My Sister's House

We spent the last few days at my sister's house and had a great time. With four kids under 4 and three dogs running around, I'm not sure how I managed to even get a few minutes to take these pictures. I've wanted to take pictures at her house for a while now, so I'm happy I actually did it. Most of these are close-ups but that's not because her house is messy. You'd think with three little boys that it might be messy, but it never is (she says it is, but I know it's not). She's the neatest, cleanest, most organized person I've ever met. Everything has a place, and everything is in its place 99% of the time. She's a make-up artist, but she could easily be a personal organizer for a living. She's the sister you want to have when you have to move so you won't get distracted for hours on end while doing things like trying to pack just one box of old pictures. When it comes to doing things like packing a house (and so many other things), she's focused, fast, and efficient.

Her decorating style is just as straightforward. It's clean, neutral, simple, and pretty. I imagine her house looking perfect between the pages of an issue of Martha Stewart Living. Can't you picture it there? It's also personalized with family pictures, handmade things like her jeweled tree above (remember when we made those?), pillows we made, artwork in the kids' room that my grandma painted (she has a tradition of painting on Christmas presents), and of course thrifty scores abound like the shell chandelier she found for $2. Here's a peek into my sister's house.

A Birthday to Come

Today was Lois' 9 month birthday! That's a big one for the under 1 year birthday monthlies. I put her in a pretty white ruffly dress for her photo shoot, but she got really dirty before I had a chance to take the pictures. A mixture of dog sludge and her mushy turkey and veggie lunch did the trick and canceled the photo shoot for the day. I was at my sister's house, and the only other clothes I brought over there were dirty too, so her official birthday shoot will be in the next few days. Or maybe I'll wait until we get to the beach. In any case, they're coming soon. To hold you over, here's a shot with the iPhone--Lois in her glam baby sunglasses kickin' it in the backyard with her cousins earlier this week. Life is good. Tomorrow I'll post some pictures from my sister's house. I'm so excited to show you those.

Vintage For Baby

Lately I've found some really cute vintage clothes for Lois. Some things she's already too big for, and some she's not big enough for yet, so I thought I'd hang some of those things in her room. How adorable is this little clown top (which has matching bloomers that you can't see here)? I found it at Chloe's Closet. It's a consignment store for children's clothes--mostly gently worn baby Gap and the like, but they also carry some vintage clothes as well. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this one hanging there. If Lois can fit in it when she turns 1, it might be her first birthday outfit.
At Chloe's Closet, I also got two dresses that looked like they were made from tea towels or some other kind of linens. They're shown below on the right and left. My friend Alex gave me the cutest dress for Lois that has a tea towel apron front, so I've been on the lookout for some similar dresses. Before we left for our trip I took down the little outfits that were hanging above Lois' crib and replaced them with the three dresses shown below.

This one in the center is from Vintage Touch on etsy. She makes the cutest clothes out of great vintage prints. I love these two fabrics together, and they look perfect in the little one's room.

And this week, while shopping at the Goodwill with my mom, I found an adorable vintage jumper that I'll have to post later. I haven't taken a picture of it yet, but it's so cute. I will show you soon.

Patch Work

I just realized I haven't mentioned it yet, but I'm back in Atlanta now, and I'm so excited I can't sleep and woke up and the crack of dawn. YAY!! We're having a family vacation again this year in Edisto Beach in South Carolina, but first I'll be in Atlanta with my mom and sister and nephews and friends for 2 whole weeks, and then we'll go to the beach. It wouldn't be a vacation without a few fun craft projects, so I brought some patterns with me to sew some things with my mom and sister. Two of the things I want to make are Alicia's patchwork pillow and her Jane market bag. Before I left, I made a mess of my fabric stash to pick out fabrics for the pillows. Shown here are a bunch of 4 x 4 inch patches I cut for two different pillows. This first brown, green, and blue fabrics are for my sister's pillow. I think she'll like what I chose for her. The colors in her house are neutral--lots of linen and pale greenish-gray walls. I think the color is actually called putty. Below, up close, is a picture of one of my top favorite fabrics, ever. I look at it all the time and love it so much. I brought more of it for the Jane market bag. My mom found that fabric and gave some to me a few years ago.

And here are some squares cut for a yellow, red, and blue patch pillow. I want to make it for Lois' room, even though I don't think her room needs any more pillows. Can you have too many pillows, though?

I can't wait to make these. I hope they turn out! I will be sure to let you know and post a picture when we're done. I'm sooooo excited to be here. Last night, after I got to my mom's, a big storm came in. It was pouring sheets and sheets of rain, and along with it was thunder and lightening! I went out on the front porch and called Andrew so he could hear it (he's not coming until next week). A thunder storm might not be exciting for people who experience them often, but in San Francisco we don't get thunder storms, and I miss them so much. San Francisco really only gets rain in the winter and spring. The first summer we lived there, after moving there in May, it rained once in July (the first rain since before we moved there), and it was the top story on the news. At the time I thought it was the strangest thing in the world that rain in summer could be the top news story, but having lived there 3 years now, I understand. It just doesn't rain in summer there. In the southeast, though, if it doesn't rain for for more than 2 weeks, everything and everyone is parched and scorching and just waiting for the next storm. Well, it was a great one last night. All the flowers are perky and happy--like me!

Oh, and I wanted to mention that I took off my blogroll because it was getting a little out of control. I've added a lot of blogs to my reader, which you can see under my profile in the blogs I'm following section. I have more to add, but it's a start.

A Daydream

The NY Times has two articles that I just read that made want to head to a flea market then a thrift store on the way home. I'm going to clean our apartment and daydream about it instead. Andrew's off today and planning to take Lois out on a walk for a while so I can clean and have mommy alone time, which makes me almost as excited as going to a flea market or thrift store. The first article is from a Paris flea market, which you can read here. I wish there were more pictures, but the article is good. (When I need a French flea market picture fix, I pull out this cute little book and think back to my memory of being at one, sans pictures.) The second is from the style section--a little cottage decorated with thrifty treasures on a tight budget. It's so cute. You can see it here. Happy daydreaming to you.

Holy Ferragamo!

I've mentioned before that I'm a Ferragamo magnet lately, and yesterday brought me some of the best Ferragamo finds, ever. If you're a thrifty shoe person, you might want to get out your smelling salts because you might faint from excitement like I almost did when I saw them. My sassy grandma schooled me on Ferragamo's when I was a wee one. I don't remember when I first heard of them from her, maybe in middle school. But to me, the modern equivalent might be something like Jimmy Choo or Christian Louboutin. Ferragamos are still made and still beautiful, but I think their heyday has past. It's the vintage ones I really like, especially when they fit me! Yesterday I wasn't planning a thrift stop, but Lois had a check-up and fell asleep in the stroller right when we left. She hadn't taken her afternoon nap yet, so I didn't want to wake her up, so I decided to go for a walk and pop into the Salvation Army. It was a great shoe n' sheet day, let me tell you! Where was my truck when I needed it? Ha!

Here are my 2 pairs of Ferragamos! I especially like the pair with the gunmetal metal heel--that's right, a METAL heel, not plastic meant to look like metal. Ah, I love them! But first the patent wedges, which are also great.



Sparkle and spin, the great name of a cute book, and what I'll do in these! Ha, either my foot looks tiny or my ankle huge! Bad angle I guess.

I did find a few other things--a dress and skirt, and a bundle of great sheets to use for dress making.


I didn't get this brown floral sheet, but I liked it.

This is just a huge piece of jersey knit. It has thin stripes and some wide stripes. I don't know what it will become, but I liked it.

Here are the shoes in their natural habitat. I spotted the glistening Ferragamo logo from a few isles over. They both needed some cleaning up, and now they really shine.


My heart is still a-flutter from my 30 minute detour. It was 50% off day to make it even better. Can't wait to go back!

Mmmm Figs

I love figs. Do you like figs? I had never had a fig until about three years ago. Can you believe that? We bought some really delicious ones earlier this week. Here they are about to be gobbled up with some Nancy's yogurt (my favorite yogurt) and a drizzle of maple syrup. They look extra sweet in this cute bowl I bought at a Goodwill during my last trip to Atlanta. And the pale chartreuse woven napkins that I bought at Portner in Zurich make me want to make a mess just so I can dab it up!

I realized I didn't post any pictures of some of the great things at Goodwill that day in Atlanta. I could have bought so many things! But the cost of shipping things home would have canceled out the bargains. I did get the brown floral bowls and this great set of ironstone pictured above. The ironstone is Kensington Staffords in a Queen Anne pattern. The price tag said it was a 19 piece set, but a lot of the pieces were missing. A nice employee even tried to help me find the missing pieces. Still, I bought was what there for less than $10. It's in my mom's garage for now, but during my next trip I'll bring them home.

A Birthday

On Saturday night we went to Caroline's birthday party. It was only our second time out without Lois. Can you believe that? She's almost 9 months old and we've only gone out without her twice! We didn't worry at all because a friend was actually watching her. Caroline's party was so much fun! Nice people, good music, cool space, homemade cake, oreos, punch (our contribution, requested by the birthday girl), what else can you ask for? It was great. Oh, and thanks to Lisa for letting us borrow her great punch bowl.

A Good Story

For anyone who likes history, has an interest in Thomas Jefferson, or Monticello, his home in Virginia, here's a good story by Maria Kalman in the NY Times. I've been to Monticello a few times, and it was one of my favorite places to go when I'd visit my mom in Virgina (when she lived there). I love this little story, especially the way it's written and the whimsical, childlike artwork that brings the story to life.

My Martha Daydream

If I'm ever on the Martha Stewart show making party hats with Martha (yeah right, I know, but it's my current daydream while I'm not suffering from party hat making fatigue), I'd like to wear this cute shirt and these shoes. Too matchy-matchy? Too party hat or clown-ish? Maybe I should order them and keep them just in case. Like Jim Carrey, who wrote himself a check for 10 million dollars dated for 1995 and then received 10 million for a film in 1995, maybe they will bring me Martha luck. Andrew thinks I need a new name for "party hats"--they do sound corny, don't they? Maybe "party hat" in French would sound nice. What would that be? Chapeau de fête, I think. Much better.

Pin Tea

I sold my first dress and party hat set this week (yay!) and celebrated by buying myself the most adorable pincushion from Sew That's It on etsy. Mine is the one pictured just below this paragraph. I love it! Who needs to take a tea break when you have this delightful cup sitting next to you while you sew? I've also been poking around KT's blog, where I've been drooling over some things like her great metal baker's rack. I finished a few more hat and dress sets, which I'll be listing in the next few days--keeping myself busy so there's no thrifting temptation! I'm getting over a cold, so it's been slow going. Time for some real tea and then bedtime for me.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Yesterday we went to the Swanton organic berry farm to pick strawberries. It was so much fun! It was really neat to see the strawberry farm and see all the pretty, ripe berries dangling from the plants. They even had cute radio flyer wagons you could use for picking (we didn't fill up a wagon--that's a picture of someone else's wagon) and for toting the little ones around. Lois had a good time sitting in a wagon, squishing a few strawberries. It was a bit chilly outside, but that beat the alternative. The drive along highway 1 was really nice too. We saw a lighthouse, lots of surfers in the ocean, and cute roadside produce stands. Last night Andrew made strawberry shortcake with yummy homemade biscuits and whipped cream. And we have some custard based ice cream chilling in the fridge, ready for the ice cream maker! Strawberry ice cream later today, yum.

What Would Fraulein Maria Do?

I've been hunting around for some cute vintage fabric on etsy and ebay for party hats and dresses. I was thinking about the barkcloth that I like so much that my mom gave me, which were curtain panels in a previous life. So I thought I'd search for curtain panels, and I found so many great prints, like this carnival print above that I made into a dress and hat set that's now in my etsy party hat shop. The print is so cute, and I love the orange and brown colors. It took me 2 days to finish this set, and I'm glad it's done. Lois is crawling now and she's all over the place, so it takes me forever to do these things if she's awake!


Here are a few other panels I found on etsy. Of course my top favorite of these is the bright floral print, below from shop at moxie, which look so much like the ones I have in Lois' room.

These are really great too. The first one from here and the second here.

Could Have Fooled Me

Yesterday I saw a woman wearing the cutest skirt. It was a black pleated skirt with a thick trompe l'oeil white lace border near the hem. It was a little bit like this sweet Esther Coombs teapot below, but with inverse colors. Once I started looking for some fun trompe l'oeil clothes and whatnot, I got a little carried away for a while. Here's a bit of what I found.






1. Vintage Hermes found here. 2. Teapot by Esther Coombs. 3. T-shirt previously from Urban Outfitters. 4. Dress by Eley Kishimoto. 5. Charlotte Ronson dress found here. 6. Moschino sweater. 7. For home, a fun dresser. Oh and here's a cute sailor T-shirt on ebay.

Gypsy Honeymoon

Go ahead and make a cup of tea for this one, because you're going to want to sit and sip and browse a while. On Sunday I paid a visit to Gypsy Honeymoon, one of my favorite San Francisco shops. This is the shop I mentioned recently that I was really hoping to show you. The shop is near our apartment, but rarely on my way to anyplace in particular, so I often cut over a few streets just to pop in for a minute or peer into the windows. Gypsy is something to behold. In Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," the poet, on his way to someplace unknown to the reader, is compelled to stop and take in the beauty of the stillness, the snow, and the woods, which are "lovely, dark and deep." That's how I feel when when I walk by Gypsy Honeymoon. Even if it's closed, it stops me in my tracks. And it, too, is lovely, dark and deep. More lovely and deep than dark, but dark in the same way as those woods--in a beautiful, captivating way.

Gypsy Honeymoon is filled with timeworn and found objects, some magical and mysterious, some everyday objects, that are given new life in the way, Gabrielle, the owner of Gypsy, styles lovely vignettes that are at every turn. You might see a tintype photo displayed in a flower frog; old photographs, buttons or doll parts in silver serving pieces; a bit of sea life "lighting" a lamp; handmade alligator and gold leaf buttons in a crystal candy dish; a square picture fitting neatly in a round gold frame. All delights to the eye that will have you taking a second look, only to realize you see something you didn't before. Just have a look for yourself.

















Wouldn't you like to go on a Gypsy Honeymoon? Me too.

Gypsy Honeymoon
3599 24th St
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 821-1713

Giveaway Day! Your Pick

Today is giveaway day again! And today is a you pick it giveaway--anything from the clothes and shoes shop. This one's going to be the last giveaway for a while. Since we're moving later this summer, I'm starting to clean out what we don't need, including everything in my vintage etsy shops. I hope to start them up again once we get settled in London. So leave a comment here if you want to win something from my clothes shop. Also, I've marked everything 50% off (only in the clothes shop for now), so if you see anything you like, snatch it up for a deal of a price. You have until tomorrow, Tuesday, at noon pacific time to enter to win the giveaway. You can see what's in my shop here.

UPDATE: The winner is Amy of The Hip Homemaker! YAY! Thanks for playing. Hopefully I'll bring back giveaways from London in the future.

8 Month Birthday

Last week Lois celebrated her 8 month birthday. Yesterday, before we left San Bruno, I sat her down at the end of the trail for a little photo session. I wasn't able to get the family pictures I was hoping for this time because we didn't bring the tripod. She looks cute all by herself anyway. I had no idea her little vintage pillowcase top would look so pretty with all the flowers. I found that top at a thrift store a while back and had it listed in my etsy shop, but I decided it was too cute to sell so I took it out of the shop.

Her most recent development is crawling! She's all over the place! She often has this expression pictured above on her face--a baby on a mission, she is. She also has two bottom teeth poking up now. She stopped waving (I guess she grew out of that already), but she loves to yell. She's also making more interesting, sophisticated noises too. We've tried some finger foods, like mushed bananas and teething biscuits, which has been lots of fun. I can't wait to see what she does next!

A Wildflower Cure

Today we went to San Bruno Mountain for a hike. We used to go hiking often, before Lois was born, but we haven't been once since she was born, until today. This morning I wasn't sure I would make it, though. I was little hungover. It was horrible!

Last night we went to Emmy's and had a delicious dinner, but I accidentally drank too much. I was craving a margarita, so I had one, and I think there was about a cup of tequila in that super sized margarita. Then I wanted a glass of wine with my dinner, so I had one. Big mistake. Needless to say it was a struggle to go on our previously planned hike, but it did me good.

San Francisco is an amazing city. It has so much to offer, and views like this are easy to come by. And if the view isn't enough itself, the smell--holy smokes, this place smells amazing! I know I've mentioned it before, and I'm not sure if people who are from here, or have lived here a long time notice it, but just outside the city--anywhere just outside the city--the smell is incredible. It smells like eucalyptus and sage. I wish I could bottle the smell and post it on my blog. It would knock your socks off! Here are some pictures from my hangover cure.















We were all worn out after our hike. I did manage to get a few 8 month birthday pictures, though. I'll post those tomorrow.

Party Hats and Dresses

It's been a while since I made any party hats. I got a little burned out and have hardly made any the last few months. A long time ago I wanted to make some things to match the hats like bibs and dresses. Last year, after an etsy seller requested I make a party hat to match a dress she made for a customer of hers, I knew it was time I started making my own. It took me a while to get motivated, but last week I finally got started and now I'm sewing like a mad woman! These dresses are really simple, but I still had trouble with a few things like the arm holes, and my machine kept wanting to eat the fabric. I almost threw my machine out the window and gave up, but I got the hang of it after a while. I love the little dresses I've made and have a pile of more fabrics cut and ready to sew. You'd think 10 people were sewing here all day if you looked at the mess I've made.

My favorites so far are the two sets pictured here. The first one I made using the quilt top I bought recently at the flea market, and the second one below I made using some great barkcloth my mom gave me a while back. I think I'll have to make Lois one from the quilt top, too. I just love all the cute prints on that quilt top.




More dress and hat sets coming soon, that is until I burn out again! If you know a baby girl with a birthday coming up, these are for sale in the party hat shop now. I have some more bibs for boys in the works, too.

Belated Birthday

Yesterday Lois celebrated her 8 month birthday. We haven't taken 8 month birthday pictures yet, though, and I probably won't get around to it until this weekend. I want to try to get a few pictures of me, Andrew, and Lois together, so I need to wait till he's off work and with us to do that. My brother-in-law and photographer, Brandon, took some family photos of us when we were in Atlanta, and they turned out great! I don't have prints yet, but maybe I can show you some of those soon, too. Until our 8 month birthday shoot, here are a few pictures from last month during her 7 month birthday week. These were taken in my mom's yard with Lois sitting in a little bumbo seat. I handed her a pansy to get her to look up, and of course it went right into her mouth!

Bottled Up

I love old pharmacy bottles and would like to start collecting them one day when we have more room. I found this great one below at the Salvation Army a few weeks ago. It's a citrate magnesia bottle with the text embossed and a great cork style closure on a hinge. I found an incredible amount of information about apothecary bottles here on the Society of Historical Archaeology's web site, including specific information on citrate magnesia bottles (scroll almost all the way down the page here to read that info). The site doesn't give any information on the possible value of the bottles, but I wonder what the value of mine might be, if it has any. I really just think it would be fun for holding bath salts or something like that, but I do wonder if it's valuable.


The image below is small, but you can see it larger when you click on it--from the Society of Historical Archaeology.

In the last issue of Country Living (June p.53), there was an article on vintage pharmacy bottles. Some of the most valuable ones are the ones with colored glass or painted labels, but the article doesn't mention anything about bottles like the one I found.

The two pictured below with painted labels are from ebay. The bidding for these ended, and it looks like someone snatched them up for $40. By Country Living's estimates, they're probably worth $150 - $200. Ebay has quite a few others listed as well. It's really fun looking at them, but I think I'd rather hunt for them at the flea market!


The top image is a painting by Holly Farrell. I love her paintings.

Summer Salad

This morning we went to the Marin farmer's market. The bay area has a lot of farmer's markets and this one might be our favorite. It's not too big, and not too small, it has a great selection of produce, meat, dry goods, and crafts (including one vendor who was selling some really pretty handspun yarn). There's even a few bounce houses to entertain the little ones.

Today the summer fruits and veggies were on our minds. I'm craving one of my favorite summer salads--tomato, cucumber, red onion salad. My mom used to always make some version of this simple salad with with the veggies from her garden. I like it with just a dash of salt and pepper, some vinegar and maybe a sprinkling of herbs. Delish.

Portobello Road Take Me Home!

I've haven't been looking for anything new lately for my etsy shops because we might be moving soon--moving to London! I know, you're thinking, what?! I haven't said a peep. Sorry! It's just that we're going for Andrew's job, and things change often and fast when it comes to these things, so I wanted to wait until we were sure. We're about 100% sure now. Initially the move was going to be to Zurich, but London was a possibility. We like both cities, and as one friend put it, it's like choosing between gelato and ice cream--you can't really go wrong either way. Andrew feels like London will be better for him work-wise, and since that's the whole reason for us going, that's really the most important thing. I've been looking at apartments and like the one pictured above on gumtree (thanks to MLN for telling me about the site). Our apartment now just has one window in a large, rectangle shaped living room, so I'm looking forward to finding a place with more light. I love those shutters and the large mirror too. That apartment is a one bedroom, though, and we'd really like two. We need room for guests, after all! And Lois, of course.

Nobody has to twist my arm to go to London for a while. Just reading about all the markets alone makes me excited! Have you seen any of SFgirlbybay's posts from her London trip? So exciting. When we were in London a few years ago for a long weekend we went to the Spitalfields and Portobello Road markets. Both were great but Portobello Road was more my speed than Spitalfields--part farmer's market, part antique market. I'm looking forward to re-visiting it and also finding some other great markets. Maybe the Camden Market is a good one. The street where it's held, pictured above, certainly looks nice. More to come on the move. We have so much to do! We're hoping to go sometime in August, which will be here before I know it. Feel free to share any London insights and tips.

Always and Never

Lauren of Dear Golden tagged me to list my always and nevers when it comes to home and decorating. Another fun game of tag started by Anabela of Fieldguided. If I have it right this time, the idea is to list 5 things that are always important to you in your interior design style and 5 things you'd never want to incorporate.

My always . . .
1. Family pictures. I like them on tables, dressers, or bookshelves, or on one wall together in one place, (usually not mixed with other artwork).
2. Plants and flowers. For plants my favorites are grape ivy and maidenhair ferns. Unfortunately, our cat tries to eat and play with, and subsequently throw up, any houseplants I bring home. She loves to nibble on flowers too, and seems to like knocking over vases as well.
3. Hardwood floors. I don't mind carpet in bedrooms so long as it's a neutral color, but in the main living spaces I like hardwood floors. I like cement or tile floors, too.
4. Flea market and thrift treasures. I like things that have a past life, which often show wear--surrounding myself with things that are chipped and broken make me happier than most things that are are shiny and new.
5. Repurposed things. I like to see things serve a purpose other than their intended purpose, like the metal cart in Lois' room that we use as a changing table and my new flower frog pen holders. We don't have a whole lot of repurposed pieces in our place. This is more of an always in theory for now.

My nevers . . . keep in mind, these are just my personal preferneces for my own living space.
1. Overhead lighting. I like overhead lighting if it's something like a chandelier on a dimmer, but not full blast. It's too harsh for me. I prefer lamps.
2. Open closet doors. I always keep closet doors shut. If our closet door is open when I get ready for bed, I have to shut it before I can sleep. It gives me the creeps to see them open! I don't know why. I think it has something to do with creepy clowns.
3. Plastic mini-blinds. I like bamboo or matchstick blinds.
4. Beds with one or two sad flat pillows. That sounds weird, doesn't it? I like lots of pillows.
5. Beds with no headboard or backdrop of some kind. I like all kinds of things behind beds--we have shutters, and I like mantels, stained glass, a window, or shelf as a bed backdrop.

Now I tag Michelle of Armas Design and Rebekah of Little Byrd Vintage. The cute brass Home Sweet Home is from Rebekah's etsy shop.

Tea Dress

If I ever do get around to having a tea party, I'd like to wear one of these dresses from sohomode on etsy. I love the vintage fabrics and the flattering 50s cut of the dresses. Aren't they so pretty? And for Lois, this, from her sister site, sohokids.

Giveaway Day!

It's giveaway day again, and this time it's a really great etched ship glass. I'm not sure what the intended purpose was for this glass. I think it would make a good snifter, but I don't know for sure if that was its original purpose. With the etched ship design, it makes a great candle holder, though.

I love little glasses like this because they can easily serve multiple purposes. This one would be great in a bathroom holding q-tips, cotton balls, bath salts, or just a tea light. It's going to be hard to part with this one! I found it recently while thrifting along with these other goodies below. More to come on the apothecary bottle (citrate magnesia bottle on the right)--that one is a keeper. The other two things you'll find in my etsy shop soon.

I think a little bryd is affecting my eyes while I'm out treasure hunting. I like her shop so much that what I've bought recently reminds me more of her shop than my own. Oh yes, and sorry for skipping the giveaway on the 15th earlier this month. I meant to tell you I was skipping it since we were out of town, but I forgot to mention it! You have until Tuesday at 12 noon pacific time to leave your comment for a chance to win the etched ship glass.

Update: And the winner is . . . Helen of the museum cupboard! Yay, Helen!

Calling Card

Recently I ordered some blog cards, cards with my blog design and contact info on the back, and I love them! I've been wanting to take pictures more often in shops I like and write posts about them, and I thought I should start appearing more professional and give the shop owner a card when I ask. I was at one shop recently that I love and wanted to ask the owner if I could come by again sometime and take pictures for my blog. I had Lois with me and had just finished a mommy group stroll, so I was looking pretty shabby and thought it best not to ask then. Normally I'm not especially shy about asking, but I really want to take pictures at this particular shop (will tell you which one soon), and now, with my cute little card, I won't be so nervous when I ask. They look so nice with Katrine's nostalgic tea party cards that I think I will use those as my official thank you notes. I just dropped one in the mail today to Lisa and Elena.

Willa Home

You might remember that Lisa closed The Pickled Hutch a few months back and started a new venture with her friend, Elena, at Willa Home in Burlingame. I've been meaning to stop in for quite some time and finally made the short hop to Burlingame to see the shop. Lisa's told me all about it, and I've seen some terrific pictures on her blog, so I knew I'd love it, but in person it's even more beautiful. The shop is in a long, narrow loft style space with butter yellow walls and a turquoise ceiling. The ceiling features two large skylights that fill the space with inviting, natural light. Willa Home has something for everyone--whether your taste leans toward mid-century modern, bohemian vintage, primitive shabby chic, or old world French--anyone could surely fall in love with something here. If your style's ecclectic, you might want to bring a really big basket to fill, and quite possiblly a truck. Or if you just need a little birthday or hostess gift, you'll also find lovely gifts such as Alexis Bittar jewelry and Lafco candles.


I love the way they merchandise items, often by collections, like the hotel silver below. Items featured as a collection always pop a little more than when they're displayed alone, and with the charcoal gray backdrop and the ship oil paintings--I'd like to pick up the whole cabinet as is and take it home!


I also love the way they combine the sophosticated with the primitave, like these more refined crystal lamps on the shabby painted table, and the silver trays in the primitive toolbox.

The lighting in the shop is truly stunning. It casts the most amazing light and shadows on the salon style walls. I would like to live in there!



Collections of white above and dogs below that really make a statement and allow everything to stand out.



If you're in the San Francisco bay area, go see Will Home for yourself sometime. It will leave you feeling inspired. And be sure to tell Lisa and Elena hello!

Willa Home
1414 Burlingame Avenue
Burlingame, CA 94010
Tues. - Sat. 10 - 6
650-375-1213

Interior Divine

I started my blog a while after we moved to San Francisco because I was feeling a bit alone. I wasn't feeling lonely, just alone, if that makes sense. I felt like a spectator to my interests here for some reason in a way that I didn't at home, and I hoped I might make a few friends through blogging (sounds a little sad, but it's true!). Also, I was constantly emailing my mom and sister pictures of what I was up to--pictures of places me and Andrew had been, pictures of things I made, pictures from the flea market, etc., I and thought a blog would be an easier way to share what I was up to.

I come across blogs I like all the time, and I could easily blog hop all day every day if I had the time. I could just write a post each day about other blogs I like, but then I'd just be sending you away from me, and I wouldn't want that! Sometimes, though, like today, I can't resist. I found a blog that makes me lean in when I'm reading and looking at the pictures--you know, when you're really into it and you realize your head's just a few inches from the computer? Well, that's what I'm doing when I click the pages of Interior Divine. I love the comfortable, rustic aesthetic--that lived in feeling--that shines through in all the interiors she features. I keep a folder on my desktop of inspiring interiors that I like, and I might end up saving just about every picture featured on her blog.

I think my silk dress would look nice hanging on the wall in this room. Isn't it pretty to think so?

Vintage Sand Pails

Some time ago Country Living featured vintage sand pails in its "what's it worth" section. I had no idea they could be so valuable. Of course now that I've found my first vintage sand pail, I can't for the life of me find that issue of Country Living in my piles of old magazines. Does anyone remember that issue and know the month? Oh well. (Update! Kate found it--it's the August 2008 issue, which I finally found in my piles, and they estimate their value at around $30 - $1,000. Thanks, Kate!) This encyclopedia of sand pails could probably help me estimate its value, but I think I'm just going to give it to my nephew anyway. He's having a pirate themed birthday party in two weeks, and this would look really cute with something in it for display--maybe just filled with sand to hold the pirate flag I'm sending as well. I bought the pail a few weeks ago at that estate sale where I also bought the beautiful silk dress. Ahoy, matey! Isn't it so cute?  And for just $3 dollars!

I searched for vintage pails online, mostly on ebay, and the prices are all over the place. The bids range from a few dollars to $75+. (Some of them are so cute, too, you should go look.) Also, I found some at here at a place called Ruby Lane that all range from $40 - $75. The prices here at Huxtons go all the way up to $190! I figure the prices vary depending on maker, design, year and condition. From what I've read, it sounds like Chein and the Ohio Art company's pails are the most valuable and sought after. Mine is made by the MFG company. Shabby Vintage Mom also wrote a good post about vintage sand pails a while back, which you can read here.

The top old photo is from littlebird2009 on flickr.