LOLA

Dear swapper friends, I promise to honor our exchanges. I enjoy swapping but what is the point if we send each other thrown together, dirty, or thoughtless cheapies. I thrift, plunder, garage sale and bargain shop in ALL types of stores but always with care and consideration for my swapmates. I will always send your lovelies on time and believe it is up to me to make sure my swaps sent to you meet the posted requirements.

MY HOME LIFE

Living with and loving my family in Alabama.

I have three dark haired handsome boys and one sweet blonde blue eyed husband. Our kids are a Latino Scottish combo mix. My husband's Grandfather is from Scotland. My father is from Mexico. I am passionate about the men in my life. They support and encourage my interests in my home, gardening, cooking and crafts. As a family we love perusing antique shops and flea market but we absolutely and out of necessity enjoy and know how to thrift and shop at garage sales too.

My Decorating Sense

I love interesting antiques, drippy gorgeous old stuff that looks like it belonged in an old European Manor or French Chalet. It does not matter to me if the stuffing is showing though an old chair. I care more about the form and the history of an item. Decadent decay is my mantra. The "look" can be accomplished with new and inexpensive stuff too. You will find me aging, sandpapering or painting things to get them to look historical or aged, though clever me...they are not! I enjoy beautiful useful items with sexy curves or flourishes. My mouth waters at the sight of homes, or any object with wonderful form and patina. My goal is to have everything in my house, whether it be a piece of furntiure or teacup, to have the patina and history, or charm and fantasy I live for in decorating.

I respond to seasonal changes of color light and weather. Therefore my color palette is all encompassing but with a definitive range of tones

Color My World Light

In ALL colors! but in sepia, gentle and interesting antique tones; spring and summer palettes with vintage hazy overtones, a variety of soft whites, and creams...because everything seems to go with white and sometimes nothing else will do.

Color My World Bright

I adore bright beautiful and bold combination of colors too, I adore traditional, classical pieces of furniture with graphic color combos. Bright colors give me a chance to take a chance and combined with classical or traditional elements can really complete the look!

Color My World Dark

Black is an important color, it is perfect with a bit of umber to take away any harshness. Rich dark colors can rock my world too. Black I find can frame and accent other colors so beautifully. It also appeals to my shadow side, when I want to cocoon or be contemplative. I love it combined with a variety of colors. Also traditionally script is written in black or dark brown. Black is the color of the printed word...

I absolutley love the set design and colors used in the movie Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unforutnate Events The shades of black and darker colors are superb combined with the occasional pinks (the wedding scene) and lighter colors.

Food Is Love

I cook and bake a lot for family and friends and refer to my collection of books of baking and cooking often. I would love to cook like the fantasy characters in the movies Chocolat and Like Water for Chocolate I think it would be awesome and powerful to have that magical affect on people through food! "Will you join me for a cup of hot chocolate spiced with chili pepper?"

I am a voracious reader. I read for information and for pure leisure. I also have a side to me that is "high brow" intellectual. I have a degree in History and Philosophy. You will find very serious reading material in my library. You will also find books in every room of my home on a variety of topics. When I become interested in a subject I will read and learn what I can. One month it might be tarot, the next month it might be Einstein. My brother tells me I am one big contradiction. When I get confused chocolate is my drug of choice

Summer 2007 My husband and I as time and money permits have started remodeling our home. We are working on our tiny master bath. We live in a split level 1970's house that was remodeled in the 1980's.The layers of wall-paper styles are something else. I have uncovered brown and yellow mushrooms and cornflower blue and country geese. I am a dreamer however and I think we can slowly convert this home into a French Creole farmette. There is romance, mystery and intrigue contained in this home, somewhere... I just have to find it. My ultimate fantasy would be to have an extreme home remodel and end up with something similar to homes in the movie Interview With A Vampire, decadent sexy New Orleans minus the blood.

Winter 2008 Hmm...not much happening in the renovation department. My castle looks very much like the 1970's ranch we purcahsed two years ago. I am managing to maintain my status as Queen of the 1970's Ranch home quite nicely though. My current real Queen fascination is with the infamous Marie Antoinette. I really enjoy watching the movie. I know the sneakers, music and revisionism bothers some, it did me too at first. Now however I watch for pure color, and costume porn. The 80's music is the style I listened to as a teenager too and I am learning to love it again. Hey, life is too short.

My Background

I was raised Roman Catholic and have enjoyed immensely studying world religions. I was also lucky enough to have a Great Grandmother who was full blooded Indian and a mother who could be very superstitious, think of the movie Stigmata.

I have a collection of rosaries, prayer cards and various other Catholic items of which I am very proud . I also have a few Quan Yin images from my Asian friends. I enjoy talismans that my friends give me, rocks, prayer cards, beads etc.

About politics? I think politics are everywhere, the home and workplace. I am a Patriot. I am very proud and grateful that my Father decided to come to this country. Whether this is relevant to any future swappers? Hopefully only in a good way. I can only reiterate why I swap. It is in the spirit of giving and sharing.

"From my heart to yours"

gregorian chants(both club modern and classical arrangments)
classical piano, opera, violin, Mozart's requiems, Beethoven, Greig, CHOPIN!
Lounge music; Buddha bar type
Rock Opera, Queen!
Vintage 70's, Heavy Metal
River Blues, New Orleans Creole

Mexican rancheras, Lola Beltran Edie Gorme and Los Panchos

I cry when I hear old school Mexican music or Rancheras because it reminds me of my Father. I have memories of him getting drunk and declaring his love for my Mother and his family. I love the grita or passionate yell of this Mexican music tradition.

Period flicks- mainly for the set designs, costumes, music score and gorgeous homes i.e The Piano, Pride and Prejudice, I also enjoy a variety of movies to include Schindler's List, The Passion, What Dreams May Come, Little Miss Sunshine

Foreign films: It's a Beautiful Life, Que Color es El Mundo

I get impatient with most tv shows but I will break for cable news some PBS and Court TV, maybe a pyschic tv special.

Love talk radio, some NPR and Coast to Coast with George Noory (sometimes in very small doses)

I am independent and feminine but I do love to combine the quirky or unexpected in my home and wardrobe. Anthropologie is one of my favorite stores to visit for inspiration! I could care less about fashion labels and what is "in" at the moment but I do find myself attracted to style of Betsey Johnson and Anna Sui. I am a consumer and support quality and thoughtful manufacturing of goods and services. However, I value more than anything else creativity (creative trash to treasure transformations, making beauty out of the mundane, broken and unexpected. I am currently dreaming of going junkin' in New York City. The bits of curvy metal, old hardware, dilapadated wonderfulness is something I would live for if I were there!

New Collections and Colors

I have been inspired by flickr and swapper friends and the NEW cool things out there. Wow, so much color!

DeeryLou, Afro-Ken, San-x, crux, Kawaii deco-tape especially pigs, goats,mushrooms and candies and desserts. Love Loungelfy, swimmer, Harajuku, Alice in Wonderland, Love Rockabilly, Sailor Jerry, Pin-up girls, . Rainbows...fawns, lambs, kawaii fabrics...ZAKKA CRAFTS!

COLORS: acid green (just recently got my first pedicure in a metallic acid green apple color!), HOT pink, rainbow colors.

Some things that inspire me and that I love...

• Terrariums, carnivorous plants, exotic ferns, flowers, various tropicals
• Quirky, dark, gothic, old graveyards, New Orleans, Historic Savannah
• Sommerset Art Magazines and others, Cloth Paper Scissors. Primitive crafts,
• Cooking exotic foods and regional foods, learning about Southern cooking.
• Love baking and cooking with organic or natural foods, spices; using organics and natural products in my home for health and healing. Intrigued with natually dyed yarns, cottons and fabrics.
• I love anything British; Union Jack, lovely biscuit tins, tea cozies, anything with Anne Boleyn, Queen Victoria, Marie Antoinette (French, I know.. (love her!)
• Quality craft and sewing supplies, wools, cottons, vintage buttons and sewing accessories.Cool vintage craft patterns and books.
• Lovely yarns, cottons, wools etc. for knitting and learning how to felt! cool fibers, hand dyed ribbons.
• odd random tiny whatnots, pretty imperfect,(broken or damaged) vintage bits of jewelry for altered collage and assemblage projects; pins etc, earrings etc. Abandoned and unwanted jewelry; interesting crosses, angels, birds, stars, hearts, etc. Anything weird or unusual
• metal and tin findings, old hardware for collage and assemblage, odd or pretty shapes
• vintage and antique looking paper real vintage images and rubber stamps (unusual with skulls, lips and hearts, sayings and script stamps. MODERN BRIGHT AND SEXY papers too, cool graphics etc. I love all styles, with the exception of cute country.
• Candy: quality milk chocolate, Belgium!,gummy bears covered in chocolate, hot tamales, caramels, unusual yummy candies especially chewy fruity types.
• French Style, Decadent New Orleans, English Country
• Antique and vintage fabrics, linens, lace and ribbons, reproduction era too.
• Glorious new fabrics for quilting and sewing; Moda, Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett. I covet pretty and interesting fabrics from various sources- From rich lovely velvets and silks for fabric arts, to delicate swiss batiste. I support independent quilt and yarn shops.
• Beads, crystals, lovely trinkets, costume jewelery.
• Mysterious beautiful boxes that looked like they came out of an old trunk.
• Catholic icongraphy, Rosaries, Saint Frances, Santo Nino de Atocha and Holy Child of Prague are my favorite baby Saints.

BOOKS Anything recommended by the Bas Blu society, Classical literature, Modern Literature, some post Modern, children's Fairy Tales, current writers: Isabelle Allende, Diane Ackerman, Thomas Moore, James Hillman. American writers: Emily Dickenson, Thoreau, Emerson. Quality contemporary Victorian and historical novels. DO NOT care for Harlequin romance novels. I do love food books relating to history or the novel, cookbooks and baking.

Dislikes

Fake or Dollar store Victoriana with predictable motifs and images.

Hello Kitty

Plastic flimsy bright gold embellishments and beads i.e. Victorian shoes, fans, angels. Yes to broken bits of real jewelry, buttons, glass, metal, lucite, bakelite, wood, resins, good plastics etc.

(Random thoughts and daily activities)

Living on an acre of land, everyday I look out and see trees, nature, lots of beauty...I adore the outside but my garden is a mess of leaves right now. I feel so GUILTY! I never made hummingbird food this year and I hope it is not too late to clean out the birdhouses.

I am pondering my herb garden for spring though...always dreaming.

making soaps, lotions, kitchen cleaners with essential oils and/or natural like scents and food safe dyes.
herb and garden crafting
dabbling in sewing,embroidery, quilting, knitting
collage art made with vintage items, journaling recipes, altering some things too.
collecting vintage and antique Christmas ornaments and making new ornaments designed to look old.

Gees Bend, home of the famous Alabama quilters.
Local theatre
Callaway Garden's Butterfly Conservatory, Pine Mountain, Geogia
Martha's Restaurant, delicious traditional southern food served in an old house in historic Montgomery
Gospel music, historic churches, tiny churches

beautiful modern southern quilts, exotic plants, recycled Victorian Fashions, Victorian Reading