Vintage Wednesday: A girl and her chair, part 2

Remember my obsession with chairs? Well, meet my newest addition.

It started back in 2003 in a little town called London. Mama and I had braved the metro to find a pokey upholstery shop in an "interesting" part of town. Freezing cold, we walked through a door into paradise. Well, it was paradise for those with a love of good upholstery fabrics. I have many obsessions.

While Mama was looking for fabric for costuming, I was enjoying the colors, textures and designs surrounding me. And then I found THE fabric. Gold and red. The right red. Mackintosh roses. Nouveau lines. Spectacular. I was in love.

Taking a deep breath because of the price, I got enough to cover a chair, a SPECIAL chair, a someday chair.

Years passed and many chairs came through my life, but none was right enough to use the golden fabric - until last Christmas when we found THE chair. Technically, it's a rocker - with swan arms, long lines, padded cushions, and a rose carved in the top. Given my recent obsession with swans (check out the Swoon Studios logo) and my love of roses and Nouveau lines, the chair was perfect. It had a textured mint green fabric from the 50s that was begging to be changed. Enter the golden fabric, some red trim, a gifted upholsterer and voila... my latest addition was born.

And as I gaze at the regal glory of this chair, my mind drifts back to that cold, cold day in London and a piece of fabric that inspired a dream come true - because I know that one day I'll rock babies in this chair. What a story that will be.

Weekend Wanderings: Bird Watching

I've told you about the lighthouse at Cape May Point State Park - that was the reason for our visit to the park - but as we entered the parking lot we noticed quite a bit of activity opposite the lighthouse. Deciding to investigate we were delighted to find a series of observation platforms and paths from which you could see several varieties of birds in their natural habitat.

There are swans and ducks easily seen from the main platform, but as you walk the paths you'll also see a great variety of songbirds, butterflies and dragonflies. We found that as we traveled the paths taking pictures, bird watchers (also taking pictures) were happy to identify what we were trying to capture with our lenses. They'll enthusiastically talk about other birds you might see at this time of year and are generally happy to share the space and answer questions.

We found it to be a delightful surprise in our quest to visit the lighthouse!