Summer Solstice

It’s my favorite day (or one of them at least). It’s June 21, the Summer Solstice and longest day of sunlight of the year. For someone with a serious case of (laugh if you must) S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder), I take sunlight pretty seriously.
So maybe that’s why I haven’t been blogging. I’m not alone, I’ve noticed. Many of my favorite sites are on hiatus or at least have taken a noticeable break. I have been busy. There was a wedding.

Loved this dress. It moved like a peacock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then my mom’s b-day.

The Card Shower I organized on Facebook was a hit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then a dance recital.

Being goofy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then a trip to the beach.

Sunset Beach, North Carolina

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With some highlights.

Grandpa's mini me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fortunately, we fly home through the always-inspiring Charleston, South Carolina. The day we left I had a Top 10 meal here.

Seriously TOP 10 with roasted vegetables, lots of olive oil and pesto.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And loved these at the restaurant.

Wish my ceilings were tall enough for something like this, but not-so-much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we came home to lots of this.

A brand-spanking-new ballpark and my favorite time of year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, of course, this . . .

We have a great neighborhood pool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, when I’m feeling guilty about not blogging much, it’s not that I haven’t been doing much, it’s just sitting down and writing. I did hit my favorite Antiques Fair of the year last weekend with two of my favorite gals . . . more on that later. For now, enjoy the long, long day and get as much summer-lovin’ in as you can.

 

 

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'60s Manners Book turned Campy Artwork

Whatever you call it–kitschy, campy, ironic . . . I like things in my house to make people smile. And I finally finished a project that does just that. I have saved this book now for over 10 years knowing that I wanted to do something with it. It must have been one of my mother-in-law’s books, but I loved it (definitely not for the same reason she probably bought it).

Only 95 cents but it's a wealth of information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was first published in 1963, which makes it oh-so-appropriate for my 1958 house.  The title pages are really what struck me–actually the titles themselves. Things like “How to Sweeten Your Personality,” “Avoiding Awkward Situations,” and “How to Add to Your Husband’s Prestige” (my personal favorite). Each chapter has a distinct color theme and a line drawing of a typical (I guess) 1960s scenario.

This one is MM's favorite. See, she's telling her son to be quiet because Daddy is back there working on the bills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found nicely worn-looking black frames at GardenRidge for $7.99 each and backed each page with a fun piece of scrapbook paper. (PS – I’m not a scrapbooker or a “cropper” or whatever you call them, but those stores have a lot of fun things and awesome paper designs that can be used a hundred different ways.) Most of the paper I chose had a retro vibe to it and I really think it works with each of  the pages. They are far from perfect, which actually adds to the charm for me. Some of the drawings are far from centered and the type is all left-justified, so none of them are the same but I trimmed them as closely as possible to show as much of the paper as I could.

This one reminds me of my friend Suzanne, who loves greeting cards--the dirtier the better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I ended up hanging six of them. I typically do things in odd-numbered groupings but the space really called for six, plus there were so many goodies to choose from and I wanted all of the good colors represented.

The photos didn't turn out very well. There's a huge glass door behind them and a lot of glare. I tried to do it at night and still glare from the chandelier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hung them in the dining room . . . appropriate I believe because this is where most people struggle with their manners. 🙂 Anyway, I must stop writing now, I have some reading to do–on How to Sweeten My Personality.