In ancient Greece, wreaths made from plants like laurel, ivy, and myrtle were awarded to athletes, soldiers, and royalty. Similar wreaths were designed in gold and silver for the same purposes or for religious functions. This example conveys the language of love.

A plant sacred to the goddess Aphrodite, myrtle was a symbol of love. Greeks wore wreaths made of real myrtle leaves at weddings and banquets.

By the Hellenistic period (300-30 BC), the wreaths were made of gold foil; too fragile to be worn, they were created primarily to be buried with the dead as symbols of life’s victories. The naturalistic myrtle leaves and blossoms on this wreath were cut from thin sheets of gold, exquisitely finished with stamped and incised details, and then wired onto the stems.

Today I came to a realization: I need a golden laurel wreath for my wedding. But where? How? Not real gold such as this, obviously, but something classic: no sequins; something timeless, not gaudy or glitzy. I had such great luck in finding a ceramicist to create a custom wedding topper (more on that later: thanks, Robin!) that I’m putting it out to the universe once again. Recommendations? Lay ‘em on me.

[Wreaths, clockwise: MFAH; Christie's; Macedonian Heritage]

Last week, in the course of my daily folk art search on Etsy, I stumbled upon something exciting: something better than old needlework, more interesting than your typical duck sculpture. This was a cache of the most amazing rings I’d ever laid eyes upon, and there had to be a story behind them.

I wrote to the shop owner, Constance, in the hopes of finding out more info. The story just got better. In fact, it went back over seventy years, to the days when the rings’ handy creator, Bob Dodd, was a sailor. According to Constance:

Bob said that when he started as a sailor in 1937, making rings from celluloid was a crafty thing to do, but few people made more than one or two because the process was so time consuming and labor intensive. Each of these intricate rings was made by hand — without the use of molds or melting — by cutting up raw materials such as old celluloid toothbrushes, hand mirrors, vanity trays, combs, piano keys, guitar picks, umbrella handles, pocket knife handles, accordion pieces. (Bob said he once even used a piece from the windshield of a helicopter or small plane.) These pieces are then filed, pieced together, and filed again. This process can take a master craftsman a day or more to complete.

Today Constance is selling a portion of her collection of Bob’s rings, in the hopes of funding efforts to make them herself. Bob was a true folk art hero, and I can only hope to own one of these elaborate pieces someday.

Read the whole story on the Etsy Blog.

What is it about mold? Decay. Rot. Growth. Seeing something comes from — well, nothing — never fails to amuse me. The last time I checked the fridge, I’ve got some green beans. Two weeks later, there’s a wooly hamster living in my crisper. Said rodent will eventually make its way to the trash, but not before I’ve analyzed the mold and, y’know, sniffed it a bit.

Beyond the ephemeral nature of produce, I’m quite smitten with the still lives of Klaus Pichler. His One Third project explores the idea of consumption and wasted food — according to a UN study, one third of the world’s food goes to waste. Living in New York, I believe it. Go halfsies.

[Via]

Because this is what runs through my mind, most days.

It’s no secret that I love New York. However, this city is just so damn big that it’ll take me years to see all of it (if ever!). I really enjoy poking around the city’s storied past, and there’s no more amazing location than New York’s Financial District, also known as the “Canyon of Heroes.” Home to ticker tape parades, decadent sky scrapers and lots of dudes in power suits, the area is so much more than a 9/11 or Occupy Wall Street tourist destination (which is why most seem to seek it out, but to each their own).

For me, the Financial District is a direct link to New York’s gritty / glam history. Gorgeous, Art Nouveau wonders like the Woolworth Building (I’m a bit obsessed with the man), Trinity Church, the teeny tiny side streets…it really inspires a sense of wonder, and the streets really do feel a bit like valleys in between those massive buildings.

Walking the oldest byways of the city — Maiden Lane, Broadway, Pine — it’s crazy to imagine how many have come before us. And now you can experience a bit of a time machine with large, beautiful portraits at NYC Past, my new favorite tumblr. So many hats! And to think I just walked down Wall Street, past the larger-than-life George Washington statue last week. Insanity.

And it’s not just the Financial District. Check out these actual sleep in Central Park’s Sheep Meadow (!!!). And the Flatiron Building! (Which I’m usually only near when I go to MAC or Shake Shack. Such an odd association.)

Find more huge, gorgeous pieces of history on NYC Past.

So I’m kind of in love with the Twenty Four Hour Woman. She’s an everywoman: installing an air conditioner, fixing a toilet, blow drying her hair…all in the nude. And I gotta say, her hair (and wobbly bits) make me very happy. Artist Scott Lenhardt describes his inspiration on his Kickstarter:

Twenty Four Hour Woman is a one-a-day calendar not unlike the popular Far Side calendars of the ’80s. It’s a simple idea that is meant to celebrate the woman caught in the act of whatever it is she is doing, one day at a time. This nude series started as an exercise a few years ago in my studio as a way to warm up my brain, get my hand moving and help ease any seriousness that might have been floating around. Each day of this 5″ X 4″ (approx.) tear-off calendar contains a different little drawing of a naked lady doing something different for every day of the year. I have spent the last year and a half illustrating the limitless list of activities and tasks and have done my best to do so with love and honesty.

Far Side inspired? Sign me up! Support Scott’s calendar on Kickstarter. Let’s make the Twenty Four Hour Woman a reality.

Oh my. Do you know what these are? (Dismembered Sasquatch arms? Bear claws, minus the claws?) Hold your guesses! They’re actually vintage stagecoach driver gloves. Totally brings to mind the long, snowy drives from Little House on the Prairie, when Almanzo would go and pick up Laura from her terrible teaching job. Through blizzards, ice and a frigid twelve mile drive (each way!), they’d drive in silence across the prairie, huddled under a bearskin. Oh, courtship!

Pick up Little House if you haven’t read it in a decade or two. It totally holds up, and it’s a yearly tradition for me to re-read the series. All the talk of cozy sod houses built into the ground, clean hay and corn cob dolls just make me feel all warm and gooey inside.

I recently did a little post on lover’s eyes over on Miss Moss. These hand-painted portraits on ivory were popular in England between the 1780s and 1830s. Loyalty, royalty and secrecy: read all about it.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: pottery rules me. Claywork provokes my most covetous urges. Just…want…all of it.

Wedding alert! The latest stage of my planning is the flowers, cake and general state of the reception tables. I’m totally inspired by Dutch still life paintings of the seventeenth century: the lush arrangements, messy draping with fruit, and casual droopy nature (with a few dying flowers in the mix) really speaks to me. Going along with our Odd Fellows theme, I’m having a ceramicist make a contemporary version of the hand and conjoined links seen above as wedding topper of some sort. (Are you a ceramicist? Could you make that? If so, talk to me!)

My friend Jaime is making our wedding cake, and we’re scheming how to make it as Dutch-inspired as possible. Lots of flowers will be strewn, and I’m fanatically searching for the right cake stand. Gold all the way!

For the tables, lots of taper candles are key. I’m debating between using old bottles or just a ton of mismatched candlesticks, with lots of flowers as well — I’d love to have ranunculus and peonies, but I’m on a budget, so we’ll see. We’re also planning on identifying each of the tables by different secret societies, their symbols and handshakes — so, for example, the Masons, the Daughters of Rebekkah, the Amicable Society (LOVE their snake and dove iconography), etc. Lots of research going on over on Pinterest, to be sure.

Find all of the images above on my wedding inspiration board.

Now to start trying on dresses. Eep!

Oh, the dreaded cone of shame! These salt and pepper shakers by Rogue Taxidermy are both tragic and adorable. Love!

Naming a product is hard. Like, mind-boggling difficult. Every time I’m challenged to write copy or even come up with a provocative title for a post — well, there’s a lot of trial and error, and it definitely is a head scratcher.

So, I’m a bit in awe of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Marianne Moore, a wordsmith if there ever was one. According to my one of my favorite blogs, Lists of Note — sister blog to Letters of Note, which is always worthy of a read — Marianne was tasked with naming a new series of cars for the Ford Motor Company in 1955. According to the letter that accompanied this request:

We should like this name to be more than a label. Specifically, we should like it to have a compelling quality in itself and by itself. To convey, through association or other conjuration, some visceral feeling of elegance, fleetness, advanced features and design. A name, in short, that flashes a dramatically desirable picture in people’s minds.

That seems pretty open, right? So Marianne went nuts, coming up with names like “Mongoose Civique” and “Utopian Turtletop.” (Hey, I’d drive it.) Ford scrapped her suggestions and named the car the relatively questionable “Edsel.” (What?) No one bought it and it was one of the most spectacular flops in automobile history.

Here’s Marianne’s list in its entirety. What’s your favorite?

1. The Ford Silver Sword
2. Hirundo
3. Aerundo
4. Hurricane Hirundo (swallow)
5. Hurricane Aquila (eagle)
6. Hurricane Accipter (hawk)
7. The Impeccable
8. Symmechromatic
9. Thunderblender
10. The Resilient Bullet
11. Intelligent Bullet
12. Bullet Cloisoné
13. Bullet Lavolta
14. The Intelligent Whale
15. The Ford Fabergé (That there is also a perfume Fabergé seems to me to do no harm, for here allusion is to the original silversmith)
16. The Arc-en-Ciel (the rainbow)
17. Arcenciel
18. Mongoose Civique
19. Anticipator
20. Regna Racer (couronne a couronne) sovereign to sovereign
21. Aeroterre
22. Fée Rapide (Aerofee, Aero Faire, Fee Aiglette, Magi-faire) Comme Il Faire
23. Tonnere Alifère (winged thunder)
24. Aliforme Alifère (wing-slender a-wing)
25. Turbotorc (used as an adjective by Plymouth)
26. Thunderbird Allié (Cousin Thunderbird)
27. Thunder Crester
28. Dearborn Diamanté
29. Magigravure
30. Pastelogram
31. Regina-Rex
32. Taper Racer
33. Varsity Stroke
34. Angelastro
35. Astranaut
36. Chaparral
37. Tir á l’arc (bull’s eye)
38. Cresta Lark
39. Triskelion (three legs running)
40. Pluma Piluma (hairfine, feather-foot)
41. Adante con Moto (description of a good motor?)
42. Turcotinga (turqoise cotinga—the cotinga being a South-American finch or sparrow) solid indigo.
43. Utopian Turtletop

And if these seem experimental, think of all the aspirational car model names that have graced your television screen: Rav, Civic, Prizm, Quest, Avalon, Xterra, Yukon, Intrepid, Odyssey…

Find more history at Lists of Note.

Living in New York is a funny thing; in my six years here, I’ve become quite accustomed to living in ways that I never really imagined while growing up in Iowa. While I might have once casually scarfed a sandwich in the relative privacy of my car, living in New York affords no such luxuries: I eat my pizza on the street, Liz Lemon-style. It may be messy, but it just feels good, and where else am I going to go?! Just as my body is now my packhorse — there’s a reason I carry a big ass bag! — living in public has become a way of life.

Love for my city washed over me after watching Etsy’s profile of artist Sophie Blackall, most well known for her Missed Connections series of illustrations. Trawling Craigslist can be a sordid thing, but there are some tender moments to be found; the New York City subway system makes up most of the “Did you see me?” ads posted daily. While some may be seeking the one who got away, I just enjoy taking in the scenery. It’s still crazy to me that people from every walk of life come together, converse, and stand armpit-to-nose every day, while still managing to provide one another with a level of civility and concern that isn’t often attributed to a city this diverse and large.

In short: I love New York. Consider this a valentine to my adopted city.

So! I may have mentioned that JB and I are planning a Masonic / Odd Fellows / secret society wedding. Well, one of the first pieces of the puzzle is finally complete, and we’re so excited about it.

I’ve been working with artist Justin Durand to bring our wedding crest to life. What’s a wedding crest, you say? Well, it’s the guiding iconography for our wedding — so, our invitations, the table cards…lots of things! The sky’s the limit, really. We loved Justin’s style — seriously, his work is amazing — so we knew he was the only one to do the illustration for us. The design is based on this vintage iron piece (which I missed the opportunity to buy, sadly). We replaced the traditional “FLT” — the Odd Fellows principles of Friendship, Love, Truth — with our initials for the crest, but we’ll be integrating the conjoined links and FLT into other parts of the wedding.

We’ll be framing the original and hanging it as a keepsake in the apartment. Can’t wait!

One of the many things I love about JB is his familiarity with power ballads. Dude knows ALL of them — and he definitely doesn’t hold back when they play on the radio. We have some good singalongs, I’ll say that much. Love you, Heart!

Conjoined snakes — more specifically, conjoined snake jewelry — is my latest obsession. I did a little guest post on Honey Kennedy about Victorian symbolism, snakes and my upcoming wedding. Check it out!

Annie Lennox, you are a goddess among women. And this video is so much better than I remembered!

Doris Caesar, American sculptor, 1892-1971, in her studio.

We’d rather have the iceberg than the ship,
although it meant the end of travel.
Although it stood stock-still like cloudy rock
and all the sea were moving marble.
We’d rather have the iceberg than the ship;
we’d rather own this breathing plain of snow
though the ship’s sails were laid upon the sea
as the snow lies undissolved upon the water.

From “The Imaginary Iceberg” by Elizabeth Bishop

[Via]

Henry David Thoreau once said, “Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.”

That’s an aspiration I think we all can agree on: wouldn’t you agree?

Looking back on the year that’s passed, I have so many things for which to be thankful: my JB; Paris!; constant intellectual stimulation (so many books, magazines, and meta-yards of Internet to trawl!); New York City; the cuteness of cats and dogs; and of course, my ever-supportive family and friends. It’s an amazing time to be alive. I’ve got a wedding to plan, new professional challenges, and of course, this blog. So much potential! So many opportunities.

I’m not much for resolutions, but here a few (probably cliched!) things on my list.

Be less stressed. Nothing is ever as serious as it seems.

Appreciate the details. Take more photos. Invest in film.

Dance more! Exercise. Stretch these lazy, computer-loving bones.

Visit more New York institutions. Take advantage of the magical place I’m blessed to call home.

Drink good wine.

Volunteer.

Make time for a book club.

Meet more Internet friends in real life. Hang out with new friends. Quality time with the old.

Happy new year, folks. Let’s face it with optimism and good humor.

I debated about doing a gift guide this year; I’ve been so busy planning my wedding (two words to sum up my scheming: Odd Fellows) and transitioning into a new role at work that I’ve barely had time to play around with my blog — one of my favorite pastimes, to be sure. I also feel like everyone and their cousin’s-mom’s-dog does gift guides, but I appreciate the sentiment; when it comes to giving, I like to see all of the options that exist.

The other detail I’ve neglected to mention is that I don’t feel I’m a very good gift-giver; I’m great at giving gifts to myself (cue embarrassed laughter…), but the pressure of the holiday season makes me panic. I’d much rather give a gift as I come across it, no matter the time of year. When faced with a deadline and societal pressure, I often fall prey to the dreaded cop-out, the gift card, or worse yet…a check. You can’t see me, but I’m hanging my head in shame right now.

So! In the spirit of tried-and-true gifts, I put together a list of things that I’ve already heartily enjoyed — mmm, cheese — and can endorse as an ideal gift for you and yours. If I’d give it to myself, I’d give it someone else just as quickly.

Click through for gifts and prezzies!

First on my list: Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music. If they like folk, country, Americana or history of any kind, they’ll get a kick out of this Smithsonian-issued collection from the ’50s, recently reissued for the 50th anniversary. Some of my favorite tunes were discovered in this anthology. And folklorist and musicologist Harry Smith is such a character!

Next! Cheese of the month club: the gift that keeps on giving. Eat some mold and think of me. I’d also suggest any type of gourmet pickles or, if you’re in New York, a gift certificate to the excellent Russ and Daughters.

And a subscription to The New Yorker will enrich your loved one’s imagination for a whole year. It’s so exciting to receive an issue in the mail each week, and it’s my favorite accompaniment for my commute to work. The narratives, the reporting, even the political and economic stories: I’m left feeling much smarter after I finish an issue, and doesn’t everyone deserve that feeling?

They say patchouli has a bad name, but I never wore it in high school, so I only have amazing associations. Tom Ford’s White Patchouli is my favorite perfume: musky, spicy and very sexy. Any woman who thrives on the color black will enjoy this scent.

Next up: Pendleton blankets. You’ve seen the clothes, but you haven’t felt luxury and coziness until you’ve snuggled under one of these wool babies. I gave myself one for Christmas last year, in fact!

And on the luxury tip: Kiehl’s Creme de Corps is the best thing I’ve encountered for dry skin. The scent is subtle and comforting, the texture sublime. If I could eat it, I would.

Next: bourbon. Give me a good shot of Knob Creek on some (faux) rocks and I’m a happy camper. And P.S., those whiskey stones can be frozen or heated, so if your dad likes his drink with soda or on the warm side, he’ll never drink a diluted drop.

I can honestly say that spending $60 on a candle is ludicrous. Luda-christmas! However, Dipytque’s Feus de Bois candle is worth it, and I don’t say that lightly. Seriously, it lasts forever, smells like a campfire and makes you feel like you’re in a log cabin, sitting in front of a roaring blaze. Give the gift of smoke-scented clothing. You’re welcome.

Speaking of snuggling up, everyone needs some hand-knit woolen socks. I have a pair given to me by my friend’s Finnish grandmother. Ten years later and they’re still my favorite. Pick some up on Etsy.

Patti Smith’s Just Kids is definitely the best book I read this year. Truth be told, I actually knew very little about Smith before I picked it up. Her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe was a revelation. Absorb the gift of art, wisdom, friendship, history. For a New Yorker, it’s like sweet honey in my tea.

And lastly, because I’m a total homebody, give a pair of Minnetonka moccasins, preferably lined in flannel. They’re the most comfortable “house shoes” and just so pleasing to contemplate.

Happy holidays, friends.

I’ve recently become addicted to ’60s garage rock, pop and funk from Thailand (and surrounding Asian countries, because there’s just so much to dig into). There are some amazing compilations out there — the Thai Pop a Go-Go series is a great place to start! — and the covers of Serge Gainsbourg, Boney M and Elvis songs make me so, so happy. (It also doesn’t hurt that the artwork is incredible.) It’s really about hearing garage rock through a different lens. Every song sounds like the first time.

And if there were actual videos to accompany the songs — then I’d be in heaven.

Thanks to Lynda Barry — my hero! — for always posting the best music.

Can you believe these portraits are from the ’20s? Man Ray was definitely ahead of his time — and it doesn’t hurt that his subjects were the most avant garde artists, poets, writers and thinkers in the city. Oh, Paris in the ’20s…I can only imagine. (And I still haven’t seen that Woody Allen movie! On my list.)

[Via Mondo Blogo]

Yevgeniya Kilupe, a Latvian Holocaust survivor and self-taught artist, started making masks to supplement her pension after a life of working in a factory. The Etsy Blog was lucky enough to interview this tiny lady and check out her process. Not only is she totally adorable — her masks are incredible!

Read more on the Etsy Blog.

[Via even*cleveland]

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I’m not sure why, but when I think of Iowa — my Iowa, at least! — I cannot imagine a thriving pop culture scene, especially for teenagers. I guess I’m influenced by what my parents have told me; in fact, my sister was once doing a report on the ’50s and thought she might call my aunts, Janie and Patsy, who were teens in the age of rock and roll. However, because my family is from the country, my mom was quick to dispel that idea: “They weren’t into anything cool! They didn’t know about Elvis!” (Haaaa.)

So, when I saw these LIFE Magazine photos of teen life in Des Moines, Iowa in 1947, I was pleasantly surprised to see cute sweater sets, co-ed mingling (in cars!), slumber parties and even spin the bottle. (Granted, Des Moines is “the city” in Iowa, so, there ya go.) I stand corrected! That soda shop is bumpin’.

And I’m always enamored of any teen girl with glasses — wear ‘em proud! — and the girl with all the bracelets is just so cute and fashionable. Love her.

[Via LIFE Archive]

I worshipped at the altar of Blossom; I think all girls my age did. Watching this intro — almost twenty years later! — I can’t help seeing myself as a squirrely ten year old in a tube top, shortalls (were those flattering on anyone?) and my grandpa’s fedora. Did I pull it off? Probably not. But I’m glad I tried.

Blossom, you inspired me to experiment with fashion and wear that hat, teasing be damned. You wore it well, lady!

ENH! So in love with this little herd of pup pins. I want, I want!

Find more at Ginette Lapalme.

How amazing is this peacock? Composed by a tinsmith around 1900, this elaborate piece of artwork was actually meant as a tenth anniversary gift — the “tin” anniversary, as it were. (Now it’s the diamond anniversary, naturally.)

Now this ornate little fella needs a new home. If I could afford it, he’d be doling out mean glares to my cats for years to come. (Peacocks are the meanest birds.)

[Via Anonymous Works]

Do yourself a favor and enjoy this beautiful video by Allison Schulnik. It’s a trembling ghost ballet!

I gotta say, claymation really warms my heart. The music really adds to the atmosphere. Just lovely.