinet of curiosity at different angles, even more treasures reveal themselves — such as an antique miner’s candle snuffer.

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Letterpress blocks adorn a vignette above a desk.  It’s wonderful how two simple card stock pieces can make a display really pop.

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I really love how she has repurposed antique wooden bobbins of different shapes and sizes into candleholders.  Respinning the bobbins with different colors of yarn adds wonderful sprays of color in a room.

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Touches of spring burst into bloom indoors amidst aged terra cotta pots and vintage seed jars.

Feel free to ask any questions about the items in the cabinet of curiosities — as well as leave a kind comment or two for my lovely mother in law!

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On the Road Again…

Apr 8, 2009 by

antique-map-and-toy-car

Possessions placed in storage, bags packed, husband and two furry babies in tow, I am venturing out today to the open roads of America!  We have no set itinerary for the next week on the road and will enjoy seeing America as the wind (and our GPS) guides us.  With a bit more wind in my hair, I’ll see you again next Monday, hoping to share some of the intriguing vintage sights I’ve seen.  Till then, I wish you a marvelous week and happy Easter friends!

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Cabinet of Curiosities: A World of Intrigue

Mar 30, 2009 by

Cabinets of Curiosities, or Wunderkammers, have always piqued…well, my curiosity!   It’s quite easy to see how these Cabinets were the predecessors of our museums.  I would like to one day have my own Wunderkammer in my home, sans natural history items that scare me, such as bones and bugs.  Instead, I think my Wunderkammers would be akin to the one below, comprised of shells, gems, pressed plants, and perhaps even Cabinets of Curiosities filled with antique typewriters and vintage cameras!

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As captured by astropop, Teylers Museum’s impressive Wunderkammer — which truly is a Room of Curiosities in every sense — displays magnificent collections of fossils and gems.

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This wunderkammer showcases a beautiful collection and examination of shells and coral.  I especially like how the red stands tie the exhibit together.

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I particularly like Real Simple’s interpretation of Cabinets of Curiosities!  While the naturalalist elements are clearly not involved, it is a fun vintage twist on an antiquarian concept.

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Maissa Toulet, a French artist, combines the allure of Wunderkammers with an artistic aesthetic.  Instead of grouping items solely by species, Maissa Toulet considers color pallate as well.

Are you on your way to creating your own cabinet of curiosities?

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Can You See Me Now?

Mar 20, 2009 by

…tap…tap…tap…

Hello, it’s me Grace — behind the Google ad!

It has come to my attention that my endeavor to earn $.30 from Google ads this week has disrupted the viewing pleasures of several of my coveted readers.  I would have thought that Google, the ruler of the internet universe, would have compatible code with browsers.  Alas, they have failed me.  To ensure there are no more interruptions, I have happily removed the ad and replaced it with a humble link to my Etsy shop.  I’m terribly sorry for the disruption, but we will now return to our regularly scheduled programs!

I suppose the best way to compensate for the mix-up is to show you some mixed-up typewriters!  These typewriters were from a 2005 art exhibit from the New York School of Visual Arts, aptly titled “The Next Best … Ding!“    While I’m not a proponent of destroying vintage typewriters, these certainly make for good conversation pieces — and I comfort myself with the thought that perhaps all of these typewriters were beyond repair.

repurposed accordion typewriter

I always knew typewriters were music to my ears!

repurposed stone typewriter

Don’t you think the click-clack of the typewriter and it’s lovely “ding” make for a zenful experience?

repurposed shoe shine typewriter

Shiny keys make for shiny shoes!

repurposed blender typewriter

I’m sorry about the advertising mix-up!

Happy, happy Friday everyone!  Thank you for all of your understanding — and I’ll see you bright and early next week!

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