Things That Make Me Smile Today

I think I mentioned that I'm not exactly in a lovefest with my current home and have a bad case of new house fever. I confess that I am a clutter creator. I am a lover and collector of stuff, even though I despise the way it makes me feel when I can't find things or there isn't a "home" for things to return to. An internal conflict to be sure and one I have grappled with for several years. But there is one room that still makes me smile. There is this funky shaped (long and narrow) powder bathroom in the house that I decided to just totally play up. Had it painted with bold red and gold stripes and then placed all kinds of mirrors and clocks (only requirement is that they had to have some type of movement, i.e. pendulum or cuckoo). My brother, also a collector and packrat, gave me this weirdly cool plaster face of a well-known actor. Can you guess who it is? (hint: The Shining) Apparently, these are make-up casts of some sort. Not really sure. (My brother has faces of Julia Roberts and the guy who played Herman Munster.) So the bathroom is a mix of Willy Wonka meets Alice in Wonderland meets a carnival fun house! A little freakish. A little garish and curious. (hmmmm....this may be the room that keeps the house from selling!)

Anyway, one of my favorite memories of my grandparents' house is when, every hour (sometimes half hour and quarter hour!) a clock would chime. They had so many antique clocks that it was literally a cacophony of dings, dongs, chimes, bongs, and cuckoos - all going off in successive time. Love that and miss that so much! In a nightly ritual, papa would go around with his keys and wind up the clocks. I guess I was trying to replicate that memory, although my clocks are not antique and don't make any sounds...but for the cuckoo clock - alas, my husband and cat have threatened to walk out if I didn't disable it.

These bars are not new but I have just discovered them. When they are frozen, they are yummmy! A fruity (semi-sort-of-healthy) summer treat.

Summer would not be complete without a breezy, lighthearted tote bag. I have really been enjoying my new summer bag, made from vintage pillow cases. It's sturdy, holds a lot, and weighs nothing. You can order one here.

Did anybody else out there play with Liddle Kiddles? I loved these little dolls made by Mattel. They came in all sorts of containers: soda pop bottles, lockets, tiny rings, perfume bottles. Today, they are highly collectible and pull in a pretty penny on Ebay. I have a few from my childhood that I've put in a shadow box, along with the Fisher Price people and the Weebles. With their big heads and little bodies, they still make me smile today!

I love putting on a fragrance in the morning. Something to set the mood of the day and reflect my intentions and activities. Jo Malone fragrances are my favorite. Her scents are natural (think rose, grapefruit, nutmeg) and they all can be mixed and matched to create your own signature scent.

Okay...my parents have a lakehouse near a very rural, very typical Texas country kind of town. Don't get me wrong. I'm not dissing it...I'm from one of these towns myself and think they are great in their own kitschy kind of way. Well, on one visit, my siblings and I decided to hit the "downtown" and check out the junk stores. My eagle eyed sister spied it first! A white poodle hologram in a funky metal frame. It lights up. It's so realistic and just soooo incredibly campy. Like someone's dear Grandma captured the likeness of her beloved poodle for all posterity. Doesn't go with any of my decor. Don't care. Too much fun...had to have it. And last, but never least, a sleeping Cosmo el Gatto, aka Possum Sue. Hope everyone has a wonderful day with lots of things to make you smile.