bricolagelife

polaroid week

its polaroid week at flickr.

worth a look.  

nice finds: kootoyoo crocheted granny square ring

seriously. every so often i see something so simple, clever and brilliant all at once it takes my breath away. this was my reaction to kirsty's crocheted granny square jewelry. this ring is my new favorite thing. and if you hurry, you might just be lucky enough to get yourself one here.

if you haven't seen the digital version of the finished quilt project yet (also by the amazing kirsty) go now. it is gorgeous.

shop update: little ida bohatta xmas prints

 

 

i know. it's not even halloween yet and believe me - i'm not one who likes to push the season. but this is etsy, an international marketplace, and lots of people like to get their holiday shopping done early to beat the rush and crush of wrapping and shipping. so, ho-ho-ho! i will be stocking the virtual shelves at daisy chain vintage with charming xmas treasures in the days and weeks ahead.

i adore these sweet little christmas images. ida bohatta's tender feelings about the season are evident in each detail. printed in the 1930s on a seven color press that no longer exists, these rare dainty cards are available in limited quantities. what wonderful gifts they would be for a beloved teacher, a neighbor, a godchild, a dear friend... or anyone who collects christmas ephemera or children's book illustration artwork. they are perfectly lovely in a little frame to be displayed and loved for many christmases to come.

enjoy shopping from home in your pjs... there are only eight and a half weeks until xmas!

big flavors: dutch baby and a side of bacon

i was just thinking last night about giving comfort.  everyone needs it sometimes and everyone needs a different kind.  i'm the sort of person who wants to fork over just the right dose of comfort when someone i care for needs some.  is it big warm hug, a cup of tea, a safe place to land, a good laugh or a sympathetic ear that's called for?  i don't always know for sure but i do what i can.  

when i found myself in need of a little comfort today i ended up in an old familiar place i hadn't been to in years.  the long curved counter with the row of swiveling stools, the smell of coffee brewing and the gleam of the harvest gold vinyl upholstery calmed me the moment we walked thru the door.

we shared a side order of bacon and two styles of pancakes.  the coffee (with real cream) tasted exactly as i remembered it.  the magic of melting butter with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a spoonful of blackberry preserves worked as well as it used to.

 

it seems that every so often the right form of comfort presents itself at just the right moment.  even when you weren't asking for it.  the frustrations, anxieties and thwarted intentions melt away as someone you love passes you one of their potato pancakes and reaches across the table for a bit of the giant popover on your plate.

 

works for me.

dutch baby

potato pancakes

squashed like a pancake - for breast cancer awareness month

today i had my breasts squashed flat as pancakes in a big giant machine - and i was glad to do it.  

it's been a few years since i had a mammogram, tho my family history dictates that i be squashed yearly since i turned 30.  mammograms are expensive.  and for those of us who float in and out of the narrow qualifications for health insurance, it may mean a gap in those all-important annual compressions.  on a quest for a cheap mammo, i looked online myself (without much luck) and asked for referrals for affordable testing at the eminent local hospital that x-rayed me for years (they "couldn't" help me).  then my ever-vigilant sister sent me a link to leslie's list which finally gleaned some good results. (thanks, sis!).  when my doctor looked over my possible choices she offered me one she knew of... and they just happened to be offering a special for breast cancer awareness month!

advanced diagnostics was not far from home, i was able to get an appointment without a long wait, everyone there was kind and helpful and the test was less than $100.  oh, and they gave me a pen, a ribbon and a pink lollipop with my self exam info.  you can't beat that with a stick!

{and as an added bonus, they are located in a mid century office building i have admired for years, longing to see inside.  i finally got in and these photos show you a little of the original details in the entryway.  this was a perfect distraction for my anxiety as the moment of the squashing approached}  

it has always puzzled me why preventative care isn't more affordable and easy to obtain in this country. it just makes good sense.  finding an establishment like this one gave me hope.

there are sixteen more days in breast cancer awareness month, so you may find a good deal now on a mammogram in your town or neighborhood!  don't give up.  you might get lucky like i did.  ask your doctor for help if you aren't successful searching better options online.  my doctor stressed the importance of a good reading radiologist on staff, so it may be worth it to check that out.

for more info try here (where you can donate a mammogram if you are able).

and here.

and if you are a healthy woman with a sister who has had breast cancer, you can volunteer your help here.

nice finds: design your own fabric

i was alerted a few days ago about spoonflower.  i am hopelessly addicted.  you simply sign in, upload your images, select the pattern repeat, size and colors you like... and they print it on the fabric of your choice!

this is literally like a dream come true for me.  my swatches will arrive soon and i'm a little buzzed from the anticipation.  don't you want to play, too?

thanks, josh!

why christopher nolan is awesome: reason #4

health insurance.

because christopher nolan hired my husband, made that super-amazingly popular batman movie and sold all those dvds, we got kicked back into plan b for a year.  i won't go into my diatribe on health insurance here.  if you know me in person, you've heard it all before.  many times, i'm afraid.  because this is a time for thankfulness.  because what this means now is we will be able to check off our old list such postponed necessities as dental and physical check ups, a routine lab test or two, that mammogram i've been waiting years for, eye exams - and new eyeglasses for everyone!  well, both of us, anyway.

this is why christopher nolan is awesome.  and my hard working husband, of course.

you guys are the best.  thank you.

happy friday, people.

why christopher nolan is awesome: reason #3

new tires.

"that's a funny noise...", i said as we sped along the toll road, just minutes from our favorite juicy cheeseburger joint, en route to our mini-vacation at the beach.  "i hope it's not a flat tire!", he responded and steered the old volvo to the shoulder of the road.  on the surface i was keeping my cool, but inside i was filled with pure unbridled panic.  it can't be a flat tire, my brain screamed inside my head, we're almost at redamaks!!!    

but he didn't lose his composure and i was ever so grateful to be married to a guy who actually knows how to change a tire.  since i've only seen it done in the movies and always assumed i'd be able to figure it out from what i'd observed, i was immensely grateful.  after guiding me to the safest place between the weedy ditch and the pavement, he opened the rusty tailgate and unpacked the bundle of tools tucked into a compartment where the spare tire lived.  oh, so that's where that stuff is!  

we had only been stopped for 2 minutes but my brain had fed me a film strip of all the worst case scenarios imaginable, including the very real possibility that our long-awaited vacation was about to be ruined.  my reverie was broken by the siren whoop of a state police car, making a swift u-turn and aiming right for us.

our first thought in common was that we were in for a reprimand and a ticket of some kind.  our eyes met in mutual dread.  surely we were in trouble if a cop was pulling over.

in a magical moment i hope i never forget, a smiling young officer stepped out of his vehicle, announced that he had a hydraulic jack, tools and a safety vest in the trunk of his car... and asked, did we need any help?

thanks to their combined efforts we were back on the road in under twenty minutes and gleefully stuffing our gullets with delicious burgers and fries in another fifteen.  oh, how eternally thankful we will be to that kind state police officer.  our trip proceeded from this happy high note to be one of our best ever.

which brings me to why christopher nolan is awesome.  because of batman, etc. we were able to drive into town the following morning and buy the four new tires we'd known we needed for months. we bought them without a worry over how we would afford them, or what we might have to sacrifice to have them.  we just pulled in, picked out the goodyears and continued on our merry way!

and that, my friends, is truly awesome.

thank you, sir.  and thank you, dear w.  and thank you, officer scott.

my heroes.

why christopher nolan is awesome: reason #2

the miele.

she is the light of my life, the apple of my eye, my true love and my savior.  because christopher nolan is awesome and made a wildly popular batman movie (in which he wisely employed my dear husband) and then sold a bizillion dvds of said movie, i am now the proud owner of a spanking new miele vacuum cleaner. after years of wrestling the accursed, sonorous and decidedly inferior hoover, i now glide around the apartment on a soft pink cloud of happiness while my german engineered appliance purrs beside me like a sleek sports car.  i confess that i keep an ever-vigilant eye out for things to vacuum at home now. 

this was my sweetie's surprise birthday gift to me.  i know that there is a commonly held belief that women detest being given appliances as gifts.  i am not one of those women.  bring on the useful fine appliances and electronic gadgets, i say.  they are prized above diamonds (or real sports cars) in my world.

so, thank you, thank you, kind sirs!  now i really must go... those walls look rather dusty.

why christopher nolan is awesome: reason #1

new kicks.

i've been on the lookout for the perfect mary janes and buckle boots in chocolate brown for ages. thanks to christopher nolan and the dark knight, i was actually able to seek, find and purchase them! and, at outlet store prices, which somehow always makes the treasure a much better pleasure.  what a treat - i'm all set for fall.

thank you, sir!