Trend Spotting - The Equipale Chair

In 2012, I spotted some equipale furniture in a late 60s decorating mag. This Mexican handmade leather furniture has been popping out at me right, left, and centre within the last month. Traditional Equipal furniture is handcrafted from tanned pigskin and cedar or rosewood strips. Each piece is unique; like all unwaxed, natural leather will improve with age.

Take a look at the different styles. I can't decide which one I like the best - probably the lounge chair and peacock chair (of course).

images via

greenweddingshoes
bijouliving
salvationtaco
jessicacollins laceandlikes makemodelnashville
kimberlygosnell
joeyrandall

12 Best of Craigslist Vancouver May 7th

Percival Lafer leather sofa and arm chair

Glass and chrome table with chrome cantilever chairs - and sumptuous ruby velvet cushions

Copper chandelier

Mid-century red tweed teak love seat

Folding Indian table aka nomadic furniture
 one here too

Kai Kristiansen rosewood chairs

Vintage wooden office chair

Mid-century teak record stand book shelf

Bentwood antique theatre chairs

An old door - throw some wheels on the bottom and voila - a table.

Remember this one from back in 2009?

Original 1980s black leather Fleuvogs!

and a 1971 VW van-cum-juice bar

Marie Antoinette Blue

or maybe Versailles blue - not so much Wedgwood blue. Ice blue?

Whatever the colour is it reminds me of Marie Antoinette so let's do a search of Marie Antoinette blue shall we.

Anyway, I'm giving away my chairs that I bought back in 2012.  I've decided to ditch the deck dining table and chairs and go for something more along the lines of this beauty from 1976:

hair image via the very cute blog Cute Colored Hair
room image via Wikipedia

From the Archives - The Duffel Bag Mystique

The Gold Rush 1898 duffel bag evolution - Chilkoot Pass Alaska

Even the word duffel bag conjures up images of three day old stubble and mud caked motorcycles all interwoven with vetiver, tobacco, musk and dirt.

Lost treasures from both Kurt Cobain and the Rolling Stones have been found in duffel bags. The duffel bag as Ark of the Rock and Roll Covenant?

Whatever it may be, the duffel bag only gets better with age.

Etsy Ciao Baby Vintage find

originally published February 16, 2011

Everything we See or Seem

stacy reynaud

I was looking up Scorpion pose and came across a book recommendation, of all things. My local library rocks so of course they had it - now I will recommend the beautiful piece of literature to you.

Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. Translated by M.D. Herter  Norton, (1934). The translation/translator makes all the difference.

The close of the eighth letter:

"Do not believe that he who seeks to comfort you lives untroubled among the simple and quiet words that sometimes do you good. His life has much difficulty and sadness ... Were it otherwise he would never have been able to find those words." 

Oh, and here's Scorpion pose

My Invisible Cube Van

It's invisible because it doesn't exist. If it did, I'd be fetching this stuff for you this weekend!

Vintage Peacock Chair - Emmanuelle Chair

I was probably around twelve when I first saw this image of Marilyn Monroe taken by Milton H. Greene.

Since then, I've wanted one of those wicker chairs - well a peacock chair to be exact - they just look so cool every time I see one in a photo.

Back in the winter of this year I bought one off Craigslist for $25. Damn right it looks cool, but that's about it. The only type of chair I can think of that is as close to as uncomfortable as this type are those plastic white slatted folding outdoor chairs (like this).

 See blondie there in the white sweater? That just about sums up me sitting on the chair!

At least Flo finds it comfortable.

One - Two - Sold

You know the old 'truth', in the 'power of three', (my marketing instructor self speaking). Consumers love threes. Don't give us too many choices! Once you see something three times, act on it. Case in point, black cane rocking chairs. I was going to buy one for $50 from a lady in Kelowna two weeks ago but forgot, (the one above). Now in the last 24 hrs I find two saved on my computer.  Mom and Dad, are you coming down soon?

My Deck - A Preemptive

'Imagine if it was sunny now until November?' The Easter long weekend in Vancouver was gorgeous! The thing about Vancouver weather is, you can't trust it. As a kid growing up here it sucked. You'd leave your Barbies outside in their Barbie motor home on a hot summer night only to have them soaking wet in pissing rain the next morning. Camping - same thing. How many times have I woken up in a flooded tent?

We took advantage of our four days of nice weather and started our Spring planting on the deck. The plant collection has grown a lot since we moved in a year ago. This year we're trying a herb garden. My first one. I've had bountiful vegetable gardens before but I don't want to attempt one on my deck - I need room for lounging. My climbing rose bush survived its first winter. I cut all the leaves off it and it's come back nicely - and so have the aphids. I've planted peppermint around the bush but I don't think it's mature enough to keep them away yet. Any suggestions on how to get rid of these jerks?

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Thanks for your support! ~ Stacy