Stuff Other People Make – Page 6

Precious

See.. this is one of the awesome things about blogging…

Beth over at – Be yourself, everyone else is taken – casually mentioned that she’d be at the beach for the next month. Seeing as she resides in a snowy state, I was curious as to where the heck she went. The lucky girl is currently a resident of Seaside on the Gulf Coast Pan handle of Florida. If you’ve never been… the waters are the most beautiful shade of emerald green/blue and the sands are sugar white. My grandmother lived nearby in a gulf front condo on Panama City Beach and we visited Seaside often.

“The original vision of founders Robert and Daryl Davis, Seaside is the heart of Northwest Florida’s Emerald Coast along the scenic Highway 30A corridor. Beautiful, unique residences and guest houses blend seamlessly with pristine beaches overlooking the crystal clear waters of the Gulf Of Mexico. Seaside is designed to reflect a simpler time, when meals were shared, stories entertained and walking was how people got around.”

I had a dream of one day owning one of these awesome seaside “cottages”… their vibrant colors and big porches and quaint walkways are so welcoming. There’s an awesome artisans outdoor market in good weather. The problem is real estate is at a PREMIUM down there on the gulf coast and it’s only gotten more expensive in recent years.

There was, however, this tiny pink/peach cottage that I adored. It had the name “Precious”. I thought.. well, some day… perhaps Precious will fit the budget. I was so enamored with Precious when I last visited that I took photos and came home to paint a small portrait with my then four year old daughter standing in front. Now I’m not a true artist in the paint medium, my work tends to be flat. But I still try now and then for the joy of it and I do cherish this little painting from 17 years ago.

When Beth told me where she was I gave her a photo assignment. It’s been 17 years since I last saw Precious. Could the tiny house still be as it was? Seaside has grown tremendously and it was quite possible she no longer existed. This morning I glanced at my blog roll.. and… THERE SHE WAS!!!

Beth found her, in need of attention and now a mere guest cottage to a much larger home. She is still… Precious. And so is Beth… thank you, thank you for finding my old friend. Now that Precious is a guest cottage, I know for sure she is out of my league. One can always dream.

I always knew I’d land in Purgatory

I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints…the sinners have much more fun – (On a side note – I’d like to thank Billy Joel for a truly great song, it always gets me in a good mood)…

Of course, I’m not there YET , although on some days that’s debatable… but one of my “shoes” hoofed it to Nova Scotia, and that’s exactly where it landed.

This is the screened porch of Sara Harley of Dream Big, an artist in several mediums that has a very generous heart. Visit her blog and check out her Paws for Charity work. You’ll also see her incredible stained glass window creations and calendars. I think I have convinced the husband that we should take a road trip to this beautiful land some time in the near future so that I can purchase one of these windows and call it my very own. Plus, have you seen the rugged beauty of Nova Scotia? Sara also wields a mean camera, her photos are beautiful.

Forever in Blue Jeans

My standard attire, my basic wardrobe, the outfit I’de pick if I had to wear just one thing for the rest of my life would be without a doubt… blue jeans and a t-shirt.

Did you know…

Blue jeans were invented in 1873 by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss.
Although denim pants had been around as work wear for many years, historically dating back to England in the 1600s with a fabric there called denim, it was the first use of rivets that created what we now call jeans.
One of Levi’s many customers was a tailor named Jacob Davis. Originally from Latvia, Jacob lived in Reno, Nevada, and regularly purchased bolts of cloth from the wholesale house of Levi Strauss & Co. Among Jacob’s customers was a difficult man who kept ripping the pockets of the pants that Jacob made for him. Jacob tried to think of a way to strengthen the man’s trousers, and one day hit upon the idea of putting metal rivets at the points of strain, such as on the pocket corners and at the base of the button fly.
These riveted pants were an instant hit with Jacob’s customers and he worried that someone might steal this great idea. He decided he should apply for a patent on the process, but didn’t have the $68 that was required to file the papers. He needed a business partner and he immediately thought of Levi Strauss.

In 1872 Jacob wrote a letter to Levi to suggest that the two men hold the patent together. Levi, who was an astute businessman, saw the potential for this new product and agreed to Jacob’s proposal. On May 20, 1873, the two men received patent no.139,121 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. That day is now considered to be the official “birthday” of blue jeans.

Hilary over at Crazy As A Loom has done something awesome with recycled jeans. Look what arrived on my doorstep last night …

The upstairs hallway is very narrow and sits between the kids’ bedrooms. When the shop closed recently I brought home this awesome blue dresser that we used for displays, but I had no idea where I’de put it. I found it at Homegoods two years ago in the sale department and fell in love. I don’t decorate with blue though, so it wasn’t looking good anywhere I put it. Then it dawned on me that there were no competing colors up there and I could go blue-crazy in that one spot. So I did.