I know next to nothing about this Swedish soap, except that it’s very very pretty. More than most. It’s been in production since the early 1900s. And it barely has a fragrance which, in my book, qualifies it for purchase. For more history on this soap go here.

Hello…and Happy New Year!! I took a little internet vacation, but am now back online.

There are certainly other ways to prop up one’s tacos. Goal for 2013 is to eliminate superfluous items from my life. I think I will be happier for it.

Something a little happier and lighter today. Oh, what it would be to live with such gloriously patterned floors! Alice Bernardo is the proprietress of the very lovely and engaging Portuguese blog: Noussnouss. She is also the brains and brawn behind Saber Fazer, a multidimensional project that seeks to create a narrative for time-honored Portuguese methods of fabrication, on both an artisanal and a semi-industrial scale. She highlights such things as basket making, shoe making, weaving, spinning, needlework, etc. The bicycle baskets are my personal favorites. Alice says she “likes beautiful things and wants to know how stuff is made.” Don’t want to argue with that. These photos are hers.

Sometime soon we will probably get another car. Ugh! Our trusty Subaru is still going at 14 years of age, but the issue of dependability looms large as we enter the winter months. If we had our way, we would keep the same vehicle forever. That sentiment is far from realistic. We’d also like to get something with a lot better mileage rating. But, advances in technology and fuel usage aside, the automobile industry suffers from what I consider to be an incredible lack of ingenuity when it comes to design. The over-contoured look is so so boring. I long for the days of boxy. Ultimately, it is safety, reliability and efficiency that counts, so this rumination is just that. But still. It made me think about my husband growing up in England during the 70s. He occasionally gets nostalgic about their family car…the DAF. Mostly he just remembers its tortoise-like speed, and something about the rubber belts that needed regular tightening. But damn if it wasn’t cute. These photos are a jumble of models, all found at this massive archive from the Netherlands. Personal preference is for the DAF 44.

Few things make me happier than getting “real” mail. So, when Neal, at Present & Correct (one of my favorite blogs and shops!), told me to expect something in the post, I got very excited thinking about what it could possibly be. But then Sandy came and went, and we both assumed that the package became a minor casualty of the storm. Not so fast. I went to my mailbox the other day and found a nice big envelope with these splendid French paper rulers inside. I think the pop out French curve is what makes them so marvelous. Thanks!!