Free Holiday Music?!

I just spent hours trying to finagle the internet into letting me buy only a few songs off the Elf Soundtrack.  It's pretty ridiculous in hindsight.  I'm not proud, but I gave up.  Then I stumbled upon something which perked me back up. Did you know that Target had a free holiday songs to download?  Yeah, and some of them are not too shabby.  I particularly liked the sound of someone called Jenny O., and Guster will always bring me back a little.  All in all, I had fun listening. I mean, it's no Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas (1960), which is like instant holiday spirit to the ears, but it helped me fill the void of Elf.  Ella's is the kind of jazzy classic that will power through tree decoration and cocktails to smooching under the lights.

(This might be general knowledge... with a big brand like Target I imagine it would be, but we don't get to know these things in France. Photo from here .)

The "Heritage-Brand Hipster" Movement

Finding a gift guide dedicated to the above on Remodelista was a huge A-HA moment.  It's the first time I had encountered the phrase "heritage-brand," let alone in conjunction with hipster, and it resonated.  Admittedly this must be an itsy-bitsy demographic, and somewhat slippery, especially in that it includes the word hipster.  I don't think anybody self-identifies as a hipster, at least without irony.  In this case, though, I think this is less about being hipster and more about reviving interest in quality products.  I like the way that hipster wasn't used pejoratively in the Remodelista post, more as a stand-in for discerningly current.  These brands, their production techniques and their artisan flair are important.  They are like the heirloom seeds of American manufacturing (forgive me the clumsy simile, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around all this).


This is the time of year that people buy a lot of stuff, myself included.  Pledges to buy handmade for the holidays have been going around for a couple years; see Anna's (of Door Sixteen) and its origin here.  While I've been inspired by them and have recently started shopping handmade, I struggle with handmade being the only limiting factor for where and how you shop.


I wholly support the democratization of the internet marketplace on sites like Etsy.  At the same time, within that movement, there is a definite trend that begs the question that Jenna from Cold Antler Farm identified after a viewing of the film Handmade Nation: that of it being predominantly "urban hipster types, making hand-blown glass, letterpressed posters, designer embroidery, and apartment decorations" in other words "'just making the knick knacks they would usually buy? Why weren't they making things of use?'" Without a doubt, crafters and artisans need (and deserve!) every bit of the support, but there must be another missing piece of the puzzle.  


After all, as our communities are structured now, there's a big blank space between crafts and container gardens wherein lie products that are too specialized or require production that is too intensive for one person (or community) to make and consume alone.  Then there's the issue of money.  I believe that being frugal isn't being a cheapskate, but spending thoughtfully.  That being said, it's almost impossible (and prohibitively expensive) to live in a way that meets all the criteria.  Some compromising (or hypocrisy) is inevitable, but in this case, there are ways to minimize it.   Perhaps this is the niche for the heritage brand, as identified by Remodelista.  As I understand it, heritage brands tick a lot of my important boxes: production within the country, use of local materials, traditional techniques, and quality that will last generations (or multiple hands).  These are brands that have been around for long enough to become iconic.  Then there's the aesthetic appeal, which is undeniable (see also this Wall Street Journal article on the impact of this movement on fashion ). 

I believe in supporting the output of traditional techniques (here I'm thinking of beloved Edwardian Farm), even when they involve machinery or aren't crafted by one person. For the holidays, I think supporting the production of useful, effective, beautiful and durable objects is a worthy cause. The more locally made, and purchased, the better.  Then there's the recording of independent musicians and publishing of independent voices. Those books may not have been anywhere near a letter press, but I still think buying those works is also a noble act.  In other words, there are many ways to give thoughtful presents to yourself and others at this time of the year, and there will be trade-offs.  Handmade is certainly one great option, but, in my opinion, not the only way to go. There are always alternatives to going to a big-box store, and local service-providers and stores provide something special that we have almost lost, but perhaps still have a chance to keep around for generations.  As for myself, heritage brands (and new brands that share the same ethos) are something I find especially interesting and I'm certainly inspired by the guide that sparked this post.


I'm by no means an expert on any of this, just trying to work out where I stand in relation to this newly-discovered demographic and how to be a person who supports good causes through my everyday living. What do you consider to be a heritage brand? (Photo credits: Pendleton Woolen Mills Silver Bark Blanket, Woven Ash Foraging Basket, Makr Goods Rucksack )

Nowhere Boy

Here I admit that John Lennon is my favorite Beatle (my mom's is George Harrison and my sister's is, or was, Ringo).  Don't even pretend you don't have a favorite. My mom remembers Lennon as being 'the cool one' in the age of Beatlemania and I admire the combination of bad boy and peace activist.   I'm really intrigued by this movie...  if you've seen it, was it good?  I hope it will fulfill my craving for mid-century suburban Britain that An Education started.

How fantastic is this?

Pretty fantastic. Cisco Pet (the Nantucket Bike Basket Co.) makes this pet basket for your bicycle (there are other sizes as well, including back baskets). Found here, where there are many other wonderful things I would like to give Lyle (including a mustache ball).

Vintage Postcards

Today we went back to the thrift market up the street.  It's one of the only places we can walk to from the house, and I wouldn't have anything else in its place.  Until today, I had yet to spend over three euros fifty there in one shopping trip, and I have bought whole lot of neat things so far.  Then everything changed today when I bought these vintage postcards.  In total, I now have ten of them.  They are stamped, postmarked, addressed and, in some cases, even written out.  All of them are from 1903 to 1908.

I was just about to walk home when my new best friend, the man who works in the book department, told me that they had just gotten some postcards in.  He thought I might like them.  He said I would appreciate them and see the difference between them and some reproductions of cards from around the same period, which he also showed me.  Or at least, that's what I inferred.  In actuality I have no idea what he said, but that's irrelevant.  He knows me, even perhaps better than I know myself.  I personally had no idea how thrilling leafing through antique postcards might be. This is despite the fact that I've only been to a handful of the places pictured and I still don't really know what they say.  

In the end, it was hard to only bring home ten out of the two-hundred or so cards.  They all had something, whether it was a hand-tinted facade or a particularly striking figure.  They're mostly from around France, a mix of Paris, resorts and rural areas.  While the people are too small to really make out their features, you can see their clothing and general attitudes.  There are shopkeepers posing on the street and bathers sitting on the sand.  There are men with bicycles and impressive mustaches. There are streets and skylines.  Then there are the notes written on the back in impeccable penmanship and fading ink. They are casual, but also speak of a time of more formal manners. Overall, the notes appear lighthearted and inquisitive, punctuated with jaunty flourishes.  I can only imagine the excitement of writing them to friends and lovers and the stories that lie behind them.  Who collected them and why did those people value them?  Being the guardians of these words, written by and for people who are long gone, is an indescribable feeling.  Walking away with them in my purse gave me shivers and made my heart pound.  Now, what to do with them?

About the Christmas markets...

If I am not very much mistaken they took it up a notch this week:

Sorry about the image quality, but I was a little bit intimidated by the wise man... also the camel, but strangely not as much.

Re-create the Look: S. Russell Groves Bedroom

This bedroom is a favorite.  Like the tape-back rocking chairs, I bet it's surprisingly comfortable in addition to being simple and beautiful.  This is austere in a way that is both modern and traditional.  Soaring, exposed beams that reflect the rural barn structure are stunning.  It's the restraint and beauty of what's in the room, however, that make it so special.  The furnishings define the space.  The bed and shelves reach upwards while breaking up the room. Finally high-contrast black and white make both spindly lines and bold shapes.  I love the shaker influence and the un-fussy collection displayed against the backdrop of the shelves.

I think that the contents of this room would work really well in another space and the look would be surprisingly easy to steal:

Below is the Ikea Expedit Bookshelf ($129).  We lived in an apartment that came furnished with a similar unit and it was really useful and holding up great, paint the wall behind it black to make a white collection stand out.

At left is the Ballard Designs Berkeley Swing Arm Floor Lamp  ($219)-- a good, simple option.

At right is Pottery Barn's Heathered Chenille Jute Rug (on sale for $449 for the 8'x10').

Below left, Shaker Workshops No. 7 Tape Back Rocker ($305 for the kit, choose black paint, black and natural tape).

Below right, the solid wood Edland bed from Ikea ($299 for the queen size and paint it black!)

Ikea also has a lot of affordable baskets for concealed but accessible storage, my pick for this room is the Nastum from Ikea (14.99), which I think would play off the tape's checkerboard pattern: