music style // camera obscura



(my embroidered homage)

when the weather begins to warm up (which is usually pretty early in texas, much to my dismay), my musical mindset begins to transform, as well. do you have seasonal sound favorites? there are some bands that are simply best in winter and some that are simply best in summer. spring, for me, simply means camera obscura.

camera obscura are a quaint scottish indie pop band whose dreamy sound conjures images of decades past. though that may sound elaborated, it's not in the least bit a romantic overstatement (or so i think). the timeless quality of their music is paired with maudlin and personal lyrics, most of which are written by the lead singer, tracyanne campbell (who i once met if you count waiting in line for a show near the tour bus and having to move so she could get in meeting her, which i do).

besides their amazing vintage sound, the band, as a whole, has an inspiring vintage vibe. their musical style is physically embodied in their album artwork, music videos, stage presence, and photo shoots.

(2010 show in denton, texas)

(source)

i personally think joan holloway could have been inspired by carey lander, yes?

(source)

i wanted to put together an etsy treasury to proclaim my adoration for camera obscura, so here it is! i've included items that i think tracyanne and carey would wear, as well as items from some of my favorite songs, videos, and album covers.

Vintage 50s/60s THICK B... sugarlily $32.00	Vintage Tartan Kilt O F... sianuskavintag... $12.00	The Brass Anchor Locket... TheBumblingBir... $25.00	Classic Black 1960s Pat... ragsfeathers $22.00
VINTAGE Flower Sweater ... punksrus $10.50	SALE. vintage yashica s... Lemonshackvint... $30.00	Vtg 50's Bombshell ... sssggg $58.00	Vintage Dorothy Dales B... Thequeenofre $18.00
VINTAGE Mad Men 1950 ... bluebarnvintag... $25.00	Retro Americana Flower ... malibloom $12.00	vintage hat- 1940's... PranceAndSwagg... $36.00	Vintage 1950s Teddy Bea... farfallashop $32.00
Vintage Burlington Banq... ivorybird $48.00	Vintage black heart ear... KreativeKali $10.00	1888 Antique Map of Dun... bananastrudel $25.00	Vintage CHEER UP silk s... iloveswift $32.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

if you're already a fan, can you match some of the items to their respective inspiration?

happy spring!

le apartment // kitchen

i cannot wait to own (or even rent) an older home in a historic neighborhood. fingers crossed, this dream will happen sometime this year. until then, i'm stuck in my (extremely full) 710-square foot apartment.

i'm a huge fan of color and pattern, but i've opted not to paint (so i won't have to re-paint later); however, i think i've done a pretty okay job with interjecting my personality into this small white box i call le apartment. 

i've been wanting to document the place i've called home for almost four (!!) years before i move out and i thought i'd share it with you. exciting stuff! i've already shared my organized office space, so let's begin in the kitchen, shall we?

my kitchen is sooo small, it's kind of ridiculous. i literally have five half-cabinets and one full cabinet for storage, so i have to have a lot of things "sitting out." my rachael ray dutch oven stays on top of the stove, as does my rolling pin (recognize the melamine coffee cup candles?). i love the pop of color from the cute apple hand towel (from urban outfitters a few years ago).

i store my larger utensils in a canister from anthropologie (from several years ago) and my nigella lawson salt pigs make me so happy! i usually keep my garlic (and sometimes ginger) in the larger salt pig and, of course, pepper usually goes in the other small salt pig (i need to get to the store!). i also own the matching measuring cups.

i'm a bit of an anthropologie sale fiend. i can only really afford items when they're on sale and i've been lucky so far. these oven mitts were a steal at only $4.99 each! i love the red and purple tones and the patterns are so cheerful.

i love my cheese plate! it was my parents' from when they got married (a long time ago) and i use it to store my pens, pencils, scissors, and a small notebook, which i picked up in washington, d.c., at crafty bastards a few years ago. my favorite ever tea (i'm a bit of an iced tea fanatic)? stash brand peach tea. it's so tasty!

on top of my cabinets above the stove and microwave is probably my favorite bit of the kitchen: my vintage thermos collection.

i've been picking these beauties up whenever i see them at thrift stores or estate sales. i just love their graphic appeal and retro colors.

the daisy pyrex bowls (it's a set of nesting bowls) came from my mother's kitchen. i asked her if i could have them when i saw they were just gathering dust in one of her cabinets. to add some height to the vignette, i put one of my (many, many, many) beloved thrifted needlepoint scenes.

i've even tried to add color to my refrigerator. whenever i go on vacation, i send myself a postcard. up on the fridge are the ones from london (2004), london (2007), and paris (2009). i've had that the office postcard for so long, but i can't bring myself to get rid of it (notice the ricky gervais magnet). i thrifted a lot of vintage fruit magnets and stuck them all up here and i've never moved them (or used them, for that matter).

this needlepoint was originally in my etsy shop, but i loved it so much, i kept it. that's bad, yeah? don't tell.

this small corner is all the prep space i have (boo!), but make do and mend, right?

colorful cups are colorful! these were picked up at an estate sale and i'm still not sure if i'm keeping them or re-selling them. for now, they add some brightness to my workspace.

when i first moved into my apartment, i was equipped with all sorts of storage devices, including a silverware tray. then i discovered i only had three half-drawers and nowhere to store my eating utensils. i've loved having them out and ready to use in glass jars. the floral canister was another estate sale score ($0.50 and chock full of decades-old hard candies) and i use it to store coffee beans.

my only full cabinet! woo hoo! i have lots and lots of plates and bowls for a single gal, but what can i say? anthropologie calls me. a lot.

i have a small ledge overlooking my dining table (on the other side) and i go back and forth about which way my canisters should face. for now, they face toward the kitchen.

more anthropologie canisters (i must have had a gift certificate) and an ikea tray (put a bird on it!). the ceramic measuring spoons (um, anthropologie) are my ideal color combination. everything in my apartment gets tested against them. does this match one of the colors in the measuring spoon set? yes, okay, it stays. i'm not making that up.

this amazing 1950s pink plastic bread box is a recent thrift store find and i couldn't be more thrilled! $1.99 does buy a small amount of happiness.

more vintage candles! this little corner is kind of a clutter magnet. i like to keep cute glass jars and fill them with essentials like wine corks and bread bag twists. who doesn't?

how cute is that owl bookend? i got the donated set at my library's quarterly book sale years ago for $0.50.

i use these thrifted mismatched canisters for lola's treats and bones. does anybody else love jamie oliver? i used to have a poster of him and i'm not ashamed to admit it. and i need to use my julia child cookbook more, too. i haven't made anything from it since my mastering the art of friendship and french cooking party.

my culinary heart really belongs to nigella, though. <3

underneath my cookbooks is a sweet print i found in illinois a few years ago. i really need to get it professionally framed because i love the colors and illustration style.

i always have to add a touch of whimsy. i got this sweet planter at an estate sale and it's a bit chipped here and there, but her face is too cute to get rid of.

this green frame was actually one of my first buys at an estate sale. i made it into a french bulletin board and, sadly, i think it's days are numbered. the style seems so far from where i am now (a bit too french country), but i love having a place to display favorite vintage illustrations, concert tickets, and old postcards.

so, that's my kitchen. there's quite a bit crammed into that small space. can you imagine the rest of le apartment? yep, there's a lot of stuff to get through.

thanks for indulging me!

estate sale finds // 04.01.2011

happy friday to you! i had the good fortune of being off today and took advantage of it by hitting up a vintage-saturated estate sale - my favorite kind. here's what i brought home:

a pair of mod orange japanese: a) oil and vinegar decanters or b) salt and pepper shakers. what do you think?

adorable lamb salt and pepper shakers. 

an assortment of vintage embroidery transfer patterns. i love the animated kitchen friends on the top!

a too cute for words merry maid clothes sprinkler container.

a funny little toothpick holder (the bird bends down to pick up the toothpick for you).

this little boy stole my heart. what a cutie pie!

i got pulled in by the cover graphics. i should know better by now, but i can't resist colorful vintage illustrations.

a complete 12-piece gitsware colorvision snack set. i love the orange, gold, and cream color combination.

a sampler-theme box of paper napkins and coasters. sampler art: another guilty pleasure.

this little electric fan was too cool (no pun intended) not to pick up. it's a great metallic green shade.

i had to have this just for the peacock feathers. i was surprised to see the bottom marked 'claire lerner studios' as its style is very different from most claire lerner pieces i've come across. it seems much more art deco than atomic era.

these all came together in a plastic bag. i was pulled in with the glasses, but there were some sentimental items in there, which i love finding. the crochet bag has a note stating emphatically that it was not to be washed and the two shoes are marked 1926 and 1927.

this cheerful wall-hanging wasn't at the sale, but at a thrift store stop on the way home. 

a new metal thermos for my vintage collection - yay!

i love finding these old hangers with the colorful crochet covers. this is only a portion of the lot i scored for just a few dollars.

this was also a thrift store find. i'm almost at the point of banning myself from picking up any more needlepoint scenes. i have so many, but i kind of just go weak in the knees thinking about how long somebody must have spent creating these works. i just can't seem to let them waste away in a lonely thrift store, you know?

it was a great morning for vintage finds and i'm extremely happy with what i got, but let me show you what i really, really wanted and didn't get to in time.

pretty amazing, no? i'm a little sick that i didn't get it. everything was so reasonably priced that i'm sure it was no more than $50. i was the fifth person in line and wouldn't you know it, the first two girls ran straight in and scooped it (and most of the other awesome vintage furniture) up. le sigh. keith managed to snag a great kroehler sofa, so i feel better. a little.

what did you find?

(this post is part of apron thrift girl's thrift share monday)