dog photos

When I ask if I can take a photo of your dog, please say yes.  I'll be taking photos at a greyhound rescue event this weekend.  Can't wait!  The 4 dogs here were visiting the Hydrant in May when I happened to have my camera.  I hope to start taking lots of dog photos again on a daily basis. 

plants and animals

I'm always searching for my perfect balance of plants and animals... and I may have found it!  The new window display at the Hydrant will feature dog and cat food cans as pots for my succulents.  Is there anything better than cute plants and super healthy pet food?  Not in my world!

Larkspur Chicago

I've spent the last few weekends working at Larkspur in Chicago and have learned so much from two super ladies, owner Beth Barnett and floral designer Susannah Donne.  It has been an amazing opportunity.  FYI...working at a boutique flower shop means you are going to work very hard every minute of your shift.  They've got me assembling floral arrangements for commercial accounts, driving around Wicker Park and nearby neighborhoods with deliveries, setting up arrangements on site for weddings and parties, and helping customers select just the right flowers and gifts for their loved ones. I've even made some hand tied bouquets for some very lucky gals - there are some sweet and thoughtful husbands and boyfriends visiting Larkspur regularly.  (Keep it up guys... that's the way to keep us happy!)  Let's not forget all the bucket and vase washing, cleaning, and water changing.  I'm absolutely exhausted when I get home!  Beth and Susannah are two of the most talented and hardest working ladies I've ever met.

Larkspur is more than a boutique full of beautiful and unusual cut flowers.  Beth selects unique succulents and plants as well as artisan made candles, soaps, greeting cards, and jewelry for her shop.  She also has a fantastic eye for vintage vases and containers including milk glass, mercury glass, and Shawnee style pottery.  Some of the flowers and plants sold at Larkspur are grown at Beth's farm in Michigan. It doesn't get any more hand selected than that!

I've got one more weekend left to work in the shop.  What an amazing (and exhausting) experience this has been.  A big thanks goes out to Beth and Susannah for showing me the ropes!  I'm glad I was able to take some photos during this experience too.


Beth Barnett created Larkspur in 1994 out of a desire to create personalized floral designs for Chicago's discerning clientele.   After specializing in weddings and commercial accounts for ten years, Beth expanded the business into its current location, 2123 Damen Ave., in the fall of 2004.

more Aimee Wilder for Minnow

File this post under "I buy way too much stuff for my dogs".  Guilty as charged.  There was no way I could resist buying this Aimee Wilder Airedale Pattern harness... for $7.99! 

robins

We have been watching a pair of adult robins gathering worms for their babies for the last few weeks.  Now we can see there are four young robins in the nest... known as baby beaks here at our house.  Robins make their nest in the same place every year in our backyard.  I guess that spot is working for them!

baltimore and carolina

What a kickass bird week it's been in my backyard.  Here's a little update for the 2 people that I think will slightly care...

Baltimore Orioles!  First time I've ever seen them in my backyard.  Mark got a photo of the male and female hanging out in our neighbor's feeder so you can see the difference in their colorings.  Males are brighter orange with more black markings.  I was able to catch the female eating at my new yellow suet feeder.  What a cutie!



Also spotted this weekend was a Carolina Wren.  Once again this was the first time I've ever seen one here.  Haven't been able to get good photos yet of this tiny bird yet but here are the best of the worst photos I've got so far...

My neighbor has the Rose Breasted Grosbeaks at her feeder and I need to get some more bird seed asap.  I don't think I've got what they want to eat BUT I will soon.  Bird envy, yeah I've got it.  As for the Black & White Warblers that visited me a few weeks ago, I never saw them again.  Sadness.

harley

Harley's adoption story made the ASPCA blog back in February.  Since he and my friends live in NYC, I met him yesterday for the first time when they stopped by for a visit. What a sweet boy!  Harley couldn't have found a better home... it's tough to say who's luckier - Harley or his new family. I hope I get to see them again before they head back East.

it's nice outside

the baumritters

8 zillion years ago (or 4 years ago exactly), I scored a set of 6 vintage Baumritter dining chairs on Craigslist.  They were a little worn out but had the perfect danish modern look I was after.  And of course I was going to refinish them and bring them back to their original glory.  Within a week of purchasing these chairs, I bought a roll of fabric to reupholster the seats. I was ready to go!  Perhaps this is where a sound effect of a car's sreeching breaks would come in handy.  4 years later... I'm finally getting around to that Baumritter project.  I'm working on the upholstery.  The wood still looks like crap but at least they will have new padding and clean seats.  It's a start! 

So I bought the fabric to reupholster the chairs 4 years ago and chose a pattern called Bull's Eye by Pollack.  I thought it had a 1950s vintage vibe without being too"atomic".  This Pollack fabric is made in the USA from 100% Post-Industrial Recycled Polyester and I'm still quite keen on its eco-friendliness.  I'm not sure if I would have picked this pattern in 2013 but I do not hate this grey circular fabric and I have a giant freaking roll of it.  As you can see, I have not committed 100% just yet - no staples have been shot.  I've got a make-shift, tucked around version of a seat to look at for a few days.  Who am I kidding?  I have a giant freaking roll of this incredibly awesome fabric.  The staple gun will be joining us shortly. 

I found this 1960's advertisement on the web for the Baumritter Corporation and a bit of history on the company...

Theodore Baumritter and his brother-in-law Nathan C. Ancell started a housewares company in 1932, making plaster gnomes, trellises and garden swings. Three years later, they paid $25,000 for a bankrupt furniture factory in Beecher Falls, Vermont, and began manufacturing furniture. In 1939 the company introduced a line of "Early American" furniture they called Ethan Allen.

By 1962, Baumritter and Ancell owned 14 furniture factories in the East. By the middle of the 1960's, the Baumritter Corporation had the largest group of furniture in the world, with a 1,600-piece line to choose from. They also had stores by that time in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Australia, and Canada. In 1970, Baumritter retired, and Ancell took over the company. In 1972, The Baumritter Corporation officially changed its name to Ethan Allen Industries.

From nytimes.com and fundinguniverse.com