Vintage Icons: Librarians

Librarians. We love them; their intelligence, their glasses, and their ability to catalogue, organize and alphabetize just about anything. I love the classic (albeit incredibly stereotypical) style; high waisted pencil skirts, horn rimmed glasses, button up blouses, cashmere sweaters and the smart, all knowing look. They get my stamp of approval!
-Ladybird

1/ 2/ 3/ 4/

DIY: Bookish Holiday

I found this amazing 70's book, "Treasury of Christmas Decorations." It has some classic ideas, and some that may be best forgotten. Decorating for seasons is a love of mine, ever since my mother spray painted a branch white and let us decorate an "Easter tree." I love coming up with interesting repurposed decorations.

While I was at the grocery store, I picked up Real Simple, and perused it. There was a really great holiday decoration that I knew would be perfect for my tiny little pad. Being a book nerd, this seemed to fit both the holidays and me to a T! I changed it a little, as I like to do, enjoy!


What you need:

10+  hard cover books in red and green or all of one color  in various sizes (I only had 8 on hand, but my tree will keep growing as I find more books)
2 glass jars (or 5 small brown hardcover books)
1 small strand of LED lights
1 pair of vintage glasses (or a bow)

1. Put the LED lights into one of the glass jars, set the two jars next to each other, make sure the strand can reach an outlet (Base can also be made just using 5 or so small brown book, for more stability)
2. Open all the red and green books to the middle
3. Stack in size order on top of the glass jars (or neutral books), starting with the largest on the bottom
4. For a nerdy finishing touch, make the glasses the bow to the top of your tree, Ta Da!
-Ladybird

Repurposed: Vintage Books

I love repurposed vintage! My friend owns a purse made out of a book, which is so adorable especially because she is a teacher. So I thought about what else you could make with a vintage book. Enjoy!
-Ladybird

hardcover turned purse

upcycled journal with golden book cover

Anthropologie window display

made by me using vintage magazine paper

1/2/3/4/5/6/

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am going to bed early tonight and getting up in the wee hours of the morning to hop the train to the airport. Alex and I are spending Thanksgiving with his family in San Francisco this year. It is a new experience for me, being away from Minnesota or at least my Minnesota family for the holidays, but I love San Francisco and his family really treats me like one of their own. I hope to help cook, eat, drink wine and pumpkin beer, give so many hugs, and get caught up on what everyone has been up to. We are also going on one of Mr. Toad's vintage touring cars. It should be a blast and I will return on Monday with some great Bay Area photos and stories. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Also, I love this 1962 children's travel book, This is San Francisco by Czech author-illustrator Miroslav Sasek. I came across the reissue on a recent trip to Anthropologie and the illustrations are outstanding. The author has written these children's travel guides for places all over the world, they would make a good gift for the traveler in your life.

 -Twill

The Shop: Running Out of Space

Our ideas are still brewing, but we are on our way. Our vintage and thrifted finds are piling up in our respective homes, hers in Portland and mine in Minneapolis. My reading chair stacked full of the "red family" finds so long I have yet to finish my month old read  Klosterman's latest, Eating the Dinosaur.

-Ladybird

The Shop: Attention to Detail

Twill and I have been scrutinizing over minor details. We are by nature, perfectionists. So today, when thinking about the price tags, I had an idea for handmade, recycled tags. I thrifted a book on pressed flowers and decided to use that book for our tags, cut out in the shape of teacups. I just started, made the templates and began the process. I think they turned out mighty cute!

 -Ladybird