Pickled Hutch Picks of the Week - 8/29

I love so many things that I see at The Pickled Hutch that I asked Lisa, the owner, if I could post a few things each week that I especially like. So every week on Wednesday afternoon I'll post three "picks of the week." I'll make a note at the end of each post with a description and will let you know if the item can be shipped or would be pick up only, and I'll post contact information. Here are my picks this week:


I love, love, love these glasses! I actually bought the other set she had. Set of 6 star etched glasses. 4 inches tall. $24. Shipping available.

I think these earrings are so glamorous. Black hills gold. About 1 inch long. $32. Shipping available.

Can't you picture this in a craft room or a cute kitchen? Pale aqua metal cart on casters. 3 tiers. 37 inches high. 28 inches in length across the top. $235. Pick up only.

The Pickled Hutch is located at 1605 Church Street, San Francisco, CA. 415-641-8875. Open Wednesday - Sunday, 11 - 6. Ask for Lisa. To see more pictures of what you'll find at The Pickled Hutch, click here.

JacQueline Sanchez

I'm thinking of having my engagement ring re-set. Right now the diamond sits up high without much prong protection so I'm constantly smashing it into things. I'm surprised it's still in one piece! I pretty much stopped wearing it for fear that I'd really damage it one day. I'm thinking of having fellow Beehiver, JacQueline Sanchez, design a ring for me. I love her modern take on engagement rings. I'm usually partial to more vintage looking rings, but I just love this one shown above. Also, I think her "forever young" lego style ring is so much fun--so do a lot of other people!

Images courtesy of JaQueline Sanchez

Thinking Outside the (Jewelry) Box

I saw a picture in Domino magazine that inspired me to change my dressing table dressings. It's not quite all together yet. I'll post a few before and after pictures in a few days along with the Domino picture. But here's a peek at what I did with my jewelry. The Domino picture has most of the jewelry in a pedestal bowl, but after flipping through Flea Market Style for other ideas (pictured below), I decided I'd forgo the bowl for something that would display the jewelry better. I decided to try out an old wire plant stand and just dangle the jewelry from it. I think I like it! I don't actually wear most of this jewelry, but now that I can see it and don't have to untangle a big wad of chains, maybe I'll wear it more often. How do you display your dripping jewels (as Caroline and I like to call them)? Email me a picture--I'd love to see what you do with yours!

Button Love: Relicboutique

I just got a few ebay button shipments, one of which was an 11 pound box filled to the brim! I have so, so, so many buttons that I'll have a bunch leftover after I fill this order I'm working on. A lot of these buttons I can't use on cards because they're just too big, but they'll be perfect for my good friend Shelley who makes super sweet button jewelry. So I'm packin' up a box that'll be making its way to Atlanta for Shelley to work her Relicboutique magic on them. There's me and Shelley in her booth at the Inman Park Festival - both looking at different cameras! And below are a few of her button rings shown in Country Living and a handful of the button-rings-to-be that I'm shipping to her soon.

Mantel Mantel on the Wall

I love mantels as decorative elements--mantels without actual fireplaces, that is. Fireplaces are great too, but sometimes just a mantel adds a nice architectural element while providing shelf space to display some of your favorite things. They also make great headboards. I'm on the lookout for a mantel to go between two chairs in our living room. Right now we have a book case there. Maybe I'll check out Ohmega Salvage to see if I can find one there.


First mantel from Domino magazine, second one from Country Living and the third one from my grandma's house

Katrine's Kandi Shop

I love cards of all kinds, so I'm always on the lookout for good ones. I just ordered some of these teacup cards on etsy at Katrine's Kandi Shop. They are so sweet. Teatime? Game of cards? To see more of her great work, check out her shop.


Images courtesy of Katrine

Happy Weekend

Hope you have a great weekend! We're off to the Russian River for some fun in the sun. This time around we're going luxury camping.

Better Homes and Gardens 1956

I visit The Pickled Hutch weekly, and while I was there yesterday I noticed a few 1950's Better Homes and Gardens magazines stashed behind the counter. I asked Lisa if I could look through them. It's amazing to me how deeply the mid-century trend has seeped into the current design aesthetic. I may as well have been looking at Domino magazine. A number of elements in the pictures still looked really dated such as wall to wall carpet in almost every living room, and hard, squared off valences above windows, etc. But for the most part every picture had elements that we see in almost any decorating magazine today. Here is one picture I especially liked. I really like the arrangement and style (or styles) of the pictures above the sofa. I think this was one of the more timeless looking pictures in the issue. I feel that its timelessness is mainly due to the varying styles of the pictures above the sofa. I think I will re-arrange my wall of ladies like this--in one big rectangle. I need a few more pictures to be able to create this shape, though, so I'll post a picture after I get a few more ladies. I'd also like to find some that vary more in style, maybe some that are pencil or ink drawings with light colored mats and more modern frames. We'll see how it turns out!

The Sweetest Thing

The other night I went through my boxes of cards, notes, concert tickets, etc. that I've been holding onto for years, specifically looking for this. This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me or given me. I pulled it out because I want to frame it finally (I've been meaning to do that for forever). It's from my high school friend, Jon, who gave this to me in 1992. I haven't seen him since high school. I'm not sure why we didn't stay friends over the years. I think it's because I was intimidated by him! I Googled Jon to see if I could find him, and I did! I figured he'd be a successful artist and I was right. Even in 8th grade he was voted "most creative."

Here's a little illustration he did for me after giving me the book Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. Click to see it larger.

And here's what he's doing now. Pretty amazing.



Images courtesy of Jon

Lost Art Salon

A few weeks ago Andrew and I went to the Lost Art Salon. It's a great place in SF to buy affordable modern era (1900-1960) art. They also regularly update their web site with what they currently have in stock. You can even rent their space for events and stylists can rent some of their artwork. It's definitely worth visiting.

Vintage Barkcloth

Here are a few images of some vintage barkcloth that I have. When I go to my mom's in September, I hope I can make something out of them. She can sew--I can't. Well, at least I can't sew very well (yet). She has a sewing machine, and I don't (yet, but I have my eye on one), so hopefully we'll make some time to sew. My mom found the red and aqua print at a thrift store. The brown leaf print I bought on ebay, and the pink, green and brown print I bought at a sidewalk sale here in San Francisco. When I get back from my mom's, I'll show you what I made (holding myself accountable here for actually making something). Fingers crossed that I'll make something that's worth showing to people! Maybe a tote or a pillow. I'm not sure that I could make pillows as cute as Catnap Cottage, who I learned about from SF Girl by Bay, but I'll try to come up with something at least worth sharing.

Camp Fire Girls

I love these books. I bought them at The Pickled Hutch. Lisa originally pointed them out to me because she knew I was making collages and thought they'd be perfect for collage type crafts. But I can't rip out the pages! I've tried, but I like the books too much to take them apart. I love the design of the covers, and the illustrations inside the books are so much fun. The interior cover of the black and red book says, "the cover of the book of the Camp Fire Girls combines the symbols for mountain and tree for work, the sun and rain for health and the heart and thought symbols for love. The whole symbolizes Wohelo, the watchword of the Camp Fire Girls." They were published in 1944 (red one) and 1946 (blue one). I think Lisa said they belonged to her mom.

Michi

Somehow, randomly blog hopping unexpectedly led me to my friend Michi (AKA Michelle). I posted a comment on her blog, not knowing it was actually a friend of mine. It was so funny when she wrote me back. It's been about a year (I think) since I talked to her, and I didn't know she had a blog, so when I read it I had no idea it was someone I knew. She wrote back and said, basically, "hey it's Michelle--you know me!" Ha ha! I love blogging. We exchanged some emails and she let me know what she's been up to. Other than getting ready to move this week from NY to Atlanta, GA, she's been a busy bee creating art and setting up her etsy shop, Michi. I love the "bunny" gouache painting, which she said was inspired by her niece who has an imaginary rabbit that she calls rabbit, who is always getting into trouble, and needs her sage advice. How cute. Looks like hide and seek. She also has some amazing geometric oil paintings that she says are part of a series of explorations of abstract landscapes based on how she imagines it would have felt to discover germs and bacteria and their microscopic environs. You never know what great things you'll find when you go blog hopping!




Images courtesy of Michi

Vintage Paper

I come across vintage fabric fairly often, but I don't come across vintage paper as often (other than letters and postcards), so when I saw a pile of these vintage tissue papers at Victory Vintage Home in Decatur, I thought I was going to pass out, overcome by excitement! They are so beautiful. I bought the whole pile. I'm not sure how they were printed but it looks almost like they are hand painted--you can easily feel the texture of the ink as you run your fingers across them. I can't believe I actually use these papers. I have trouble with that all the time--actually making something out of these kinds of beautiful things. They tend to sit around for a while because I'm afraid to take scissors to them. But, eventually, I get over that. I've used these papers to make cards, envelope liners and to wrap small gifts. I'd like to learn more about this company, "Tie Tie," whose name is printed on the edges of all the papers. I didn't come up with much info other than the company was bought by another company and then that company was bought by another and so on. (The paper is tissue, and seems very old, which is why the texture is a little rippled and you'll notice some staining.)

Home Stretch

I'm almost finished with my Anthropologie holiday order, whew! I love buttons, but I'll be happy not to see them for a few weeks. Somehow I managed to get a ton of red, white and blue buttons. Even though the buyer knows that all the buttons will be different, they're likely to think I'm shooting for patriotic holiday theme. Luckily, though, I have some yellow and green buttons from ebay on the way. Here's a picture of the pile o' buttons. I have to break up the order in sections so I don't feel overwhelmed. I grab a pile of 100 printed cards, break those into smaller piles of 20, then line up 20 sets of three buttons--three for each "ornament" on the card. Then I glue on the buttons and the hooks. I pack up cards in their sleeves right before I ship them, so that will be next week's work. I made the mitten cards they ordered in sections as well. Those took even longer because I had to trace out all the mittens, cut them, then glue them on with their pom poms. I'll post a picture of those along with the button cards on the big day, shipping day that is, 8/31!

Edge of Urge

As a big fan of small houses, I don't think I'd ever have to learn to love having a small house over a big house, but I love the sentiment on this shirt ("learn to love it") by Edge of Urge. So cute. So many people seem to feel the need for a big o'l house. I totally understand needing a little more space (that'd be nice even now), but I'll never want to live in a house where rooms sit empty because there are just so many of them. I like a house where all the rooms are lived in. In addition to the cute tees at Edge of Urge, you'll find a great clothing line of dresses and mix and match swimsuits. Her clothes are so simple and elegant and look so comfortable all at the same time. A perfect match: elegant and comfortable! Cute web site too, designed by Bess--click on the birdie.





Images courtesy of Edge of Urge

Fit for a Princess

A few months ago I started making party hats. I made one for Caroline's birthday and liked it so much that I decided to make more. I love birthdays, parties, and dressing up, so what better way to celebrate than with a party hat, birthday or not! Here I am on my birthday wearing one of my party hats. My mom knows I've been into party hats lately so when she came across this 2005 article in Country Living on Ashley Carter and her Goldbug studio, she mailed the copies to me (thanks, mom!). I think I felt a sprinkling of faerie dust come over me as I flipped through the pages! Wow, her party hats, crowns, faeries and magical creatures are something to behold. Each work of art is so intricately designed and arranged. You won't find a less is more attitude here--more is more at the Goldbug Studio. Ashley says that her festive hats "stress the need for a celebration of yourself 365 days a year." You can see more of her work and purchase her designs online at Earth Angel Toys.

Image from Country Living