Monday, March 1, 2010

dear magpie


this weekend was great.  i got to wear a mustache to a party, eat brunch while listening to a bearded accordion player, and roast brussel sprouts in my fancy fig vinegar.  so so so good. 

after getting bumped from the commuter rail to amtrak business class (for free!) on my way back to boston i decided to celebrate with a little davis square shopping trip.  best decision ever. 

first stop: the blue shirt cafe for a cup of chamomile tea.  it was way too cold outside to be wearing just a sweater.   i haven't ever actually eaten here but the menu made me feel like i need to change that, and soon. 

second stop: artifactory on college avenue.  i ride by this place on the bus every single day and the fun vintage dresses and coats hanging in the window always make me wish i had some spare time to stop in.  fun vintage jewelry and costume clip-ons, off beat antique prints and posters, and an assortment of june cleaver style kitchenware cram this tiny shop.  don't bring a giant purse or a suitcase unless you want to feel like the biggest, clumsiest idiot ever.  i couldn't find a link for this one, but if you know of one add it to the comments!

third stop: d2 with cathi to check out fun baby gifts and the coolest cheese knife set ever.  i didn't get the knives, but they're in the bank of things-to-get-when-i-have-money-to-burn. 

final stop: magpie, which is officially my new favorite random shop in boston.  dave, one of the owners and a really lovely guy, was working the register while cathi and i wandered around and around the shop calling out about a million "look at this!"s to each other across the racks.  apparently this shop has an ability to know all the artists and craftspeople i secretly stalk online wishing and hoping i could fill my home with their works.  i mean seriously, my head almost exploded.  in a good way.  i limited myself to an adorable xenia taler chick tile, a beehive kitchenware coffee spoon, and a couple of the funnest and randomest cards i've seen in a while. 

on the possible list for next visit:
a lovely joanna mendicino vase (i noticed a pretty one with vines and leaves in a bookshelf nook).  about 6 months ago i found an old picture of a fiddler crab vase she had made and was apparently no longer available.  at the time i was feeling a little homesick for maryland and decided that the vase was just what i needed.  i emailed joanna to see if she knew of any secret shop that might have just one tiny vase hidden away in their store room and she responded that she had 2 (2!) tucked away on a shelf in her studio.  what a peach!  my crab vase lives on my dresser next to a small family of tiny boxes and trinket dishes and makes me happy every morning. 

a print of a narwalrus.  i mean really, who doesn't need one of those?  magpie has a collection of imaginary animal prints in washes of almost primary colors that are fun and child-like without being childish.  another animal:  the hedgicorn.  genius.  i forgot to make a not of the artist but i'll update when i can.

going into this place was sort of like going over to a really good friend's house.  so many of the pieces were familiar to me and better than that they were mixed in and arranged with new bits and pieces that i loved on sight.  so good.  really, the moral of the story is that if you are cool or have friends who are cool you should probably go to this place right away.  for real. 


additional great things, not from my weekend:

i'm not entirely sure what kind of moral "grapes are sour" is, but i like it anyways.  also, i like elephants. 

this place is random and great.  i am particularly entertained by how popular whales are with this place's customer base.  go whales!

additionally, since i recently had to create a tax filing flow chart (i know, i know) for work i'm feeling more and more into graphs and tables.  lets be honest, i've always been into them.  this post makes me laugh every time i read it.  well done.  


happy monday everyone!

** i forgot where i found that squirrel picture, if you know you should let me know.

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