A piece of the past for writing about the present

A few months ago, in our search for new treasures made from recycled materials, we discovered Attic Journals, the brainchild of Portland, OR, entrepreneur Michelle Sanders.

She takes covers from discarded hardbound vintage books, often cast-offs from libraries or schools, and remakes them into journals and notebooks. We placed our first order just before Christmas, and customers snatched up the unique and different, as well as eco-friendly, gifts made from children's books, cookbooks and vintage books about writing and editing .

Earlier this week we received a new collection, including titles chosen by Michelle especially for Timeless Treasures. We're especially smitten with Margo and the Tiger, shown above, which would be a marvelous gift to commemorate the Chinese Year of the Tiger (2010), and Le Francais Vivant, a perfect place for noting details about a trip to Paris.

Each one contains 75 pages of unlined white paper and is bound together with a sturdy wire spiral. You can choose from our current selection at Timeless Treasures on Sutter Street, or see Michelle's online store here.

These intriguing notebooks remind us of what Oscar Wilde said about journals. "I never travel without my diary. One should always have something interesting to read on the train."

big letters for a little lady

Last spring, soon after learning she was pregnant, Tara Swain, a photographer based in Paris, Texas, emailed to ask about buying vintage sign letters for the baby nursery she was designing.

Eager to help her "long distance", we suggested she email us when they found out the baby's sex and chose a name for him or her.

So in August, Tara sent us the details: "Okay! I am ready to order the letters.... the name is Briley." The color scheme for her daughter-to-be's nursery was chosen -- lime green walls, black furniture, hot pink and turquoise for accents. "No brown, no pastels," Tara emphasized. She wanted mismatched letters, and since she planned to hang them over the baby's crib, "I'd like them to be fairly big, but not TOO big." And finally, she added, all the letters didn't have to be pink, green or turquoise. "I just like the 'junk' look." I can't WAIT to see what you work up!"

With that guidance, we chose three options for BRILEY from Timeless Treasures' current store stock, took snapshots on the sidewalk on Sutter Street for the excited mom-to-be, and awaited her decision.

As you can see, Tara chose the mix in the lowest row shown above. Briley arrived in December, and a few weeks ago her proud mama shared the photo of her snuggled in her crib beneath her name.

All we can say is, "Sleep tight, Briley!"

You can see more of Tara's work, which she describes as a mix of photojournalism and creative portraiture, here.