Postcards from the Peninsula

decorating Georgia..., by Carroll

Carroll is one of the reasons I still love swap-bot. Not only is she, and her sister, big fun at parties (a record to melt, anyone?) but she is the queen of smart dumpster-diving, hand-carved eraser-stamps and vintage postage.



an artsy Carroll envelope, hand-carved stamps, collage and vintage postage.

This arrived in the post yesterday. It was perched, in my slot, like a triumphant and motley seagull. It was literally bursting out of the confines of the space. What had already been a long and fantastic day became even more thrilling when I saw it waiting for me last night.

Thoughts on Malls

I am not a big mall-goer, but I spent yesterday afternoon strolling through the Market St Mall just to see, in its holiday splendor, what my mother called "the biggest mall this side of the Mississippi." All of the classic mall stores were there (my American readers will know what I am talking about, and if you don't, you're not missing out). The crowds were impressive. The brass and marble was shiny (and the decor was exactly ripped off from Stonestown, the other big mall). I had exactly three dollars to spend (and loads more style than most of the fashion victims there) so I had no reason to feel bitter. I wondered if my fellow shoppers really believed in the retail orgy they were participating in, in the facades and the surfaces? Did they get what they paid for? Was it as satisfying as they hoped? Was I simply watching the gears and cogs of the great global economy?

It IS a Beautiful System (sort of)

That evening I met up with Dutch and he took me to the H&M to get some of their fabled cheap bras for Christmas. I am writing in one now. And there is a smile on my face. The tag says "made in China." I'd like to be socially conscious (normally I love shopping at thrift stores, but its nice to have a new bra). The corporate website says they are doing their best to be righteous.

Interesting. Maybe I don't have to feel guilty about wearing a new, low-cost, Chinese bra.