Join Me at WarLock Manor!

When one door closes, another opens.

It is my great pleasure to invite you to my new "home," All the Dark Rooms at WarLock Manor. I'll be blogging about all the goings-on in our quirky brick Tudor, and I'd welcome visits from friends of Shock the Bourgeois!

xoxo


Elizabeth

My Ampersand

The ampersands went neck & neck, but in the end the battle was decided by four votes... which went to my talented opponent. My & was not, alas, the better letter. Did you guess which was mine?

I couldn't decide what shape to give my ampersand, so I decided to play with two in watercolors and gouache. 

It was a pleasure to break out my brushes for the Better Letters contest, thank you for voting!

Better Letters: Ampersand

Do I have any letter-lovers or typophiles in my readership? If so, a have a Friday treat for you...

Today I'm participating in a battle of hand-lettered ampersands at Better Letters. Better Letters hosts daily competitions between designers: one letter, one day to create, one winner.

Which & is the Better Letter? Go vote!

The Rampant Lion

Adam's family is large enough that it would be a stretch of finances and creative gift ideas to purchase a present for each sibling a Christmastime. They've devised a clever strategy to ensure full stockings for all: we each draw names for a large gift, three sets of stocking stuffers, and a free gift. It's always fun to see what is given freely. Sometimes a found item, sometimes a talent, sometimes a batch of cookies or a clean car.

This year my mother-in-law drew my name and gave me a free gift with immense value- a domed glass cheese dish that belonged to her mother, and an entertaining research project.

It is, as it turns out, a beautiful example of early American pressed glass, created by Gillinder & Sons in Philadelphia. The pattern is also one of the first to feature the acid etching technique that gives the lion its frosted appearance. How incredible that this dish, crafted in 1877, now resides in our china cabinet. Rest assured that it's safely beyond the reach of our own rampant lions! I'll be so proud to showcase it in future tablescapes, thinking of the history (both of family and country) that it represents.

For more information on Gillinder & Sons glassware, read this highly informative article, or try here. Other Rampant Lion covered cheese dishes can be seen here and here. To find similar pieces for sale, try here or here.

Pinning on a Sick Day

I've been a sniffly, shivery, sleepy, surly sick person this week. Not exactly a pleasure to be around, even online. Cold medicines ought to add "may cause incoherent tweeting and typo-riddled blog posts" to their list of side effects. Blah. So today I'm in hibernation with a lap cat, a mug of tea, and the safely non-verbal inspiration of Pinterest. Pretty pictures may indeed cure what ails me.

Pinned Images by Dress, Design, & Decor, and Cooper Carras via The City Sage

I'm closing in on 1,000 pins, and gaining followers even more rapidly. In fact, I now a have a larger audience on Pinterest than on this blog, twitter, and facebook... combined. This is somehow both immensely flattering and discouraging. A part of me appreciates Pinterest as a resource, and as a wealth of ideas. I'm always happy to share an image that catches my eye, and thrilled when others repin. But another (grumpier) part of me wonders if my own creativity can ever have the same resonance. It could be the cough medicine talking, but it's something to think about as I enter a new year of blogging.

New Year's Resolution: Read More

This is magic. And we all need a little magic in our Tuesdays, don't we?

Time to dive into the stack of books I received for Christmas. The truth is, I'm still the same little girl who reads under the covers with a flashlight!

PS: Makes my spine-out shelving experiment look rather tame, doesn't it?

Faint White Lace

I'm fickle with color. I have a crush now and again, but I always come back to neutrals. Right now I'm admiring the subtlety of white lines on a pale background.

Jaipur Rugs via One Kings Lane, White Lace Tattoo via Here

Crushing on Valentine Hearts

Would it be odd to decorate for Valentine's Day? Because it might be nice to sprinkle the house with little hearts...

Paper Heart Garland via Pinterest, Little Stone Hearts by Sarah&Bendrix on Etsy

Valentine Pad-Printed Bowls from West Elm, Heart Garland by Grace Street Paper on Etsy

Little Vintage Hearts by Sarah&Bendrix on Etsy

I love hearts as a graphic pattern, but ugh, look at me- I just kicked the Christmas tree to the curb, and I'm already moving on to decorate for another holiday. Too soon, Elizabeth. 

...but I think I will start tinkering with some letterpress Valentines.

Here & Now: Winter Light

Winter decorating is all about brightening up a dark house, and adding some glamour to a season otherwise bundled up in fleece and flannel.

I arranged my collection of apothecary jars on top of the china cabinet, where the glass and a garland of glittered fronds catch the light through our bay windows. Each vessel contains a speckled mercury glass vase (remnants from our wedding decor). In the evenings I turn on flickering LED candles and the effect is magical: golden glow and silver reflections on every surface.

Our new chandelier is dressed for the season as well, sporting candles with a gilded finish. There's certainly no rule that says you can't accessorize an accessory!

How do you add extra light and sparkle to your space?

Resolution: Wake Up Earlier

Not a resolution I'm thrilled to be sticking to after a long and lazy vacation. Oh, caffeine and pretty things, please get me through the day...

Starbucks Cinnamon-Infused Ground Coffee & Bodum Chambord French Press

Molly Hatch Menagerie Glass from Anthropologie, Retro Coffee Print from Etsy

"Coffee" Lettering via Pinterest & Vintage Continental Raymond Loewy Script Coffee Pot from Etsy

Chanteclair Chihuahua Print

Flea Market Resolutions

Adam and I are taking one last day off, not so much for vacation, but rather for everything that we avoided during our vacation. There are two cats overdue for a bath, two stockings waiting to be tucked away until next year, what looks like two weeks worth of mess to tackle, and two people who need to get a good night's sleep before returning to work tomorrow.

Why are we yawning? Well, we may have procrastinated on chores, but we got an early start on our resolutions. Very, very early. We watched the first sunrise of 2012 as we arrived at the flea market! I wrote about my goals for a new year of antiquing in this month's issue of The Point, the official magazine for the Alameda Point Antiques Faire.  

It is awfully fun to see my photographs on glossy paper! If you couldn't pick up a copy at the Flea, you can access the digital version of The Point here. 

We added some choice vintage prints to our ever-growing pile of loot (both scavenged and gifted) that has yet to be shared on this blog. If the sun comes out today, I'll add a photo shoot to my to-do list. Right after my nap.

Happy New Year, friends.

Christmas Wrap-Up

If you couldn't tell from our holiday card, I was slightly lacking in Christmas spirit this year. I went through the motions, to be sure: decorating the tree, drinking hot cocoa, horrifying the cats with loud accompaniment to Bing Crosby carols... but I couldn't help but miss the company of my family and friends. I had a blue Christmas- and maybe that influenced my gift-wrapping?

I've been using the black and white herringbone wrapping paper for everything lately- including the envelope liners for our wedding invitations! It's graphic, tweedy, and absolutely practical. It looked appropriately fun on the boys' stocking stuffers, paired with humorous gifts. For the girls, I went for maximum sparkle.

The glittered take-out boxes are filled with tinsel, foil-wrapped treats, and some accessories for the holiday party season. I added pieces of gold tape to cardstock to make palettes of colorful rhinestone earrings for my sisters-in-law. 

I love wrapping gifts *almost* as I love giving them, and I always try to add some creative sparkle. Of course, I love getting gifts too... I'll show off what I got next week!

Seasons Greetings

'Tis still the season, right? We missed it? Bah!

So I'm a little late. Oh well- the sentiment remains the same. 

Happy holidays, thank you for reading, and here's to another year of differing opinions from the WarLock household!

Here & Now: Newlywed Christmas

Newlywed Thanksgiving was so much fun we thought we'd give Christmas the same treatment. That, and the husband is out of vacation time. Regardless, we're here, and we're making the most of it- with twinkle lights, glitter, and a Christmas tree that's taller than Adam (proof of this will be posted on the StB facebook page later today).

Some very dear friends gave us Crate and Barrel's Angelique Stockings and Tree Skirt as a wedding gift, and they inspired this year's decorating scheme: neutrals and metallics. Does that combination seem a little familiar to you? Let's just say the tree looks right at home in the WarLock house. 

Our tree is wearing something old, something new, and quite a few things borrowed from the wedding! I used my collection of basic ornaments to give our tree a subtle gleam: crackled mercury glass orbs, chartreuse bulbs, and little spots of gold. The pearl-encrusted baubles were a bargain at Target, and they're a good match to the trim on our new stockings. We also replaced last year's roosting owls with a sparkling star tree-topper that sits at a jaunty angle (so endearing- and I love the size). I  added a bow with long curling tails that I saved from a wedding gift. Actually, all of our ornaments are tied on with snippets of ribbon left-over from wedding projects and wrappings! Old, new, borrowed, but nothing blue- I prefer to buy led string lights with a warm, old-fashioned glow.

Simple and sentimental- just right for our first married Christmas.

Giveaway Ending Soon...

A pencil skirt helps infuse even the coziest of outfits with secretarial sex appeal. That vintage pencil necklace I blogged about would certainly be the Joan Holloway finishing touch, no?

 The Francine Pencil Skirt from Shabby Apple, featured with the Pumapard Blouse & Dusted Tights from Anthropologie, Dainty Square Ring from Banana Republic, Faceted Button Post Earrings from Express, Pewter Metallics Skinny Belt from Eddie Bauer, Fossil Vintage Reissue Leather Weekend Bag from Macy's, and Emmie Flats from Piperlime

Only a few more hours left to win the Shabby Apple Francine Skirt, and your odds are pretty darn good! Head over to the original giveaway post and follow the steps to enter- I'll draw the random winner at noon.

***

And the winner is... Kathy! Congratulations!

***

Holiday Cat-astrophes

"You better watch out, you better not cry" might be a good behavioral deterrent for little kids, but there's no gimmick that works on pets. "Santa is watching" does not prevent Phineas from gnawing on the Christmas tree. If I hide an elf on a shelf, you'll find Matilda up there with him (probably biting him, actually). You better believe that both of my cats are on the naughty list.

Really, who can blame them? This is a season of enticing foods, drunken strangers, and tail-pulling babies. We bring a perfectly climbable tree into the house and put shiny temptations on every branch. It's no wonder that every year we experience a bit of cat-related holiday mayhem. Just look at our Thanksgiving aftermath...

Our kitty mishaps have ranged from amusing (Tildy's obsessive pilfering of faux cranberry vase filler and Phinney's sneaky turkey tasting) to slightly stressful (like the cat + dog chase that led to a broken mirror). 

The key to avoiding disaster is simply to know your pets. Between Phinney the plant-nibbling ribbon-swallower and Matildor the Destroyer, we have our hands full.

• If we're expecting a house full of guests, I know that Phinney will hide under the bed until the party has died down- but Matilda loves to mix and mingle. I put a bell on her collar to prevent her from getting underfoot.
• Ribbons are Phinney's ultimate temptation. A pricy trip to the emergency vet in the middle of assembling wedding invites taught us to keep loose ribbons and bows out of reach, and to skip the tinsel on our tree.
• Matilda likes to bat at baubles, so we tie ornaments onto the tree.
• Phineas has a sensitive belly, so we don't overdo it with the treats.
• Knowing that Tildy holds grudges (she's been hissing at my brother for years now), we're careful to make slow introductions to new people and animals.
• Like many cats, Phineas can't keep his teeth off of the greenery- so we avoid poisonous poinsettias.

So, a few questions for you in the comments section:

How do you keep your pets out of trouble during the holidays?

-and-

What's your most memorable Christmas Cat-astrophe?

Dare to Dream: Vintage Pencil Necklace

I don't know where my brain is at these days, but one thing is for sure: if I want to remember something, I need to jot it down. So I made a note of this gracefully utilitarian necklace from Anthro... 

Vintage Pencil Necklace, French Quartz from Anthropologie

I've got quite the to-do list written up for this weekend. Christmas gifts to wrap, a holiday party to attend, festive decor to photograph for a blog post next week. I have so much to share with you- experiences, projects, recipes, ideas- hence the pencil.

xoxo

Elizabeth

PS: Make sure you remember to enter my Shabby Apple giveaway- it ends at noon on Wednesday!

Giveaway: Shabby Apple

Remember my very first giveaway at Shock the Bourgeois? Well, I'm sticking to my guns: a curve-hugging pencil skirt is the staple every girl should have in her closet. So, with the help of Shabby Apple, I want to give another lucky gal a little gift (that already has a bow on it).

The Francine Pencil Skirt from Shabby Apple, featured with a Veronica Beard Tuxedo Blouse from FarFetch, Fossil Rivoli Toggle Bracelet, Kenneth Cole Rose Gold Watch, & John Rocha Waterford Champagne Flute from Macy's, Studded Shimmer Bracelet & Cabled Tights from Anthropologie, Glamour Pearl Clutch from Forever21, and Sam Edelman Marina Pumps from Piperlime

I styled "Francine" for a glamourous occasion, playing with the concept of a deconstructed tuxedo. I stuck to a black and white palette- but imagined pushing up the sleeves to reveal unexpected sparkle at the wrist. As for the bow tie- well, that comes with the skirt!

Shabby Apple has a wonderful selection of women's dresses and skirts in flattering shapes and basic colors- pieces that are easy to accessorize and make your own. Want to make this skirt your own? Just follow three steps to be eligible to win...

• "Like" Shabby Apple on Facebook.
• Tell me how would you wear the Francine Pencil Skirt this winter in a comment on this post.
• Be sure to include an email address so that I can notify you if you've won!

You can receive additional entries for doing any of the following (just leave a separate comment for each)...

• "Like" One Must Shock the Bourgeois on Facebook.
• Become a follower of the One Must Shock the Bourgeois blog.
• Follow me on Pinterest, and pin this image.
• Tweet about this giveaway and follow @ShockBourgeois.
• Blog about how you'd style your new pencil skirt.

I'll randomly select the winner next Wednesday, December 21st at noon PST. Remember to check your email before the holidays- you might be receiving a belated gift from Shock the Bourgeois!

Good luck, ladies!

The fine print: This prize cannot be shipped outside of the US, and is not eligible for return or exchange.

This giveaway has ended. Thanks for entering!

Floral & Insects

When I shared this with the husband he shrugged it off until he took a closer look.

"Oh! That is interesting." 

Floral & Insects by Laura Bell via 20x200

Isn't it? Almost painterly, with the subtle illumination of the Old Masters- but not quite a still life, with snails and bumblebees crawling amongst the wilted blooms. It's one part botanical study, one part Henri Fantin-Latour (right down to the moody background and glinting scissors). Quite possibly a candidate for the new gallery wall I'm dreaming up- though I wish I could've created my own floral arrangement for the photograph!

The Pantone Color of the Year

Chronicle Books put the words "Pinterest" and "contest" in the same sentence, and I was in. But a whole board of this saturated orange? That's a challenge. I thought, "Okay, 17-1463, let's dance."

It's an enigmatic shade, flickering between mellow orange and vivid coral every time you blink. I tried to envision myself actually wearing this color, and using it in my home. My taste, only brighter. Ruffles, curls, herringbone, skulls. Sassy, but optimistic. A few pins later, and Tangerine Tango didn't seem so far-fetched anymore...

Find these images (and many more) on my Tangerine Tango board on Pinterest.

Tangerine Tango could well be my New Year's resolution for 2012. How do you feel about the Color of the Year?

Speaking of contests, I've got a little something in the works for you readers this Wednesday...