What We Did

I had a great visit with my sister. She wanted to spend her time doing the things I like to do, rather than a lot of the standard touristy stuff, so we mostly strolled around neighborhoods and parks and markets. We had a great time. Here's a peek into our fun-filled sistah week. Above, she's on the left and I'm on the right.

Tulips at the Columbia Road flower market. One of my favorite markets. 

Outside Vintage Heaven on Columbia Road. We saw lots of street vintage--here, and Brick Lane, Spitalfields, and at the Portobello Road Market. And we went to a lot of pretty shops like the one below. It looked like you were walking into someone's house. We weren't even sure it was a store so we had to ask before we went in. I don't know the name of the place, but it was off of Columbia Road. 

Fish and chips. Had to have them at least once during her visit.

And we just spent a lot of time hanging out together, playing with Lois, drinking coffee, sipping wine, eating, hanging out with the hubbers, planting flowers in our tiny garden, getting my house straight. It was a lot of fun. We both left London yesterday for Atlanta. She's back home now, and we're back for a wedding in Charleston, SC and a short visit with our families in Atlanta. See you soon from Charleston! 

M. Goldstein

I've been having a great time with mom the last few days. She loves it here and doesn't want to leave, but her little visit is almost over. I can't believe it's gone by so fast! Ah, well, we've had a great time and today may have been the most fun day yet. We went to the Columbia Road flower market and oohed and aahed over all the beautiful flowers and plants and then weaved our way in and out of the great shops along Columbia Road. Our favorites were Jessie and Buddug's shop, and though technically not on Columbia Road but right nearby, M. Goldstein.

We saw M. Goldstein a few weeks ago when we went to the flower market, but as often is the case, we needed to get Lois home for a nap, so we didn't stop in. Today, though, I stopped into the shop with mom. It was perfect timing for a shop like M. Goldstein because we were giddy and goofy by the time we got there. Too much coffee, too many cupcakes, and the fact that I was sporting a headband with a big crow on it made us flat out silly. (Mom bought the headband for me at Jessie and Buddug's shop--more to come on that great shop later next week.)

We both loved M. Goldstein, not just because it's filled with our favorites--antique, vintage and second-hand things--but because as soon as you walk in the door you know owners Nathaniel and Pippa must have a great sense of humor. Anyone who has a collection of random heads in a fireplace, stacked vintage cereal boxes for display, and a vintage clothing section that could easily transform into a DJ booth right along side little antique millinery samples, lovely oil paintings, and vintage jewelry has to be fun and interesting. We had to make our visit short because we were running late to meet Andrew and Lois, but I can't wait to go back to M. Goldstein. Here's a peek.
















M. Goldstein
67 Hackney Road
London E2 8ET
Tel: +44 [0] 7905 325215

Columbia Road Flower Market

This morning we went to the Columbia Road Flower Market, a spectacular market in Shoreditch near Brick Lane. We had heard a lot about it and saw beautiful pictures, and it was just what we expected. What a treat! The flowers were beautiful, and the street was lined with great shops and cafes. Columbia Road was packed with people as they made their way through the rainbow of colors, looking for the best deal from vendors who were shouting the prices of their various pots and stems. We also had a great brunch at Campania, which was delicious. I can't wait to go back!

Meet Columbia, Our New Lady

No, you're not seeing things . . . that is a space shuttle on our wall of ladies. It looks bizarre at first, I know, but consider this an example of Mars and Venus meeting in the middle. When we were at the flea market on Sunday I could see Andrew in the distance, heading toward me, wearing a grin from ear to ear like a little 6 year old, with what looked like framed picture of a space shuttle. I thought, oh lord, please tell me that's not a picture of a space shuttle he has in tow. To my dismay (initially), it was. I tried to act happy about it because I could tell how excited he was over his $5 dollar treasure, but it was hard for me. All I could think of was, where in the world are we going to hang that?

Andrew has great, interesting taste that I genuinely like a lot, but he has a knack for especially liking things that don't go with our--uh, I mean my--stuff. I feel so bad that our place reflects hardly anything of him or his style or his interests, and I've been trying to figure out what to do about our Mars and Venus sorts of decorating dilemmas. I had the idea of making the guest bedroom his room, like a guy's den, where he could hang and display all of his eclectic things, but then I thought about how selfish and rude that was of me to even think of that as an idea. I thought about how it would make me feel if he wanted all of my stuff to go in one room because he didn't think it went well with his stuff. Gees, I'd hate that! And I probably wouldn't like the person who made me feel that way either, so I don't want to be that person.

I decided to hang Ms. Columbia along with all the other ladies, in block, old school Better Homes and Gardens fashion like you see below, and I actually like it! It's grown on me today. As Andrew says, it shows a sense of humor and makes the ladies look a little less stiff. Not only that, but Andrew said that Columbia is a woman's name, and he was right. So that's the story of our newest lady on the wall of ladies. Who knows what's next! (Update to this post . . . the wall now looks like this.)

Better homes and Gardens, 1956.

Tea Party on Columbia Road

Last Saturday I went to Jessie and Buddug's summer tea party at their shop on Columbia Road. It was great to say hello to them again, and I got to show Jessie my embroidered Amsterdam in person, which was nice since we could only get so far in class. The shop looks wonderful, and as usual, is filled with beautiful and inspiring creations by Jessie and Buddug, including a great dollhouse. Jessie's dad custom built the dollhouse, and Jessie and Buddug have filled it with handmade miniatures. It's beautifully displayed in the window.

Jessie and Buddug, The Shop

Once upon a time there were two girls, lost in the bright night woods. They did not know where they were or how they got there; they just knew they had to get home. Tired and hungry they walked side by side, not afraid of the night but in admiration for it. They looked up at the stars that glittered like sequins and the leaves that flapped and fluttered in the breeze like birds' wings and thought of home and what they would make when they got there. Creative ideas filled them head to toe.


Jessie dreamt of bags she would sew with her mom and journals she would make from beautiful vintage books, tied with ribbon and adorned with buttons and watch faces.



She also imagined stories she would embroider onto silk. Chapter by chapter, the words appeared to her mind. She watched how the moon cast its light through the trees and longed to draw its beams and shadows that streamed to the ground.



Buddug dreamt of enamel necklaces she would cast with wise quotes or in the shape of colorful teapots or birds.

As she listened to the few chirps of the night, she swore one sweet bird was on her head and thought it might sing them home.


As they walked they filled their pockets with leaves, flowers, nutshells, and twigs. Inspired by the nature all around them, they wanted to bring it home and sew it into something beautiful for all the world to see.



They reached a clearing and in the distance saw home, their shop, perched atop the flowers of Columbia Road. "They hand in hand with wandering steps slow, through Eden took their solitary way"* and began to create the magical works that let them know they were home.



Jessie and Buddug, The Shop
Upstairs at 146 Columbia Road
Tower Hamlets
London, E2 7RG
Saturday 12 - 4, Sunday 9 - 3
and by appointment
Jessie Chorley
Buddug Humphreys

*John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book XII
Story by me, inspired by them.