Flat 8w e l c o m e h o m e

issue 1 autumn/winter 2013

The Art of Getting

Comfortable

The Art of Getting

Comfortable

THE FOYER

THE LOUNGETHE CATS IN MOROCCO | 12An exploration on the captivating city of Marrakech and its myriad of personalities.

VINTAGE LOVE | 22“I guess I am a ‘bug’ about music” From Millie to Steve 1944.

THE KITCHENSWEET POTATO MEMORIES | 26An ode to grandmothers and the special memo-ries they hold in the kitchen.

LAVENDER LIMONCELLO | 32In the foothills of Italy an Italian classic is discovered and remade.

THE BOUDOIRTHE ART OF SLEEPING ALONE | 38Discovering the luxury of sleeping alone.

DRESSING THE BED | 43Ways to make your bed a true haven from the cold temperatures.

THE WARDROBEWITH LAVENDER AND LACE | 48A special look at a Vintage boutique in Virginia and its visionary owner.

THE LOOWHO KNOWS A WOMAN’S BODY? | 60A journey to find the right diagnosis in the most private of areas.

BATHING BEAUTY | 63The essentials needed for a perfect soak.

THE GARDEN SUCCULENT LOVE | 68A look at why we love these blooming beauties and how to properly care for succulent.

TRUE COMFORT | 71Where comfort begins and ends.

in every issue:MANIFESTO OF GRACE | 2 EDITOR’S LETTER | 6 CONTRIBUTORS | 7 VINTAGE LOVE | 22

Contents

flat8mag.com 3

“For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love,

loyal always and ever.”psalm 100:5 The Message

The Cats in Morocco

text by: alyssa o’sullivanphotos by: lisa m. vanterpool

The Cats in Morocco

10 flat8mag.com

The cats in Morocco are a lot like people.

In my travel diary, behind the two pages of ‘Arabic basics’ I’d jotted down pre-flight and just after the folded 100 dirham I’d hidden away from pickpockets, was the only note I scribbled while in Marrakech: “The cats in Morocco are a lot like people”.

They’re everywhere, too, the cats. On the doorsteps of the riad when you step out for the day, glaring at you for blocking their morning sun. Or under the wheelbarrows at high noon, relaxing in shady patches with their legs spread wide and vulgar. The heat is so thick you forgive them. Or they’re waiting at the butcher’s window, a tiny statue between the buzzing vespas and bicycle bells, until a severed chicken head drops in the dust. The cat trots away with ribcage swinging and the prize lazily dangling in his mouth. The tip of his tail veers at odd angles.

When you walk down the calmer alleyways deep in the old Medina of Marrakech, shopkeepers recline in their shady seats. Nothing moves but their eyes, which follow you, and the cats stretched out under scooters do the same.

Even spending only a short time in this red city, you’ll begin to feel it too; lounging under canopies on rooftop terraces with mint tea, while tortoises crawl over your feet. Nothing moving but your eyes.

But the entrepreneurs of Morocco, busy pitching prices for silver teapots and vibrant glassware, show the backbone and muscle of the city. They start their performance at your first sign of interest. One’s just sealed a deal on a set of Fez hats. They instantly go on the heads of a sunscreen-lathered German family, all smiling underneath their purchase. The man in the next stall waves for you to look at his wooden domino sets. A moment of weakness, for example, a sneeze, is translated into ‘I’ll take it!’; then there’s a hand-painted teacup in your bag and an outstretched hand waiting for 800 dirham. Go ahead, you wanted it anyway.

The crooked alleys of leather bags and wooden figurines display handiwork under cool stripes

flat8mag.com 11

text by: lisa m. vanterpool

photos by: chelsea diane & kelsie mcnair

There’s something to be said about ivy-covered walls. They create a sense of whimsy, and you just know that whatever’s tucked behind those green vines is something truly magical.

As you push open the door of With Lavender and Lace, you’re instantly enveloped in the smells of your grandmother’s house. Vanilla, lavender, a hint of mothballs. It’s all there. And it’s cozy and cluttered in the perfect way that makes you want to linger and stay awhile. You’re enchanted.

Tucked into a storefront on the tree-lined streets of Ghent, a historic neighborhood in Norfolk, VA, you’ll find With Lavender and Lace open and its owner Kelsie McNair waiting to welcome you.

You can’t help but eye her admiringly. Her blond hair is full with curls, her black eye liner is perfectly extended, and her red lipstick is bold. She’s a vintage enigma. But, above all else,

she is a visionary.

At just twenty-four, she has been the owner of With Lavender and Lace for two years. She’s a blogger, photographer, and singer with an amazingly soft yet bold and captivating voice. She does it all, and With Lavender and Lace is her baby.

A Virginia native, she moved to Boston to study bookbinding and audio engineering and found herself enamored with vintage textiles.

“I was always into vintage and interesting clothing, but it wasn’t until I began working at a thrift shop in Boston that I really started to get into it. I had so much at my fingertips,” she says while dabbing on a bit of lipstick.

With so many beautiful things within her grasp, she started gathering her friends together to photograph them in her finds. Her distinct point of view and sartorial eye led to blogging.

16 flat8mag.com

Although she didn’t initially have a clear vision for her blog, she knew she wanted a distinct sense of creative endeavors, adventures, and photography. Just as simply as that, With Lavender and Lace was born, and an Etsy shop was formed shortly thereafter. She remembers her first sale fondly; a pair of brown leather lace up booties to a girl in California.

While thriving in Boston, a move back to Virginia briefly put things on hiatus. With a hefty collection of vintage clothing and a degree in audio engineering, Kelsie considered expanding her Etsy shop and starting a photography business. But with her love of photography being so intimate, she gave up the idea. On the verge of looking for a full-time job, and unsure of her options, her friend Matt casually suggested that she open a store.

She laughs. “I told him, ‘Yeah right…Yeah right! I don’t know how to do any of that. Are you crazy?!”’

They started looking.

After searching for weeks and finding stores with great aesthetics but in dodgy areas, the search was almost called of.

Until.

Until one day, as fate always seems to have it, she stumbled on a 150 sq. ft storefront.

“I just knew that was it.”

It was a tiny store with a petite bathroom and a counter. She quickly signed the lease cleaned, organized, and opened the boutique, with the help of her family, in one swift month.

She recalls the feeling of opening night. Surrounded by dozens of family and friends, both old and new, she remembers it as the best night of her life. “I was floating all evening.”

After a few weeks, she settled into business. Some months were painfully slow. There were moments of doubt

flat8mag.com 17

photos by: hleb makarevich & acierman

True ComfortTrue ComfortTrue Comfort

There’s something glorious and quietly holy about music that is inspired from scripture. Lifted from sacred pages and arranged the beauty of its truth is certain and seemingly tangible.

Handel’s Messiah, first performed on April 13, 1742, is the account of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. Originally an Easter offering, it is now a fixture of the Christmas season bringing together various faiths to sing the celebrated Hallelujah Chorus.

It is elaborate in arrangement; it’s baroque style stretching and allowing for intricate cadences and evocative solos. The chorus plays a significant role in propelling the work forward with profound emotion. And yet, the beauty, the undeniable beauty is that its words are holy, true and sacred.

The first words of this canticle are simple, ‹Comfort ye.›

As the evenings come earlier, the temperatures become colder and the family draws closer, spend time with the great comforter and His words of truth. Gather together. Rejoice and rest. You›ve found true comfort.

flat8mag.com 21

Isaiah 40:1-3Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Isaiah 40:4Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low, the crooked straight, and the rough places plain.

Isaiah 40:5And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Malachi 3:2But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s fire.

Malachi 3:3And He shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us.

Isaiah 40:9; Isaiah 60:1O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, and be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

Isaiah 9:6For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

Luke 2:8,9There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo! the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

Luke 2:10,11And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Select passages from Handel’s MessiahFrom the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

22 flat8mag.com