Just a quick note to let you all know what I’ve been up to. I’m volunteering as the crafts director at a girls camp this week. So, for the past couple months, I’ve been preparing all the crafts and buying supplies for about 100 teenage girls to make cool stuff. I’ve kept the projects secret in case any of the girls read my blog…but now that they are soundly sleeping, I’ll fill you in. These are the projects I have planned: duct tape wallets, resin pendant necklaces, alphabet fleece pillows, yo yo headbands and pins, door name plates made from subway tiles, and paracord bracelets. I hope the girls have as much fun making them as I have. The picture above is our Craft Shack. Needs some work, I know, but I think it’ll be great. I’ll post lots of pictures and share all the crafts with you when I get back. Have a great week!

I feel like I’m saying goodbye to an era.

In a recent attempt at simplicity, I’ve been cleaning out extraneous belongings that have cluttered up my apartment—and thus my life. But one collection I vowed to eliminate has proven hard to part with: my 13-year accumulation of Victoria magazines.

The brown and beige house (that's me dressed as a Native American for Halloween)

My grandmother first introduced me to Victoria when I was a teenager in the early 90s. She kept recent issues in a basket on the floor next to her chair. Every Sunday when my family visited her, I’d curl up at her feet and pour through those pages over and over again. I never got bored of them—or my grandmother’s stories. We bonded over our mutual affection for that magazine. And Victoria opened up a whole new world to me, albeit a world that was decidedly un-cool for a girl my age.

Victoria brought the promise of beauty, luxury, and grace into my otherwise drab existence. To my mother’s dismay, the home in which I grew up was decorated in a distinctly masculine aesthetic: wall-to-wall solid oak with numerous mounted deer heads and antlers. The only two colors found in that house were brown and beige. Even the outside was painted beige and brown! I shared a small bedroom with my two sisters, sleeping in oak platform beds that stacked on top of each other during the day and rolled out at night. Love was there, but beauty—at least my kind of beauty—was nowhere to be found. Then Victoria showed me a wealth of painted white furniture (hallelujah!), bright linens, lush gardens, and romantic fashions. I was hooked.

Madeleine L'Engle, best known for her book A Wrinkle in Time

For better or worse, Victoria informed my taste for the next 13 years. From the start, I admired Nancy Lindemeyer (founding editor of Victoria) and her vision and words of wisdom. One of Victoria‘s Writers in Residence, Madeleine L’Engle, soon became my favorite author. I savored each photo taken by Victoria‘s most prolific photographer, Toshi Otsuki. (I even tried to hire Mr. Otsuki when I worked for Real Simple magazine, but I was told he wasn’t working anymore because his eyesight was failing.) Victoria magazine was one reason I chose to major in magazine journalism in college. In fact, I secretly hoped to work for Victoria someday.

“We do not observe the world around us without in some way changing it, and being changed ourselves.”
-Madeleine L’Engle

Nancy Lindemeyer, founder and editor in chief of Victoria from March 1987 to October 2000

Victoria wasn’t just about a style. It was a way of life. A way of life epitomized by Jane Austen’s world, in which her protagonists enjoyed afternoon tea, rambling walks in sprawling gardens, picnic-lunch excursions, beautifully handwritten letters, and an overall refinement that’s generally lacking today. It’s a way of life, I’m sorry to say, I may never achieve.

I gradually outgrew my infatuation with Victoria‘s pretty but cluttered world. (My Real Simple tenure was probably to blame.) Still, when Victoria folded in 2003, I was heartbroken because my dream of being a part of its staff was over. Four years later, I received a postcard in the mail announcing Victoria‘s relaunch. Nostalgic for the memories we shared together, I subscribed immediately. When the new issue arrived, nothing in it held my fancy. Maybe it was the absence of Nancy Lindemeyer’s touch. Or the dearth of Toshi Otsuki’s photographs. But in truth, nothing was exactly wrong with it. Victoria seemed the same. I had changed.

“When I began Victoria magazine, I always said that it was for the women who loved their grandmothers as I did. And who would never forget the legacy of womanhood they gave them. It was much more than appreciation of a gracious time. It was a sense of what was beautiful in life—of what to hold on to that expresses the best we have to give.”
-Nancy Lindemeyer

It was time for me to let Victoria go. Before boxing up the magazines to sell on eBay, I felt impelled to take one last look—at every page of every issue. It took me weeks. When I got down to the last few issues, I didn’t want it to end. Leafing through them, I recalled the power they once had to transport me and stir a longing for that life. Though I hadn’t opened most of the magazines for at least a decade, I vividly remembered how certain photos had enthralled me. But my fond memories of Victoria are just that: memories. And one cannot live in memories.

My grandmother

Perhaps not coincidentally, this journey down memory lane started just before I heard my grandmother was sick with terminal cancer. Though I still loved her and held no grudges, we hadn’t spoken in years. I visited her in the hospital recently. I wouldn’t say fences were mended during those visits, but with Victoria memories fresh in my mind, I at least kept the bad from blotting out the good memories we once shared. The person I knew and loved during those precious Victoria years is how I will choose to remember my grandmother.

So, with a heavy heart and tears on my cheeks, I pack up Victoria and prepare to say goodbye to my beloved grandmother. With their passing from my life, an era comes to an end. One I will not forget.

For the record, I’m against sealing my wine cork bath mat. I mean, corks are exposed to the moisture of wine for decades and seem to hold up fine, right? But several readers insisted cork needed to be sealed, so I did some research on sealing cork. It seems the best option is probably a sealant that’s made for protecting the cork footbeds of sandals such as Birkenstocks. I bought a 2oz. jar of Sure Foot’s Cork Renew for $5 at my local shoe repair shop. Other brands include Birkenstock Cork Life or Kelly’s Cork Renew. (U-40 Cork Seal, which is designed to prolong the life of cork fishing rod handles, may also be a good option.)

Today I started applying the sealant one row at a time. I didn’t like the glossy, tacky feel of the sealant, so I was hesitant to keep going. My compromise: I painted the cork sealant on only half the bath mat, and I’ll compare the results in a few weeks. After letting it dry for a day, I’ll start the test on Monday and keep you posted with the results.

UPDATE 4/28: It’s four weeks later, and the unsealed side (bottom half) of the bath mat looks and feels like new. The sealed side (top half) started out quite sticky. Gradually, the tacky feel went away—only because everything stuck to that side. It acted like a giant lint roller. The sealed side isn’t sticky anymore, but it’s darker than the unsealed side (the difference is more noticeable in person). Btw: This photo was taken after I vacuumed as much of the stuck debris away as I could. I rotated the bath mat halfway through the trial to be fair to both sides.

Conclusion: Unless you are in the habit of creating a swamp of your bathroom floor every time you shower (and you know who you are), unsealed wine cork bath mats can be expected to hold up as well as most store-bought bath mats. Because common sense isn’t as common as one might hope, I’ve put together a mini tutorial for keeping your bathroom floor dry, and thus lengthening the life of your bath mat.

Tips for a dry bathroom floor

1. Towel dry off before stepping out of the shower. Why anyone needs to wander the bathroom soaking wet before grabbing a towel is beyond me. Towel not within reach? Install a simple hook just outside the shower for that purpose.

2. Place a towel or cloth bath mat on top of your cork mat before stepping on it wet. If you don’t, a puddle of water (and the potential for mold) might start building up underneath the mat. Simply drape the towel over the edge of the tub to dry after each use.

3. Open the bathroom window or turn on the exhaust fan while showering. Yes, even in the dead of winter. If you don’t, your ceiling will drip, and mold will start growing.

If you follow these easy tips, your significant other/roommate will thank you. Trust me.

Hi everyone! Bet you thought I fell into a hole somewhere. Nah, just job hunting now that I’m done with school. Anyone want to hire me? :) Anyway, I attended the San Francisco International Gift Fair last Saturday, and I ran across these flower-covered paper lanterns at the zappobz booth. I begged to take a picture so you can see them. I still like mine best, but I thought the bright colors were fun too. By the way, my favorite booth at the fair was roost. Love, love, love their stuff.

I just wanted to thank SunRun for the opportunity to be a judge this year’s Customer Holiday Lights Contest. Congratulations to the winners! Judging the contest was fun, and I’m happy to promote the use of solar energy anytime.

Darla and Liz, this photo is for you. :) This is one of the boy angel Christmas ornaments that my great grandmother made for the males in the family. Happy Christmas Eve to you all!

Don’t you just love Christmas lights? As an apartment dweller, decking the yard with lights isn’t an option, so instead my living room is almost as bright as day in the evening with all the strings of lights. They’re the next best thing to sitting beside a flickering fireplace. Check out all the new growth on my little potted Christmas tree. It’s growing fast! The angel on the top of the tree was tatted by my great grandmother—the same one who made these doilies. She made everyone in the family either a boy or girl angel. My father insisted his angel needed pants, so she created the pattern just for him. Have a very Merry Christmas everyone!

I have a thing for train station clocks. This one is located outside of a restaurant I have yet to try. The pig adds a little whimsy, don’t you think?

I saw this shelf/table/cart on display in a local shop (photographed with permission). Fabulous design.

I am IN LOVE with this stainless steel mailbox. If I were a homeowner, I would buy one right now. It’s made by Ecco Products, and you can buy it at The Mailbox Works.

I kick myself that I didn’t buy one of these ceramic owl umbrella stands before Urban Outfitters sold out. They’re made by Two’s Company, and you can buy one at BurkeDecor.com (if you can wait until June) or MadisonAveGifts.com (at a higher price).

This weathered light fixture hangs outside a sleek, modern store. It’s so old, they style looks modern again. Love its swirls.

I actually shot this glitter-encrusted mobile last winter. It’s a Christmas decoration. I was going to make my own, but never got around to it. Maybe this year…

I am SO going to do this treatment on a piece of furniture soon. The harlequin pattern is fun, and the shape of the cabinet reminds me of Belle’s armoire in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

This being Craftynest, I couldn’t resist taking a photo of the giant nests in a nearby shop window. They’re made by Laura Del Fava, a local photostylist, not giant birds. :)

The Lemonade Award is for bloggers who show great “attitude and gratitude.” Upon receiving The Lemonade Award, you’re supposed to pass it on to 10 fellow bloggers. The choice is difficult because there are so many great blogs out there (which is why I procrastinated passing it along)! Here are my nominees in random order (this is a far cry from an exhaustive list of my favs):

Create Studio
Baca Creative
the long thread
Centsational Girl
Brabourne Farm
the life and times of sticks and bricks
Dollar Store Crafts
Crafty Storage
U create
Making it Lovely

For the winners, here’s what you do:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude.
3. Link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

I’m trying a new email newsletter service. Please let me know what you think of it. (The first mailing should arrive Friday morning.) If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do so right here. If you’re already subscribed, you don’t need to do anything. However, if you signed up anonymously, I was not able to transfer you to the new service, so you will need to sign up again. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for your patience while I figure this out.