Our Very First Home In California

When we first moved to California in 1961 we lived in a motel until we could get military housing on Camp Pendleton. We had left our belongings with hubs' parents and didn't get them for a couple of years so we basically had to start from scratch. We went to a local hardware store and bought 2 plates, 1 mug because I didn't drink coffee and we only needed one, 2 forks, 2 knives and one spoon as I didn't need a spoon. We had to be frugal. We somehow had a radio and I listened to that all day long. It was very boring for several weeks before we got housing.

Then we received word we had a place to live in on base—a trailer that slept four people. That's one bedroom and a fold-down sofa with a tiny kitchen and a tiny bathroom that we couldn't get in together. The shower was the bathroom. We were thrilled to get it even if it was tiny. We even had a clothesline though. Geraniums lined our little path from the street and we loved it.

Then a couple of months later our plumbing backed up and since there weren't any 4 sleeper trailers, we were given a 6 sleeper trailer. We loved the extra bed. We didn't qualify but since I was pregnant and would have our daughter soon they let us "upgrade" to that trailer. We were stylin' then!

When we were still in the motel room we lived just a few blocks from the beach and I remember we walked along the beach on Christmas day. It was wonderful. And the very first thing we noticed when we arrived on the train was the orange trees and the smell. It truly did smell like orange blossoms. To this day when I smell the orange blossoms, I remember stepping off that train.

We looked at rentals on the beach but they were so far out of our budget it wasn't even funny. I think they were $125 a month. Today they're probably that for 1/2 a day! But we loved it. We were so young and stupid then. ;-) Much wiser now.
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A quilted-type sofa.

Notice th' rug...th' rug!!!

Darling wall sconce. See what you can do with a little imagination!

Another gorgeous decorated bottle.

Another quilted-type sofa.

Elegant living room staircase.

Another cute sofa.

Bavarian homes.

I really do like that pinkish counter top.

Requisite roses. ;-)

Beautiful living room.

I love this old mannequin with the handmade roses on it.

Christie Repasy is one of my favorite artists. I wish we lived near enough to her to attend her Flea Markets.

Sweet little shop in Europe

Love this darling chair and the homeowner was very brave in her colors.

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Tidbit:

In Chico, California, the city council enacted a ban on nuclear weapons, setting a $500 fine for anyone detonating one within city limits. (Your tax dollars at work.)

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Pink Saturday 12/6/08

Welcome to Pink Saturday.

Last week when my daughter and her hubby were visiting she and I took a day and went to the thrift stores. I found a few things and she did also. Howeverrrrrrrr, she paid about $4 for all her stuff. It didn't all fit in their suitcase so she had to mail it home. That cost her $12.50!! Can we say "did ya get a good deal, chickee??!! Nuuuuuu, totally wasted money. THEN when they went to the baggage claim the suitcase was taped with duct tape because it had popped its hinges!! She lost some books I had given her but nothing else. Can't you just see undies all over the S.F. airport? LOL Well, I can laugh; she wasn't! AND hubby and I told her it looked like it was going to pop. Forty-six years old, you would have thought she'd have learned to trust her dad and mom by now!! I am very sorry it happened though. Those books were really a cute read!
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Okay, here's what I got. Three little candle lights. I was going to get pink bulbs but got the white instead because I plan on putting little shabby frou-frou shades on them and use them as window lights. How cute will that be! Can't wait to paint them and decorate them. BUT since the bulbs weren't with them I got one for free! I didn't even know they were supposed to come with the bulbs but I'll take that deal! Now, who in the world would steal little light bulbs out of the Goodwill lamps for heaven's sakes? But it got me one free so whatever........

I spied these big pink balls and almost flattened a lady to get to them. They had my name on them so they were MINE!!! If I hadn't gotten to them my daughter certainly would have intervened for me. She's 5' 11" and I'm 5' 4 3/4" and she's a pistol at getting what she wants even if it is for her motherrrrrr... So I'll cover them with decal roses and then glitter them and they will hang from the ceiling in my craft/sewing room probably.

My visiting teachers from church came wednesday and brought this for me. I love this flower. It always reminds me of Christmas and I've always thought of it as "majestic"! I'm not sure how hard they are to grow but we'll soon find out. I'm planting it in a vase today or tomorrow.

*Sigh*........my nemisis - cake plates. I pack really well, I truly do. Even the buyers say they are packed well, but I've had 2 cake plates on pedestals break on me. My daughter has shown me the key though this past week and we'll see how the next one makes it. I buy vintage plates so sometimes they are not replaceable. BUT I always make good on my sales to people. Sooooo I had to go find another plate and another unique pedestal to put on it. I had a vintage little sugar bowl and it was darling, but couldn't find another one so used something else for the base. But I did frou-frou it up with netting, ribbon and paper roses. She says that will do just fine - the buyer. I couldn't stand it if I didn't replace something someone has bought from me. Those roses are silk and do not come exactly cheap either. Oh well, I'll feel good knowing I made it good for the lady.

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Now, for a little surprise if you've gotten this far in reading my posts. I've wanted to do a giveaway for a while and was thinking of doing it for my 500th post but decided in the spirit of this season I'll do it now with this little camera bag. Yessssssss, my little cherubs, a giveaway. This is a quilted camera bag with a single rose on it. It is velcro-ed to close it. I've used a similar one for my camera for about 2 years and it works well for me. Uuuuhhhhh, of course, no guarantee comes with it!! DUHHHH!!! But I have a Canon Powershot and it fits nicely in there along with the instruction booklet, charger, 2 extra batteries, an extra disk and the connection cord for camera to computer. It measures 7" wide x 9 1/2" long. I could even get a wallet in there. It can go over your head for carrying as I find that most convenient and don't worry about dropping it or getting it stolen. Hey, this is FREE!! Why am I extolling its virtues when I'm giving it away to some lucky person. I'll draw a name from a bowl on monday afternoon. All you have to do is comment on this post right here. Just leave me your email so I can get in touch with you if you are the winner. If you can't follow directions and do that then there isn't much hope for ya, chickees, so get to it!! ;-) LOL

First Friday 11/7/08

I can't wait, I can't wait!!!! I've got to show you how the walls look and the roses on the ceiling. Squeeeeeeeeeeal!!!!!! That's just the beginning of the roses for the ceiling. Three different ones will be up there by tomorrow night. It's so pretty, gals..... *Sigh*........

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I made this quilted purse for carrying my camera and other items when traveling. I made 2 since the first one turned out so well and I'm selling one. Inside is a pocket for a pen, a pocket for lipstick and camera if you'd like (velcro closure) and a pocket for cell phone. The quilted roses fabric is different on each side so on the front flap is the reverse of the bottom of front - a beautiful contrast from the tiny and larger roses. The pockets for pen and cell phone are a white quilted roses fabric to differentiate from the camera/lipstick pocket, but still a beautiful fabric also. I've tried my cell phone and camera and they both fit in the pockets. A pink ribbon rose is on the front. This is 100% cotton. Measurements are approximately 11 1/2" x 14" and strap is 60" (that's a 30" drop) so easily goes over head and shoulder for secure hands-free shopping. The closure is velcro. Price is $35.00 plus shipping. This is truly a one-of-a-kind bag (well, except for the one for myself but I doubt we'll be in the same town) and beautiful for the lover of shabby chic romantic items.

Decorating the Living Room

I seem to be making some headway in this house the last 2 days. But wouldn't ya know it; I had to stop and resuscitate the mouse!! She's been giving me a fit lately and I usually just dust her off - her belly button, ya know, that scroll wheel. But she's been sucking some serious dust around here so it's been a miracle that I can revive the little darling. *Sigh*.........................

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This was 2 days ago. I was so tired I didn't know whether to climb the ladder to paint/hang pix or get on my knees and put stuff back that was to be "lower"! My feet are killing me from standing on that ladder, chicks.

Do you realize that I "shopped" right outta this house??? Yep, old things placed in different places seem new again. Besides, hubs said to keep it to a minimum. They're just no fun when it comes to remodeling and redecorating. Actually, this whole remodel was his idea. Ya woulda expected me to say nuuuuuuuu?!?! Get a grip, chicks, this was decorating and spending money here. It's our lot in liiiiIIIIiiiiiffffffffee. (When I type the words that way you'll know I'm RAISING my voice and lowering it. Hah...No matter.......on with the show.)

Anyway, today shows a marked improvement.....in the living room. The family room??? Pfffffffffttttt. It's trashed! Now, I'm not so proud that I wouldn't show you but there's nothing to show in there at the moment. I've pretty much stripped the pix off the walls and brought them into living room.

Notice the french wire baskets. I don't know where to put them! I'll have hubs help me decide tonight. He's actually pretty good at noticing things and recommending things when I'm stymied. You all have been a big help with your email suggestions also. Thank you!

Clock was moved last night but moving a grandfather clock is a delicate matter. We had to almost disassemble it to move it - take out the weights and pendulum. But it's there. I've added 2 pix above it and some pretty little boxes on the overhead. Being from California I'm squeamish about putting things "UP" when they could "FALL" on your head! These are light however and not a problem.

The print on the left of the photo is 1 of 3 of my favorites. It's a Susan Rios print. The one in the middle below the painting of the girl (more on that in a moment) is my absolutely favorite of all times. When we lived in California I had a huge family room and had slipcovers made for a sofa I had. It was a wide pink and white stripe. That thing cost me a fortune! That was over 20 years ago and cost me $800.00. I could actually have bought a new sofa for less at that time. I loved it though.

One day when I was at the Valley Fair Mall in San Jose I went into the Martin Lawrence Gallery there and found this print. I immediately bought it because I absolutely adored it and it looked a great deal like my home with that sofa and the lace curtains. My heart was stolen, little sweets. But when we moved up here and then to this new house 3 years ago we didn't have room for it. I sold it for $100.00 and included 2 outdoor wrought iron chairs. Pathetic.

Anyway, the limited edition on the far right with a white frame is another of Susan's prints. So I grouped them all together.

Now, about that painting. I purchased it recently at Goodwill for a couple of dollars because it touched my heart and it has pink roses on her hat. BUT the thing is Susan Rios did a self-portrait once and that is a lot like her portrait. I have a book of her painting and prints in it and that portrait is in there. Except for the hat it could almost be her. It is truly amazing. So I hung it with her paintings. I've also included her self-portrait for you to see the similarities - the pose, the hair, the white blouse, the direction in which she's looking. You'll have to enlarge the pix of living room to see that portrait better.

My new sink!!!!!! I love it. I like stainless steel and it's not as deep as the old porcelain one. I did put one pix over the sink that I can look at. Still much more to do there but I had to get some of them off the floor and hung! I'll get Love Bunny to put a shelf in there - I have no "shortage" of shelves or I'll hang that little french country shelf for miscellany.

This is a mosaic my daughter and granddaughter made me. She never got a photo of it 3 years ago and is updating her portfolio of mosaics. So I had to photograph it for her. If you want to see some of her pieces for sale go visit Nan. This is a hobby for her. She's like me and CANNOT do nothing!

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Now I want to share with you a special gift that Katie recently sent me! She just started a selling blog. But I have to tell you also that she recently has taken up silk ribbon embroidery. (We've created a monster!! Aaaack!) AND she's recently had her first grandchild, Syllah May, which was a terrific thrill for her. We followed the journey with her from the announcement of her daughter's pregnancy to the delivery of Miss Syllah. She's a beauty also, but has the most extensive wardrobe of any new chick I've ever seen!! Anyway, Katie made this quilted tote for me and it's lovely. You have got to go to her blog and see her exquisite silk ribbon embroidery! That new baby had the most exquisite first wardrobe I've ever seen. Goooooo! Ooooh and why the tote???? I guess she just "loves" me for some crazy reason! :-)~*~

*UPDATE at 10:15 pm TONIGHT!*
I composed this post tonight at 6 pm or so after working all day (but I wanted you to view the "latest" of the kitchen) and adding to the draft of this post and scheduling it to come on line at midnight, but hubs put up a couple of shelves for me tonight so it's 10:15 pm and I've been up for 20 hours now and still going strong............ Hah! If you believe that you're nuts because you can tell by the run on sentence!!!!! I'm about to keel over. BUT I'll just post this and go because hubs is tired.*Fini* Bon nuit!

My New Pillows and Shams

Yes, I did order a pillow that I saw in a blog of a woman who was preparing some stuff for a garage sale. I just happened to spot the pillow and voilà it hadn't sold so I emailed her and it's now on its way to me!!! I'm soooo blessed truly. I'll show it when I receive it. In the mean time..................

I found these 2 little cuties at WM of all places. They are nice and plump and I fell in love with it when I spotted it and knew it was mine! This one is blue and a kind of aqua also but the one below it is green. I love all the colors and don't mind a bit mixing them up, chickees.

Pintucked little soft cutie with little flouncy ruffles.

Hah...... I spotted these little paper plates and couldn't resist their lovely shocking pink color. I don't need paper plates but, hey, they were pink, only cost $1.00 for 20 plates and you little cherubs were worth it so I bought them to show you!! ;-)

Then we went back to Michaels to exchange the only 2 items I got there yesterday - a frame for hubby's new train print he bought in Riverside, Ca. and a repair kit for that little roses clock I bought for $2.00 in Calif. also. Yep, he should have come with me the first time because I got both items wrong! Sooooo we had to go back and exchange them. Just happened to drag that Love Bunny into Target and bought these little shams. He says, "Do you need new shams?" I tell ya, the man is clueless!!! Nuuuuuuuu, I say, but I want a "change" in our bedroom. He knew I was talking shams and not HIM! They're really quite lovely - white quilted with a flange of roses and a strip of pink ribbon around the ruffle also.

It's in this closeup of the shams that you can see pink threads running through them. I love that!!

And this is the headboard I've had for about 20 years that will be white before summer is over!! :-) It's got appliques already on it with dentil molding also. Isn't it lovely?!!?! And even lovelier in white.

These are the old shams. Nothing wrong with them. They look a bit tea stained and I bought them several years ago at Spiegel and love them, but all you chicks know we need change now and then, right?!?!?! Well, I'm putting these and the quilt that goes with them on sale on my other blog for a great price if anyone is interested.