Naturalist

Things have been so busy here, I apologize for my absence. It's been much too long I know. I've been frantically working on the goods for my shop along with the fact that I finally got a job (Yay!). So the only time I usually get a chance to use the computer is at night when I rarely have the energy to blog. But I'm working on a solution to that. However, I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the pieces of magic I've collected over the summer. This butterfly I found blowing down the sidewalk outside the library.

I save the small, soft, feathers I find in our yard.

My dad found this little egg shell outside and brought it in for me.

Rocks from Clam Gulch and Homer.

My sister found me this bird's nest, it had fallen out of the tree during a storm.

It's not much, but I do find comfort and inspiration in surrounding myself with little these little pieces of wonder. Feeling like Julian from Elizabeth Enright's Gone Away Lake, one of the best children's books to read in the summer I think, and the sequel is just as good. They're full of that wonderful summery nostalgic feel, where you just want to sit on a porch drink ice cold lemonade and watch the fire flies.

I hope you're all enjoying the summer (or winter, which ever you're in) I can hardly believe it's already August! July just went by so fast. And thank you all for you're votes on the skirt, it's tied right now, so if you haven't voted please do, I'm going to close it on Saturday, so hurry!

I won't make any false promises about posting. I will try to post again soon, but you never know how things will go, especially when they just seem to get busier and busier. So we'll just have to see how things go.

with feathers and butterfly dust,

Clara

aquired treasures

Well, it's taken me much longer to post this than I thought it would. But at least I'm here. So, first up is my garage sale loot. Every year there's this huge sale in support of one of my church's missionaries and I always find something old and awesome! And this year was no exception.

An apron, is it not beautiful? It makes me want to find some rustic kitchen and bake tarts.

Or little cakes, these little pans are so adorable, my favorite thing about them is how they're unusual animals. A bunny, a squirrel, a duck, and a horse.Okay, I've got to stop saying I love everything I got. BUT I do love this lamp, it needs a short little candle put in it and then I'm ready for any loss of electricity or opportunity to time travel.

Yarn and thread, a knitter can always stand to find more of those.

Now this is exciting, Better Homes and Gardens from 1930 and 1945! The oldest magazines I own now by far. Before it was my 1948 McCalls which I also found at the same garage sale two years ago.

A book of sweet children's stories, from the 80's, but it has cute illustrations and most of the tales I would have picked out myself for a collection.

I've always wanted to get into pottery, not really for art, but to make useful things. I got this though, because it has really good information on clay and all those things that are good to know and have reference to. Hopefully I'll get to use this soon.

Now I NEVER thought I'd willingly buy a chemistry book, for while I enjoyed it more than physics, that isn't saying much at all. The only science that I had fun learning was earth science and botany, everything else was a nightmare. I also hate math, apparently I'm good at it, but the hate of it takes away any satisfaction I might get from that. ANYWAY, all of that is to say that I did buy a chemistry book, but it was merely for the date in the front which is 1897. So yes, I definatly bought it once I saw that. oh goodness, I do make myself laugh.

These really tiny, really pretty vases. They're just perfect for little wild flowers or our lily of the valley.

This was quite the exciting find for me, it's a fisherman's basket! I'm hoping to attach it to my bike some how, just can't wait to bike all over Alaska with it.

Now every Memorial Day Value Village has a 50% off sale, so here's what I got this year: two vintage patterns, this cute brown skirt...

This lovely coat (yes I bought a wool coat at the beginning of summer, yes that's weird, but it was only $5! plus I loved it! how could I say no!?) (actually your all wonderful and would never question give me a hard time about such a per chase), and this great gypsy vest. Also (that I forgot to take pictures of) a fair isle vest, some legwarmers(Clara seems to have forgotten the season again), knee socks, and a lacy pink slip.

Now remember, there was also graduation in all of this, so yeah, I've been getting a lot of stuff lately. My dear friend Kristen got me this tea cup in DC, isn't it beautiful? And one of my favorite teas, Jasmine. If you haven't tried it, please do, it tastes like a fairy drink, especially sweetened with honey. Also not pictured: a gingham apron (that was my great, great, grandma's!), some old money, and a charm bracelet that my grandma got on her graduation.

I've been very busy doing many of the things I mentioned on my last post, I just haven't had time to write about it! But there will be one about it soon, tomorrow morning we're leaving to go clamming. I'll tell you all about it when I get back. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

love to you all, Clara

best things of 2009 part 1

Happy New Year everyone! Well, It's taken me a while but I should be back for good now. This new year is very exciting for me because so many good things are going to happen, but I still want to look back and be thankful for all of the positive highlights of the last year. So here they are!

Good Thing #1 finding Vintage and Antique things at low prices, the little clock and this embroidered picture, thing, are my most recent purchases.

Good Thing #2: decorating my room! Here's my tree, (there will be more on it soon) and I love it so much. I feel so blessed to have gotten to do so much to my room this year, it feels amazing to finally get to make it look how I want it too. (this picture is from this summer when there was actually LIGHT, all my photos look so grainy this time of year)Good Thing #3: My art class. I learned so much, had a fun teacher, and got an A! These are all little drawings from my sketchbook, twice we went to the museum and spent two and a half hours drawing animals, I think that was one of my favorite things we did. Above is a seal.

Left: Emperor Goose, Right: Muskox

Left: Grizzly Bear, Right: Auklet

another little drawing.

Good Thing #4: Altering and fixing up clothes. The dress is what I changed this time, all I did was shorten it, but that's all it needed to become my new favorite dress!

Good Thing #5: One of my goals I made at the beginning of last year was to get better at Photography. Anyway, I think I did. I'm sure the main reason for this was my wonderful camera, but I can still see a difference.

Good Thing #6: Getting to discover some wonderful small lives right in town was amazing this summer, and I realize now that I never shared these with you! These baby birds grew up in our own yard.

This little guy I found while reading outside of the library, I was just doing my own little thing when I heard a noise in a bush near by and saw a bit of movement. So I went over to investigate and it was several mice! I just am still in a state of wonderment over the fact that I actually took this picture.

Good Thing #7: Dance has been full of ups and downs this year, but it's still been one of the best things that's happened to me. This is also a full view of the mazurka costume if you're wondering. Oh, the hours we put into all of those. :)
Good Thing #8: Finding beauty in my surroundings has become so important to be this year, and it's made me fall in love with Alaska over and over again. The light and the sky, the snow, the rain, the clouds, the woods, even the people here are beautiful in the way that people should be.

Good Thing #9: YOU!!! you all have been so amazing to me this year, it started out without having any followers at all and now I have forty! Thank you all so so so so much, you have no idea how much it has helped to know that there are wonderful people like all of you somewhere in the world, your sweet comments have truly brought the sun out on many dark days. I love you all very much.

So, I had planned to go through my favorite books and movies I read or saw for the first time this year as well, but I've decided to save that for another post because this ended up pretty long, also this way I'll be able to do little reviews of them. I'll be back soon!

Love,

Clara

Something thrilling came in the mail for me last week...
this darling little purse from Anji Jane! I won it at her giveaway and it's just the perfect size for bare-necessities such as, money, pen, little notepad, and Anne of Windy Poplars.

She also included with it some covered buttons and little bows, I can hardly wait to find what to use them on. I thought it was about time I showed you some of the other things I've acquired of late.

I got this suitcase (and the blouse which you'll see at the bottom) from the antique shop with a gift card I had from my birthday. It's currently holding all of my gypsy clothes. When ever I fall into a certain mood I go through my clothes and pack all of the ones that match my moon in a suitcase, then I base what I wear off of what's inside it.

I got these too little books just this last Monday, Mother West Wind's Neighbors and The House of Seven Gables. Mother West Wind is one of the stories I remember loving when I was little, it's full of little animal stories about why the woodchuck doesn't like the crow and such things. The House of Seven Gables is by Nathanial Hawthorn, I've never read it but I loved The Scarlet Letter so much that I'm sure this will be wonderful as well.
I got a tea pot! I'm so happy about this, I've been looking for one for a very long time and this was only three dollars. The blouse I also got with the gift card is not in perfect condition, as in it's rather lacking buttons and there's a few tears, but I know it will be perfect to me once I find it's buttons. Oh my goodness, I have been so restless these past few days. I feel such an urge to just do something different, something that won't make this week blend in with all the past ones. Do you ever feel this way?

Love, Clara

my sanctuary

My biggest project of late has been my bed room. It's become a wonderful place for me to just be. I hope you know what I mean. So I'm going to show it to you, I've been wanting to put together a little video of it, but I got tired of waiting till I had the time. Hopefully it will still happen, just not now. Yes, those are tea bags strung about, it was my friend's idea, I think they're beautiful.

Since the first picture was taken I've taped these papers on my closet, they are copied from my favorite journal entries. I bought the pointe shoes at the antique shop the day before my birthday, they were only five dollars and I just couldn't leave them behind.
My old books. Most of them came from the library book sale where hardbacks are only a dollar. The shelf they're on (up above my closet) was a birthday present from my parents.

My newest tea cup, thrifed.

My grandma gave me this one for Christmas, along with Peter and Wendy from 1914. All summer I found lots of little feathers in the back yard so I put them and some dried yellow flowers in this tea cup. I guess it's one of my ways of collecting magic. I also hang teabags on my mirror.

Now this is my pride and joy. Yes. It's a tree. In my room. And I made it. You can't see it very well, I know, but that's because I'm planing to show you a lot more of it later. After all of it's elements are in place. I'm thinking more little pictures hanging from it's branches and perhaps a fairy door or two?

I love this Bambi picture, it was my mothers.

My sister Teresa felted this chickadee, isn't she incredible? It's perched in my tree right as I speak. I hope you like my room. I love it so much.

~Clara