. . . pure poetry

February skies . . . old man winter fights

the losing battle,

. . . just enough to keep us indoors

a bit longer.

Bursts of lingering holiday reds & pinks

transform into Valentines

. . . and promises of love!

Galvanized grays . . .

. . . tentative blues . . .

oh, beacons of fickle

clouds of Spring.

Books holding seeds of seasonal change

. . . inspire us to begin

the impending sowing and reaping.

Roses memorialized in venerable prints

. . . petals never to fall in vain.

Gerbera, strong & hardy . . .

sunshine on the darkest of moody days.

. . . pearls

. . . and girls

. . . and swirls

unfurls the dawning day.

The rosey light awaits beneath the gently fading shadows.

Hold fast,

. . . see the change

. . . glorify God's miraculous work underfoot.

Hope springs eternal

. . . the nature of things

. . . inescapable awe of little informants

marching winter toward an eagerly blossoming earth!

CELEBRATE the cusp-of-winter-into-spring and witness the unfolding at the

Sand Point

Antique & Design Market

this Sunday, January 31st . . . 8:00 am early birds!!!

Let There be Light . . . .

At this time of year--while the days remain short--antique lamps & lighting are front-and-

center in our shows. We never know what will inspire us to create something unique . . . truly

one-of-a-kind. In this case, an accidental fall led this European seltzer bottle to become our

latest creation. I just love the modern feel it has, although the bottle is turn-of-the century!

(We also have two more of the original seltzer bottles available.)

Here's a close-up of the bottle, showing the beautiful "optic swirl" thick glass and the etching

which reads: "The Harlech Mineral Water Co." The perfectly-scaled, black base was

adopted away from the bottom of an antique, Victorian ewer.

Here are the two "complete" survivors of the artistically inspiring crash. We were so fortunate

that only the neck was broken in the third bottle--via nova!!

This antique, American (wonderful green patina) coffee mill had lost its top, so we gave it a

bit of cosmetic surgery by adding a reticulated, antique copper shade. It was the perfect

topper! This looks great in a kitchen or on a desk. Currently resides at Pacific Galleries,

Madison Park 14.

Read closely . . . ya just can't make this kind of thing up!! ;-)

These industrial metal basket pendant lights were made from two vintage baskets I had

purchased from Luluz at the very first Funky Junk Sisters Show, which I participated in. It

took us awhile to figure out what to do with the baskets--and it was thrilling to see the results.

Hard to tell from the photo, but the weave in the metal baskets is quite intricate, and we used

antique copper pipes from our 1905 home to serve as wire covers. These great industrial one-

offs found a new home with Kelly of Catty Wampus--thank you, Kelly!!

An antique, heavy wallpaper roller (one of my personal collection) has become another one-of-

a-kind industrial/cabin lamp. It's large scale would be great in today's decor calling for the "less

is more" approach. The mid-century shade is made to resemble "shark-skin." Currently resides

at Pacific Galleries, Madison Park 14.

Jim was on a roll with this series of musical instruments-inspired lamps. Note the first

lamp on the left includes a coffee mill AND cornet as the base. The middle one is a clarinet, and

we used the reed and mouthpiece as the finial! The lamp on the right is a flute. The entire

collection was purchased by a personal friend who loves music and appreciates the unique

quality of these renditions!

One more lamp is packed away, getting ready for the January 31st Sand Point Antique &

Design Market . . . a Fenton, pink glass, hobnail ruffle bride's basket turned romantic

nightlight--perfect for your sleepy Valentine!!!

We have many more traditional lighting pieces coming to the show--stay tuned for another

photo shoot soon. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding our custom

lighting . . . or anything else you see of interest in my blog posts. Your comments are ALWAYS

appreciated, and thank you for dropping by Ormolulu!!!

Pacific Galleries - New Year's Update

Well, out with the old . . . and in with the old! The urge to purge that comes with the New Year is not exactly "do-able" when dealing with just one space. But we managed to move several big things around, pluck a few tired items and add a few phenomenal, old finds to the mix. The French, cast iron antique cross is truly stunning--one of those things I'll regret letting go of!

That four-foot Coke button sign has been my "roadie" for some time, and I'm glad to have a wall to hang it on . . . it's dang hard to keep moving it around. Would be so cool in a loft with industrial stuff, don't you think? The little concrete fella playing the pan flute is garden statuary--very unusual!

The giant bird cage in the background is on a pedestal and is made of COPPER--never have I seen another one like it. The industrial wood mold is art by itself. The massive clam shell (tridacna gigas) weighs in around 200 pounds--the biggest one I have (and there are two more at home, a bit smaller)!!

Consistent with my nutso obsession with signs, here's "Rx DRUGS" (cropped to "rugs", sorry!) which would be fantastic for a pharmacist or physician. My guy, Wilbur (Jim named him after the pig in Charlotte's Web), is the beefy (?) boar's head on the wall . . . carved Black Forest oak leaves drape around his 70-plus-years-old neck. He is much larger than he looks here and is quite a phenomenal trophy mount.

There's a wall-sized plasticized map of Tacoma in the background, vintage soda fountain dispensers (very cool, shiny black), mixed with more traditional items like a Wavecrest urn and Bradley & Hubbard wrought iron lamp.

These awesome, carved wood legs (probably from an old kitchen table or butcher block) make an architectural lighting statement.

Please drop by" Madison Park 14" at Pacific Galleries in Seattle . . . email me if you have any questions or need to find something else--much more is in storage!!

Next stop is the continually improving Sand Point Antique & Design Market on Sunday, January 31st . . . see you there at 8:00 am for early buying!!!

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2010 . . . we can do this together!!

xo Debi

THE QUEEN OF CHRISTMAS!!!!

Nestled amongst a small village of homes in the Ferndale countryside, a sparkling and brilliant Christmas gem resides in all her splendor . . . Mary Foster, who I annoint the undisputable "Queen of Christmas"!!!

All the photos below (reduced down from 114 photos!) are a small representation of the over 43 Christmas displays & trees in Mary Foster's & Bob Jerstadt's glowing residence. Mary begins her artistic creations in September so she can complete this artistic feat by the Christmas season. I'm posting the photos immediately so you can be inspired by them.

It's a daunting task to describe these stunning compositions for you. Hopefully just a few key comments will help you appreciate this joyous work by Mary. As I said, this is just a small view of what she has done. You will have an opportunity to take it ALL in, as Mary will be having a book published soon to encompass her treasures. To let you know what's involved here, the photographer has been working on two trees per day!

Photos above start with the cheerful, white double front doors--a welcoming harbinger of what's just beyond sight! Gold & white ornate trees fill the living room with gasping delight. Holly (Mary's daughter) is pictured in her romantic wedding gown, and I couldn't resist including the photo of Mary's youth--she looks like a Jackie-O in that white dress & gloves. (Sorry about the reflection--but you can actually see the room if you look closely.)

Peppermint candy tree, poinsettias & Victorian cutouts, fruits & florals, pinks & reds galore, nutcrackers, a tree in the bathroom with designer shoes posing as the Christmas tree skirt, elves, candles, a passport/travel themed tree . . . Mary Foster impeccably dressed in red!

Gold, gold & black, geisha, umbrellas, masks, fans, dried naturals, a masculine orange & black tree in Bob's study, giant rooster at the base of one of several trees in the kitchen area, a copper collection gleaming on the wall, hot cider & gingerbread men . . . .

Garden-themed tree (Mary's gardens are other-worldly beautiful too!), scotties tree, woodland animals tree, miniature teacups (from travels) tree, snowmen tree, a tiny tree with a dear friend's earrings as ornaments (what a stellar idea!) . . . .

Fruits, elves, purples, hydrangeas, fish, mermaids, roses, dolls, reindeers, birds, peacocks, butler with candy tree display. (Sorry, but I'm having difficulty posting words to correct pictures, but you certainly get the idea!)

Below are some nice shots of Mary's winter gardens . . . filled with beautiful statuary!

If you'd like to see any images better, please feel free to email me for larger photos.

Thank you Mary & Bob for showing us your amazing home . . . being utterly humbled, I will try to never complain about holiday decorating duties again!!

HAPPY HOLIDAY WISHES!!!!!

Ormolulu's Merry Christmas Card(s) to YOU!!!

In celebration of an incredible year spent side-by-side with some of the most amazingly talented, fun and admirable people . . .

In celebration of this sharing and joyous season, which is multiplied in blessings by the beautiful bloggers who shine their creative light and energy into our homes every day . . .

In celebration of continued inspiration and common experience which holds us together through good and bad times . . .

In celebration of the blessing of families & friends we honor and enjoy during this most magical and important of holidays . . .

In celebration of good will and peace on earth, praying for our leaders who will helps us transcend differences to arrive at a better way of living together in this world . . .

In celebration of the reason for this season . . . I remain in awe!

In celebration of the gratitude I feel for a chance to try to do better for and by others in the coming year. MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPIEST NEW YEAR to all!!!

xo Debi

Sand Point Market . . . . Happy Holly-Daze!!

It takes very special people to set up such a beautiful, creative, holiday presence (combined with generous amounts of good-natured tenacity) in the face of known frigid temperatures. Hale and hearty vendors and customers alike shared in a community of spirit this past Sunday that lit up the room like a Christmas tree!!!

Words of thanks are inadequate to express the gratitude we felt for the loyal customers who displayed their continued appreciation of our work by showing up. Here are a few glimpses of my booth. Unfortunately, I fractured a bone in my foot and couldn't walk as much as I would have liked . . . the displays by other vendors were just fantastic!

As usual, I brought too much merchandise. But to me, "anything worth doing is worth over-doing" (Mae West)!! Many treasures are gone--and some will be moving on to my space at Pacific Galleries (once I can get my shoes back on, that is!).

It's rather difficult to determine what might sell at any given show. We all have our ups and downs. I'm prone to a bit of this angst prior to every show, despite over 20 years in the biz. For example, I was certain my red dress forms would fly this time . . . not! (I love their timeless appeal nevertheless.)

Lacking the repurposing talents of folks like Salvage Studio, Luluz, John/Bob Cool Stuff, Great Findz, Garden Party & Retreat, I tread the path of uber huntress and display maniac . . . traveling far & wide for the unusual. Seems like every time I've tried to "make" anything, it never sells (or takes forever).

Pretty customer . . . trying to keep warm!

Vintage Christmas ornaments . . . still have a few left!!

This is Dennis Eros, the nicest show promoter. If you ever have Native American art/artifacts, he's your go-to-guy! Thanks for a good year at Sand Point in Seattle, Dennis!

Ah, the last show of 2009 . . . dim the lights, light the candles, enjoy the holidays and family celebrations ahead. May the combined reflective and sometimes frenzied weeks ahead bring true meaning and happiness for you in the coming New Year!

As the days ahead shorten, I'll be more pensive, seeking ways to breathe new life and soul into my passionately-chosen, road less traveled . . . a path I could not find without YOU!

Thanks for sharing my crazy 2009. Your friendship and inspiration have been invaluable, and I look forward to seeing you all again soon!!

Love & Hugs,

Debi