recent thrift finds + the uten.silo

i'm still feeling very under the weather. however, my husband and i managed to get out of the house yesterday to visit a co-worker and his family, who live in the south bay, near san jose, california. our host graciously took us to a few thrift stores. it was lovely of him to do so, as i have been too tired and unmotivated to go thrifting for weeks.
some of my finds, mostly home-related (i did find some clothes, i haven't had a chance to snap photos of them as yet!):
orange and yellow glass salt and pepper shakers in some of my favorite colors.

the crocheted potholder was from vintage clothing and homewares store, and the orange and green one was from one of the thrifts we stopped at.

a vintage yellow and orange mug that happened to match the salt and pepper shakers, thrifted.

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this uten.silo was my christmas gift from the husband! i've been wanting one for years, and was really pleased to receive it. for those not in the know, the uten.silo is a design classic that was conceived in 1969 by designer dorothee becker, and is made for making sense of your stuff, whatever that might be. very mid-century mod...the way i like many my things, and perfect for our home with it's bright lipstick red color. it's hanging in our hallway, and will be put to used to corral some of our small clutter (keys, wallets, and much, much more). a lasting gift that will remain classic and useful for years.

thank you, baby!

happy holidays, all.

here's our humble tree!

we live across from the flower market here in SF, and decided to get a nice potted umbrella tree instead of the traditional holiday tree. more earth friendly, really, as it will far outlast the season (will live years, sans decoration, of course) and dwell in our home all year long. it was pete's choice...i think he made a good one.

all the presents are there by the tree...we're not going home for the holidays this year. we were going to go to cabo san lucas, mexico but decided to postpone the trip since i haven't been feeling well lately. it's just the two of us, really. i miss my family though...it's the first time i haven't been home for xmas in 32 years. needless to say, i'm feeling more than a little teary-eyed today.

but something good to look forward to: we're having a group of friends over for xmas dinner tomorrow, those that didn't leave town for the holidays.

it will be a big melange of italian specialties: homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs (dad's recipe), polenta lasagna, frosted sicilian meatball cookies, garden salad with feta and oil/vinegar dressing, and more that's not so italian, maybe (chimay beer, mulled cider, and coconut macaroons). should be yummy.

peace, love, good health and happy holidays to all of you.

thanks for being my friends!

the story of stuff

do you know the story of the stuff you use? the story behind all those covetable electronics, clothes and other *things* you consume? do you know the real cost of it all? just because something is cheap doesn't mean someone, or many someone's aren't paying for it in some way along the line. do we really need to consume as much as we do? who benefits from all this consumption? do we? is there a better way?
the story of stuff by annie leonard takes a closer look "at the underside of our production and consumption patterns... [and] exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world."
being that it's the end of the year, and new fashion leaves are supposed to be turning over, i've been hearing a lot of declarations in magazines and elsewhere about what's "out" and "over" and what should be trashed in lieu of the "new and improved", the "latest and the greatest".
BUT. what if i like that old stuff? what if it's still useful? should it be trashed because it's not the latest trend? should it be trashed in lieu of consuming more, just because someone declares it's passe?
this fashion-related clip from the story of stuff (the whole of which i highly recommend watching) suggests that new trends are marketed to make consumers feel bad about the trends that came before, by calling said trends obsolete, and thus prompting consumers to consume more, lest they be chastised and considered out-of-date.

/journal/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/story%20of%20stuff%20-%20shoe%20segment/story%20of%20stuff%20-%20shoe%20segment-poster.jpg (click to play)

it's called "perceived obsolescence"...and it's absolutely intentional and it's aim is to make MONEY for manufacturers. it's all marketing.

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what's in for the coming year?
-wearing whatever the hell you feel like in 2008...and beyond. -eschewing "trends". -thinking before you consume, and sometimes, choosing not to consume at all.