Notes from the Chalkboard

I often write and/or draw random things on the chalkboard while teaching that make total sense in context, but later make me go "hmmm..."
My 9th graders just finished reading Poe's "Cask of Amontillado" (which can be found here).  They were a little confused about the ending.

So without further ado, I give you a pictorial representation of the shocking conclusion:

Vintage Jewelry

I have mentioned before that I love to wear and collect vintage jewelry.  And so without further ado, here is my collection so far.
Note that I am not a jewelry photographer and am not going to spend the necessary money to set up a jewelry photography studio, so most of these pieces looks a lot better in person.

The piece that started it: a gold, orange and yellow piece given to me by my grandma.

It came with matching earrings.  I never wear them because the clip-ons are painful! But I will find a use for them. (buttons on a cardigan perhaps?)

The second piece I got, also given to me by my grandma.  It is much less orange in person--a beautiful coral color.

This one was so hard to photograph! Stunning clusters of pearls and colored crystals.  A real statement piece that always gets attention. A gift from my mom.

Also hard to photograph: silver with beige crystals, turquoise and seed pearls. One of the first pieces I bought myself.

One of my more recent purchases (which makes it a favorite until I buy another)

This is why I love vintage--look at the detail! 

Another newer piece--I fell in love with the color of the stones (not quite as bright in person) and the chains mixed in.

And this clasp!  I think I will wear this necklace sideways to show off these big, gorgeous stones.

Not totally vintage--a handmade piece that re-purposed the vintage bird charm. Contains small rubies and seed pearls.

Substantial .925 sterling silver earrings.  I love these--they are my go to pair.  Though they are very heavy...

An eBay find.  Neat bracelet with different Paris monuments represented.  It is a souvenir piece from the 1950s

This piece is lesser quality than some of my others, but I loved the colors. It was just such a sweet piece.

An absolute favorite of mine.  It is all handmade with LOTS of silver.  My mom got it for me at an antique show.  Since then, I have seen many factory imitations but none measure up to this.  Those are vintage typewriter keys.

An Etsy find (and another gift from my mom).  I have an obsession with vintage watch faces, so here is a bracelet of them.  People who don't "get it" often ask me if the watches work (no) and then look at me like I'm crazy.  I look at them the same way.

I also collect hand-painted vintage pins. I keep my good ones in this case. I saw it when I was 15 and made such a fit over it that my aunt bought it.  I have since learned that a case this size and shape is very rare, desirable, and expensive. Fifteen year old me had a good eye.

Inside of the case.

One of my favorites for its unique subject matter and intricacy

My other favorite. This one is newer but it is the only one I have that is 100% hand-painted.  Up close it is really impressive.

And that's it! (for now...)  Any other vintage jewelry lovers out there? What do you collect?

10 Things Worth Paying For

There are several things that I will buy the store brand/cheaper version of.  But there are some things that I find necessary to pay a little more for--you can really tell the difference in quality of these products.

1. Ketchup: I've tried the store brands, they just taste like sweet, red goop.  And with that in mind, I also buy the more expensive...

2. French Fries: The brand names have larger fries and more potato taste

3. Mascara: It goes on better, lasts longer, never smudges and makes my eyes look great!

My favorite mascara: Lancome Hypnose Waterproof in Black

4. Leather shoes and handbags: I admit.  I will judge people by their shoes.  You can just see (and smell!) cheap or imitation leather and it looks shabby.

Adorable Cole Haan bag

6. Clothing: I used to go to bargain stores and, yes, had tons of clothes.  But where are those clothes now?  They quickly fell apart! Cheaper clothes may look stylish, but seams rip, buttons fall off, fabric looks and feels cheap and you are constantly picking little threads out of your clothes!  With the more expensive pieces, I have them for years and they still look great and I still get compliments.  Sure, I don't have as many clothes.  But what I do have is quality that lasts.

My favorite store--Anthropologie

7. Jeans: All I have to say is go to IndiDenim and get custom made jeans.  Considering they're custom, the price isn't that bad. And they will change your life (maybe that's a little dramatic, but they are awesome)

8. Tea: The difference between drinking something heavenly and drinking something that tastes like weeds

Trader Joe's has really great tea--this jasmine is one of my favorites

9. Liquor: This should speak for itself.

This and fresh squeezed grapefruit juice--yum!

10. Vintage or Handmade Jewelry: it's (almost) one-of-a-kind--you aren't going to walk into any store and find it again--and such a great addition to any outfit.  Just be prepared: people really notice vintage pieces and you'll likely get a lot of compliments.

Gorgeous necklace made from several different salvaged vintage pieces.

Easy A

There's a movie coming out this weekend that I am dying to see.  And now that I see it has a RottenTomatoes.com rating of 90% (3 points higher than Inception!) I am no longer embarrassed to admit it. 

Easy A.  Yes, it seems like a cupcake of a movie, but Emma Stone is just so naturally hilarious. She really deserves better vehicles to showcase her talent.

There is also no way this guy could ever pass as a high school student--bad casting choice there but I'm not gonna complain too much.

Penn Badgley: Totally 16.

At any rate, here is the trailer (and a perfect use of the song "Poker Face").




Any one else wanting to see this? 

First Day Back

Today was the first day back to school and what an exhausting day!  While I am always excited about returning, I really don't like the first day back for several reasons.  First: I have to do homeroom.  It only lasts 2 days and creates a lot of unnecessary stress for me.  Second: I don't actually get to teach my subject!  I spend the day acting like some strict person barking rules at my students. 

But the funny stuff has already started.  I'm a little worried about a few students who seem to already have horrible attitudes and don't seem to care/realize that they are making really bad first impressions on me.  Today,the students filled out info sheets and also wrote a few paragraphs explaining what they expected from the class and how they would teach the class if they were in charge.  Here are a few choice quotes:

"What are your other interests?" male student: "Chillin'" Another male student: "Females"
 

 "I would teach things about slavery and the Holocaust.  I would read books that are funny and have allot of comedy in it"  

I'll get right on finding a comedic Holocaust book for ya.  Genocide is hilarious!
 

"[I would like to learn] how to sleep with my eyes open and speed reading."  

Methinks this little one fancies himself a comedian.  I've got my eyes on you.  And you've earned an assigned seat right up front next to my desk.  Enjoy! 

"[I want to learn] how to write lyrics." 

Sounds cool--but you know what English class is right? 

"I would also try to get other people from England to teach us real English." 

And Americans teach fake English? 

"No [I don't like this subject] because it requires a lot of thinking." 

... at least she spelled "a lot" correctly. But she does enjoy "music, drawing, sleeping, eating, parties." 

"No [I don't like this subject], I took it too many times." 

Well you could, ya know, pass the class... 

I am looking forward to getting to know these kids beyond this craziness. It's funny how well I get to know all my students through the semester and can barely remember this time when I was worried about who they really were and missed my students from last year who all seem like well behaved little angels in comparison.

But soon enough, these students will also be well behaved and familiar to me and I will be missing them when my next new group comes in.

Target Ad

I love hats and wish I could wear them more (as  mentioned in this previous post).  But I often say to family and friends "where would I wear it though?" I feel like I need to be doing something "hatty"  like sipping tea, picnicking, watching horse races etc. in order to justify the hat.  Which is why I absolutely love this ad from Target I say today. 



I totally wear hats. Time to get them out of my closet and wear them around places outside my apartment.

New Furniture and Labor Day Auctions

This past week was my first week back at work--summer vacation is officially over.  I was really excited to be back and can't wait for the student's arrival next week--I really do love what I do and have all sorts of exciting things planned for this year.  But this past week did leave me exhausted and immensely busy, which is why I have neglected writing new posts. 

It's Labor Day weekend, which is a big weekend for those of us who love auctions.  I obsessively browse websites of my favorite auctions and dream about actually having a house with space to put the things that I want.  For my birthday last week, my parents got me 2 pieces of furniture that I fell in love with at a local auction.  Here they are:

Have you ever seen a lamp like this?  The picture doesn't do it justice--it is just so beautiful!  The crystals sparkle when light hits them.  I just sit and stare at it sometimes.

A close up of part of the lamp.

This cabinet is similar to a small sideboard I have in my main living area.  I put this cabinet in a corner of my bedroom and will be using it to display my vintage jewelry collection.  Right now I just have a few pieces (and an old fan of my grandma's) sitting in there temporarily. 

Close-up of the painted portion--when you open the cabinet this part also offers hidden storage!

I also recently went on a trip to downtown Leesburg which had some amazing antique stores (I'll be uploading some pictures for you soon). While there, I bought a lovely Audrey Hepburn-esque vintage hat and a birthday present for myself.  It was a little pricey, but couldn't pass it up!. 
It is a hand drawn and hand tinted early 1900s portrait collection.  It has recently been reframed and matted but the drawings are so cute! 

This is what it looks like overall

This might be my favorite of the 6--though it is hard to chose!

So unique!  One of the reasons I couldn't pass this up is because it is the only one that exists--it's not a mass produced piece that I could find anywhere else (which is also why I love auctions and antiques in general) Also it is just so beautiful. 

As I mentioned before, Labor Day is a big day in the auction world and I wanted to share a few pieces up for auction this weekend that I found interesting.

A Victorian photo album.  In addition to the cool cover--I wonder what treasures lie inside.

Love the colors here.

Call me crazy--but I am OBSESSED with this! When you look at antiques a lot, there are certain things you see over and over.  But this is something I haven't seen before.  A little gaudy?  Maybe... but I love the color, love the elaborate carvings and that mirror! 

Actually a picture of a different piece that I don't care about, but it offers a closer look at the carving of the dresser and the figures in the mirror.  I wish I had an empty room in my place so I could buy this and put it in there. Also wonder if that is a real marble top--if so I love this piece even more. 

Beautiful painting and inlay(?) There is also a matching twin bed frame.

These are so cool!  I want them!  I have not seen anything like this before at auction and it looks like a complete set.

A little morbid and weird--but I think you could do some cool things with these butterflies.

Love the swans and the simplicity of the cups--I wonder if it's hand painted or a transfer?

Imagine how pretty this would be when the light is on.

I think I  need to buy a house, not because I need larger space to live in but so I can indulge my decorating and antique hunting habit.