I have to admit, I have this intense and odd love for anything that is I term “creepy scientific.” I was a vegetarian for sixteen years and yet still love ancient and apocryphal looking insects pinned to boards, animal skulls under glass cloches and antique diagrams of birds and reptiles and anything to do with natural science really. Also under “creepy scientific” are old medicine vials, surgical tools and diagrams of say the human brain or something. I think if it wouldn’t do permanent damage to my future children and totally freak our guests out I would have a room dedicated to “creepy scientific” but for now I will tone down the weirdness and stick with having a crush on aminitray’s etsy store. She sells things like this Victorian microscope pendant

and wood fungus reliquary

My second crush this week is on an apron. Yep, I go from skulls to feminine aprons in about 2 seconds. This one is from one of my favourite stores Anthropologie (insert sigh). Don’t you think with all of the holiday cooking coming up one could justify such a purchase?

When I was younger, I used to think the perfect man for me would have the character of Jean Valjean (you know after the prison thing), the wit and intellect of Oscar Wilde and the dark mystery of Mr. Darcy. Throw in the looks of Cary Grant, the golden heart of Jimmy Stewart and the liquid honey of Bing Crosby’s voice. Obviously that wasn’t too much to ask because I eventually got all of that and so much more in my Jon. One of the thing that ties all of these men together is being a gentleman (ok, yes, some of them are fictional characters and some of them in “real life” weren’t quite all gentleman but just go with me on this). I love gentlemanly manners, gentlemanly ways and gentlemanly tools so when Jon and I stumbled in to a shop in London called Geo.F. Trumpers I was practically giddy. This shop has been around since 1875 (in the same location) and specializes in gentleman’s grooming tools (think badger brushes and straight razors). Everything was a warm wooden glow. They even had a back room where men where getting a shave. I’m sure Cary Grant comes by to visit occasionally. Melt, melt goes my romantic heart.