Out WIth the Old and In With the New: The Art on our Walls

I am happy to say that Aaron's been selling quite a few paintings as of late.

I am sad to say that I miss them when they go.

To see him making his art, the things that are inside him and who he is, and to know that people get it and like it, well, it's wonderful.

Making art makes Aaron happy.

Making art that people enjoy makes Aaron happy.

All of this makes me happy, too.

I guess it's just that even when it's for a good reason, it's still always hard to say good-bye.

The first big painting he did for us, one that hung on our walls through James' first 3 years of life, and then sold to a friend, is still missed.

It was a pair of giant Converse high tops.  (see it here)

James learned what a star was from that painting while it hung in our living room.

He still talks about it sometimes.

Then there was this painting that Aaron sold a while back.

James actually cried when he found out Aaron sold it.

We recently said goodbye to our trailer, Bambi.

Many of our friends expressed dismay that it was for sale.

"It is so you!' they said, "you can't sell it."

But Aaron took it off our walls.

Still, when Aaron got the call that it had sold, he said he felt just a little bit sick to his stomach.

It was a real favorite.

That's the hard thing about the art on our walls--it becomes a part of us, and thus, it is hard to say good-bye.

It's exciting to watch Aaron's paintings sell, and to know that people love them like we do.

But I won't say we don't miss them.

The above painting, "I Like Eich" is Aaron's newest.

I love it so much.

So, so, much.

If you are at all a fan of mid-century architecture, then you are probably familiar with the name, Joseph Eichler.

You know his houses.

And, if you are like me, you wouldn't mind living in one some day.

This painting celebrates the classic Eichler houses.

The windows, the roof lines, and the clean, modern look that makes them so special.

Eichler was not the architect, but the developer of the communities that bear his name.

But because he had an penchant for modern design, his houses all share a similar design sense.

It's one that Aaron and I, and many other people, like very much.

Aaron designed the painting and it is all painted free hand.

He is amazing like that.

It's perfect for someone who really Likes Eich!

Right now, there is only one painting, but he hopes to make prints like it soon.

Which is good news to me, because he took this painting off my kitchen wall this morning and took it to sell at Just Modern in Palm Springs.

Hopefully I'll at least get a print, right?

If you've been reading my blogs for any amount of time, you might remember some of the other paintings that we've had hanging in the house.

First there was ICE.

I loved ICE and we had it for a couple of years before Aaron thought of selling it.

He sold it ast week.

Getting this note from the new owner helped:

"Just wanted to let you know that I'm the new owner of "ICE" - just purchased it today from a shop in Palm Springs.  From the second I saw it, I loved it! "

That's the kind of thing that makes an artist's heart happy.

And his wife's heart swell with pride.

After ICE was gone, Aaron made the Bear, which he titled Promised Land.
I also loved this one.
We didn't have him up for too long.
He sold at Aaron's recent show.

I suppose the reason we love these paintings so much, aside from the fact that Aaron made them and we're his biggest fans and think everything he does is great, is that they are just a part of our life in our home.

We do a lot of living with these paintings.

See?

And now that Eich is gone, the wall in the kitchen looks awfully bare.

Good thing I know an artist who can fill it back up again.

At least for a while.

You know what they say, the cobbler's children never have shoes, the doctor's children are always sick, and the artist's home always has bare walls.

Perhaps it's time for me to commission my artist for my very own piece.
The kids want their own paintings too.
We all thought it high time Aaron make each of the kids their very own painting to keep for always.
He was going to do it for Christmas.
But in the hustle and bustle of it all, we both forgot.
I think some birthday paintings are in order.
I guess I'm going to be keeping my painter busy for a while.
That is the fun part about all this, I do love seeing what he's going to come up with next.
It's always such a good surprise.

If you're still bothering to read this blog, thanks!
I'm hopeful there will be more regular posts in the new year.
The new year is nothing but full of good hopes, right?
So, I hope I'll be seeing you soon!

Love from,

Greta

PS.  Aaron is working on getting a website up and running where he can show some of his hand carved, linoleum block prints, paintings and hopefully silk screened and giclee prints as well.  

I'll let you know when it's operational.

Come to Aaron's Art Show

That's right!

Aaron is having a show.

I've been an art widow for the last month or so as Aaron has been in his studio every night, painting feverishly until the wee hours.

Many nights he'd come to bed after 2.

And get up the next morning and go to work.

I don't know how he did it.

But he says when he gets in a creative groove he looses all track of time and the next thing he knows is it is 3 am and he still wants to keep painting.

The hard work paid off because he has some great pieces.

His color palette is beautiful.

Aaron loves color and it shows in his work.

He is also fun.

And so is his art.

Who he is and what he loves comes out so clearly in his paintings.

I know he'd love to sell them, but I admit to being sad to see them go.

On Sunday morning he loaded up his car with all his work, and went to hang his show.

His art looked even looks good hanging out in his car.

And after a month of hardly seeing one another, that night we went on a date.
Of course we stopped by the wine bar that is hosting the show to see it all hung up.
This picture doesn't do it full justice.
It looks fabulous!
Here's a sneak peek for those of you who won't be able to make it.

 If you are a local, please consider dropping by.
The opening will be this Wednesday, Nov. 7th, from 6-10, at Art Du Vin on 4th St, in Long Beach.
Aaron will be there all evening and he'd love to see you.
I'll be there too--I got a babysitter!
(you know that is worthy of exclamation points!)

You can make a fun night of it and go out to eat at Lola's, across the street from the show.
Lola's has amazingly delicious food.
Get the mole.
You will not be disappointed.
Then walk across the street for a glass of vino, and check out some fantastic art.
If vino isn't your thing, there is a coffee shop too, so you can get an evening shot of espresso.
Really, there is something for everyone.

If you are far away and can't make the show, Aaron will have all the pieces up on his blog in the coming month.
He will also be sharing some info about prints of his pieces becoming available in the near future.
So stay tuned, people.
And come to his show!
Love from,
Greta

PS.  If you know anyone else who might like to check out Aaron's work, please share this post with them.  We'd be so grateful.

More Vintage Signs From the Central Coast

Has it really been a month since I last posted here?

There is a part of me that would like to be really bummed out about that, but I am not going to listen to her.

Instead, I am going to tell you that since I last posted school started.

And let me tell you, home schooling this year is kicking me in the booty.

This is the first year where I am schooling both boys.

William was in kinder last year, and I am of the old fashioned mindset about kindergarten: it should not be stressful.  

It should be fun.

It was.

And therefore, it was a relatively easy year for both of us.

But this year there is a bit more work to be done.

Both boys are young enough to need a fair amount, or a lot, of hands on help still.

So, I am quite busy being a full time teacher to the both of them.

And then there is Lilly.

On the first day of school, she sat at the table with us as she always does, drawing picture after picture.

I told the boys it was time for math.

"Where's my math?" she asked.

Sheesh.

So basically I am scrambling because I did not anticipate that my 4 year old would want to be doing a full curriculum with her brothers.

She wants to write, to read, to spell, to do math--the works.

Girls.

They really are different, aren't they?

And then there is David.

I wrote a bit about him here.

Trying to teach school to the big kids, keep up with the house, the yard, cooking, and the myriad of other things on my to do list, all with my busy, busy, 1 year old running around, is almost more than I can handle.

And some days, it is more than I can handle.

Hence the lack of blog posts.

Blogging has fallen to the bottom of the list of things I get to do after I get everything else done.

Because I never do get everything else done, I don't blog.

Anyway, like I said, I am not going to be depressed about this, even though I do miss blogging fiercely.

If you are not an avid blogger you probably don't fully get this.

"It's. A. Blog," you're thinking.  "What's the big deal?"

I know.

But writing and picture taking mean a lot to me.

My mind, my heart and yes, even my soul, are all filled when I am in this space.

So letting it go has been hard.

I feel like I have gone through the 5 stages of grief with this process.

It sounds lame.

But it's true!

It's been a tough road, but I think I have finally made it to the acceptance stage.

I am willing to take what I can get and be thankful for it.

That might mean blogging once a month.

Or twice.

Or maybe even less.

I keep reminding myself that this is a season.

Right now it feels like the end of winter.

I am slogging through the mud looking for the first flowers of spring.

But soon enough, things will change again, and the mud won't be quite so deep.

At least I've got cute, pink rain boots to see me through.

I've also got some more vintage signs to share with you.

We spent last week up north on the Central Coast.

It was utterly beautiful.

And while vacationing with 4 young kids is not relaxing, it was fun.

We had amazing food, soaked up the abundant natural beauty, and went on plenty of fabulous hikes.

We also kept our eyes peeled for vintage signs.

Here are 3 of my favorites.

This one is in downtown San Luis Obispo.  

I've loved it since Aaron and I first visited  SLO, 12 years ago.

This one is from a tiny, little town between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.
We drove through it on that same trip to San Luis, 12 years ago, but had forgotten about it.
We drove through again this year, on our way back home.
Davy was sleeping, and the kids were anxious to get to In and Out for dinner, so we didn't get out and walk around, but I did snap this one shot.
I like the looks of this town.
And I like this sign.

And then there is this sign.
Oh how I do love it and all its kitchyness!
Isn't it adorable?
We saw it as we were getting on the on ramp for the 101 in San Luis.
"That's a cool sign!" I yelled.
Aaron got off at the next exit and backtracked to find it for me.
I love that man.

Here's hoping I get back here before another month slips by.
And if you're sticking around through this season I'm in, I do so appreciate it.
Thanks for visiting.
And do come again!
Love from,
Greta

Meet Our Vintage Canvas Tent

In his relentless pursuit to vintagafy our entire life, Aaron has been scouting out vintage camping gear.

We have our picnic basket and lots of vintage camping dishes, we've got vintage thermoses, and some vintage wool camping blankets.

But there is so much more out there.

I found this set of vintage pots at the thrift store.

Aren't they awesome?

Part of me wanted to keep the labels on, and save these pots to display in the trailer we're going to get someday.
Just display, not use.
Collecting vintage can become a sickness.
So I resisted the urge and we used them on our most recent camping trip.
Even without the labels I love them and was happy every time I used them.

We also used our vintage canvas tent!
A vintage, canvas tent has been high on the list of coveted camping accessories for a long while now.
Aaron put out the word that he was looking for one and a friend of ours said his parents had one they'd sell us.
It's in perfect shape even though it's 40 + years old.
The tent is the colors of the Swedish flag and it's huge.
The 6 of us fit in with room to spare.

Why don't they make canvas tents anymore?
Yes, they're heavy, but it's not like I'm backpacking with it, so who cares?
Canvas tents are vastly superior to nylon.
Unless you're backpacking.
Or caught in a rainstorm.
But we weren't.
So it was awesome.
And, it's been approved by Sir Edmund Hillary.
Definitely a keeper.

Aaron, along with a lot of help from James, got the tent up easily.

The kids raced inside to check it out.

They approved.

But the best part of the tent is the awning!
Isn't it the cutest thing you've ever seen?

I was dying about that awning.

Do you know how many vintage trailers I've seen with awnings like that and just longed for one of my own?

I never dreamt of a tent with an awning!

So until that day when the trailer of our dreams comes along, cute awning included, of course, I'll rest happy under the awning of my vintage, canvas tent.

The tent was pretty popular at the campsite.

We got lots of questions and compliments on it.

But the rest of our campsite is in need of work.

Right now it looks like this:

But we have dreams of making it look a lot more like this:

Are we crazy?

Maybe just a bit.

Crazy for vintage camping gear!

Aren't you?

Love from,

Greta

Meet Our Vintage Fridge

When you buy a vintage car, people think it's very cool.

When you get excited about vintage office supplies, people think you are a bit odd, but they let it slide.

When you use vintage enamelware for cooking, they love it.

When you score a vintage paint by number for a $1, and then transform it, they are stoked for you.

But when you tell people you want to buy a vintage fridge, people suddenly turn into naysayers.

Here's what the naysayers said: you'll have to defrost it, old fridges are too small, the seals don't work anymore, they're impossible to get repaired, and the most popular,  it will cost a fortune to run.

Oh, there were a few loyal supporters out there.

But most everyone else thought we were crazy.

After all, it's one thing to say "life's too short to be practical", but it's an all together different thing when you want to be impractical about a fridge.

But we didn't care.

Instead, Aaron kept searching Craig's List (for months), and after seeing lots of amazing fridges but none that were quite right, meeting up with someone who tried to rip us off, contemplating a wild goose chase down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere for a free, vintage fridge, and borrowing our wonderful, friend Paul's truck 3 times, we finally found The One.

I have long admired (loved, longed for, coveted) this line of fridges from Big Chill.
I especially love the Retropolitin.
It is vintage without looking too kitchy.
You may be laughing at this point, but I don't want my kitchen to look kitchy--no Ruby's diner for me.
I know, I know, I have boomerang counter tops, but you won't see a single vintage coca cola sign in my kitchen.
Anyway.
Back to the fridge.
So the fridge I really wanted for our kitchen remodel was a Big Chill.
But we didn't have an extra $3000 laying around.
And. let's face it, any new fridge, even if we could afford a really nice one, just doesn't have the look we love.
You might not have noticed, but we're not on board with the whole stainless steel thing.
That's when Aaron decided to look for a vintage fridge.
There were so many beautiful vintage fridges out there, and they were the expensive ones.
There were so many trashed fridges out there, and they were too far gone to save.
I loved all the beautiful, curvy, 1950s fridges, and there were lots of those.
The 1960s fridges with the more modern lines were harder to find.
But Aaron didn't give up.
We've learned that if you just keep looking, and if you're willing to be patient, you'll find the thing you are looking for.
We so did!
And we love her, and think she's just beautiful.

She fits in perfectly with our kitchen.
Our old fridge was more squat and stodgy, and stuck out a few more inches.
This one is taller and more slender, and let me tell you, those 3 or 4 inches gained in my kitchen make a huge difference.
This fridge just looks like it was made for this space.
To make the deal even sweeter, this fridge was in mint condition.
Take a look.
I hardly had to clean it.
It's more than 50 years old, people!

I love the adjustable, wire shelving.
Those crisper drawers on the bottom are enameled.
And they're turquoise!
They aren't flimsy plastic that will crack--they're solid.
And, it's full of all kinds of beautiful, modern details.
Coolest butter door ever?
Yes.

Light, spinning temperature dial and cool font--in turquoise!

More turquoise!

The kids favorite part is the door and it's space for 2 dozen eggs.
My favorite part of the door is that it is a pale turquoise.
Love it!

The freezer is on the bottom, which I like so much.
It is all fancy smancy with an automatic ice maker (still haven't used it).

I love that the original ice bucket is still in the freezer--in perfect shape, of course.

Aaron really liked the handles on the fridge and how well they go with the original hardware on our original kitchen cabinets.
Look at those curvy lines.
Gorgeous.
Side note.  Our old fridge had plastic handles that were impossible to keep, and then get, clean.
This fridge wipes down like a dream.

Even the grill at the bottom of the fridge is a beautiful design.
All the details were considered.

We've had the fridge for a few weeks now and it is a dream.
Our previous fridge, only about 5 years old, was a nightmare.
It was a complete wreck, the seals didn't work, the crisper drawers were cracked, it was impossible to clean, and the worst part was that it leaked like mad.
At one point Aaron built a sort of support brace out of Legos to help hold up the pan in the back of the fridge to keep the water from pouring out while we were gone for a few days.
It was a joke.
Even though it wasn't an expensive, top of the line fridge, it was not old enough to be in such bad shape.
Our new, vintage fridge however, is American made at a time when things were made to last.
It has so far.
And I'm feeling pretty good about it lasting a while longer.
When I filled up the fridge with our food, Aaron said, "we need more Pyrex for this fridge.  That's it, you can buy as much Pyrex as you want for the new fridge."
You heard it here folks!
I'm going estate sale shopping tomorrow!

And for all you naysayers out there, here are the stats: we don't have to defrost this fridge, it's far bigger than our old fridge--it's huge, in fact, the seals work great, and our fridge repairman said these old fridges run forever.
The only thing we don't know about yet is the energy usage.
The first bill should be arriving any day.
I'll let you know if you were right on that one.
So I won't stick my tongue out at you.
Yet.
And, yes, I promise to be honest.
I owe it to my fellow impracticals.
You might want an old fridge of your own one day and you need to know all the details.
In the end, I like the way our fridge looks so much better than the Big Chill.
The price tag is much better too--$400 instead of $3000.
I think we scored.
Love from,
Greta

Of Birthday Cakes and Vintage Catherineholm Cookware

Hey!

I know it's been a week and a half since I've posted.

Forget the holidays--spring time is our busy season.

It is wearing me out.

I've gone to bed at 9 twice in the last week.

I don't go to bed at 9 unless I am really sick, or pregnant.

I was really sick. (had you there for a minute, didn't I?)

And really tired.

Life doesn't slow down when I am sick or tired--there is still school to plan and to teach, there are still baseball games, and baseball practices, at the same time in different places no less, there are sick babies, and dinners to be made, laundry to be done and bathtubs to be scrubbed, groceries to be bought, and put away, reading to teach, letters to be traced, 4 kids to mother and a husband to pay attention to.

But today, there was a cake to be made.

My James turns 8 tomorrow.

He'll get his birthday presents in the morning when he wakes up, but we had his birthday dinner and cake tonight.

Tomorrow night is Cub Scouts and dinner will be a bit rushed.

We wanted to linger and enjoy James' celebration dinner.

So I made his favorite.

But first, that cake.

James asked for a "stacked cake".

He dreams of a layer cake about 10 layers high.

I think he's going to have a lot of input about his wedding cake.

His bride better be ready for a groom with a lot of opinions on all the details.

Just like his daddy.

Anyway, a stacked cake he asked for, and a stacked cake it would be.

I aim to please.

I used the best birthday cake recipe, I made for William last year.

James usually likes chocolate, but I felt like making a yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

It's so good, I knew he wouldn't mind.

I decided to be legit this time and use real cake flour, just like the recipe calls for.

Usually I pay no attention to those things because I never have those kind of special ingredients on hand.

I have a small kitchen and not a lot of extra room for seldom used ingredients.

But since one of my life goals is to become a great cake baker, I wanted to see if there really was a difference between regular flour and cake flour.

That's something I need to know.

For the frosting, I planned on chocolate ganache.

However, I was at Target and they didn't have big hunks of chocolate for me to chop up.

I had a baby in need of a nap and wasn't about to stop at at another store.

So I got chocolate chips instead.

That's how I got the Swan's Down cake flour.

I am sure there are other labels that might be better, but that's all there was, so that's what I bought.

Will the cake flour make a difference?

I'll let you know.

Aside from his stacked cake, I made James his favorite meal: bean burritos.

All afternoon the beans bubbled away on the stove in my new pot.

Isn't she beautiful?

I have long loved and admired these pieces of Catherineholm cookware.
They were produced by the Catherineholm company, in Norway, beginning in the early 1900s.
These pieces in the Lotus pattern, are some of the most famous and most beloved of vintage, enamel cookware.
They were designed by a Norwegian designer, Grete Prytz.
They come in many bright and beautiful colors, and the lotus leaves adorn everything from pots and pans, to plates, bowls, and tea pots.
I think they are absolutely gorgeous.
I am not alone in my admiration.
You've probably seen them in many a magazine and blog article.
I spot them everywhere.


I never thought I'd have one of my own--they're pricey.
But my sister brought this yellow beauty to me yesterday.
Her dad found it and he generously gave it to me.
He knows my style and finds lots of goods for me on his treasure hunts.
Seeing that pot sitting on my stove makes my month.
Thanks Papa John!


If you want to see more of this gorgeous cookware, I have a few links for you.
For more on Grete Prytz, go here.
For cookware, go here.
And this Pinterest page of vintage enamelware is full of lotus pieces.
I'm dreaming of the coffee pots and pitchers especially.
And maybe a bowl or two.
Because one more collection is just the thing I need, right?
Right.


And now, I have some presents to wrap and a birthday garland to hang over the kitchen table and a bed to get to.
Because a very excited birthday boy is sure to be up early.
It was 8 years ago, right now, that I was walking the neighborhood, stopping every few minutes to breathe through contractions.
It was eight years ago that my life was forever changed for good.
Here's to many more years of stacked cakes for my birthday boy!
Love from,
Greta