A few weeks ago I stumbled upon the famed cactus book corner paradox. My good friend Isobel unknowingly made light of it when she was up visiting from Rome. It came out in a very simple way…

She said, “I like your cactus book corner.”

I said, “My what?”

She said, “Your cactus book corner.”

“Ahhhhh yes…of course…” I said.

Shortly after I remembered my mom had one when I was growing up and it still exists today. It’s tucked in a far dead end corner of the house and it’s a quiet place to hang out.  You can’t get much quieter than books and cacti and her beat generation poetry section is pretty darn good.

The paradox basically states that unnaturally paired objects(in this case cacti and books) will gravitate towards one another in your home if they gravitated towards one another in your parents’ home.

But maybe they aren’t unnatural pairs at all. Hummm…

Books and cacti both age but don’t seem to change much with time. Both have issues with water. Both get forgotten about, ignored and even altogether abandoned. They are very forgiving. They demand respect.

This is starting to sound like spam…sorry…

Like those irritating spam letters I get from time to time that have titles like “Ten things you have in common with a fairy princess…” and end with “Pass this on to ten friends to have a fairy grant your most heartfelt desire.”

Delete.

Maybe I will make a spam letter with photos of books and cacti and talk about their ten most common traits as if they were people…with photos of course.

Naaaa…I’ll just make a blog post.

Make a wish!

I think I was the last airline passenger to smoke a Jezebel cigarette on a transatlantic flight and that’s probably a good thing. Opening the box some 16 years later they still smell like roses. Again, not sure if that is a good thing. Something tells me there is a small part of my lung that probably smells the same way. Sometimes I even feel a bit of gold leaf rattling in air passages deep inside, remnants of its eye-catching gold tipped filter.

Man was I fancy.

It was an early April morning and my boyfriend was taking me to the airport. I was catching a nonstop flight from Seattle to Amsterdam. I was twenty, it was my first trip to Europe and Kurt Cobain died a week before. What more can I say? I was going to need cigarettes. But ohhh nooo….old fancy pants Auria couldn’t get a normal pack of Lucky Strikes or Camel Lights. She had to have the pink box of rose scented cigarettes with gold tipped filters!

Ok…enough third person…

They were awful then and I am sure they would be categorized by Obama himself as a form of inhuman torture if used on the Taliban. When I arrived in Amsterdam I immediately switched to the more appropriate Gauloise, then the cheaper Camels and then after a few weeks anything I could get my grubby hands on.

From left to right: My dandelion polaroid, Italian travel brochure circa 1930’s, The Jezebel cigarette, my favorite “I heart you” heart watch, Will’s cigarette papers/ cards featuring Soapwart and Anemone Japonica all resting on …

I found this 1930’s negligee around the same time at a thrift store in Seattle…man what was I thinking?! Wait, don’t answer that..

Vintage enamel flower necklace and me and my BFF, Yasmin…age 18 or so…awwww….

Once upon a time I had a friend named Jamie. One bright fall day Jamie asked me if I wanted a bunch of old purses. I loved old purses so I told her of course and bring them over whenever she wanted. I would wait for old purses, even a very long time. The next day Jamie arrived with a small crumpled brown paper sack. My first impression upon seeing the sack was that Jamie was about to show me a few cute, possibly even cool 1960’s type hand bags handed down from some long lost aunt. I forgot that Jamie was my senior by a few years and did everything from trimming her lawn to roasting a ham with style and grace. I forgot that I had not met many like her before.

I was reminded what type of person she was immediately upon opening the bag. Wrapped in old tissue paper, each purse was older and grander than the next.  Their worn satin lables proudly identified thier origins in curvys scripts, mainly Paris, Berlin and New York.  I fell in love and was immediately in shock that she was trying to give them to me. I guess she didn’t have to twist my arm but I am not even sure to this day why she had gotten rid of them. After years of sitting around my old room in Palouse, they have finally joined me! They are now with me in Florence. So happy! Who knows, one day I might pass them on as well, in small old paper sack. No questions asked only with the hope of new travels.

I’ll be featuring them little by little in future posts! Dolling them out little by little, sugar cubes to ants…

This dark beaded number with rhinstones is one is one of my favorites. It’s a magic bag for sure…

I love how they are worn and rough around the edges…

Break out the sun glasses, hold on to your umbrella and wrap that comfy scarf tightly around your neck…spring has arrived in Ireland! Or did it ever leave? One is never quite sure here. The daffodils and little blue periwinkle flowers give it away.

Crumpled brown leaves of Fall mingle with sweet green grass shoots…no it’s here…it’s definitely here. I want to hunt Easter eggs and pick bunches of hyacinths. At the same time I long for Autumn. Warm sweaters, savoury soups and a good book, ohhh it’s such a confusing time! Above are a few of my favorite treats that help me get through both April showers and hazy October afternoons.

From top to bottom

1. 1970’s seascape sweater. A gift from my lovely sister (in-law), Liz
2. Dior’s nail varnish in Tonka
3. Vintage 1970’s polyester dress from Dublin’s own Om Diva
4. 1940’s vintage enamel necklace. Gifted from the fabulous Leah
5. Handmade jet set earings by Liz
6. Gucci by Gucci perfume…notes of pear, guava and orange blossom

Enjoy!