Old is New: shabby chic noted

I have always liked the vibration of old things- the lives that have touched them seem to have been imprinted in some perceptible, if un-named way. My family has always traded in that which was pre-owned. Just our way, I guess. It was my delight to see the genre that emerged as Shabby Chic, when this was how my graduate school day's bungalow was furnished many years prior to the official name. I was in East Hampton this summer and got a chuckle to see a Shabby Chic boutique on the main drag of such a refined and upscale venue. I'd never pay those prices...


The painting here is titled 'Blue and Cream' done in the Shabby Chic style by Susan Brown

Soap Love

I love me some soap. That is just the truth. My friends know that I am very considerate when it comes to my budget, but somehow I can spend the ducks on a bar of soap. Case in point, I have been hankering for a bar of soap from a french antiques shop in my parent's hometown that I keep forgetting to ask my mother to mail to me. My love affair with soap started when I was very small and realized that my grandmother's bathroom and, in deed, many older bathrooms had the nicest scent of clean, fresh soap used over years. Then, while in my twenties in Athens,GA, I stumbled upon homemade herbal soaps from local vendors. Sweet, herby, fresh and clean. I was then lead to international soaps always prefering creamy bars to glycerines. I could go on so I won't.

Check out Trunkt.org which is a directory of creative entrepreneurs. The photo of soap here is provided by Micky Byrd and can be purchased there.