Sunday Pick-nic

Ami Worthen, Kevin Scanlon, and Caroline Bazemore Pond kick off the pickin'

Caroline Bazemore Pond has declared 2012 the year of the picnic, and we’ve been making plans for simple, yummy gatherings.  Picnics are definitely frugal, the only expense being the food, and a great opportunity to gather with friends.  Expanding on the theme, and because it’s January, our first picnic would have to be indoors.   We decided on a pot-luck “Pick-nic” to kick off our New Year.  We had a luscious spread of veggie & traditional English Pasties, locally-made spicy sausages with whole-grain mustard, dill potato salad, smoked Gouda pasta salad, Asian green beans with pickled cucumbers, topped off with the best brownies ever.  Not to mention a fine collection of craft-brews and vino.  With everyone bringing something to share, it was a delicious Sunday feast.

The hip bonus with this group of friends is their incredible musical talent that filled the house after our bellies were full.  Ami Worthen & Jason Krekel (Mad Tea Party)  along with the Tater Diggers (Caroline Bazemore Pond, Kevin Scanlon, and Ben Scales) played one amazing tune after another at dizzying speeds.  My new favorite, “John Brown’s Dream,” was on fire.  The music, stories, and flavors from our Pick-nic permeated my dreams last night and set me right for this fine Monday morning.  Yes, 2012 is the year of the picnic, and I for one am looking forward to many more in our future.  Thank you friends for a wonderful time!

Ben Scales and Jason Krekel

Ami, Kevin, and Caroline

Jason works Emeline's wee violin

Kathryn & Holden Burleson tune in

Phil Cheney & Ami Worthen

Jason Convexing

All in all.... a great Pick-nic!

Time to Purge

My closet is usually… O.K.  I can hide a lot in the bins, and behind the hanging clothes.   But recently it is out of control.  The shelves are bursting at the seams, and I can’t find ANYTHING to wear.  No inspiration to look or even feel remotely hip.  Give me my yoga pants, a camisole, & a sweatshirt, and I’ll just walk away from this chaos.  I know I have good stuff in there somewhere, and it’s time to sort it out.  It all started when my two main drawers broke…. That’s my only excuse.

It was much worse than it looks, really. The floor was a sea of cast-offs,  & things that either didn’t fit, needed ironing, or were desperate for mending.  Dust bunnies were cavorting with Jack Rabbits… utter mayhem.  When this happens the whole system breaks down & I want to go shopping.  Not helpful.  With stuff piled up like some crazy hoarding episode, I had to do something drastic.   Neither the Closet Store nor Nate Burkus was coming to my rescue.  I had to clear the decks.

I’m almost scared to put anything back….  But I don’t know how long the hallway situation will be tolerated by the rest of the family!

More soon.

My Hip Mum

 The photo is a little fuzzy, but my memory of my mother’s clothes isn’t.  Today is my Mum’s birthday, and this photo reminds me of her frugally hip ways back then, and even today.  (She’s the beauty on the right)  Back when we were all too little to appreciate it, Mum took care of the house & all in it, did her own hair, made her own clothes, & always looked amazing.   With a mess of children running around and a very tight budget, this was no simple feat.  Shopping at department stores or boutiques was not an option.  She’d find the dress that she wanted, get just the right fabric, and make it herself.   They were beautiful, lots of dreamy details.  She graciously let us use them for dress-up, even her wedding dress, and didn’t seem to mind if we completely destroyed them.  We loved playing with her clothes.

When I was in elementary school Mum sent me & my sister to a real sewing school.  I still remember the basics from those classes, and that’s what carries me through the projects that present themselves now.  I’m no seamstress, but I can sew.  My mum made sure, and I’ll do the same for my lot.  If a curtain needs hemming, well, I can do that.

Today we were snowed in from school, so I spent some time with my daughter Emeline and her friend Anne Elise, showing them how to use a sewing machine.  Anne Elise got her’s from Santa, and Emeline has been eager for months to try mine out.  They want to make clothes for their American Girl Dolls & for themselves.  Today they created patterns on paper, and made small pouches out of felt.  These two have a lot of creativity to come, no doubt.   Fashionistas of the future… with skills & talent.   It cost me nothing but time, and it was time well spent.

Mum is all over the place these days, enjoying retirement with Dad.  But even when pulling together her travel wardrobe she still keeps it frugal, keeps it real, and always looks smashing.  Happy Birthday Mum!

Hip Happy New Year!

I should have known that a visit to Russ Wilson’s home on New Year’s day would provide plenty of inspiration for my first post to this blog.  Russ is a dear friend, a musical genius, and an avid collector of all things vintage; albums, bar-ware, and musical memorabilia.  Frugally hip, Russ’ tikki lounge throws you right into the 1950′s with a salvaged free-standing bar from a little substation post office that was located in an old drug store in Hendersonville.  Russ used to work in that post office. When the store closed he took the counter and the rest is history.  The atmosphere is full of swizzle sticks, hula chicks, and walls adorned in album covers with a definite theme… saucy bombshells.  See if you can spot Mary Tyler Moore!  Russ is a master mixologist, and his cocktail concoctions are divine.  I’ll have to get the recipe for the Monkey’s Behind, but it involved a banana liqueur I’d never seen before, and was delish.  His “Russ Tea” was also exceptional, though I can’t divulge the secret ingredients, they are stored perfectly in a mason jar.  Coasters made from the centers of old albums covered the bar, and Russ’ friend and band-mate Hank Bones filled me in on some of the finer details of the room, giving me lots of “A-Ha!” moments.  Russ’ dad’s portable bar case is perfect to bring along your own libations to any party…  I’ll be looking for one of those.

When the record player wasn’t spinning big band numbers, music bounced from every corner of the house with an eclectic group of musicians.  A bass and violin player filled the kitchen with Gypsy jazz, and were dubbed “Too Hot for the  Kitchen”… good band name?  Combined with the Jambalaya & pot-luck offerings,  Russ’ kitchen was hot!  The jam in the living room, including my favorite dobro player Ben Scales, was hopping.

Russ definitely has the right idea of how to throw a bash & also how to show off his wonderful collections;  display like groups of items together, use your collections or lose them, and organize the overflow in storage.  Russ has, I’m guessing, several thousand albums from a variety of eras.  He let me have a peek at the vault, and it was impressive.

Russ is lining up his orchestra, The ART DECO REVUE, to perform at Eleven on Grove in Asheville sometime this Spring.

Follow Russ on Facebook:  Russ Wilson’s Art Deco Revue… and don’t miss this performance… I plan to be there ready to dance!