Studio Kiekje

Granny Smith Desk

I had long been fantasizing about painting my desk green. It is just a simple Ikea desk - a piece of wood on top of two shelf-things ( a highly technical term). The shelves were untreated wood, and looked pretty cheap. The weekend before last, I just decided to go for it. I was going to PAINT MY DESK. RAWWR.

Well, I am picky about color, so I had bookmarked some images to figure out what I wanted:

 

This green chair from the latest Toast catalogue. (I have to admit that this probably caught my eye because I have a variation of that outfit already in my closet) I love Toast and I flip through their catalogues like picture books. 

Also, this picture:

From the cover of a Paumes book. 

I have been informed that the girl on this cover is dressed in a Kiekje-like way. I am now pondering the effects of cute clothes on my paint choices. Would I have found the green appealing if she had been wearing Juicy Couture and Uggs?

Maybe not.

Moving on...

So, paint! I chose a color called Granny Smith green, which is an excellent name. I don't remember who makes the paint, but the apple appellation did not disappoint.

Just a reminder: this was my desk before:

Yeah. The shelves look like plywood. Also you can't see the stain down one side from when I spilled coffee all over my desk. Coffee + untreated wood = unfortunate

And now:

Sweet little green desk! 

It took about two hours for me to paint the primer, and then another two hours later to paint the Granny Smith color. It was very meditative actually, particularly because I'm a weirdo who likes the smell of paint. I may have killed off a few brain cells on this project.

But I love my new desk, and I think I am already doing better work on it.

If you have been thinking about painting a piece of unsatisfying furniture, I definitely recommend it. It is a relatively cheap way to change how your room feels. And if you can swing it, choose a fun color!

Granny smithly yours,

Angelique

Our New Home

Here are some pictures of our new place, as promised!

This is the front of the house. There are five apartments in total - ours is the one on the right, first floor. The scale in the picture is a bit deceptive, but the windows are really quite big. Which is good.

But, we have our own door into the apartment at the side of the house!

Not as cute as the front of the house, but all those nooks and bulges are really charming. It's like the Weasleys' house, with all the random pieces added on.

Jan Brett's Home

Are you familiar with the artwork of Jan Brett? Her books were favorites of my younger brothers, and my Mom and I would often look at them too, because we found her illustrations so detailed and charming.

This weekend the NYTimes had an article about the home Jan Brett shares with her husband in the Berkshires, and it is so cute and inspiring. Sean and I agree that we have major house envy (and lifestyle envy too, maybe)

Of course, now I really want to have a hedgehog as a pet. And I've been informed that its illegal in my state. I will just have to look at cute pictures of baby hedgehogs to appease myself.

SO CUTE!

mystery basket

I haven't been around for the last few days, because I've been preoccupied with my new job! I'm working this summer in my school's department of Special Collections. So far, I love it. I've already had the chance to work with an artist's archives, as well as give a presentation on a series of 16th century prints and a travel book from the 17th century. The people who work there are so friendly, and there is even rumor of pot luck days!

I'm excited to see where it goes from here.

When I came home from work on Friday I discovered a mysterious basket on my desk chair.

 

When I looked questioningly at Sean he told me that he had seen it on the side of the road, and thought it might be something I liked. Upon opening it, he definitely knew he should bring it home.

So I opened the basket...

 

And GASPED.

A picnic basket! With red-handled silverware and red ruffly plates!And a gingham tablecloth with matching napkins!

Sean deserves many kisses.

Now, to plan some perfect summer picnics... I will make lemonade, and Sean will pack sandwiches. And maybe we'll bring cherries or nectarines.

And I will need a picnic frock of course.

 

This one from Grosgrain would do nicely. (The always brilliant and generous Kathleen is giving it away here.)

picnicly yours,

Angelique

The Moon at Home

There's a lot of studying and writing going on around here. Today I had a frustrating encounter with the copy center at school and a nerve-wracking email from my advisor. But it was a comfort to come home and discover that when he's not in the sky, the moon lives in the apartment across the street.

 

Hello neighbor... keep on shining.

Magnolias and Little Dorrit

I haven't posted in a little while because of school things and other generally not blog-worthy preoccupations (job interview, taxes paying, mouse hunting...). I'm in crunch mode right now for school, with graduation coming up in just a bit over a month. (I just frightened myself a little bit writing that out... I have so much to do before then!)

Our magnolia tree is in bloom though, and that helps me remember that there is a lot more to the world than the state of my thesis.

 

Aren't they beautiful? Try to last as long as you can, magnolia blooms.

Oh, and I am making the time to watch Masterpiece Theatre's version of Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit on Sunday nights. 

 

I've watched three episodes so far, and they've been excellent! Masterpiece Theatre is doing much better this year (I've seen Tess and Wuthering Heights so far)Last year's Austen-fest was mediocre, and butchered a lot of her novels in my opinion. But this season MT is definitely redeeming itself! I think the fact that Andrew Davies, the classic novel adaptor extraordinaire, is willing this time around to make his adaptations a bit longer makes the quality of the films much better. It's hard to do justice to a novel in just an hour and a half. Little Dorrit is going to be five episodes long and it has much more depth to it as a result. Is anyone else watching it? I would love to know what other people think.

Sometimes I like to daydream about other adaptations Davies should undertake. I'd love to see We Have Always Lived in the Castle for example. 

Hints of Spring

There are some signs that spring is on its way.

 

Due to Daylight Savings I could take a picture of this pretty view while waiting to be seated at our favorite restaurant a few days ago. One month earlier, and it would have been dark at this time of day.

 

A still somewhat gloomy day was brightened by some flamboyantly yellow daffodils which were acquired for a song at Trader Joe's. My eye keeps wandering to them, and I can smell them at my computer which is making me very happy.

 

Salads made with feta and green grapes and other goodies. As a Perpetually Cold Girl I often feel the need for warm food to warm me up. Spring means salad in greater quantities. Especially with toasted almonds. Mmmmmmm...

Is it cliche to blog about springtime? I don't think I can help it - don't all people feel a bit lighter at signs like these?

(((((NOTE: another Sign of spring is having to finish up one's thesis and begin studying for an exam. Let's not discuss it further.))))

Back to Blogging!

Dear little blog, It has been far too long.

A belated happy new year to all of you in blog-land! I've been back home for a little bit, but I still have the memory of Floridian warmth to combat the current wintry conditions here in good ol' PA.

This is the view out onto "our" Magnolia tree. I must admit that though I've been living away from Florida since I was 18, snow is still a wondrous and magical thing to me. Frozen stuff! Which falls out of the sky! Amazing.

 

Actually, these pictures are from yesterday. The current snow situation is a little less amazing and a little more slushy. But, I have my new boots to help with that. I have great sartorial affection for them, and my perpetually cold toes are grateful too. Perhaps I will take a picture of them tomorrow, as I will undoubtedly be wearing them again, for about the tenth day in a row.

While watching the snow yesterday, Sean and I played with the gift I gave him for Christmas, which is really a gift for both of us: a vintage portable record player. (It's been restored by a professional, thank goodness!)

I gave it to Sean with a few thrift store records, and it's been fun playing with them, even the few that have some scratches. Sean pointed out that it makes listening to music an activity rather than merely background noise, and I definitely agree. Confession: the player may have been ostensibly for Sean, but that vintage Mary Poppins record was bought entirely to delight me.

On another note, I just had to show this beautiful blouse made by Kathleen at Grosgrain:

 

I've admired her children's clothes many times, but this is the first time I've seen her make an adult garment. I think it's just beautiful, and she styled it perfectly too with the butterfly necklace and her hair in braids. Here's a link to her post, where there are even more beautiful pictures of it. 

Sartorial envy, people. I haz it.

Random thoughts for today

* Celestial Seasonings Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea really tastes like sugar cookies.
(How exciting are the holiday teas? I think it's the fact that they are only available for a limited time that gets me..."I have to get the tea! Otherwise I can't try it until next year!". The display for the tea was at the front of the grocery store, and I amused Sean by stumbling over my own feet in order to veer towards it. What can I say? I really dig tea.)

* Speaking of tea, our heating broke today. And it rained, a lot. I'm very happy to be toasty once again.

* Our home is pretty at dusk:

* Speaking of tea once again, I think I'm going to go have some now. Good night!

Hanging daintily

In my forays through the internet wilderness I have seen several times bare tree branches used to display jewelry. This struck me as quirky and pretty, and also useful in the whole "I can see some of my favorite necklaces without them getting tangled" way.

So, guess what I did after a particularly windy day? (Tree branches were on the ground that is... I didn't want to yank a branch off a tree)

I really like how it looks - a bit fairy-taleish and wintry. Also, I should admit that that's only  a small sample of my jewelry.  There are some living in teacups on the windowsills too.

I hope you are having a lovely weekend!