Friday, August 30, 2013

My Favorite things ...Diptique

Just like Oprah I have favorite things.  Im not giving them to you however.  All that thrifting and Ebay-ing allows the occasional treat.  Diptique Figuier (fig) and Feus de Bois (fire-smells like wood smoke) are my favorites......

Thursday, August 29, 2013

More whiteware and Ironstone...

Yes i know, where do i put it all but i better get a big kitchen soon so i can do this, and soon! Heres the three new additions to the jug collection.  The front one is my favorite  has an amazing crackle to it and beautiful crest on the bottom. Enjoy.  









Sunday, August 25, 2013

JCPenny...prepare to be amazed! Along with Macys, and Martha Stewart


Okay, so this is a little unusual for me to post on something that is actualy new and not second hand or vintage but I was amazed when I visited JCPenny! I have been following there down fall from a stock point of view and been trying to visit a store for a while to check out there new look and see if there is hope for a come back. I was at Macy's just before so that was my point of reference, indulging my love of Martha Stewart product there! I was actually at Macys visiting the new Ralph Lauren mens store, making sure all the product I work on was looking good. It did, go check it out, its actually amazing. Macy's now looks like Selfridges!
Anyway back to JCP. So I walk in (herald square, its hell so go early or go late, its like a less glamorous Tokyo) and the first thing I see is a stationary store that I haven't seen since London, Ordning and Reda.  Lovely stationary if not a little on the expensive side but, still I was amazed that it was there, in JCP no less.  Ill wait for a sale :-)  

.....so then I see this, clean space, wide isles, no hideous pattern.  All good signs.  Also love how they simply and thriftily removed the ceiling tiles and blacked out the workings up top in the ceiling.  Apparently this is the first department to be rolled out following ousted CEO Ron Johnson formerly of apple. You can see the influences all around in the store design......


....then i see what is there version of all clad on the shelves.  The shelves themselves are simple and one would almost say modern (i know its just a shelf but).  The pans look great,  and if I was looking to buy new ones I would have.  Subtly logoed and very sturdy looking, heavy weight and professional.  And the price was amazing AND it was another 40 off AND if your obsessive like I am you can find another 10-20% off on line if you google for JCP discount codes!  Im almost talking myself into buying these pans ( I already bought mine on ebay, they may or may not give you lead poising, but they look great)......





....next I was tricked into thinkig there was a live cooking show and I was going to be able to eat something, but it is what looks to be a live demo area.  Again totally open, and easy to shop.  BUT there was all this Martha "pantry" product.  Coarse salt, peppercorns, baking mixes.  GGGRRREEEAAAATTTT! Thrifty me didnt need it right now but it is sitting in my online basket as I type (however later i went back and got it).  I do hope they succeed in selling this stuff, im dying to know how its all doing as I would love to be able to count on this place for these things.....


Lazy Sunday afternoon....192 books, high line hotel and iced tea

Lucky me.  I  was walking to the gym and past one of my favorite but under visited books stores on 10th ave, 192 books .  They had a sale stack,  so of course i rummaged and came away with a great little garden design book for 3 dollars, my iced tea cost more!  That was from another great place, intelligentsia coffee at the High Line Hotel.  They have been renovating for a while but they have the outside garden almost done and its still unknown right now, so a perfect place to soak up so early evening rays...


view book 
192 books
the high line hotel 
intelligentsia coffee



More finds...flea market and ebay



This is now mine. Yes it's another lamp, yes I know I just posted two others I bought just a few weeks back, and yes I know I live in 400sq ft apt.  BUT it's a good one right ? AND you always need light, and most of all, it's rusty.....


This however is not mine, there is no room at the lodge for a large piece of furniture, even thought its a beauty....


Just loved this. The patina is amazing on it and look at those legs :-) 

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Flea Market finds....

a little flea market rummaging....


....this lady has the best stuff she is upstairs on the second level and on the right corridor about two stalls in ...


...color, not for me but beautiful non the less....



One must......


Thursday, August 22, 2013

Home on the farm....


Home sweet home.....
Here is a bunch of photos from my spring and winter trip home, im clearly feeling homesick!  My parents and sister live on a farm in the north of england, a county called Northumberland. My sister farms with my dad, you can see her cottage further into the post, some how she got the farming genes and i didn't!  The longer i am away the more i miss the space, the view, the quiet, the air, the animals, and most importantly my family.  If only  the family farm wasn't a plane, train and a drive away it would solve the problem of getting out of the city and i could just go there at the weekend!  Anyway I thought i would share these and help you understand where some of my aesthetic come from. Such a beautiful place to go home to and an amazing way to grow up....




The drive up to the farm, and there's Shony my dad's quarter horse. He love america, and by America i mean the middle bit....



The sheep in the yard at the back of the house...


Christmas time, nothing quite like it....

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Time...

Something i picked up at a stoop sale a little while ago.  My whole block comes together to swap and sell on there section of the side walk.  Very community, great way to meet your neighbors if your into that (i am). I think this guy is a handsome addition to the collection 



Sunday, August 18, 2013

H & M Home debut.....

Okay some exciting news.  Not everyones cup of tea but thrifty Jordan (me) loves this.  H and M has launched there home collection here in the states.  Its been available for some time in Europe so now we get the chance to shop for great home things at a great (cheap) price.
Take a look and let me know what you think, i particularly like the modern minimalism group......





Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Ironestone...the collection continues

New additions to the ironstone collection. I love an eBay bargain! Take a look at the crackle finish that this gets over time. That's part of what I love about it, along with the handsome lines and that crest on the bottom. Perfect tea mug......



Monday, August 12, 2013

T-shirts...make them your own

So im a big fan of a white t shirt as any of my friends will tell you. You know, handsome, classic etc etc.  Basically they are easy.  Anyway, i always worry (as i am sure you do) that it looks like your always wearing the same one.  So i wanted to personalize them a little, and in a more interesting way than a monogram. So here we go...



Start sketching what it is you like and want to put on the t-shirt.  I mean who doesn't want a half drawn lion/gargoyle on a shirt?  Here are some artful shots of my sketches..blah blah...


oh a dear, and antlers, so out of character for me....


ohhh more antlers, so original, the letter b, again really pushing the boundaries.  Anyway you get the idea.....

Saturday, August 10, 2013

New flea Market find


After the obligatory new york saturday morning, scrape out the ash tray and wash the empty glasses from Friday night,  drag yourself, espresso fueled to yoga and then onto brunch (yes i'm that predictable/sterotypical ) I like to wander on to the chelsea flea market.  This is where i bumbed into this little fella. Love him, i had to have him, i already have his big brother, see below.  The lady told me a lovely story about selling into a gentleman 10 years ago, how he has now fallen in love and is moving to madrid, so now she is selling it on again for him.  This is the kind of thing i love, and also why i love old, vintage, used, found objects.  They have lived a whole lot of life before us. And proably will live a whole lot of life after us, hopefully.  You haven't met them yet but all over my apt are objects from my grandparents, that were given to my parents, and slowly with trips back home to England and my mother wonderfully lugging things in her hand luggage over here (my great grandfathers wall clock) they are becoming part of my home.
In other news falling back into obsession with Moby's destroyed album, thank you Mary Dana
Happy saturday 

Monday, August 5, 2013

I'm addicted....to lamps

Look at these two new lamps, there beautiful. One little one large. The little one reminds me (in cuteness levels) if the little Pixar lamp was turned into a vintage lamp. So cute! So much better after a coat of matt black paint, not into the green. And the larger guy, perfect as is but some one sharpied on the shade "works". I guess I know it works. Was toying with the idea of stenciling a number, surplus style over it but we will see.......any way i welcome them to the brood....

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Industrial lamp overhaul....

Found the image of the original when it get shipped to me


This is part of the lamp, as you can see it is caked in paint.  There is also a long arm with the bulb on it, like a fool i didn't take the overall picture, creative types never good with the practical.  This is the clamp part of it and the arm attaches to this, you will see at the end!



So i at first tried the non toxic version, boiling the metal parts to see what would come off....



here is the paint peeling action, riveting stuff i know......



okay so after it cools a little the plan is to scrape off as much as possible, this baby was not having it, the yellow revealed a lovely shade of red.  I think you are aware that red is not part of my aesthetic so .....



out come the big guns.  Spray on paint stripper. This is supposedly less toxic so i thought i would give it a try....



more supplies, you are essentially going to want to throw everything away the paint stripper touches so rags are needed.  Also this stuff burns, not the scary skin blistering horror movie kind, but you still get a rash so i recommend gloves.  I also did this in my tiny apartment, in shorts when it was way to warm.  Non of this i recommend, space, cool air, even a breeze all would be ideal, but you do what you can.......



so it looks like a big mess, and it is. Simply spray on and let it sit, as the can says for at least 30mins.  I left it 2 hrs, any excuse for a coffee break.  Then the messy bit really starts.  Use those rags to wipe away and scrape off as many laters of paint as possible.  You can see below the results of the first round of paint stripper.....



here they are all washed down and scrubbed.  Not that impressive.  So they got another spray coating of stripper and then washed down again......



wire coat hangers, always keep them around, they are useful for everything.  Here is the glamorous shot of me in rubber gloves with a wire hanger getting into the grooves of the head of the lamp......



then comes the wire wool to really clean it up .....



another detail shot, loving the way its looking....



the clamp part gets another good soak, then a scrub down and wire wool......



the end of the light ....



the clamp all stripped, looking good.....



here you get to see it in all its glory.  The clamp part attaches to the rod which hold the light, the finish touch is an Edison bulb.


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