Too Many Books

 

Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage just posted about bookstores, and is my inspiration for today's post. Don't miss her apropos comments here.

 

  I took these photos of Ken Sanders Rare Books shop while traveling last summer. The place didn't fit in with my blogging plan then, and the cold months seem more bookish to me anyway. . . .

 

 

Ken's book shop is a rabbit hole of a place in downtown Salt Lake City. Do you know it? We had never heard of it before, but we brake for bookstores! There's no such thing as too many books, of course. Only, perhaps, for a single blog post. But the space is too impressive to show anything less. I wanted you to get a hint of the thrill we got stumbling into the inner sanctum of a space so loved and "lived in" by the local community. All the covetted accessories for bibliophiles reside here too, like this vintage book press. I have been fortunate enough to find two of these lovelies myself in antiques shops. They occupy the rooms of my son and his wife who both make and restore books as an occupation.

 

The book lined stairs leading to Ken's office.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A portrait of Ken as he looks today hangs in the shop. He was more than happy to talk shop with us.

 

 

 

 

 I think snow covers the sidewalks today. What a fabulous place to snuggle down in for an hour or two and get away from the weather!

 

I hope you're keeping cozy too!

 

Jacqueline

 

 

 

 

 

The Last Rose & A Few Cheap Thrills

 

Just before company came we discovered the last big rose of summer (in November!) waiting to be rescued amidst the neglected garden brambles. Nature wants to keep blessing us despite our lack of attention. And there's always beauty waiting if we will only go looking.

 

 I found another rose to rescue on a big fat biscuit jar without a lid while I was looking for vintage Christmas ornaments (still haven't found any).

 

I liked both of its marks.

 

 

An old jug found its way to me too. The kind that gives half of you out there cheap thrills, and makes the other half of you shudder.  :0)

 

It was a day for crowns, like the universe was saying to me, "not what you were looking for, but here's a consolation prize."

 

  

 

I love the details! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A French quilted sham had my name on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An old fruit jar charmed me excessively too.

 

 

 

 

 

I can't stop looking through its wavy glass as though it will reveal some deep secret from the past. . . . Old jars capture me inside them that way sometimes.

See what I mean???

 

 

 

 

In total I only spent ten bucks. Cheap thrills, indeed. . . .

I hope you find something charming that you were never looking for too!

 

Cheerio! I hope you're enjoying the long weekend!

 

Jacqueline

 

Vintage Linens in the Loo

I love an old fashioned look in the washroom. One thing that helps me create an illusion of a more genteel time is the linen. I snapped a few photos just before my recent houseguests arrived.

We use a combination of vintage cotton towels and terry. I love how there was once a time that ordinary daily objects had a bit of love and care put into them. First in their quality and construction, and secondly, in their decoration. A little lace edge elevates any ordinary life. And what better way to start or end a day than by appreciating a little homespun beauty?

The terry towels underneath are vintage too!

There are lots of ways to use purely practical items from the past in a bathroom.  This antique chamber pot like the ones my Grandmother had is a case in point.

I recently found a nice group of matching monogrammed hand towels from France at a good price to add to the linen collection. So beautifully made. . . .

 

A beautiful old ironstone soap drain is an interesting pleasure to use in an old soap dish. The homespun towel underneath happens to show my husband's initials.

A vintage snuff jar holds a toothbrush. 

A nice big apothecary jar for soap is now tinged with purple. 

The old lattice newspaper caddy is just for decoration on the wall now, and displays a few more vintage towels, and a vintage advertising calendar card. It adds a little old-time romance to the space.

An ornate hand towel dresses up the wire locker basket for the TP. Everything here is very low maintainance. The hardest thing is getting folks to use the towels the way they were intended to be used! The photo below shows another of a pair of wonderfully large monogrammed towels from France with the loop sewn in on the side in the center. It's almost a big as a shawl and hangs on the bathroom door.

That's all folks!

So nice you stopped by!

Jacqueline

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