I love going antiquing. It is like a treasure hunt for me. My mind is constantly racing with ideas of how to use each item I see. Here are a few things I found the other day at my favorite place in St. Louis, Treasure Aisles.

a catalog for a buffet or sofa table: $375

a kitchen scale for produce: $38     a fun vintage clock: $30

an abacus for wall art: $25

giant six foot letters: $125     an industrial desk lamp: $32

a mint green sun hat: $6.50

a chicken coop coffee table: $125      a metal tripod to make into a lamp: $29

a mint green metal desk: $89

Pillows and Productivity

Lately I have been feeling so unproductive. I love our house and love to take the time to do projects and consider the space we live in. We haven't had any time to just be at home and do small things to enjoy and improve our space. We have been out of town so much, that this weekend was the first free time we had for projects since we got back from Europe.

Although we are a long way from getting our living room in order, my thought has always been to go more neutral grays and add lots of pattern and color in the pillows and chair fabric. So, I thought I would take a small step in that direction even though nothing else is done (paint, couch, etc). It makes me feel better to get just a few things accomplished. I made two pillows yesterday and I really like how they are looking.

The green pillow is an old pillow design from Vogue that I found at an antique sore. You can see where someone had started to embroider the top left portion. The rest is unfinished, but I like that about it because you can see the lines of the pattern. I bought the flat fabric and then sewed and stuffed it. The chevron fabric is from curtains I made for our bedroom a while back.

And, here a few other tiny things I did around the house.

Instead of an expensive custom frame, I used an antique wooden hanger to display my woodblock print of Florence. I printed it in college and have yet to do anything with it.

 

I added some antique faucet hardware to the top of our bathroom cabinet.

And, we made some mint juleps for a hot summer day with fresh mint from our garden. You know it is crazy in your life when making a mint julep is considered productive or creative. I wish cocktails weren't a special occasion for a lazy day.

Riviera Road Trip: Part 2

The Italian Riviera does not get old. Fishing villages galore awaited us as we continued past Cinque Terre into the Poet's Gulf. The gulf got it's name because it attracted and inspired some of the world's most celebrated poets and artists. The area starts in Portovenere and continues to Lerici, San Terenzo, Fiascherino and Tellaro. The windy drive between the towns is breathtaking. There was a lot of, "Oh my goodness look at that!! No, not you! Keep your eyes on the road!!" Needless to say, Jeremy loved that.

I had researched so many small fishing villages along the coast for our drive and we didn't exactly know where we were going to stop. But, one spot that was a must-see for me was Portovenere. We did have by far the worst meal on our trip here. We were served microwaved pizza on paper plates while Queen music videos were playing in the background. Thankfully, it was all uphill from there. In the words of our beloved Italian hero, Freddie Mercury, "Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?"

Byron's Grotto

Church of San Pietro built on the site of the ancient temple of Venus

Just down the road was Lerici, the largest of the towns in the Poet's gulf.

Overlooking Lerici

Kayak water polo?

Jeremy celebrating after urinating in public on a cliff above the ocean....classy.

Lerici Castle

No caption necessary.

And, I hope you made it past those incredible Dinosaurs because here is my absolute favorite place of the Poet's Gulf, our entire trip, and possibly my entire life. Tellaro. We almost didn't stop here because we had our first extremely stressful driving moment on our way into town. Let's just say we scraped our rental car on some stairs and had to go the wrong way on a one way road to get out of a little mishap. But, in the end we made it, we are still married and it was totally worth it. This town was untouched with the most beautiful harbor I have ever seen. And, we were literally the only people down there. Check. This. Out.

Nothing can do it justice, but I am going to try my darndest. Here is a little video.

Riviera Road Trip: part 1

Our trip to the Italian riviera marks the beginning of our journey with Italian driving. Everyone tells you not to drive because it is extremely stressful. They are right...sort of. There indeed were some stressful moments (two big ones come to mind). But, overall we found it allowed for a less structured travel schedule and the ability to change plans, explore and simply enjoy the scenic travel time as well as our destination.

Our first stop was beautiful Portofino. We had heard great things about this luxurious yacht resort town, but were pleasantly surprised at how simple it seemed. This was one of our favorite days. Sunny skies, great food, bright colors and friendly people.

I had been to the Italian riviera twice before (spoiled, I know), both times to visit the quaint towns of Cinque Terre. These five fishing villages are well worth visiting, nestled in the rocky coastline and connected by train and a beautiful hiking path. The first time I came with my best high school friends, Carmen and Erika. We rented an apartment from Mar Mar and went to the lone Bar Centrale in Riomaggiore every night with our friends we made along the way. Not many people seemed to know about this spot at the time. In fact, I give full credit to Carmen for this discovery. I loved our experience so much, I wanted to take everyone I knew back here and tell them about this hidden gem. Apparently, no one needed my help. I came back just 2 years later with my friend Mel and had a rude awakening. The trains were packed with summer tourists...we literally couldn't move. I found myself cursing Rick Steves and his big mouth and awesome travel advice. But, even with its growing popularity, Cinque Terre is still able to maintain its small town charm. I debated whether or not to visit Cinque Terre on this trip because of the devastating floods that hit the towns in the fall. Vernazza and Monterosso were heavily hit and part of the trail between the five towns is closed off. I wasn't sure what shape the area would be in, but I knew these towns were worth seeing. They have a special place in my heart and I wanted to support the villages  that desperately need visitors like us for their livelihood right now. I'm so glad we went. In April, these towns were peaceful and relaxed, yet still very vibrant. You could see some of the aftermath from the floods (particularly in Vernazza), but the charm and beauty is still there.
 

There's a reason why people go here

After studying abroad in Italy my junior year of college, I began to think that Venice as a vacation destination was over-hyped and overrun by tourism. I was exposed to unique and charming cities packed with cultural value that were overlooked because of the romantic notion of a gondola ride. But when you visit Venice, you remember that there is a reason why people go here. It is special. Your first step off the train transports you into a world that is fabulously unreal and unlike any other place you will visit. Every street, canal and boat are perfect photo ops. Getting lost (which will happen) is a-ok because you'll encounter the charm of undiscovered streets. Sure, you will have to mortgage your house in order to go on a gondola ride. And, of course, an espresso in St. Mark's square will cost you 10 euro. You will be tempted to think that anyone who pays these prices is a fool and you will refuse to put yourself in the same category as these naive tourists. Don't be a cynic. Just pay the charming sneaky gondolier and enjoy the touristy ride. Pay for the overpriced coffee and sit in St. Marks square at night while the piazza slowly floods with water and the orchestras play past midnight. You will be thankful you did.

Venice High Points
1. Take out Pizza in St. Mark's square
2. Late night orchestra music
3. Our navigation skills
4. Our first taste of Gelato for the trip

Venice Low Points
1. The longest walk of our lives (in the rain)
2. Squid Ink pasta
3. No galoshes and one umbrella