the ultra-condensed "what i've been doing" list:::

the ultra-condensed "what i've been doing" list:::

1) flea markets:

one of my favorite people to work with is a gal named kelly (or 'patches' as she is more affectionately known). two days into my five day work stretch, she convinced me to catch a two hour nap in the morning and meet her up at her favorite yearly flea market. as an antique dealer, patches loves to snatch up a good deal. having a way with words- she made the whole affair sound enticing, so i agreed to forgo my MUCH loved sleep and join her. while she sped around the grounds flashing checks like it was going out of style, i slowly made my way from booth to booth. not really looking for anything particular. just seeing if anything caught my eye.
i reached a small table full of little nic-nacs being run by one solitary old lady. nothing enticed me until i spotted a box of photos on the corner of the table. they were the really amazing antique kind: deep sepia and printed on that thick embellished cardboard. i love old photos, and i was getting a real thrill out of this peek into the past. i was about to move on when i decided to flip one more photo. i swear my mouth must have dropped when i feasted my eyes on what was next::: paris postcards from the 1930s. i snatched them immediately, finding underneath something even more awesome:: personal photos from someones tour of paris, dated 1938. written on the back of the photo- in that awesome centuries-old script were the words:::

"april 28 1938:: tour
lilas et glycine"

which my research leads me to believe means: "lilacs and wisteria" in french. with the bill totaling out to only $1.00::: these gems instantly became one of my most favorite treasures.





2) cafe muse:

yesterday morning ended my 5 day work stretch and, in celebration, my friend sandhya and i decided to trek out to royal oak to eat breakfast at the much talked about "cafe muse". apparently featured on Oprah (i did not know this!), the unassuming little cafe is known for it's home-made ingredients and unique flavor combos. the place is darling::: on your way through the outdoor patio, you pass a small container of dog treats for all the patrons with four-legged friends. when you enter the front door, you are swept into an inspired world of rich colors, ornate lighting and charming small tables- each adorned with fresh daisies. the menus (yes, plural!) were almost overwhelming, but i eventually decided on the stuffed french toast with mascarpone & 5 spice pear nage- accompanied by a fresh cafe latte. both were unbelievably delicious. we spent a good 2 hours laughing in our post-midnight shift delirium, and enjoying the awesome food. when the bill came, we were each presented with a wrapped twizzler licorice. i was delighted. i can't wait to go back.





3) photographs & fonts:

in the mornings, before i turn in for some sleep, i've been using the glorious sunshine to experiment with my camera. at this moment in time, all i have is a simple point and shoot- but i'm learning that, with the right environment, it can still work wonders. i loved the look of my favorite mug and these dried roses. i couldn't help but embellish the photo with some john mayer lyrics. especially since it gave me the excuse to tap into my newest obsession: dafont.com. i have successfully managed to absorb about a 1/4 of my hard drive with new scribbles and scripts. my favorite at the moment is featured in the photo below: celine dion handwriting.
don't you just love it?