Retropolitan Coming to West Annapolis!

Yay! And I will say it again, yay!

For that fabulous purveyor of antiques and vintage, Retropolitan, is picking up stakes and moving from Ellicott City to West Annapolis. Annapolitans should count their lucky stars, since the store immerses shoppers in the glitzy, charming world of the Roaring '20s and onward. A fun shopping experience not to be missed.

Ellicott City will never be the same without this classy shop, but now, West Annapolis will never be the same either.

On my last visit to Retropolitan, while it still kept shop near the B&O Railroad tracks in old town Ellicott City, I discovered a pair of white and blue Italian leather slingbacks with very lady-like pointed toes and kitten heels. 

They had hardly been worn, and in fact, I believe a time-traveling cobbler must have made them just for me, since they fit that perfectly. Retropolitan's tag identified them as hailing from sometime in the 70s, from a line called "Jewel Box." 

Art and Soul

Amazon.com

I came across My Beautiful Life while purchasing a Mums Wreath Kit at Paper Source. Due to a long, and I mean long, flight I'll be taking pretty soon, I was thrilled to see this way of killing time creatively (I mean the book, not the wreath. I'd love to make the wreath on the trip, but my fellow passengers wouldn't be happy). 

The book gives simple little prompts at the bottom of each page to get you drawing, like "My PJ's," "The contents of my refrigerator," and "My favorite movie star." Those are just a few of the prompts at the very beginning of this lovely hardcover, since I had only skimmed a few pages before I knew that I was dying to take a whirl at it. I want to approach this with pen and ink and let the creativity go wild, even with the seemingly mundane questions. The refrigerator theme, for instance, would be fun to tackle through contour drawing. In contour drawing, I  never pick up my pen from the page, resulting in a zany, doodle-like parade of images. I'm a bit scared of the "Favorite movie star" prompt, since I stink at drawing people. That means I could 1) draw the Black Stallion, since I rock at drawing horses, or 2) draw things that make me think of Maureen O'Hara, Angela Lansbury, Gregory Peck, or whoever my favorite star is that day.

The idea behind the book - that someone could learn tons about my life simply through drawings - got me thinking, since any art that I create gives insight into my tastes, feelings, and history.

Whether the art you create is an autumn shawl, a tooled-leather wallet, a watercolor miniature, a pair of beaded earrings, or a waterfowl decoy, every choice you make in its design comes from the thoughts and likes that make you unique. Even if you are copying a  pattern, the fact that you chose that pattern and none other speaks volumes.

So, when you go to create art, create what you love, not what others think you should, for art is most fulfilling when it compliments the feelings inside you, rather than trying to meet outside expectations. Few things are more fulfilling than creating, and creating things that express the spilling over of your soul.

Sojourning in the Brandywine Valley

I spent Saturday night in a dramatic three-story 1860 manor house in the Brandywine Valley!

The Faunbrook Bed and Breakfast is just stunning. It is located on a little winding country road in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and comes out of nowhere as you round a bend. When we pulled up that night in the half-moon driveway, the sight of the lantern light and the zigzagging white lights glimmering through the porch's ornate wrought ironwork made me feel that I was meeting an old Southern matriarch - ancient and imposing yet dazzlingly classy. My mother, on the other hand, whispered "Twilight Zone!" in my ear. Clearly, the house had different effects on us, though the minute we walked through the huge wooden doors, my mom had joined my admiration.

The perky young assistant and the friendly innkeepers who greeted us instantly made us feel welcome, and my mom finally stopped humming "dee-duh-dee-dee, dee-duh-dee-dee..."


The interior centers mainly on deep, rich colors distinctive of Civil-War era decor without being overly dark or Gothic. Massively thick mahogany trimmed each of of the tall windows, as well as the ornate fireplace. Books filled the main room, evidencing Lori's (as of Steve and Lori, the innkeepers) foundations as an English major.

To reach our lodging, the Elizabeth Room, I climbed one steep flight of carpeted stairs with a crystal chandelier hanging overhead. The bedroom and adjacent bathroom in the Elizabeth Room were clean, comfortable, inviting, and consistent with the home's decor, and I loved having a footed bathtub - it added to the antebellum vibe.

As I fell asleep, I kept thinking of all the ghost stories I had heard about old houses in Maryland (though I hadn't thought the beautiful house was spooky at all, my mom's Twilight Zone comment had apparently stuck with me). With my overactive imagination I knew I was bound to "see" a ghost or two in the darkness, but fortunately I feel asleep pretty fast without any ectoplasmic incidents.

I enjoyed having breakfast with the rest of the guests in the morning in the dining room, which was decorated with fresh bouquets. Lori was sensitive to the dietary requirements of her guests (since I have celiac sprue, she warmed up a gluten-free bagel that I had brought and made sure that no wheat products were on my breakfast plate). I had also enjoyed the delicious coffee and tea earlier in the morning! I also spied an American Boxer - that's a dog, not a prizefighter -  watching us from the kitchen door whenever it swung open, obediently staying away from the dining room but still curiously watching us. He was so cute!

There were many comfortable sitting areas indoors and outside on the patio, and if we had had time for a longer stay, I would have enjoyed relaxing longer at the B & B, because its atmosphere was very refreshing and relaxing. The grounds around the inn sported a very Southern looking fountain, lush greenery, a garden statue with a crack on the neck masquerading as a necklace, and stately trees - all making me practically forget that we were in a Yankee state. :)

I'd like to return someday to Faunbrook, and for a longer stay. The atmosphere felt nurturing to the creative yearnings inside me. No wonder Howard Pyle and N.C. Wyeth did such fine work in the Brandywine Valley, for the atmosphere is filled with beauty, peace, and mystery.

Featured Quote: My Favorite Quote from Shakespeare!

"But, look, the morn, in russet mantle clad,

Walks o'er the dew of yon high eastward hill."

 Hamlet (circa 1600ish), 1.1.166-167
William Shakespeare