FreshMD

More fun than reading medical journals

Some of the handmade treasures I've stumbled upon while browsing Etsy for a gift for two-year-old Ariana:

From top left, clockwise, ending in the centre: Orange Blossom Woolen Owl by chetanddot, soft brown bunny doll by allthingssmall, Elefelt - Striped Elephant by jmday, Small Felt Kitten by lagreen, evelyn night owl by rabbitsmoon, Felicity the speckled little birdy by leafty, Wee Wool Rainbowbird in Felted Nest by Vermont Fairies, elephant by tinywarbler and Little Red Feather by germandolls.

The Ornate Mirror of Infidelity

I usually don't give thrift store window displays a second look. The costume jewelry, 1980's wedding dresses and sagging futons typically don't catch my eye. But after the sign on the mannequin grabbed my attention, I spent a full ten minutes in front of the Main Street YWCA Thrift Shop the other day, reading every one of the labels in the window display.

Favourite gift

Wrapped in a scrap of green felt and bundled with an elastic band, it doesn't matter what was inside.

Garden

I've discovered a secret garden, and it's an exquisitely beautiful mess.

Walking through Mt. Pleasant neighbourhoods on my way to work today, in the slanting morning light, I came across a community garden. It was fenced but the gate was ajar.

It was full, full of purple stalks of swiss chard, painted birdhouses, compost, rotting lettuce, rusted tomato cages, sparrows, lengths of rope, fat purple globes of allium, wind chimes, smashed bricks, yellow asters, discarded metal gates, and branches snagging my briefcase.

It was in gorgeous disarray, and there was no one admiring it but me.

Blabla

Could there be an occupation more delightful than being the artist behind a line of children's stuffed toys? Florence Wetterwald, a French-born designer, has created a menagerie of dolls for Blabla. Check out the photography on their website:

I first noticed these charming characters, handknit in 100% cotton in Peru, at Room6 in Deep Cove. You don't want to know how long it took me to select just the right one for each of my kids last year. But I think I got it right: Bubbles for Saskia, Lemonade for Leif, and Lollie for Ariana.

 

Failure

I'm collecting old records to hang on Saskia's wall.

I came home with the one on the far right a few days ago. When I showed it to Saskia she gazed at it, pleased but puzzled.

"You know who that is, right?" I asked.

"No," she said slowly. "I don't know their names. Yet!"

I am ashamed that I have reared a child to the age of six without introducing her to Ernie and Bert.

Chair

My decision to purchase this chair was heavily influenced by the handwriting on the tag.

Almost everyone who works at my preferred thrift store is old and has blue eyes. I can see the white-haired men in the back of the store repairing washing machines and testing toasters. Every item is marked with a sticker, with the details carefully documented in cursive writing.

I never argue with a price or doubt a description that looks like it was written by my grandfather.

Thrifted Books

Books on the natural world enthrall my kids, and I'll happily read them a beautifully illustrated story full of interesting facts. Especially forty-year-old books with worn pages, curled edges, and softened covers. For pennies apiece.

Who doesn't want to know what birds do at night?

Green Girl

I'm always on the lookout for original, affordable children's wall decor that I can appreciate as much as my six-year-old does. This precludes this.

My latest discovery is Lori Joy Smith, a Vancouver artist from whom I recently ordered a custom piece. I ran over to her apartment building in the rain on my lunch break last week and we did the handover in the lobby. Green Girl then came with me to a Main Street coffee shop where I had tea and repeatedly peeked into the bag to admire her.

When I introduced her to my daughter, Saskia studied her for a while. "How come she's not smiling?" she finally asked.

"She's shy. She was nervous about having her portrait done," I offered.

Satisfied, she pointed to the yellow heart floating above Green Girl's head. "Hey! Her barrette fell out!"