the letter ledger

I am really, truly obsessed with antique card catalogs. Thing is, I'm not the only one these days. As libraries move to digital catalogs and pass their giant wood catalogs on, they have become a hot commodity.

On Etsy, there are two-drawer catalogs ($75):

...four-drawer catalogs ($199):

...six-drawer catalogs ($240):

...and 36-drawer catalogs ($1400):

Target even has a modern version ($299.99):

Late last night, after a long day of gardening, I came across an antique oak cabinet described as a "letter ledger" on Craigslist. In the pictures, it looked remarkably similar to a card catalog. Although it was listed for $75, I emailed the seller to ask if she would drop the price to $50. When she emailed to agree early this morning, I drove right over and picked it up. 

The drawers are all three-sided, and contain a (very old but intact) filing system. I still haven't decided where I should put it (my friend Angela suggested her house), but I kind of like it in its temporary home on top of my bookcase.

dresses forever

I have a long-standing distaste for pants. But dresses and I have a love affair. You can dress them up or down. You can wear them into the winter with tights, boots, and cardigans, or in the summer with little more than sandals.

My obsession is so enduring that, when I dug a pair of jeans out of the back of my closet yesterday, I posted it on Facebook. My friends reacted with the requisite shock and disbelief:

Shaheen linked to this little nugget of genius. The person who created this and I should start a club...or a 12-step group. Although it will be awkward when they show up naked from the waist down and I show up in a ball gown.

Angela also shares my love of dresses, so she was more than happy to traipse into a field at sunset to model the three new dresses in the store:

 Vintage Prairie Floral Dress Size S/M- $20

 Vintage Green Linen Pencil Dress Size M- $28

Vintage Fuchsia Floral Tunic Dress Size M- $20

love teacups

I'd love to fill a cupboard with mismatched sets of teacups and saucers.

 Vintage Gray Roses Teacup and Saucer- $7.50

Vintage Teal Branches & Buds China Teacup and Saucer- SOLD

 

Vintage 1960s Kaysons Golden Rhapsody Wheat Teacup and Saucer- $8.00

 

Vintage Teal Branches & Buds 11 Piece China Set- $38.00

Vintage Rose and Grass Teacup and Saucer- $7.50

new (old) bike

I found this restored 1970s 3-speed Huffy on Craigslist this morning, and two hours and $40 later, it was mine.

 

Lesson for the day: don't judge a bike by its Craigslist picture. 

never buy it new: planters

I've spent the last few months in full-on thesis hell, so I decided to take a full day off--my first in ages. I had an idea stuck in my head, maybe because I've been seeing lots of succulents and air plants in white ceramic vases on Svpply and Etsy. I drove over to the Champaign ReStore, since they always have a ton of vases. I picked up a few--the small ones pictured were 50 cents and the larger one was $1, and stopped at Home Depot on the way home to pick up a ceramic/tile drill bit ($10 for a pack of 4). I drilled a few holes in each for drainage, and replanted the baby jade plants (along with some random succulent ground cover from a neighbor's yard) that have been sitting in  plastic pots on my window sill. I love how they turned out.

what i found

Chair- $35 (Craigslist)

A farmer located about 30 minutes outside of town sold me this chair. The drive was completely worth it.

Apron- $2.50 (Value World Thrift Store, Cleveland)

My mom turned me on to thrifted aprons. She sent me on a mission to find her one--which I did--but I kept this one for myself.

Necklaces, $4 (Value World Thrift Store, Cleveland)

I found these necklaces in two separate jewelry displays in the same thrift store. When I got a better look at them, I realized that they are both inscribed with "Betty," and appear to be 70 years old. I've been wearing the smaller one a lot lately.

wear this: 2-7-11

Eyebobs Scored Reading Glasses, Blackbird- $75

Tiny Leaf in Gold, edor (Etsy)- $19

Mosaic Festival Ruffle Dress, Ruche- $48.99

Belstaff® Air Bomber Jacket, J.Crew- $1,195.00

Twisted Natural Rope Bracelet with Silver Toggle, junghwa (Etsy)- $14

Vintage Red Snakeskin Heels Women's 7.5, Feather and Rust- $18