Lemon Meringue

Long time, no posting.

Today I "officially" got my Traders License so that I am now truly and fully an "official" Antique Dealer! Lemon Meringue in Arbutus is by appointment only, but my booth in Old Ellicott City (Antique Depot Booth #200) is open 7 DAYS A WEEK!

In case you all haven't been following (and I haven't been posting...) the Lemon has hit some hard times. Cassie is long gone and Samantha is currently packing her bags to move out and become a hairdresser. This all came so quickly that I thought I would have to close shop and move out myself... but no. I am determined to stay in Arbutus for at least another year (I'm interviewing a possible roommate tonight since the last one didn't work out) and I'm excited to keep truckin' as Sole Proprietor of Lemon Meringue Thrift & Gift.

With that said, the official lemon website will be overdue next month and instead of renewing my URL with godaddy.com I have decided to ditch the paperless zine and make a blog more thrift oriented. Zines really should be made out of paper anyway... duh. 

Please continue to follow me with my new and more dedicated blog:

www.lemonthrift.blogspot.com

Hope to see you there!

Frosting Pink

If you haven't already noticed... I'm really into "kitschy kitchenware". The sweet little pink and white Pyrex glass container below is from a set that Cassie and I bought when we moved in together and I think it was the beginning of my obsession. Sadly, we had to split up the set of four when she moved out. It was like getting a divorce and deciding which child to keep. But now I'm over it and I've indulged myself into the world of vintage kitchen accessories! How cool is this yellow water jug? I love its retro plastic spout and (although hard to see in this picture) its dancing Dutchman (with a Dutch Maiden on the other side) declaring "Water!" The glass keeps my tap water ice cold (and I'm proud to say that it is not leaking anymore!) and the spout protects it from that god-awful "refrigerator taste" that sometimes creeps into water pitchers with open tops.

On the topic of refrigerators... I've been storing "Frosting Pink Paint" (a color that I whipped up myself with a little OPPS! red paint and a lot of white primer that was just sitting in our laundry room) in ours. I've been painting a lot of old furniture lately and I've found that the fridge keeps the paint from hardening too quickly. I've also learned that it's important to have other things to do when waiting for paint to dry. If you just stare at it you will get impatient and be sure to smudge it up. So I've been keeping myself busy with books and photographing the "Frosting Pink" in my fridge.

On a side note, after being inside my refrigerator: I would like to say that my roommate is wonderful. Not many people can deal with odds and ends of furniture being left to dry in the middle of their living room day in and day out, but Samantha never complains. I constantly have wet brushes and rollers taking up half the dish rack and color splattered protective sheets covering our beautiful carpet, but she swears she doesn't mind. The "Frosting Pink Paint" just below her pudding cups and DanActive Yogurt seemed like it could have been the straw to break the camels back, but Samantha just laughs and pays no attention to my kooky ways. We should all be so lucky!

February-Thrift Look of the Month

Even though it is now March, I took these pictures on February 24th just in time for my THRIFT LOOK OF THE MONTH!
How can you totally not love this girl's coat? I really have a thing for fur hoods this year but I've always appreciated furry collars paired with fur cuffed at the hands. It reminds me of "That's So Raven" although she sported purple/aqua coats with sequins added to the mix. This coat is a gentler version of that, more like "That's So Flower Child" and totally something Kate Hudson would have worn in Almost Famous.
This Asian Statuette caught my attention as she was fanning herself amongst the glassware.

Loved the glassware by the way... the sunlight was shining just right. It made this ordinarily typical Coca-Cola glass pop next to these mysteriously RPS stained glass cups. I looked up RPS and the first acronym that popped up stood for Rock, Paper, Shotgun in the "strategy gaming society". ReSearch Pharmaceutical Services also showed up, but I'm crossing my fingers for the RPShotgun!

Corny as this granny plaque is, (probably from a woman named Norma who kept it in the kitchenette until her family had to clean out her house and hightail her to the nursing home) I like it.

There's always a slew of double-boxed Titanic VHS tapes, but I like how this particular thrift store also kept other movies saddled up next to their duplicates. Gotta love the American Pie, There's Something about Mary, Jerry Maguire triple trio.

Surely these sandals have a story, but I'm not quite certain how to capture the long-forgotten essence of summertime slip-on sandals with basket weave-like butterflies at the toe. Maybe next month my thrift adorned muse will be wearing them!

Rejected by a Rookie

I mentioned a few posts back that I had sent some of my writing to that tween blogging superstar Tavi Gevinson. Maybe you remember, maybe you don't. Either way I've been dying to hear back from the hipster extraordinaire and when I finally got a response... it was negatory.
Dear Michelle,

Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to submit. We have already finalized our staff, but please look out for the many opportunities for readers to contribute in the future!

Best, Tavi and Jane

"Jane" by the way is the Jane from "Jane Magazine". Oh well. I almost cried about it after re-reading the email a few times, but thanks to gmail's fantastic technology, Nathan and I were logged in at the same time and therefore able to online chat and distract my mind from sorrow.

Nathan: dwyer

me: hello stranger

Nathan: how goes it?

8:20 PM me: you know it goes ok and I could use a little online chatting right now

so how r u?

Nathan: im good

at work

me: ooooo

i just got off work and I was in a great mood...but now im a little bummed

8:21 PM Nathan: why?

me: i submitted some of my writing to be in a up and coming "moody teenage girl magazine" and they rejected me

Nathan: :-O

8:22 PM but you;re not a teen

me: I guess you're right

maybe that was the bullet

Nathan: awww

sorry blondie

8:23 PM me: it's ok...

the worst part is ive been agonizing for like 3 months to hear back from the freaks!

8:24 PM and they kept pushing back when we'd finally know something, and ive been checking my email like a fiend, and its all crap

OH! And the real worst part of all is that the main girl who judged my material IS ONLY 13 YEARS OLD! AND THE WORLD THINKS SHES SOME KIND OF LIKE FASHION ICON GOD SENT

8:25 PM so... i got rejected by a 13 year old who is cooler than me. Great.

8:28 PM did u get all that

?

8:30 PM Nathan: yeah

Flamboyant Funeral

My co-worker, Tony Brocato, died a few weeks ago. These are the black clothes I wore to his funeral. The sweater I had picked out was absolutely chic, but just as I was strapping on my high heels and getting ready to leave for the memorial, I realized there was a hole peeking through the chicness on my upper left shoulder. If I was a true Martha Stewart type, I would have easily been able to whip out the needle and thread. But considering I'm the Michelle Dwyer type and in favor of cleverness over craftiness, I simply cut another small hole in my right shoulder to match. Very silly, I know, but Tony would have approved.

The pantyhose I donned was original, vintage, still-in-package Montgomery Ward's and Ultra-Sheer! Tony would have approved of that as well. I miss him already, but the funeral was fabulous and we made each other laugh when we spoke of the outrageous times in front of the urn housing his ashes. That might sound dark, but really we kept the funeral light and everyone had a pleasant time in his honor.

When someone dies it makes me think about how I'm living my life, I suppose that's the up side to every wake. I shouldn't take my loved ones for-granted. I shouldn't leave demanding notes about dishes to my lovely roommate and I shouldn't complain when my boyfriend plays his music too loud... but I do. Hopefully I'll learn as I go and begin to be more appreciative.

Cherry, Cherry

I wish people called me Cherry. I've always had a fondness for nicknames. People call me Mich, Meesh, Mish-Mosh, and Mitch but those are just the short and sweet versions of my Michelle. Cherry is an endearing name that could really catch on. When I lived in North Carolina, almost everyone I knew went by their middle name. It was an epidemic. I didn't understand, but I knew I liked knowing someone by a name that wasn't really their first name. It seemed exotic. I thought about having people call me Carol, so I could fit in with the middle name scheme, but Cherry seems cooler. "Nice to meet ya. My name's Michelle... but you can just call me Cherry." Nah. It wouldn't look good on a job application.

Carnival of the Gnomes

Mariel scanned this Gnome Postcard for me. Isn't it great? I found it awhile back in the "Modern Room" at Objects Found. Somehow it reminds me of the Arbutus Carnival that comes once a year and charges the town outrageously for admission. People pay it though, I guess because they like supporting the whole volunteer firefighter thing. Last year I turned green at the sight of everyone licking cotton candy and winning Lady Gaga posters -- not to mention the rickety rides that made my stomach churn. Bad memories. I really need to work on this rage anger thing of mine. Anyway... today was a productive day. I'm preparing the Lemon for it's "Meringue Valentine Party" which will be on Saturday, February 12th Open House from 1-8PM. Hope you can all make it! I painted a cute sign and cleaned up the yard and everything! More details to come soon...

Everybody's workin' for the weekend

I meant to post this picture with my New Years Resolutions, because this is me on the last day of 2010.

My hair is freshly dyed from the beauty parlor and I pumped it up with dangly earrings, just to feel extra Baltimore next to my Pink Christmas Tree.

Anyway... that was then and this is now. I'm getting ready to scrape the little bit of snow that landed on my car windshield last night and head to work. Fridays are always my long shift days, but this weekend is going to be an overall long shift haul. I work today 10-8, Saturday from 12-8 (and potentially have to babysit afterwards) and then my usual Sunday at Journey from Junk 11-5. Just putting it out there. Hope everyone else has a dandy work-free weekend!

Glitter Girl

"Stick with me and I'll make you a star," says the Glitter Girl. Last week and a few posts back, I went bowling with Erica and Chelsea and promised to make them big stars. I told them I'd have a short screenplay done within a month, and now I'm finally getting it together.

I've been watching a lot of hillbilly movies in my bedroom lately and then practicing my southern drawl, so naturally this short film is going to have a pair of country bumpkins as the central characters. Erica's name is going to be Shelby, and she'll be an Arbutus-type, out in front of the Hollywood Movie Theater, suckin' on a lollipop and quick to moan about the unfairness of the world.

As for me, I'm going to tease my bleachy hair and wear these Glitter Girl press-on nails. I want my character, who mysteriously goes by "Mama" to be a beaten, trashy type and I can't wait to work on my holler. "SheeeeeelBEEEE!"

Watermelon Cake

This green lamp is my inspiration. It may be ugly to you, but to me it's beautiful and has added a touch of Cactus Flower to my living room.

I've been feeling a little on the lousy side these past few days, but something stirred inside of me when Ryan met me after work for dinner and a quick peek in Target. I could blame it on the Sangria I drank with my Honey Mustard Crisp Salad, but we actually went to Target before dinner, and it was before my fruity cocktail that I decided I would spend my evening at home baking a cake.

These are my new ceramic measuring cups that I got via a la Objects Found. Maybe their sunflowery cheerfulness and individual pouring spouts are the real ones at fault for me trying to believe in baking.

I've always enjoyed cooking dinners, but I've never been great with desserts. Niki says that's because "Cooking is an Art and Baking is a Science." I gathered all of the materials necessary (except for food coloring, which is never necessary, but always fun) to satisfy this "experiment" and tried my darnedest to follow the instructions.

My watermelon-knit oven-mitts, new green lamp, and leftover black frosting from Halloween played role as muses for this Watermelon Cake. I enjoyed watching the green icing goop sizzle in the oven as I mixed pink dye into a mug of frosting.

Still, despite all of these retro-happy encouragements, my cake came out poorly.

This is why I hate science.
I feel like some traumatic incident has left me with repressed memories of just how lousy I am at making cakes. I swear, when I rolled up my sleeves and pulled out the mixer from the high shelf, I thought I was going to make magic tonight. I don't know what made me think that, but I'm still proud of my sweet baking endeavor. She's a bit flimsy and sad looking, but I'd say she resembles a watermelon more than any other plainclothes cake you'd come across in the grocery store. Wouldn't you?

Thrift Sightseeing

So this morning I woke up with a killer headache and a vengeance. I almost canceled plans to go thrifting, but then my sister called and Mariel showed up and all was right again.

<------------ This lovely sign, listed for $4 at the Goodwill off Ritchie Hwy caught my eye and describes me perfectly. Thank goodness for good friends and my new Christmas Camera or this day would have been hell!

I love going to thrift stores and seeing the people with wild hair and funky clothing, versus the old, and genuinely poor people. The trendsetters stand out so feverishly and I want to meet them all... hence why I've started my "Thrift Look of the Month". The guy featured next to me had a cool Two-Face thing going on with his hair: one minute it would be brown and bleach streaked and then he would swoosh his head and reveal a radical pinkish red. It wasn't hard to notice him bobbing around in the clothing racks and I couldn't help but wonder what his deal was. Turns out he's at the thrift store volunteering his time because "it really looks good on a resume." Never would have guessed!
Mariel almost bought this scarf, but decided against it because it was from the Gap instead of handmade and heartfelt.

I still totally love it.

Here's me admiring the boots that I tried on and never took off. (I paid for them up front by shoving my foot on the counter and proving the $6 mark to the sales clerk.) They are super pointy and exotic. The tag reads that they are Made in Spain by "Spiegal" and when I typed that in Ebay my exact pair showed up with a better picture than the one you see here. Listed as Spiegal Western Cowboy Flames Overlay Leather Boots they are going for almost $37 bucks! Boy Oh Boy! I snagged them for less than the shipping cost!

I love it when Goodwill's try to pawn off Disney fads that have long been forgotten by 7 year old girls who once held "High School Musical" so dear to their hearts. The ceramic blonde above is way cooler in my opinion than this Ashley Tisdale relic... but do you think the back of my hair looks as cool as hers used to on "The Suite Life of Zach and Cody?"

I always wanted to be a Disney Channel Star. There's always tomorrow!

Blog on a Mission

It's fine and dandy to write about your life and all... but I'm really diggin' these blogs on a mission. With the "30-day challenge" up in the air and my 13 yr old "Style Rookie" obsessions, I've been feeling inspired to make my blog a fun place to visit!

Mariel and I are thrifting today, and I promise to bring my camera along. I always scout out pictures of vintage-ware and yard sale treasures on google, so I might as well add to the mix.

If there's anything funky you want photographed, like an extra-large polka dot shirt or cobalt mason jar -- let me know and I'll search for one at the store! Cool pictures coming soon!

Lemon Drop Necklace

I feel so cool because I have a boyfriend who knows how to shop on Etsy. This Lemon Drop Necklace came a little late for Christmas, but that made it all the more exciting when I finally got it today!

I like how the lady who made my lemon drop calls her jewelry "nature inspired" because that makes the yellow chalcedony from my necklace a "lemon" fruit and the aquamarine stone from another one of her pieces a "raindrop".

Last night I went bowling with Erica and Chelsea and they said "We've been waiting... you haven't updated your blog in like forever." So this one goes out to them. I had a great time with the girls and Jonathon and I can't wait to get working on our future masterpiece. Maybe the character in our new movie will wear this great necklace... it deserves to be captured on film.

2011 Resolutions

So far I've been pretty good with my resolutions, because this year I was smart enough to make them actually do-able.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1. Write (at least) for a solid 30 minutes a day, EVERYDAY. (This includes some blog time, handwritten entries in one of my many notebooks, and typed contributions to my collection of essays that I hope to complete by the end of the year, but hopefully by summertime.)

2. Floss more frequently. (Nobody likes gum disease!)

3. Check tire gage often and independently take better care of my car. (As in, try not to lock the keys in the vehicle and/or hit anyone else's vehicle. *Tip* IF YOU CAN'T SEE, DON'T DRIVE!)

4. Do laundry more often and put clothes away in a tidy and timely manner. (Cassie says that doing laundry is one of her favorite things to do. I can't say that I fall into that mind frame, but I can at least keep my shirts clean!)

5. Make Lemon Meringue a higher priority.

So far I've been keeping my word on the writing bit, and feeling every bit like a little Carrie Bradshaw, faithfully typing away at my computer night after night. The floss could use a bit more work and so could the laundry, but at least I changed my sheets this morning! I bought the same tire inflator that Mariel's dad had when I was in a bind just before "Black Swan" and the Lemon hasn't suffered too much. Sometimes it's discouraging when I get the store looking its darnedest, and still no one comes in to shop, but that's just the biz. I'm going to try extra hard to promote more and keep things in better order, but if I have the chance to go to say, New York City to see a Broadway play on a Tuesday or a Thursday (my "free" days when I am operating the lemon) I'll just have to shut the shop down for the day and live a little! I hope that doesn't mean I'm flaking on my resolutions already... nah.