My kind of Luxury...

As much as I would love to go away and stay in a 5 star hotel and get pedicures and room services and fancy soaps, I think, given the choice, I would rather stay at Mary Jane's....

I think wall tents are sublime, only second to Yurts. Wouldn't it be fun to get to design and decorate these? Maybe I have found my retirement vocation...

Just looking at the pictures is soothing...I can't imagine what staying there would be like...

In my spare time...

I have been having some fun working on new logo's for Storia di Vita Design and all my separate little branches of fun and folly... This is one of those things that you can spend hours and hours fiddlin with and changing. But for now I am liking the direction I am going...
Here is what I have so far...


This is to got at the top of letters I send that have to do with business-y stuff...


Here are my 2 shop names in similar, but not identical looks.



This is my more formal logo, to be used when I am presenting to more staid and less vintage clients (web design primarily)



And here is my favorite and the one I will use most often... At least until I change it all again!

Blue Plate Special and other treats...

Hi friends. How is your Saturday going? Mine is fine thank you very much. In between stringing banners and mailing packages I have been enjoying my new-old Adirondack chair that I found on the side of the road a few weeks ago. I have dreamed of owning an Adirondack or 2 for years, and then one day I was driving down the road and VOILA! There it was, all ready for me to take home and for free. It is in great shape and just needed some 'tightening' up and a paint job. Nathan has done the tightening part, now I just need to do the painting... I will be sure to post before's and afters when it is done.

The garage sale season has just started to pick up around here, and I have also managed to do a wee bit of thrifting here and there over the past month of so. I thought I would show off some of my favorite finds that are not going to the Shoppes!


This is my own blue plate special. Jeanetta and I snuck off to the new Savers that is right around the corner from my house. Jeanetta found this precious little saucer for me and I just couldn't resist it. I don't typically like blue flowers on plates, except in this type (or Blue Willow) patterns. I think I managed to pay all of 20 cents for it.



Next up is my vintage Brownie camera. This one I found when Judea was up here last week. We happened upon a Sunday garage sale (rarely rarely happens here) and managed to talk the people down to $3 for this little wonder. I have been wanted an old camera to display and this one with the flash attached was too cute to pass up...



And lastly here is a grouping with several thrifting treasures - the Mary Poppins Songbook, and 2 apothecary jars - one filled with plastic eggs, one with vintage spools of thread. I can't wait to change those jar's contents with each season...Wish I had one big enough for old baseballs!

Hello friends

Want to join me for a little morning visit over my boiled egg with butter and salt and bread?
Things here are good. Spring is here -thank goodness! I have the screen doors open today and there is a breeze flowing through...ahhh.
We had our first grillin' party last night with friends from college and their families and it was so much fun, we really need to do it more often. The end of the school year is within site, and the anticipation of summer is thick. We all have visions of swimming pools and long lazy days in our dreams. Baseball season has begun and Wylie is in heaven. I have found - surprisingly- that I really love going to the games, sitting in the lawn chairs on the grassy hill and routing for the kids as they play their little hearts out. Also the ballpark hot dogs aren't bad either.
I will be glad when I get my camera back, things just aren't the same without it. I am so glad to be wearing flip flops again, you just don't even know. I am still putting new things in Storia VINTAGE trying to clear out some of the linens I have had around here for awhile, and I am excited to get started in 4th of July goodies soon. I plan on always having a pitcher of pink lemonade in the fridge from now until Labor Day, and I hope the bug man comes soon because the ants are out of control all over the house!

I guess that is all that I am thinking today. I need to get back to banner making- a bunch of orders need to get out today and tomorrow, but at least the house is clean (if you don't look at the mountain of laundry) so that is one less thing to fret over.
I hope you are well dear friends - look forward to catching up again soon!

PS- Mothers Day Banners are ON SALE at Storia HOME
PSS- I have added a "subscribe with Bloglines" button by my picture for those who want to keep current with My Little Life!

Wee the People

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.
~Erma Bombeck





When you have a baby, you set off an explosion in your marriage, and when the dust settles, your marriage is different from what it was. Not better, necessarily; not worse, necessarily; but different.
~ Nora Ephron

BEN: Are you saying Chow Fun's because you don't want to face telling the kids?
Because if that's why you're saying Chow Fun's, don't say Chow Fun's.

KATIE: That's not why I'm saying Chow Fun's.
I'm saying Chow Fun's because we're an "us".

There's a history and histories don't happen overnight. In Mesopotamia or
Ancient Troy or somewhere back there, there were cities built on top of other cities,
but I don't want to build another city. I like this city. I know where we keep the Bactine,
and what kind of mood you're in when you wake up by which eyebrow is higher. And you always
know that I'm a little quiet in the morning and compensate accordingly. That's a
dance you perfect over time.

And it's hard, it's much harder than I thought it would be, but there's more good than bad.
And you don't just give up. And it's not for the sake of the children, but they're great kids
aren't they? And we made them - I
mean think about that - there were no people there and then there were people - two
of them. And they grew. And I won't be able to say to some stranger, "Josh has
your hands" or "Remember how Erin threw up at the Lincoln Memorial?"

~ from The Story of Us

Let's Avoid Shall We?

Today after just doing a little work this morning, I had to declare a time out from business stuff and actually do some housework. Not enough, but some. Like unpacking from our trip. Like switching winter clothes for summer clothes. Like clearing off the pile on the dining room table. Nothing exciting, but a good head start on feeling like I am living in a home and not a pig sty again...

So now I thought I would avoid the housework for a moment and reality for a moment, and pretend that I am about to go buy a new couch... Hmmm... which one shall I choose?

I have decided with the new living room arrangement that we might be able to fit a sectional into our living room, which would accommodate all 4 of us lounging together - something we enjoy.

Here are my requirements:
1) Slipcovered instead of upholstered.
2) Sectional that would include a Chaise and a Couch and that is all.
3) I would like the couch (and maybe the chaise too?) part to be armless so that if I ever broke the set up they would look normal on their own, instead of only having one arm each.




This one from Pottery Barn is a little too big and bulky, those back pillows would be on the floor in no time flat...


Here is one that I like for it's body style - though I would change the fabric of course (white for summer, red for winter...)

So my questions are these:
Do you have a sectional? Do you like it?
Do you have an armless couch/chaise? Do you like it?
Can you recommend any other options for me to look at?

Celebration Continues...

with NEW ATTIC SALE additions at Storia HOME!!

1. Queen Candle, 2. Bloomin' Lovely, 3. Hippity Hop, 4. Bauble Nest, 5. Birthday Boy Candle 2, 6. Welcome Spring, 7. Feeling Fluffy, 8. Nest of Pins, 9. Happy Easter

All the above items have been dramatically reduced (plus more!!) Help me clean out my attic and celebrate with some fun glittery goodies!

Had to Share

Jemimah took most of the pictures of the boys on Easter and she got some great ones. During the haste of us leaving for Juneau and them leaving for Germany I never got a CD of the pictures, but she posted 2 of my favs today on her blog so I just had to share....
(click on pics to see bigger)

The Me Challenge

OK, time for a party game! This one is called What is Me? Inspired by Jean (and someone else who I have now spaced out) here is my
Me vs. Not Me List:


NOT ME


So Very Me.

Not me.

So very me.




Not me.




Very, very me.




Not me.





So very me.




Not me.





So very me.




Not me.




Very me.





Not me. (The Hills TV show)




Very me. (Jon and Kate Plus 8)



Not me.
So me.

If you decide to play this fun party game too let me know! I would love to pop in and see just what is you, and what is so not!

(PS- this game it totally addictive and I could've kept going for hours finding contrasting pairs!)

Attic Sale Begins

1. 3 Lovely Flowers, 2. Mothers Day 055, 3. Daisy Chain, 4. Retro Fun, 5. Writers Life, 6. True Blue, 7. Posies, 8. Bouquet, 9. Powder Puff Jar

In honor of my Blogiversary - a celebration I think should last a week at least!- I have put a bunch of new items up at my Storia VINTAGE shop at already reduced low prices - so put on your party hat and do some shopping!

(Also, I'll be putting some clearance items up on Storia HOME in the next day or 2....)

Happy Blogiversary To Me...Sorda

Well today is my 2 year Blogiversary. I had intended to have a big ole' hoopla today for everyone, but alas that didn't happen... So many other things going on. I think I need at least 8 more hours a day. 4 for rest and relaxation and 4 for work. Do you know where I could find those? Can I pay for them with a Paypal account?

Oh well, I guess we'll have to put off the celebration for another day...perhaps tomorrow or Sunday?

In honor of my Blogiversary I am going to have a HUGE ATTIC SALE with new sale items going into both Storia HOME and Storia VINTAGE. Lots of vintage linens, pillowcases, quilt toppers, super duper clearance Easter items and much more! Hopefully the sun will come out and I can get good pics of everything so I can list it all soon and show you!



Till then, here are the Mother's Day crowns and recent Shoppe updates at our local space.
Jeanetta painted the girls faces - my idea, her execution - isn't she amazing, what would I do without her?? .
We have named these new gals "Rella" and "Rina" for our college nicknames - "Grungerella and Grungerina, the Fairy Grunge Sisters." Of course we have left the "Grunge" part behind with our youth, and these ladies are far more sophisticated that that any-ho. I think they are absolutely in their Parisian phase and they look tres chic in their crowns don't you think? I promise to get pictures of them sans crowns soon so you can see their nifty do's too.

Besides adding Rella and Rina, I also did some general fluffing around our room.. here are a few other peaks of how the room looked this afternoon...






Well, I need to get back to the glitter grind. Thanks so much for stopping in today. I cannot believe I have been blogging for 2 years, and I cannot believe how much it has changed my life! I wish you all many many happy returns of the day and I promise we will party in true Storia Style real soon!

Busy Busy Busy

This week it's back to work, work, work.
All the irons are in the fire - Web work, Shoppe Work, Orders Work
Design Work....

Thank goodness it is sunny and breezy and my Sweet Man hung some vintage screen doors on 2 of our doors - one right off my studio- so now we can have a lovely breeze and fresh air blowing in the house and sunshine pouring in the the windows!! Since our house is so old 95% of our windows are painted shut (for now) and I have missed having a breeze in the spring and fall sooo much. It never falls to amaze me how much weather affects my mood and outlook... I always feel so much more optimistic and productive when the sun is shinning and the air is cool and slightly breezy. No wonder Hollywood is the place of dreams, they have the perfect weather for it!

Here are the newest additions to Storia HOME and not a moment too soon...





OK, back to the grind. Now it is time to make some Queen Momma of it All Crowns and perhaps get some furniture painting in? Can I do it? Cross your fingers for me!