Cure for Inspiration Blahs...?

The past few weeks have been a little "slumpish" for me. I know myself well enough to know that my surroundings greatly affect my mood but the problem with this slump has been that I have had NO motivation (due to said slump) to clean up and create a space that will inspire, encourage, and calm. I have found myself spending very little time in my beloved apartment and whenever I do set time aside to be there and clean I come up with very convincing excuses not to (such as the sun is shining and I should be out there enjoying it, or the rain is falling and I should be out there enjoying it, or if I leave for long enough and ignore the problem it will cease to exist). Over the weekend I even bribed myself. I bought a lovely new (and on sale) floral duvet in hopes that a new "bedscape" would be enough to kick me into gear. After dragging my feet I finally started the process yesterday and let me tell you I think I have about a solid week before things are back in ship shape around the place. My bedroom has gotten so out of hand that in order to organize I had to make an even bigger mess and I haven't even gone under the bed yet. The thing of it is, and I knew this would be "the thing", as soon as I got off the couch and got started I did not want to stop. I am sitting at my desk dreaming about cleaning. Counting the minutes until I get home and get to work on unearthing the treasures beneath my dust ruffle!

My google reader has been sorely ignored lately as well. And I am sure this has contributed to my lack of motivation and inspiration when it comes to all things domestically chic and blissful. Today I did some serious blog reading time and sure enough my motivation not only to decorate but to get back out to my estate sales and thrift stores is starting to surge through me again. Here are a few of my personal jump starters:

Hoping everyone is having an inspired Wednesday,

OLIT

Really? Wednesday already?

When starting this blog I fully intended to update nearly daily and now here I am almost a week after my last post with very little inspiration to work with. I have some ideas but am feeling a certain amount of laziness and so will put them off until tomorrow or maybe even Friday if I feel like it. But in the meantime I will put up some pictures of the centerpieces I worked on this past weekend for my grandmother's 80th birthday party.

My aunt, mother, and I headed to Lowe's on Friday in search of flowers to use but were hit by divine inspiration and opted for potted herbs and vegetables the guests could take home and place in their own gardens.

That evening I hammered out and flattened forks to be used as table number holders in the pots.

The next morning after my mother and aunt transferred the plants to terracotta pots my cousin and I made numbers for the center pieces, wrapped the pots with ribbon, and inserted the flattened forks.


Once we arrived we were able to put the centerpieces down, check with the seating charts, and finally add numbers to each plant.


All in all I was very pleased with the final results!!! Nothing like a good centerpiece project to get me going!!

More soon.
OLIT

OLIT Flies the "Friendly" Skies

For those of you who know this Old Lady in Training then it is no secret that I do not care for airplanes. For those of you who do not know me then I shall educate you...

I HATE FLYING!!

As an old lady in training I am obviously irritated by the swelling of my feet that is inherent in air travel but beyond my own physical discomfort there are SO many other reasons to avoid flight. One - it is unnatural. Two - I don't care if people say it's the safest way to travel... I've seen enough Lost (one or two episodes) to know that it is DANGEROUS. Three - with it's three main components being take-off, 30,000 feet above ground suspension, and landing it is completely 100% horrifying. But unfortunately it is also the most convenient way to get from Seattle to the Bay Area for a weekend trip. Yes I have been looking forward to this for weeks and YES I am so thrilled to be scooped up by my friend this evening and whisked away to San Francisco for some catch up, good food, and a beautiful city I just wish that Seattle would do a better job of making me want to leave it. Perhaps if I felt it urgent to leave the Emerald City then this flight would be weighing on me less as a potential disaster and more as a "cannot come soon enough" escape plan.

What's strange is that last week at this time I could not wait to get down to California and now my feelings are more along the lines of, "Oh California, I love you but can't you just come up here for a visit?" What has changed since last week? I guess if I had to narrow it down to three things they would be the following:

1) I am still riding high from Monday's completely lovely day of birthday merriment (not to mention the most perfect $1 ice cream cone that McDonalds has ever produced)! Why would I want to leave the people who plied me with wine, Pike's Place lunch, red vines, pie, spicy, tortellini, laughter, and allow me to get cheesy and say love?!

2) Seattle decided to have a "this" kind of a day...

... whenever Seattle has a "this" kind of a day my old love San Francisco, who occassionally beckons for me to once again pine away after its beautiful albeit astronomically expensive cityscape, suddenly pales in comparison to the everywhere you turn mountain peaks, blue water, and overly excited vitamin-D deficient Pacific Northwesterners.

3) After searching for worthy Bay Area estate sales to pounce on this weekend (cannot seem to find any) I decided to peruse estatesales.net and see what I would be missing out on here this weekend. Bad... no awful... no HORRENDOUS idea. Turns out a Ballard estate sale has the final puzzle piece to my ever growing "dog portrait" collection.

I say all of this knowing that the second my plane touches down in San Jose my heart will be skipping beats with excitement for a weekend of family, friends, sunshine, and warmth but in the mean time it makes it so much easier to get carried away with my ritual of flight dread by convincing myself that I should just stay here for the weekend to enjoy the delights of my PNW home or at the very least to snatch up Rolph (clearly by Rolph I am referring to the pipe smoking dog pictured above who's sure to go quick at this weekend's sale).

But since I know I am ultimately giddy about my trip home I will try and concentrate on ways to help me get through the flight instead of reasons I shouldn't go through with it.
1) Beer.
2) Trashy magazine featuring the Kardashian's that I would feel guilty reading otherwise.

California Here I Come!

OLIT

All My Boyfriends - Birthday Edition

After a glorious weekend in Vancouver and an incredible day celebrating my birth I retreated to my bedchamber ready for a good night's rest. But when I stepped through the door I was blinded by my dear sweet Rinaldo covered in jewels ALL for me and so instead of sleep I'm having an all night birthday fashion show!! So what if I'm spoiled... it's because I'm worth it!!


Respectfully Yours,
OLIT

Embracing the Darkness

A series of events transpired months ago that have lead this OLIT to a two day spree of violent and hellish entertainment. Last night WWE Smackdown proved to be quite the spectacle but thanks to having the privlege of sitting next to an iCarly clad young man and his pierced tongue Barney doll I ended up enjoying the scene. Tonight, I am afraid, will be a different story. While I attended WWE on my own accord (a sort of anthropolgoical study of American Wal-Mart culture if you will) tonight's event is entirely dreaded...

Awhile back I was on a crusade to enrich the lives of my friends by trying to gift them with the Anne of Green Gables viewing experience. Anne Shirley was a childhood hero of mine and her love story with Gilbert Blithe still inspires. I simply wanted to share this inspiration with those I care for the most. My cause was so great that I was willing to play "let's make a deal". In exchange for adventuring with Anne I would participate in almost any activity friends could think of. The only taker of this bargain was my heavy metal loving friend Colin. He would allow me to bestow upon him the gift of bosom friendship, raspberry cordial, and carrot hair (i.e. Anne of Green Gables) only if I would expose myself to a torturous evening of ear bleeding rifts, rib crushing mosh pits, and steel toed boot bruises -- yes, a heavy metal concert. Since he had no particular concert in mind I felt this exchange seemed safe. Without a set date it might never happen and so I agreed. We watched the film, it changed his life for the better, I dried my inevitable tears that go along with Anne's story, and then moved on giving very little thought to my end of the arrangement. Oh! What a fool am I?! How desperately Colin had waited for someone, anyone, to agree to attend one of his concerts with him! He was not going to let this opportunity pass him by and soon enough he had located and purchased tickets to a March 10th performance featuring Killswitch Engage.

And now here we are. March 10th. My personal doomsday. Given the events that led me to my particular predicament I thought it only appropriate to ask, "What would Anne Shirley do?" Knowing Anne almost as well as she knew herself I can confidently say that she would immediately begin plummeting into the "depths of despair" thinking about her impending hearing loss and unavoiable broken toes (not too mention the headache from overzealous head bangers yanking on her red pigtails). But while I know beyond a shadow of doubt that this would be her initial reaction I also know that right before she deemed the event "the most tragical thing" to ever happen to her she would realize that this was the perfect opportunity to imagine her circumstances away. Due to the decibal level alone at the concert I don't think it will be possible for me to imagine this event as entirely different from what it is but I do think that I could inject it with a little romanticism simply by imagining what similarities I might share with the possible kindred spirits I will be surrounded by. A tall task for certain but I am up for a challenge. Where to start? A visual perhaps:

One thing is clear -- black is back and this I can run with. How long have I myself been dreaming of my very own blackscape? How many hours have I spent pouring over images of black kitchens, black bathrooms, any sort of black wall dreaming of the day that one can be mine? I am POSITIVE that at one moment or another the lead singer and I were both being inspired by the same images of dark luxury...

Do not be fooled. I might enjoy the lighter things in life but I too can embrace the darkness and if Howard Jones, the lead singer of Killswitch Engage, and I have a love of black paint in common then think of all the other similarities we might share? I am nervous with anticipation for the bosom friendship just waiting to be formed and so in preparation to make it through this evening's descent into musical abyss and come out with newly fostered friendships I have put together my "top 5 reasons to embrace the darkside" pictoral list:


5. The Halloween specials are my favorite Roseanne episodes...

4. Overcast days in Seattle can be just as breathtaking as cloudless skies...

3. Without darkness there would be no need for romantic candle light...

2. The darker the berry the sweeter the juice...



1. I can think of nothing better to embrace than my dearly departed sweet Molly dog who even had a tongue of black...

Pooch Dog Molly
? 1995 - March 10, 2008

All I need to do is print a copy of this out and share it with any kindred looking spirits at the concert tonight. With an all encompassing dark list such as mine I am sure to come away from this experience with a renewed faith in humanity and a sense of unity amonst man/woman-kind.

Wish me luck.

Respectfully Yours,
OLIT

P.S. A special thanks to my cousin Alex for creating my beautiful banner!

Weekend Update...

I spent this Monday recovering from my wild weekend of vending. My partner in entrepreneurship and I had our first day of business selling some of our "boutique vintage" finds at the Fremont Sunday Market! All in all a success. We are hoping to be back again next month which means TIME TO GO SHOPPING for more goods!

I am still quite exhausted and have very little creative inspiration today. So I will leave you with a picture of two merchants and their wares!!


Respectfully Yours,
OLIT


Next on Old Lady in Training:
Your friendly OLIT goes to WWE smack down. The following night she attends a heavy metal concert. Don't ask... just say a prayer and wait for pictures.

All My Boyfriends and Estate Sale Updates

What a long and random day I had! I am plumb tuckered out but must try and stay up past 8 to go get drinks with girlfriends and act my age!!

This morning I woke up early, cooked breakfast for me and my roommate (simple scrambled eggs and toast if you must know), ran 5 miles to my friends house and then headed out for some estate saling. As I am sure the reader remembers I have been waiting ALL week long for today's adventures and while I want to say they did not disappoint I cannot. Don't get me wrong I did not come away empty handed but the first estate sale of the morning, the one I had already staked out online, ended up overly crowded for no good reason. That being said... I'm going back tomorrow to see what's left. The remains can be some of my favorite pieces!! Luckily our second estate sale was fruitful and I obtained two teeny tiny little gems that I've been searching all over town for...... Please excuse the dust on the floor.

After a few more treasures were found at other sales and thrift stores I felt like my day had been given enough purpose and meaning and I could head home satisfied. That was until I passed the movie theater. Immediately the images of movie popcorn, me eating said movie popcorn to be precise, flashed in my brain. I had to have some. I thought it over and said, "Self... I'm taking you on a date!" And that's exactly what I did! I saw Alice In Wonderland. I got to pick where I sat, did not have to worry about chewing too loudly and at the end of the date I bought myself a cupcake! What a day! But little did I know I had another treat waiting for me when I walked in the door at home...

Mon amour, Monsieur Lapin, was waiting there with a handmade thank you card and fresh flowers all for me! Thank you for what? For discovering and rescuing him from a cold and lonely garage at a Sandpoint estate sale. Any time Monsieur Lapin. Anytime!


And now I must be off to freshen up for a night on the town!
Respectfully yours,
OLIT

New Value Village!

When I read this I almost jumped out my chair with glee. While Value Village is definitely not my favorite thrift store I can definitely find a gem or two there from time to time. I guess I know what I'll be doing after work today!!

25 By 25

As the end of my first quarter-century of life grows near I am feeling inspired to get a few things accomplished. It is said that the part of your brain that inhibits risky behavior is not fully formed until you are 25. If this is the case than I have 12 days left to make poor decisions and blame it all on my age. But what decisions might those be? Initailly when I wanted to write a "25 things I want to do by the time I turn 25" list it looked a little something like this...
1) Pay off my standing fine at the Seattle Public Library.
2) Return overdue volumes of The Tutors to Video Isle.
3) Drink only 1 beer a week.
4) Be in bed by 11.
5) Wake up at 6:30 am and squeeze in a run before work.
6) Locate and purchase King's Crown Cranberry Candy Dish of my very own.
... I won't continue because I'm sure the reader gets the point. While these are exciting to me they would hardly constitute recklessness. By nature I am a fairly cautious individual. I don't see myself running out buying a gun, dancing on tables at clubs, and sky-diving within the next two weeks. However, despite my cautiousness, I do enjoy an adventure or two and while aspiring to well rested responsibility is all well and good perhaps these next two weeks could be focused more on little adventures that remind me how great my first 25 years were and also get me excited for my next 25. At this point I have no specific explorations in mind just the goal to see each day as an oportunity to take a chance and start a few little adventures!

Respectfully Yours,
OLIT

Monday, Monday

Not even 24 hours have passed since the weekend and I am already in anticipation mode for what the next one has in store for me. I have always been one to enjoy the anticipation of an event even more than the event itself. December 24th is my favorite day of the year for a reason and vilified as they usually are this is probably why I seem to have an affection for Mondays. Yes, we are left exhausted from trying to squeeze fun and frivolity into every nook and cranny of our two days away from the office and sad that we must once again be slaves to the man (or woman whatever your case may be) but Mondays give us a chance to collect our bearings after the previous weekend, strategize for the coming week, and start planning for more fun in our future!

I find myself particularly content on this Monday. After a jam packed two days I collapsed into my queen sized mattress last night hours before my normal bed time and and slept an entire extra half an hour this morning! I am glowing from the weekend's escapades but ready to get excited for what's next!

In my immediate future I am excited/hungry for some sort of kitchen creation featuring whatever vegetables I can find in the fridge, some rice, cilantro, and a healthy dose of pepper flakes and hot sauce. In the not so immediate but at the same time no so distant future I see a glorious return to treasure hunting. Itching to get back after a two week hiatus I took a little "off task" time at work to explore next weekend's happenings on EstateSales.Net. Here are a few items that peaked my interest:



Great expectations have been set! Now four days of anticipation has begun... will they be as glorious in person?? What will the price point be??!! This Monday has left me with so many questions swimming around in my head. Which leads me to the final lesson that Monday teaches us: Patience is key and as Justin Bobby from The Hills would say, "Truth and time tells all".

Respectfully Yours,
OLIT