It’s The Little Things: Matryoshka Doll

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For my birthday, my family surprised me with this sweet stacking Russian doll. As an outsider looking in, this seems to be just a sweet gift. But there is more to this little doll than meets the eye. Let me tell you tell a little story…

When I was four years old, my mother’s best friend brought her back a Matryoshka Nesting Doll as a gift when she returned home from her travels to Russia. My mother loved that doll. I was fascinated by it. We grew up pretty simply in the country when I was small. And I think that made my childhood special. It left more room for the imagination. I could spend hours on the floor talking to a beetle. It was with great joy that my mother let me stack and unstack her new gift.

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The best part about the doll was that it unstacked to the tiniest little doll. It was about the size of a grain of rice. I was obsessed with that thing. I loved (and still do to this day) anything miniature. One day, when I was playing with the doll, the worst thing happened. My mother, unaware that the tiniest doll was sleeping on the carpet on the floor in her bedroom (I know! How could she not realize that?), came in and vacuumed the floor. The small doll was vacuumed up. I was devastated. My mother was devastated. Sorry Mom!

And I never touched that Matryoshka Doll again.

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Whenever I spot one of these stacking dolls, I always ask if it breaks down into a tiny doll. No one ever knows what I am talking about. Although, I am sure they are curious as to why I sadly proclaim, “it’s not small enough,” and walk away remorsefully.

Well, my family found this Matryoshka Doll at The San Diego Fair. It has the tiniest doll! My husband and daughter sneakily found it while I was waiting with my son while he got his sculpture made.

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I love everything about this gift. The bright colors. The memories it invokes. The secrets it keeps inside. And the fact that my daughter found it for her mother when the opposite was true in our family’s past. Again, sorry Mom!

It’s The Little Things: The Littlest Doll. So happy to hold one again!

Do you own a Matryoshka Doll? Does it hold more than just miniatures of its own self inside? Does it hold memories, too?

Moroccan Shag Pillows

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The week before we went on vacation, I had stumbled upon a delightful surprise. These Nate Berkus Moroccan Shag Pillows. They are from Target. They are sold out online, however, the website was saying they were sold out when I looked them up right after I purchased them, too. This leads me to believe that some stores might still have them.

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I had been wanting these pillows for months. But the day I decided to get them in the middle of May, they were gone. Two weeks later, I found them again. Someone had returned them. I was not going to let them be sold out from under me again.

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I love the black and white pattern in the room that is full of color. It is a nice contrast. And the shag effect on them makes them feel soft. I had to replace the pillows that used to be on the chairs. They had become too worn. And the Rabbit Pillows I purchased a few months ago, have been a little dog-handled. I need to fix the pompoms or cut them off completely.

I will say the insert in this pillow is not the best. The pillow is stiff because of that, but for $25, that is to be expected. The pillow does not have a zipper so it is not possible (without some work) to change its insert.

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Do you have a thing for pillows? I cannot get enough.

It’s The Little Things: A Giraffe Hook

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I first wrote about The Raja Hook way back in March. And then I waited. I knew I could be patient enough for a sale price. But then Emily Henderson created a beautiful office space a few weeks ago and posted it on her blog. And guess who was the star? That’s right. The sweet giraffe hook.

I knew after that, he would probably be selling quickly.

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So, I scooped him up and got a 20% off adjustment on him (during the home promotion at Anthropologie last week).

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We finally got him hung up in our hallway yesterday. I love this little vignette near him.

The tray and vase are Polish pottery and were gifts from my sweet grandmother (I am from Polish descent on my grandfather’s side). I would be devastated if anything ever happened to them. The elephant was a gift from my friend. The little toad with the stick in his mouth was a toy my father brought back from Bali when my son was two. The chest was from Target’s global line many years ago. It was a great buy at $30, but I would love to replace it with a true antique one day.

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My husband did have to punch two holes in the back of the hook because he used screws instead of nails to have it flush to the wall. I like screws because the hook is going to be a bit heavy with his neck draped in necklaces and I am not sure traditional nails would support that weight.

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Of course, he had to have a gnome friend to keep him company. I wonder what he is whispering in his ear?

Or maybe I don’t want to know.

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It’s the little things: a sweet practical hook. It is functional and fun. It is fun-ctional.

I think this hook would look cool in a great many settings. The hook also comes in an elephant shape. I might have to get that one on sale, because I love the green stripe on it.

Adorable in a nursery. Whimsical in an office. Practical as a bra hanger in the laundry room. The possibilities for this little guy are endless. Let’s stop at bras, though.

Do you have a fun-ctional piece in your home? What is it? My giraffe might need a mate.

P.S. Did you see that we hung up my daughter’s burlap art? I wrote about the dilemma of where to hang those pieces here. I thought this could be a small update, too. It is a happy accident that the burlap color and texture in the paintings play off the giraffe hook in a nice harmony. The light switch plate also has a neat texture of nubby linen and completes my need of threes in the space.

*These pictures were edited using the app Afterlife’s Finn filter to add a bit more light into the hallway.

Art resources:
The rabbit painting is by Gloria Muriel.
Lakshmi is by Gloria Muriel.
The small bird is by Christina Loraine.
The small Boxer is by Nichole Leavy.
The vineyard drawing is by my daughter at age 9.
Burlap drawings are by my daughter at age 14.

I shared this on Cozy Little House.

And Savvy Southern Style.

And My Romantic Home.

Antique Shopping With My Mom

My mom wanted to have a girl’s day a few weeks ago. I was in. Since we both love antiquing, we planned on heading down to some local antique stores and picking out a fun restaurant to eat at.

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It was a fun day, but incredibly hot. I wore my Free People Tutti Frutti Slip Skirt that I got for a steal at Nordstrom Rack (similar skirt here) with a white t-shirt, bow belt from Anthropologie and On A Wing Necklace with vintage boots. It seemed like a good outfit for antiquing. Sorry for the blurry pictures. My daughter took them and the camera is big for her tiny hands.

I wanted to share all of the pretty vintage treasures there were to be had. I did not buy anything except for a few post cards to add to my collection. You can see a new feature about them that I started on this blog here.

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Vintage Maracas. The color is beautiful.

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This bracelet that reminded me of peacock feathers (Heather!).

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I can always spot a gnome.

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This guy lurking creepily in the back was tagged as an elf. The horror! But, well, he is creepy enough for the title. He was $150. Now that may seem like a lot of money. And it is. But imagine the possibilities. How scared would your spouse/partner be of this creature?

Oh. Man. What a steal!

If only I weren’t so scared of it myself…

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Here was a cute ceramic gnome candle holder. I don’t buy the kitschy ceramic stuff. I like the small felted gnomes I can hide in other objects or plant sticks or outside gnomes. But he was cute sitting on the shelf.

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If I had one more room in my house, I would have sprung for this amazing ceramic Italian chandelier. It is gorgeous. The colors were perfect. The price was fair for a chandelier. So pretty!

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I love the blue on this ceramic crock.

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And the blue on this old plunger.

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Look at the pretty turquoise jewelry!

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And there was great blue grass music being played throughout town. It was a beautiful day. We even got to see this cute little dressed up fellow.

Thank you Mom for spending it with me. I had so much fun!

Have you been antique shopping lately? Thrift store shopping? I love sifting through old things. You never know what you are going to find!

P.S. I shared this on Savvy Southern Style.

And My Romantic Home.