fat tuesday dreaming

These photos from a 2009 trip are my little ode to Mardi Gras and the beautiful city of New Orleans. What a magical place. The comfort food, hospitality, music, and architecture...it all captured my heart.

I remember walking the streets of the French Quarter completely mesmerized by old mail boxes. Each one felt mysterious yet they could tell a thousand stories. The letters they saw come and go, the residents who anxiously put their keys into the hole to unlock messages from afar. These metal mail boxes were little signs of life and they were made even more intriguing by the colors and textures that surrounded them.

Now, I can't talk about NOLA without sharing a something from Preservation Hall, aka my happy place. Watch and you may understand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7M8ZkQma3I

Travels near and far: vintage finds

Thought that by getting an iPhone I'd be posting more frequently but that has definitely not been the case.  Along with preferring to blog from my laptop, I've been swamped at work and putting the finishing touches on ANAMU on the side. I have however been able to do some fun travels: girls desert weekend for my friend Caitlin's birthday and New Orleans for Shoe Drops in local schools. Check out this great news piece we got for that last week!

Lots of highlights from both but my favorite thing about traveling is scouring local thrift/antique/vintage shops.

In the desert, we were ecstatic (see photo) to pop into Mc Whorter's shop. A very fitting name becuase it was literally the most crammed and dusty place I've ever been in.

... but, that made my findings that much more exciting. I couldn't resist the gaudiness of these diamond wall pieces that scream 1950's/60's Palm Springs. The bag was twenty-five cents (!) and I'm really looking forward to getting it polished and perhaps adding some metal studs along the top-front edge.

Didn't get much shopping time in New Orleans since I was there for work but I managed to squeeze it in two hours before my flight departed (was SO tempted to "miss" it once I saw how great the shops on Magazine Street were!).

Scored a sweet glassware set of 6 to add to my newly realized collection. It started when I purchased a set of retro glasses in Kentucky last year...I still dream about that little antique shop off of Mountain Parkway.

Check out the silver brims on these via NOLA...

My parents laugh at me every time I come home from a trip because they know I'm going to say "look at what I found!!!"

Some people collect shot glasses, others buy magnets...I'm a traveling vintage shopaholic and I am proud of it.

New Orleans

I was in New Orleans all last week for work and it was a blast. We did a Shoe Drop at an elementary school (see my post about it here!) and I stayed to visit some other ones for future events. I had been to NOLA before but this time I got a chance to really explore it a little more. The city, particularly the French Quarter, has SO much character...both in the people and the architecture. I found myself fascinated (actually, obsessed) with the balcony railings and metal works on doors and old mail boxes. Lots of fun inspirations :)

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