Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Vintage Ideals - Food is Love


Ah…the family dinner.  Is there any notion more comforting than the family gathering around the table for a hot, delicious, home-cooked meal? 
                “Mmm, Mom, this roast is delicious!” 
                “Glad you like it, Bobby.  Now take your baseball hat off at the table, son.”
Then each member of the family would gaily recount the day’s events, wonderful as they were.
                “I hit a homerun!”
                “I got an A on my spelling test!”
                “I got the Henderson account, honey!”
Oh, can’t you just see the gleam in their eyes?  No? 

Maybe you’re a child of the seventies and eighties, like myself.  Most family dinners were fish sticks and canned corn or Happy Meals, between soccer and mom’s Aerobics class.  Or maybe when you did sit down to dinner, it was only to glare across the table to your evil older brother or bore everyone with the details of Star Search (the original American Idol).

I’m a mother myself now.  And I find myself doing the exact things my mom did, when I’m sure we both hoped for the scenario up top.  Is it possible?  In this day and age?  How?  Can we stop and remember that food can be love and life in itself and that our families are so worth it?

In her book, A Homemade Life, Molly Wizenberg shows how to do just that.  A beautiful food memoir, Molly demonstrates through recipes how our lives are (or can be) so intertwined with food and meals that some of our best memories are born from experiences with cooking and food.  Touching, romantic, funny, beautiful, and sad, this book is a wonderful journey through a life as seen through the kitchen.  I found myself wanting to make recipes I would never had given a second thought to because of the life and personality Molly provides them through written word.  Braised cabbage?  Sounds beautiful.  Thanks, Molly.


Want pictures and more of Molly’s recipes?  Check out her wonderful blog at:  http://orangette.blogspot.com/

Did you read this?  What did you think?  What's your favorite food memoir?

Monday, August 1, 2011

Vintage Storage

This post is a sort of continuation of the last.  You may have noticed that I added a new category to my shop:  Storage Solutions.  This is mainly for two reasons.  I love rusty metal and old wood, and these things commonly make up the various buckets, boxes, bins, and baskets I fall in love with so often.

These items can add a depth of unrivaled character to a room, not to mention the practical side - they have stood the test of time and continue to outlive many modern storage solutions.  There's also a LOT of cool upcycled and vintage-style items out there for stashing stuff.  Let's see what I have today....

A former chicken feed bin serves as an awesome countertop organizer for the kitchen!  Who woulda thunk?
A soda crate bathroom caddy - awesome!

Locker baskets make fantastic storage containers - most importantly, you can see what's in them.


Or use an old barn wood ladder for storing blankets or towels in a bathroom.

Get creative with vintage tins!

Or let a vintage hardware cabinet be the focal point of a room.
 Vintage items are amazingly useful.  They are classic and durable, and often can be tweaked or upcycled into something else.  They are fun.  They have personality to spare and add a rich, homey feeling to a space.  Enjoy them.

 Maybe you're saying to yourself, "Courtney, those locker baskets are just awesome, but where can I find some?"  Well, I just happen to have - BAM! 

This basket and others available at Bold Sparrow Vintage
What fun vintage or antique storage options have you come across?  Do share...