thrift store finds // 03.24.2011

i have an inventory of thrift stores that i visit regularly. some every week, some every few weeks. this morning i went to one of the thrift stores that is more infrequently browsed (because it's a bit of a trip), but one that almost always has a good find or two.



i have a thrifting theory. if you find one good item (i mean one really good item) at a thrift store, keep looking because there will be more. walk down every single aisle and look at every single shelf. good things come in numbers.



case in point? (no pun intended) this amazing vintage suitcase. this particular thrift store has a little cubby with shelves for its luggage storage and, i kid you not, my heart beamed when i saw a flash of hot berry pink in the corner.



vintage luggage can be deceiving. the outside may be in fantastic condition, but the inside lining can often be torn, stained, or just missing. imagine my dizziness when i opened the case to find a bright acid green lining in almost perfect vintage condition ♥



i snapped up the suitcase and made my way around the store. hanging on a random wall near the used sheets (it sounds disgusting, but there are great vintage patterns sometimes!) was this gorgeous needlepoint on burlap. the colors were a perfect match to the suitcase.



it's often a huge frustration to sort through the tons of plastic bags of jewelry in thrift stores. everything is thrown in together and most of it is costume jewelry from the eighties. this store never has any jewelry on display, but today they had this sweet vintage enamel brooch sitting on a shelf.



i'm a sucker for vintage record illustrations. i don't care so much about the music, but if it has a great cover, i'll buy it. children's records from the 1960s are the best.



anthropomorphic vegetables steal my heart.



if i had a spare dresser top, i'd display all my finds just like this. it was a great thrifting trip and inexpensive, as well. everything pictured cost me less than $10.00.

now let me show you what i didn't buy, but probably should have.



this was the little cubby full o' luggage today. i have never seen so much vintage samsonite at a thrift store in one day. this stuff can go for a pretty penny on etsy and ebay. in fact, i got a duplicate of that robin's egg blue suitcase in the middle and it sold to a buyer who was going to use it as a prop in a broadway show. i'm totally kicking myself now for not snapping that one up, as well.



also in the luggage section? these two lady baltimore cases from the 1950s.



i love the font on this logo.



the cases were a dark green-ish black and the interior was a gorgeous lilac, but they were quite stained and, though it was hard, i left them for another vintage lover.



call me crazy, but i love this dining set. the pedestal bases for the chairs and the table have the most fantastic geometric vibe. it was a relatively inexpensive find, but i have nowhere to store it until i move and it is a tad too 1970s for my personal taste.



salvation army in famers branch, you did not disappoint!

the library // st. nick cruises the mississippi



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to prove that i don't necessarily cringe at every approaching library patron or roll my eyes with every incoming phone call, a nice story for you today!

a patron called the library to ask if our microfiche reader was in working order. as this semi-ancient piece of machinery hasn't seen a user in several years, there wasn't an immediate answer to his inquiry. we turned the machine on, stared at it, and crossed our fingers for a sign of life. thirty seconds later, it sputtered and began to hum quietly. our patron said he'd be in shortly and that we'd recognize him as santa.

the elf himself entered the building a few hours later and, indeed, looked quite jolly, white-bearded, and well-fed. santa was on a mission to find his maternal grandparents and his search was leading him down the mississippi river.

santa, apparently, had been adopted and had only learned the identity of his birth mother ten years ago (as we all know, santa is quite old, so i don't think he actually got to meet his birth mother). he was extremely passionate about finding his roots, which, naturally, included his maternal grandparents. santa had their names, birth dates, and death dates and was looking to find a copy of their obituaries (one from 1956 and one from 1979), more than likely on microfilm or microfiche.

while i was looking up newspaper archives across the country, santa told me that his grand-daddy had constructed a makeshift float and had taken to the mississippi with his woman, heavily pregnant with santa's biological mother, in the early 1920s. apparently grand-daddy's float, starting the journey in the midwest, arrived at the mississippi delta some time later, but not with the same lady with whom he'd started. santa needed to find out when, where, and why his grandmother had been cast aside.

apparently there are a few articles in the delta democrat times that chronicle grand-daddy's journey. after researching its availability, i sent santa on his merry way in hot pursuit of his family legacy. he told me to be good and that he'd know if i wasn't (it's the library - there has to be a little creepiness to each story, right?).

these types of inquiries are the reason i love my job. there really is nothing better than connecting patrons with correct and authoritative information, especially when it's the big guy who is in charge of my material happiness each december.

dining at the spiral (diner)

after spending the morning at a "hoarder's" estate sale (i always like when that word is included in the ads because there's bound to be some pretty great stuff amongst, well, junk), keith and i headed to the spiral diner in oak cliff (very south dallas).

isn't it cute? i love the pink and yellowish-green with hints of turquoise. sigh. color makes me so happy.

the spiral diner & bakery specializes in organic and 100% vegan food (no meat, milk, eggs, honey, casein, etc.), all made from scratch in an atomic-era diner setting. how could it not be great?

to clarify, i'm not vegan or even vegetarian. i eat meat on a regular basis and enjoy dairy immensely, but it's always good to explore and expand one's palate, yes?

before we even discuss the menu, let's just take a second and admire the houndstooth tablecloth. along with color, i am a fan of classic patterns.

i started with the bottomless fair trade ethiopian coffee, sweetened with a hint of vanilla agave nectar.

keith chose the oogave watermelon cream soda. isn't it beautiful? near the end of the meal, we both got refills on our drinks and switched. so tasty.

keith knew what he wanted before we even got there: nachos supremo. queso, soy beef, tomatoes, black olives, green onions, jalapenos, guacamole, and sour cream towered over corn chips. it was delicious (yes, i took a bite. or two. all in the name of blogging, i assure you).

meanwhile, i'm the boring person who orders a "safe" meal the first time at a restaurant. there were so many options and so many incredible-sounding dishes that i was a bit overwhelmed and ended up ordering the spiral diner soy burger.

a burger's the natural choice at a diner, right? yes. i added avocado and cheese and chose the potato salad as a side (and i've had this song stuck in my head ever since - this diversion is well worth a four-minute break, i promise!). everything was amazing! the patty was juicy and though the cheese isn't looking too hot in the photo, it tasted divine.

before ordering dessert, i snuck over to the restroom to get a picture of the restroom signs. keith helped me out with the men's. what a guy!

are these not amazing? i love little touches like this in a restaurant!

we both enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie for dessert. it was fluffy and moist and oh-so-good.

other dessert options included brownies, fresh cinnamon rolls, and coconut cupcakes. they also have killer shakes and malts, apparently. there's even one called martha the librarian, which i am definitely going to get next time!

the building had so much charm, i couldn't stand it. i loved the colors, the fabrics, the furniture, the windows, and especially the ceiling: all shiny silver vintage tin. beautiful.

it was a great lunch date with one of my favorite people. how was your weekend?

the exceptional internet // 03.19.2011

a few of my favorite internet things this week!

"you need to stop doing so many mushrooms!" the trailer for super mario re-imagined as an indie film premiered at the sxsw festival this week. i would watch this, for real. | via geekologie

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the self-portrait romance novel cover recreations by oli and alex crack me up! i've cataloged quite a few of these gems, so i recognize good styling when i see it! | via dude craft

i want to knit this just because it incorporates the word giganto. this would be such a fun project and how cool would it look with an ombre finish? | via neatorama

st. patrick's day was this week and i don't know about you, but i love an irish accent. and irish idioms. and irish language, in general. grammar girl has a short podcast about how to speak english like the irish.




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 i'm in love with amy ahlstrom's urban quilts. her designs are inspired by city life in chicago, tokyo, san francisco, new york, and kyoto and are constructed with dupioni silk and cotton. | via boing boing

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cooking is already one of my favorite things, but these beautifully illustrated recipes make me want to spend all day in the kitchen! they draw & cook features illustrated recipes and you can search by meal type, illustration style, ingredient, artist location, and more. there's also a kids draw & cook - too cute! | via creature comforts

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this vintage hotel room postcard makes me so happy. the couch! the chairs! the colors! i die. | via whorange

based on an episode of family guy, this clip is edited to show the points in movies in which the titles of the movies are said. confusing? yes, but i have to admit that i often feel like peter at these crucial points. do you? | via neatorama

what did you find on the interwebs this week?



awesome points

i'm awarding a million awesome points to my lola because:

she's finally (kind of) learning to sit when she sees other dogs, as opposed to rushing them with her pip-squeak snarl.

she's gobbling up the new addition of mixed vegetables to her dry food.

she still loves me even when i have to work a lot and leave her at home at night to go to concerts.

she's fiercely dedicated to keeping my feet warm when i'm sick (food poisoning is not fun).

she's at the other end of a heartworm treatment. i take her back to get the final test next week.

she lets me take lots and lots of pictures of her. many times, she's dressed up (sometimes by my nieces, most of the time by me).

she's puts her face between her paws when she's sleepy (gah, this kills me!).

and, even though she is quite solemn and slightly repressed (according to my brother-in-law), she has the best puppy dog smile i've ever seen.

she's awfully sweet, lola is.

the library // on the phone

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army guy has been on a rigorous job search lately. he's tried many avenues and many professions (the army (obviously), heating & air, mechanics, commercial driving (he's working on getting a driver's license first), government, and numerous retail gigs), but the poor guy can't seem to catch a break.

perhaps it has something to do with the following message i heard him leave on a potential employer's voicemail?

army guy: uh, yes, i'm on the phone today. i saw you yesterday, i was in person, but today i'm on the phone. i'm looking at your website right now. on the computer. i'm at the library and i'm looking at it. please call me if you have any questions i might be able to answer for you.

it's probably just the economy, though.

slainte!

happy st. patrick's day! here's to a bit of guinness and getting indecipherably teary-eyed at the end of the day.

oh, beeker. you're the best <3

music // devotchka

so, last night's show was seriously magical.

the granada theater is definitely one my favorite live music venues in dallas and they always have great acts on the calendar. and it's not too far a drive from suburbia, which is a plus on a weeknight (hello, old age).

telegraph canyon opened and i really enjoyed their set and their sound. i'm a sucker for violins, banjos, and organs, of which there were plenty.

the main attraction, obviously, was devotchka. it's been awhile since i've awaited a band with such anticipation and high spirits.

they opened their two-(gloriously long) hour set with the alley, the first track from their new album, 100 lovers. from then on, it was a mix of romantic gypsy melodies and raucous russian-wedding-band-esque polka jam sessions. in other words? amazing.

i loved how they incorporated songs from all their albums so as to not go overboard on new material (not that i don't love their new music). we've all been to a concert where the band is just playing new stuff and the crowd keeps shouting the names of old songs. awkward and frustrating for everybody, right?

i have to admit that i was pret-ty dizzy with excitement when they played my two all-time favorites:

how it ends...

and you love me. the power music has over memory leaves me in awe sometimes. everything was so beautiful and melancholic. just how i like my music.

i was actually sad when the show ended - the band just has a great stage presence and a really lively show, which always feeds into the audience. the whole night, i was either mesmerized by incredibly talented musicians (accordion, melodica, trumpet, theremin, flute, violin, tuba {played by a bad-ass chick}, and tons of different guitars) or clapping away in rhythm to their awesome sound.

to end things right, they played a neil young cover for the encore. excellent.

it was a spectacular night.