Vase.

I couldn’t resist treating myself to this precious vase with three antique-ish bottles and distressed wood frame. And it was a steal at only $10 from Whole Foods Market. 

With Pomp Chrysanthemums and Leucadendron. 

moth.

I fell in love with this moth when I saw it at a Found Thrift Boutique trunk show at the beginning of the summer. I'd already purchased so much (big surprise, I know) that I had to leave it behind, but my boyfriend surprised me with it a month later! So sweet!

cowhide rug.

I’ve wanted a cowhide rug for the longest time but wasn’t having luck at any of my usual thrift stores or auctions. I purchased the rug below yesterday at the Tandy Leather Factory on Cameron Road.

notice the shopping bag (far left). Oops!

  

find the kitteh 

plant stands.

My friend, Deanna, surprised me a few months ago with these darling metal stands from Modern Salvage! They’re the perfect addition to my outdoor collection. I’m also planning to get a few more plants since only the Thai basil and (select) succulents survived the summer - the hottest on record in Texas. As of August 31st, there have been 76 days over 100 degrees!

decorating with cloches.

 The cloche was originally created to protect plants from frost.  It’s also a creative way display tiny treasures - skulls, shells, nests, etc. The first cloche pictured I found in the sale section at Urban Outfitters; the second I discovered on Ebay (and was designed to display a pocket watch.)

blogging with kitteh.

i heart this perfume.

I’m obsessed with the Dark Collection Parfums from Tokyo Milk (the one below in particular). And the bottles are covetable too. Blue Elephant (at N. Lamar and 40th) sells the line.

Fragrance Notes: Amber Resin, Oak Bark, Blood Orange, Patchouli

shower curtain.

I spent entirely too much time searching for the shower curtain below. I originally fell in love with a Mexican blanket inspired curtain at Breed & Co. but it was nearly $100! Instead of splurging I continued my search at my favorite bargain spots - Ross and T. J. Maxx. The batik style shower curtain below was only $16. Steal! 

Silver goblet.

I found this silver plated goblet with deer handles for 16 bucks* at the Goodwill auction on Lake Austin Boulevard last Saturday. It was too unique to pass up! Plus, it compliments my silver tray and nature decor. I haven’t found a practical use for it yet though. Any suggestions? 

*haha get it? 

statue

statue4, a photo by Tessie B on Flickr.

I recently came across this series of pictures I took at a cemetery in East Austin a few years back.

bench

bench, a photo by Tessie B on Flickr.

cherub

angel3, a photo by Tessie B on Flickr.

tombstone5

tombstone5, a photo by Tessie B on Flickr.

creepy broken tombstones

statue3

statue3, a photo by Tessie B on Flickr.

Ready to dye?

I had a few friends over last night to tie dye (no, I’m not ashamed) slips, socks and shirts. Thanks to this helpful/creepy instructional video and improvisational rubber banding skills, our dyeing was a success!

begin: Rit dye in multiple colors, salt, white garments, rubber bands, friends (awww)

 the finished product: it’s OK to be jealous

 I wish I were able to see the surprise/shock/disgust (?) on my neighbor’s face when she exits her apartment tomorrow morning and witnesses the color explosion.

the aftermath 

Miss matched.

There’s something that feels so right about mixing prints! Here are some Martha Stewardesque tips (there are no rules) for mixing patterns. Don’t over think it.

 tribal, floral, calico (cat)

 add stripes to the mix

I found this Turkish pillow at the Goodwill Blue Hanger! The company that made the pillow specializes in absolutely incredible tribal patterned kilim rugs.

Silver tray

I’ve been looking for a silver tray to convert my ottoman into a coffee table* and I found a beautiful one after a few weeks of casually looking at an Antique/junk store on Burnet. There’s no sign to distinguish the store except for a a general “Antiques and Collectibles” sign.  In the place nothing is priced and items are piled up to the ceiling! I have some grainy cell phone pics below to prove it. The woman that owns the store surprisingly knows where everything is and prices your desired items on the spot. You should visit if you love digging for treasures - it’s worth a visit for the experience alone - but good luck finding it among the numerous antique and thrift stores on Burnet! 

*thanks for the idea, Mom!

French rug.

I found this small rug at the Goodwill on N. Lamar for a dollar! No joke! It says “Made in France” on the backside. It’s beat up a good bit (see the tattering on the edges), but I actually prefer things well worn.

New succulents.

Religious candles.

I’ve been fascinated with mythology, religion and superstition 

for as long as I can remember. As a Texas transplant I’m intrigued by Mexican (Texican?) religious candles. Not only are they incredibly cheap and plentiful, they’re also colorful and decorative! Plus, they have an interesting religious history to go along with them. 

The ancient Mexican religion, Nahua, began as a combination of several Mexican religions (practiced by the Toltecs Mayans and Zapotecs) that were later absorbed into Aztec beliefs. Nahua was polytheistic (believing in multiple deities). After the entry of the Spanish, the native religion combined with monotheistic Roman Catholicism but managed to retain some previous deities and rituals. One of the most popular Mexican Catholic images is the Virgin Mary or more specifically, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe). (Irrelevant side note: My favorite images of Our Lady are those airbrushed onto pick up trucks.) It’s a common saying that you’re not truly Mexican unless you believe in the Virgin of Guadalupe, who according to legend, appeared to a laborer and asked that a church be built on the site of a former Aztec temple. 

When worshiping saints, believers usually have a ritual in which they light a religious candle and ask for the Saint’s protection, intervention, blessing or wish. The Virgin is petitioned for miracles of love, health, money or progress. Religious candles have an image of a Saint on the candle and are usually accompanied by a prayer written on the back. The color of the candle also carries a meaning. For example,

· Blue- provides protection 

· White- increases health 

· Yellow- for business or work related petitions 

· Red- to increase love and passion 

· Pink- for protection in new romances 

· Green- for general luck 

· Purple- used for more energy 

· Black- used to revoke and return any bad thoughts from enemies 

Remember, the candle has to be burned out completely in order to receive the blessing or protection! 

Happy wishes! 

Sources:

http://www.free-press-release.com/news-give-to-your-candle-a-glow-1282064710.html

http://www.facts-about-mexico.com/mexican-religion.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/13/nyregion/13virgin.html

Curtains part II: the living room

I found more gold curtains at Savers for less than $6. The curtain rod was about $5 at Target (I wasn’t able to find curtain rods in any of my usual thrift haunts.) The tie backs I made from an old belt so they were free! 

A visitor part II.

This isn’t quite exciting as a baby possum in my closet, but...there was a humongous spider in my apartment last night! Most likely a wolf spider (thanks, Google). 


Interesting wolf spider fact: the mother carries the egg sac around with her and when the young spiders hatch they climb onto her back and ride around until they’re partially grown. Aww too cute! 

the eyes reflected the flash!

Valance.

I purchased a valance for my kitchen window from the Savers on South Lamar Blvd. It’s gold with fringe (double score!) and flower embroidery; the label reads “Made in Turkey.” I also bought curtains for the living room only to find out that they’re not curtains at all (although I suppose I could sew them into curtains). I didn’t check them out in the store and what I bought instead was a few yards of sheer material. My curtain hunt continues! 

Weekend finds on Burnet.

On my first trip to the Burnet Road Flea Market I found the darling tribal print stool above. Lately I’ve been infatuated with African and Indian fabrics and prints (click here to see the shoes I’m coveting) so I was thrilled. I also purchased a cropped, 3/4 sleeve raccoon fur coat from the 1940’s because I need yet another piece of cold weather clothing. Ha! 


The flea market is on 48th and Burnet and is open from 8-4 on the 2nd and 4th weekend of the month. 


Burnet is home to numerous thrift stores as well, like Top Drawer, Savers, Assistance League of Austin and St. Michael’s Academy. There are a hand full of vintage and antique boutiques on Burnet too. 


The empty flower pot (in the back of the first picture) I bought at Miguel’s Imports (also on Burnet) which we came across purely by accident when we were looking for the flea market. They have huge, gorgeous imported pots from Mexico and Asia and they happened to be having a 50% off sale. The giant “Papaya” planter my friends purchased took four of us to move up the stairs! Sorry, I don’t have any pictures so you’ll just have to take my word for it! The mostly outdoor shop and plant selection brought me back to my outdoor nursery days when I worked at Perennial Point in Plains, Pennsylvania during the late 90’s. Right before the Y2K chaos. Ha!