Every year, I peruse the displays of my local shops to find the perfect Christmas cards to send to my favorite people. The problem is that I have more Christmas cards than I do favorite people, so I always end up with extra. The next winter, I try to make myself reuse those leftover cards, but I hate to repeat myself. The solution to this problem? Vintage cards.
Unused ones are, of course, the best. And the great thing about them is that they're cute, affordable, and you can buy only as many as you need. Here are the best that Etsy has to offer this season. Hope you find the perfect ones!
And, occasionally, indulges in a little girl talk (I don't know...do you think this suit makes me look fat? I'm thinking about changing my pompom. Do you like my pompom?)
We love bugs! Well, we love Dior bugs.... (But who doesn't?)
Now, we don't necessarily love them when they crawl on us. And the kind that suck blood are strictly prohibited. But if you're a beetle, bee, or butterfly, you are welcome anytime.
And for the record, we loved pull-down charts of bugs before it was cool. (We're kind of science nerds like that. Plus, we're suckers for brightly colored illustrations, regardless of the subject matter.) So I'm putting this gem on my Christmas list right now:
I'm writing this blog post really as a procrastination tactic -- which is odd, since I usually procrastinate about writing the blog. I need to be making sock monkeys right now, as I have an art fair this weekend. But being slightly burnt out in the monkey department, I thought I would be productive in another way, albeit a way that doesn't really accomplish my goals for what needs to get done today.
Anyhoo, I thought I would share my favorite ten songs of the moment -- an important clarification because this list is constantly changing. I live my life by mix CDs. But right now, this week, as the first leaves start to change and the air gets a little colder, a little crisper here in central North Carolina, these songs make me feel warmer and just a little more alive. The other Blackbird will tell you that I'm a softie, and it's true, I am. And there's just something about fall, my favorite season, that makes me crave love songs, soft songs, and songs that just make you feel...more. I've scattered some evocative finds from Etsy throughout, as well, just because, well, you need something pretty to look at while you listen to all this great music!
I found David Ramirez on NoiseTrade, a site that has tons of free music and books from new artists that you can download for free. Luckily, the version of Fires from that site was the acoustic one. The original track, from his album American Soil is good, but it doesn't have the intensity of the one below. Lyrics to die for: "I could start fires with what I feel for you." Swoon.
2. Sam Airey, Stars
His voice is distinctive, and I get so caught up in the sound and words. From his Station Approach EP, it's amazing to me to hear that he did this version in one take. Haunting and beautiful.
3. Damien Rice, I Don't Want to Change You
I'm obsessed with this song and video. I love Damien Rice, and this song is off his upcoming album, My Favourite Faded Fantasy. I've been waiting YEARS for a new album (eight, to be exact), so I'm pretty excited about a new one. He is so amazing at bringing out raw emotion, and the lyrics just stick in your mind. My fave lyrics: "I've never been with anyone in the way I've been with you".
Photogray by Shashamane Dream Photo on Etsy, here.
4. Ryan Adams, Elizabeth, You Were Born to Play That Part
From his 2005 album, 29, this song is pretty depressing. But so very, very beautiful. Written for a friend who lost a child, this song has a long instrumental part at the end that uplifts the whole thing. The song is so heartfelt, and it means so much more because of the magic that Ryan Adams can put into any song he creates. It's all beautiful, but my favorite lines are: "For you I'd do anything / tear myself in two / just to hear you breathe."
5. A Fine Frenzy, Pinesong
A Fine Frenzy, a.k.a. Alison Sudol, has long been one of my favorite artists. Her album Pines really works best if you listen to the whole thing together -- she said, "the entire record is a story, and each song is a chapter that leads into the next." And it's all about nature. My favorite part: "Rolling hills are / Roaming through my veins / And open arms / And all is full of / Hope."
I didn't discover her until last fall, after one of my students mentioned her. It was love at first listen. She quickly moved into my top 5 artists ever, which is a very select group. Her entire Once I Was an Eagle album is ah-ma-zing, but Breathe really stands out to me. Such great storytelling -- for example: "When you wake you'll know I'm gone / And where I'm going there's no one / So don't follow me." Watch the whole short film, When Brave Bird Saved, if you have 18 minutes to spare, but if not, just enjoy this -->
7. Dave Matthews, Come Away Death
Here's another from my top 5 artists ever -- Dave can do no wrong. He released this musical video last year, and I am dying -- dying -- to have a downloadable copy of this song. The words are Shakespeare's, from Twelfth Night, set to music. It's just Dave, a piano, and lovely words. Who needs more? (I do -- a mp3 of this song!!)
I was lucky enough to get to see her perform at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, NC a few years ago, and she is the real deal. She is so very talented, taking bluegrass and making is more accessible, I think, for larger audiences. Gone Too Soon is another song that tells a story, drawing the listener into her web. My favorite part: "When you sing / It’s like silver / When you touch me I’m on fire."
9. Bearfoot, Doors and Windows
This song is a major standout to me, and always seems to make its way onto my playlists. Again, I love a song with a story, and this one is so fairy tale-ish and deep that you can't get it out of your brain for days. So beautiful just to listen to it -- musically and lyrically. I mean, the first line is: "Both you and I know that this monster is no longer sleeping." And it just gets better from there...
From her 2007 album of the same name, this song is another sad story. (I promise I'm not sad all the time.) I want to listen to this song, with headphones, in a warm coat on a blustery, gray, fall day, with dry leaves skipping around my feet. It, as do the others, has lyrics that pull me in. For example: "Oh, but if I was a deep bathtub would you sink down, / To the bottom of my love?"
We Blackbird girls have subscriptions to tons of home decor and fashion magazines, but we haven't had a bit of time to actually sit down and look at any of them since probably last spring. I'm sure you're aware we've been busy -- since, dear readers, the blog has been sporadic, at best -- but not taking the time to look at our monthly dose of the great-big-world-out-there, in the form of Harper's Bazaar, Martha Stewart Living, Vogue, Country Living, and our other fave publications, is just downright sad. So excuse us for not noticing that the rest of the world has been trying to tell us that the biggest trend for Fall 2014 is Equestrian Chic/Horsey Blue Steel.
Yeah, we didn't see that McQueen's doing it (see above). Or Tory Burch (that's horse tack hardware in the print):
And we kept seeing other equestrian-themed things, like these two items. Sorry, these are last two we saw. I didn't start taking pics until we had already passed a zillion other things, and I thought, hey, maybe I should do a blog post about this. Hmmm....
Then we found this lamp, in need of some TLC.
We glammed it up a bit and added gold leaf.
Now available in our shop in Liberty, NC!
So, how can you get on this trend bandwagon? Here's a few finds from Etsy that I fell in love with --
Vintage hankie from Girl Makes Goods, only 2.99! Here.
Vintage paint by number, from Southern Gilt, here.
