Rich Tones Of Autumn

With it being the last day of September I am getting more and more in the Autumn vibe... nevermind that it was still 106 degrees today at Sunset... inside our Home the rich tones of Autumn are abounding and giving the illusion of crisp changing of the Seasons.  Our old House is well suited for Autumn, deep rich aged Golden and Honey toned patinas of Wood are everywhere... the House was built entirely of Salvage supplies in 1920 and much of the Wood came from grand razed Victorians and an 1800's Courthouse... which now live on in the form of our old Homestead.  There are many Antique Bronze and Brass fixtures on the old Doors, being Salvaged no two are the same and the variety is eclectic and charming.  

I've switched out many of my Vintage Linens with those that have richer tones of Autumn or whose graphics give me a Fall feel.   Bundles of Cinnamon Sticks and tart Apples fill old Mixing Bowls and give off a heady Spicy aroma that speaks to this Season best.  Even my Burlap Tote Bag of imported Rice reminds me of Autumn... don't you just love the graphics and styles of packaging on imported products... most are definitely 'keepers' and I often keep them for display or in the case of the Rice Bag Tote it has a zipper and handles so will be utilitarian long after the contents are eaten. 

I'm starting to dress in my Autumn tones also... the Bronze, Gold, Brown, Burnt Orange, Topaz, Amber and Burgundy colors of luxurious Vintage fabrics and Jewelry appeal to me more this time of year.   Even my two Orange Tomcats, Morris and Rusty, have coats and eyes that coincide with the rich tones of Autumn! *smiles*  Morris is a big old streetwise Stray that decided Domestication and living at the old Homestead beat an Alley Cat existance. So a few years ago he decided to hang around, adopted us and his big strong working Cat presence and cupcake personality won us over even though his previous lifestyle of being dusty and crusty haven't totally been eliminated... so he's rather like a Cat version of "Pigpen" of the "Peanuts" Cartoon! *LOL*  He totally welcomed and became a Father Figure to our newest addition, Rusty, who was an abandoned feral Kitten that also decided he had the personality to be Pet quality and adopt some Humans. *smiles* He wasn't yet weaned and was quite the fragile Waif when he arrived so I had to take over Mommy-Duty and nurse him with Goat Milk... so I'm the one he imprinted with and I'm not quite certain he's aware that he's supposed to be a Cat and not a Human?! *wink*    We love our two outside 'Boys' and having acreage we appreciate their hard work on the property of keeping us varmin free in exchange for Love, cuddles and kibbles.   So... all of us.. and the House... are now cloaked in rich tones of Autumn and the transformation is fitting for this loveliest of Seasons in the Central Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian 


It's 'Show And Tell Friday' One Year Anniversary over at My Romantic Home so stop by Hostess Cindy's Blog and join in the fun and congratulate her on a successful year of Hosting the event.

Exciting Things Are On The Horizon!

So many things are coming up in the next few months that my head is swimming!! Besides all the holiday shows I have my photos and jewelry (and even a few knitted items) in a new store in Detroit called Goods. They are open now but are also having their GRAND OPENING PARTY (said in a booming loud voice) this Saturday starting at 7pm. Be sure to stop in and take a look around. Not only can you get any design you want screen printed onto tees but they have lots of handmade goodies from local artists too. And the location is great--right across the street from the DIA.



And on that note, I'm going to do a trunk show there Dec. 17th with Heather Hansma and Casey Janowski. I can't wait for that! You can stop in, have some wine, and do a little Christmas shopping.

The Yellow Door

This is a new store that will be opening up in November a few doors down from Catching Fireflies in Berkley called The Yellow Door Art Market. April, the owner of Catching Fireflies, came up with the idea after traveling down to South Carolina and seeing the art markets inside of warehouses. It's going to be the first of it's kind in Michigan and I'm excited to be a part of it. Artists will be renting space and taking care of their area-merchandising, display, etc yet it will be run by Catching Fireflies and will be open year round like a regular store. You know how much fun DIY was? This is just like DIY only available all the time. It will be opening in November--just in time for Christmas shopping. Remember to buy handmade this year and support local!

This is an example of what the finished store will look like. You can see the progress of the store plus cute pics of April and her husband traveling around town to get fixtures and things for it here.

Virtual Tour

Besides catching up on custom orders, creating new jewelry pieces, and photo editing I shot an interesting house a couple weeks ago. This was a million dollar home but had something very unique about it. The homeowner is a big time collector of cars, motorcycles, bicycles, cash registers, and anything else that's vintage and cool. The house was amazing but the garage was seriously breathtaking--and I'm not a huge car person either. It was a 3 car garage FULL (I mean bumper to bumper) of mint condition classic cars, new cars (loved the Porsche), and motorcycles.

What caught my eye was the vintage fire tuck parked in the backyard! I took a lot of photos of it so expect some fine art prints soon.

Senior Pics

Last night I got to shoot my friend's son, Ryan. We started out at a park then went to downtown Royal Oak and shot some in my favorite alleys (yes I have favorites) and ended up at a skate park after dark. I have just started to edit the photos but here are a couple of them.

Movie Prop Distraction... Do You Do This Too?

I don't know if anyone else does this too, but I can be totally distracted by Movie Props, so much so that I have to watch some movies more than once just to actually pay attention to the Movie and not the background so much! *smiles*  I have often even been inspired by a decorating style, Prop or fashion of a Movie set and emulated it.  Finding images to crib from Bing to document this fixation proved to be more difficult than I thought, alas not every movie I adored the Props of has a still of that scene. But if you ever watch the Movie you might now see what I'm talking about... such as Mira Sorvino's Bohemian Chic apartment decor and fashion style in "Replacement Killers".  But I did manage to find a few classic examples of stills of great Movies that have decor or scenery that just totally distracted and mezmerized me and I was fixated on the background as much as enjoying the Movie, great Actors and acting.  Like the amazing Staircase from "Streetcar Named Desire" and even though Brando was certainly enough eye-candy and put forth a mezmerizing performance, I was still often distracted by the background props!  Or how about that fabulous Victorian Mansion in the movie "Giant"... even though James Dean was also enough eye-candy and an iconic Actor too... I still found myself oogling at that desolate old Mansion in the background... which I believe lies somewhere out in a field in Texas in the middle of nowhere?  There's those opulent Chandeliers in "Breakfast At Tiffany's" that my eyes fixate upon even though Audrey Hepburn's classic style is also to die-for!   And the entire Loft Apartment of Jennifer Beal's in "Flashdance" is the epitome of Bohemian Chic... and yes, I do remember wearing my sweatshirts draped off one shoulder during that era like a Jennifer-Wannabe! *wink*  The whole darn Mansion was a distraction in "Gone With The Wind", Clark Gable was dreamy... but that House OMG! *smiles*  And let us not forget that eclecticly creepy old Mansion "The Munsters" lived in... even as a small child I was mezmerized by that place and "The Addams Family" abode!   And the ridiculously extravagant Bathroom and Tub in "Scarface"... well, it would certainly be a welcome distraction for the Grandkids to have a tubbie in THAT as Gramma preened in the area Michelle Pfieffer is sitting off in... so move over Al Pacino and Michelle Pfieffer, we're moving in! *smiles*  

Yes my Friends I tend to be a Prop Junkie... and even when I'm enjoying the best of Movies, I still catch myself distracted by those that have Props and Scenery that take my breath away.  I will even go so far as to endure watching a fairly bad Movie... okay, maybe even a boring or awful one...  just to soak in the good Props and Scenery it might have! *LOL*  Especially those really old Movies and Shows that have the amazing decor and styles of eras I adore and see how it looked in the era it was 'current' and fashionable.  If there are fellow Prop Junkies out there, what are some of your fav backgrounds in Movies and Shows that were a total distraction or inspiration?  I'd like to think I'm not the only one with this particular fixation *smiles* ... Dawn... The Bohemian

Family, Food, Fantasies And Fun

Is there anything that beats getting together with Family and having a day full of good food, fellowship, fantasies and fun?  I'm such a big kid at Heart that if I can muster the stamina and strength for it, I'm all in for a fun filled day with those that I love.  The Party for our Princess turning five was such a day and it fulfilled our expectations for a great time together celebrating.   Originally I had been somewhat guarded about this particular celebration because mustering strength and stamina had been a challenge for me that week... so we scaled it down... well, by OUR standards it was scaled down anyway... *smiles*...  which just meant scaling down on a Guest list and doing MORE with a select few! *LOL* We are, after all, the Life Is A Party-All-The-Time People and we don't really have to have a reason to break out in celebration-mode and have a good time, celebrating Life is something I try to do each day if possible in some enjoyable and memorable way.  Enjoying Life IS what Memories are made of.   After all, who on their deathbed ever is likely to say, "Gee, we did too much, Loved too much and enjoyed Life too completely..."  EXACTLY my Friends, not a Soul... so why wait... enjoy Life as completely as possible... Love with all your Heart... Cherish and spend quality time with those who mean the most to you... have fun and create your Fantasy World around you... you won't regret it...  Dawn... The Bohemian