Bits and Bobs

When I was growing up, my grandmother always had what I call a 'Bits and Bobs' basket. It wasn't particularly fancy, but in the eyes of a small child, that basket held pure magic. Every time I was allowed to look through it, I found new treasures. It was one of my absolute favorite things to do: spend a rainy afternoon sorting through all of the trinkets in the basket.

A couple of weeks ago while cruising through the Goodwill store, I came across a charm bracelet. A Halloween charm bracelet to be more precise. It caught my eye the minute I looked at the case and asked the clerk to take it out. Upon inspection, it was clear to me that my grandmother wasn't the only one who had a Bits and Bobs basket! Each of the 'charms' was both glorious and goofy in their own right. In reality, they are just small pieces of plastic, glass or metal, but when combined, they form a very charming vintage-y charm bracelet. At just $2.99 I couldn't resist. I bought it. (You knew that was coming, right?) Here it is - see for yourself: Kitschy, no?

So. As you might have guessed, I was inspired. As it so happens, I have my grandmother's old basket. I thought what better use than to fill it up with Bits and Bobs?! I headed to yet another Goodwill store to see what I could find. Luck was a lady and I came upon a florist's vase filled with baubles - who knew what treasures would be inside?! - for just $14.00. Sounded like a fair price to me, so I bought it, brought it home ... and was thrilled! It was exactly what I'd had in mind; inside there were cute bobby pins with embellishments, actual charms (9!) with clasps, a couple of funky pins, a menagerie of vintage clip-on earrings, necklaces of all shapes and sizes that can be used as fun beads, a broken strand (but with LOTS) of black vintage glass beads, and so much more. Next stop was Patty's Antiques (which is closing - boo/hiss) where I came across a couple of $5.00 grab bags that had more fun vintage-y Bits and Bobs. Plus, I came across some old Monopoly game pieces, so I added those to the mix, too.

WHEW! Here's are a few photos of the new generation Bits and Bobs basket: Isn't it fun?!

Now I ask ya, who wouldn't want to spend an afternoon sifting through all the treasures in this basket? Not only that, I'm pretty sure I see some fun, funky, vintage-y charm bracelets on my crafty to-do list ;o)

Now *THIS* is an Estate Sale

Yesterday after our investment club meeting, mom told me they were having an "Estate Sale" (a REAL one this time, not a yard sale like last week's adventure!) at a house not far from theirs. She described the location and I knew exactly which house she was talking about - it's a house that, having grown up there, I've driven by at least a million times. I've always loved this particular house. The front is now a bit overgrown by shrubs (for that matter, I guess it always has been - to some degree at least), but the shrubs don't overshadow the beauty of the house. It's a two story brick colonial with window boxes outside the rows of upstairs windows. I've always wanted to go through that house and yesterday I finally had my chance.

As much as I love estate sales, there is one thing I really don't like about them: it typically means that someone has passed away. It always makes me feel a bit guilty - not to mention melancholy - to walk through a home watching people paw through things that someone took a whole lifetime to collect. There's just something about it that makes me really sad. When I do go to them, I'm always very careful to treat both the home and the items being sold with a great deal of respect. I go through the home slowly, trying to imagine the family that lived there - who they were, how they lived their lives, celebrations they had - and I'm very careful when picking up items for sale. I treat them very gingerly and only touch things I'm really interested in buying.

Yesterday's sale was a big one. Lots of cars parked along the street and lots of people mulling around the house. And what a house it is! It's even more beautiful on the inside than I'd imagined. Several of the rooms were closed off, but the most of them were open and had lots of things for sale. I was talking to a guy who was helping to run the sale and I told him that I'd grown up in the area and had always admired the house. He told me that it had been in the same family since it was built in 1936. How cool is that?! I mentioned that the home had clearly been lovingly maintained and he countered with the fact that it was desperately in need of some upgrades: the home still has STEAM heat! Oh my. I do hope that whomever ends up buying the house maintains the integrity of it's vintage. Something tells me they will ;o)

Anyway --- on to my finds. I picked up a bag of assorted flatware (remember last week's fiasco?), a darling pair of vintage women's gloves with sweet little bead and pearl details, an aqua celluloid vanity box and a charming little vintage Baby Ben windup alarm clock. As I was at the sale on the second day and they were getting ready to wind down, I asked the man if he was able to give me a better price. He added everything up - for a total of $28.00 - and said 'How about $20.00 for everything?' DEAL! 'Wow!', I thought to myself 'This is exactly what I tried to accomplish at last week's sale, but no dice.' Funny - it's definitely one of those times where fate stepped right in and did it's thing.

Another fun find from yesterday ... Last week I read a new-to-me book and re-read an old favorite. They're both focused on war time cooking - methods, rationing, etc. The author happened to mention that, during the 1940's, women would triple sift their flour and cake flour. In fact, they made a specific type of sifter - a three screen sifter - specifically for this purpose so that women would only have to sift their flour one time, and it would still be triple sifted. Huh. I'd never heard of such a thing. As luck would have it, I stopped in at the Goodwill store in Pasadena. I walked up and down the housewares aisles and suddenly, something jumped out at me like a beacon in the night: a three screen sifter! Now I ask you, what are the odds??

Here's a look at 'the goods':(49 pieces, all told - and many of them are initialed. What are the initials? W, M, L - too crazy, right?!)

Isn't that what you do at a YARD sale?

So Saturday morning after the gig, Vicky and I let Kevin sleep in and we headed to an - ahem - "Estate" sale and to Pavilions to pick up a few things for breakfast.

We thought the sale looked promising - there were many cars parked all around and it was early (or at least relatively early, 8:00 a.m.). We hopped out of the car, crossed the street and hunt was on! I quickly gathered a card of vintage buttons, a shoebox with some pieces of mixed flatware (about 40 pieces), a small glass citrus reamer and a foldable yardstick. The shoebox of flatware had a sticker that said $20.00; I thought that was a bit steep and asked the woman running the sale if she would take a bit less. She quickly and abruptly answered 'NO'. Okay. I continued. There wasn't a price on the buttons so I asked about those. As I was considering my purchase, I added everything up and said the amount under my breath 'twenty seven dollars' -- to which she replied "IT'S $27.50". I asked if she would take $25.00 for everything I'd gathered. She looked at me with a cold stare and said "NO!" Ooooooookay. I told her she could keep the whole darn thing! I said to Vicky, isn't that what you do at a YARD sale? Barter? I said it loudly enough for her to hear. ESTATE sale my pitute. It was a bunch of stuff lining the driveway. I've had many a yard sale and called it what it was - a YARD sale.

I should have known even before I asked that she wasn't open to negotiation. Case in point: The sale started Friday morning at 7:00 a.m., so by Saturday morning when we got there, things were mostly picked over. She had several cool vintage hats (think circa 1940's) and a customer asked her how much for the hat? I didn't hear the amount she'd given, but the customer counter-offered another amount. The woman said "NO", to which the customer replied 'Well, this IS a yard sale' as if to remind the woman that you typically barter prices at such a sale. The woman running the sale then replied snarkily 'But the 'VALUE' is still there.' The customer asked if she'd left the items out overnight and the woman said 'Yes'; it was a cool, damp morning with lots of dew and the customer again picked up the limp hat and said 'No value there!' and walked away.

Shoulda known.

Lazy Weekend

Kevin and I have been enjoying a very lazy weekend. While I was out Friday night, Kevin stayed home and did all of the laundry! THANK YOU, honey!! What a fun treat that was. Saturday morning, we got up late (well, late for us) and just lazed around.

Around mid-morning, we decided to go check out our favorite thrift store. I have a few craft projects that I'm working on and was looking for some specific things and thought I'd see if I could find them there. Linda has often remarked that it's uncanny - whenever I think of a project, I can go to that particular thrift store and find exactly what I need for the project. Guess what? Yesterday was no exception! I was looking for some nice vintage silverware and was thrilled to find that they had just put out a wooden case filled with it! The whole shebang was $25.00 - which at first I thought was a bit steep. However, once I got out my trusty little cal-cu-lator, I discovered that it was really a great price. I can make at least 6-sets of my project (which will become gifts) and still have a few pieces leftover for myself. Not to mention the wooden box everything came in. (I'm sure I can turn that into a project, too. Have any ideas for me?) Sooooo we bought it. Hip, hip, hooray!

Included in the box was a very cool butter knife, and a mother of pearl handled relish fork. SCORE! I knew I'd be keeping those for myself. You would too. Wanna see how cute they are?
Pretty cool, right?! Heck, I almost think those were worth the cost right there!

After we left the thrift store, we had a bite of lunch (Jim's - YUM!), and then headed to our library book store. Just inside the new library to the left, there is a really cool Friends of the Library book store. They've got a huge collection of books for sale, very inexpensive. They also have a FREE basket - YAY! The first thing that caught my eye was a freebie - an old clothbound book of the short stories of John Steinbeck. Pretty cool freebie! They also had a few other books that I'll be using for craft projects. Here's the day's take: All in all, we had the most wonderful day! It was perfect - we got to spend some fun time together, and it was a very casual, relaxed day. What more could you ask from a weekend really?

Frugal in so many ways ...

So I've been trying to make myself leave the office at lunch at least a couple of days a week. The last couple of weeks have been crazy and it's good to get out mid-day for a little break.

As it happens, there's a huge Goodwill store just a couple of blocks away so that was yesterday's destination. I looked around and didn't really find much - kind of disappointing really. Then, I thought I'd make a sweep through the housewares department. I'm so glad I did!

Several years ago I bought a stainless steel thermos at Starbuck's. I talked myself into believing it was frugal because, afterall, I'd be saving money by brining my own coffee to work. And to that end, it was frugal. The UN-frugal part is that the darn thing cost $25.00 in the first place! But, buy it I did. And both Kevin and I used it for quite a long time. Over time, though, the coffee creamer and gunk built up in the vacuum seal/pour spout and we ended up throwing it away when we moved to our new place a couple of years ago. I do have another thermos - something similar (but far less costly!) - that I use to tote my coffee (or, okay, hot chocolate!) to work. I don't use it every day, but it's nice knowing I have it when I want it.

Yesterday while looking through the housewares, I spotted it. There - on the shelf right in front of me. Ahhhh, thermos love all over again! It was pink. And perfect. And had never even been used! I picked it up immediately and headed to the check-out. Three dollars - THREE DOLLARS! - and it was mine, all mine. It's scrumptuous! I'm reserving this one for cold water and lemonade (doesn't that just sound perfect for this PINK thermos?!)

Quilt Project

Years ago a friend of Deb's tried to teach both of us to quilt. Actually, it went fine - and it was fun - but I never finished my project. I still have it tucked away thinking that I'll take it out one of these days and finish it. Deb did finish hers - and it's beautiful! We made table runners.

Flash forward to about two years ago. I was looking at a fabric store online and discovered a whole new world. I discovered that quilting fabrics sure have changed! The way the fabrics are blended together and packaged is just phenomenal. All of those rich, delicious, gorgeous colors - one is more beautiful than the next! I couldn't help myself and I bought a few sale items - charm packs and panels - thinking that I'd begin working on them as soon as I received them.

Yeah well ... not quite. However, over the summer I was inspired to begin one of those projects. It's small in scale - which is perfect for me since I'm really a novice quilter. A wannabe quilter I guess you could say =) Anyway, while working on this project, I made another discovery: I love it! Putting this project together has been a joy! I'm not finished yet, but I'm getting closer. I'm not in a hurry, I'm just working on it as I feel like it. And it's actually coming together! I'm hand piecing and working on it in the evenings. It's very easy to work on it while listening to the Dodger game, or while Kevin reads aloud to me (yes, we know it's not common ... but it's fun! Feel free to roll your eyes and groan ... that's what my boss did ;o) At any rate - I think I've found a new, very enjoyable hobby.

Knowing that I'm really a beginner and need lots of direction, I've been looking at instructional manuals and different patterns online. Mercy. One could spend a fortune! Sadly, I came to the conclusion that most of those things were out of my budget (there's that beer budget thing again), and passed on making a purchase. Yesterday, though, I decided that I'd stop at my favorite thrift store to see if they had any books on quilting. The often have craft books, but I'd never looked for anything on quilting before. Let me just say this: SCORE!! It's kind of a strange thing - every time I begin thinking about something and decide to go look at my thrift store, they have exactly what I need! It's really amazing. Yesterday was no exception. I found three great books on quilting - one is a book filled with 'best loved' patterns, one is a guidebook for quilters and one is a combination of the two. When I went up to pay for them, I mentioned to the clerk that they always have exactly what I need and yesterday, it was quilting books. She pointed out another quilting book that had been in a different section, and was an even more comprehensive guide than the first. COOL BEANS! I bought all four books, plus a great example of a quilted potholder (it's a craft project I'm going to suggest to our WOFA group), and a booklet on learning how to crochet - all for $16.00!! When I got home, I checked out the books; the comprehensive manual is a Better Homes and Gardens bookthat originally sold for $40.00 - I got it for $6.00. The other three books were a similar bargain - one sold originally for $39.99 and I paid $3.00 for it; the other two had each been $29.99 and I paid $3.00 each. I just love a bargain! I thumbed through each of the books last night and I think they will be a lifesaver for this novice quilter.

Anyway... on to the project. I bought a charm pack: and cut the 5" squares in half, and then in half again. I took each of the quarters and sewed them together - making sure the fabrics for each quarter were different. Then, I sewed the halves together doing the same thing. I ended up with 22 squares that looked like this: From there, I sewed each of the squares into a strip of 7 squares; now I'm in the process of sewing each of the three strips together. Here's where I'm at right now: As you can see, I've sewn one of the strips to the other, now I just need to sew the third strip to the other two. At that point, I'll be ready to make my 'quilt sandwich' and begin quilting the project (yes, you guessed it ... it's another table runner!). When that step is completed, I'll add my binding and the project will be finished (sounds easy, right? Huh - we'll see!)

If you've never quilted before, don't be intimidated. It's really not all that hard. You have to have some time, and lots of patience, but I really think the end results are worth it. Or, at least I think they will be ... when I'm finished! In fact, I've already got lots of other projects in mind ;o)

Vintage Cotton Pillowcases

Shortly before Kevin and I got married, I happened to spy a pair of the sweetest vintage cotton pillowcases on ebay. Though the cases themselves were white, the crocheted lace and embroidery were that luscious shade of green - jadeite, seaglass, aqua (choose your favorite description) - and, unbelievably, they were monogramed with Kevin's initials, so I couldn't resist!

As much as I loved those pillowcase, I packed them away. Why? Because, though I love that color, we didn't have anything really in the old house that went with it. But I kept them figuring that, one day, I'd find just the right spot for them.

Flash forward to last summer. You may recall the photos I posted of our new house ... and it's white and green (jadeite, seaglass, aqua...) bathroom. Hey ... that bathroom also had a vintage hotel towel rack. Hmmmm. You know, when folded, those pillowcases look an awful lot like vintage cotton guest towels. Hmmmm. FINALLY! I finally found a home for those fabulous green-and-white-vintage-cotton-pillowcases-with-Kevin's-initials!

Yesterday, for the first time since I bought them nine years ago, I washed them; this morning, I ironed them. What a joy! I'm not sure why they're so different, but there is just something about vintage cotton that is delightful. When washed, it is sooo soft that you just want to wrap yourself up in it. And ironing it was so much fun! Taking wrinkled cotton and smoothing it perfectly with a hot iron - it's almost like magic!

I think I need to revisit eBay ... and look for a whole set of vintage cotton sheets. What a treat that would be!

Metropolitan Museum of Art

... books.

I decided to go ahead and use the art books for the project I'd intended to use them for. As much as I love them, I honestly think I'd enjoy them far more in this particular project. Why? Because I can look at them every day. Well, sort of.

For quite a while I've been wanting to make a paper wreath. My first thought was to use old vintage sheet music. In fact, I've been looking around for just that (I got scooped on an ebay purchase right at the very last second ... GRRR. I hate that!) Anyway, when I came across the art books the other day, I knew these were the perfect item for the project. The subject matter was great, the over size format of the books was perfect, and the pages had a wonderful naturally aged patina - which is ideal for this project!!

This last day of spring break (insert heavy sigh here), I decided to get busy with my project. It was so much fun! I can hardly wait to hang it up, but I'm debating between two different places and I'd like to wait for Kevin to get home and weigh in on the decision.

Okay, without further ado, let's get started ...

I love how this wreath turned out! The finished project really didn't use as much paper as I thought it would. It used one full book and about two thirds of a second book - not nearly as much as I thought. Which is good ... it leaves me plenty for other projects. Hmmm ... what's next??

Aqua, Silver and Seashells

Since bringing it home from the thrift store the other day, I've been wondering what to do with that beautiful little silver pedestal tray. I thought it would look great in our bathroom - which is white and that beautiful shade of 1950's jadeite green - but I couldn't quite figure out what to put in it.

Our bathroom is very small and we really have no counter space at all. We've got a small shelving unit on the wall, what little space is on top of the pedestal sink, and a tiled bench in the shower/tub area - that's it. As such, most of our essentials are stored in the lined cabinet which is conveniently housed in the hallway right outside the bathroom door.

So ... back to where to put that silver tray. And, better yet, what to put in it. In cleaning out my craft room yesterday, I came across the most beautiful white seashells. I remember buying them at the thrift store one day (all six for just one dollar!), and setting them aside thinking I'd find a project for them sooner or later. BING. Now I know what to put in that silver tray!!

All of the shells are a beautiful, creamy shade of white - which I love - but I thought it might be fun to add a bit of color that would coordinate with the bathroom. Hmmm ... this is the perfect small glitter project! I didn't cover all of the creamy white - just some of it. I think it came out perfect. What do you think?

"Art ...

... enables us to find ourselves, and lose ourselves at the same time." ~ Thomas Merton

That's me at the moment - kind of at a loss as to what to do with today's stand out thrift store find. Here's the find:

Aren't they incredible!! The series of books is "Metropolitan Seminars in Art" by John Canady. It's a 12-book series and this set is missing portfolio number 11; the remainder of the set is intact and in great condition! Each book covers one artistic concept; the book contains about 25 or so pages of text, and then, on the inside cover is an envelope that contains prints of famous paintings that serve as an example of the concept covered in the book. The books are first edition and they were printed in 1958. Each book was a bargain at just $2.00 each!!

Why am I at a loss? Well initially, when I began looking at the books, I wanted them for a project that I'll be working on soon. The large format of the books makes them perfect for this particular project. However - using them in this manner would entail my taking the books apart . GASP! They are such a unique commodity, I'm really not at all sure I want to do that. And yet, they would be so perfect for my project! Over and above the large book format, there are many illustrations on the pages that would really make the project one of a kind.

So, there you have it. Betwixt and between. What to do?? What would YOU do?

Thrifting Today

Mom and I had a bit of a girls day today - we visited our favorite used book store and our favorite little thrift store. While mom scored at the book store, I saved my score for the thrift store. And score I did! As with most things, this little thrift store is hit or miss. Sometimes I can go in there and find absolutely nothing, while other days - like today - everywhere I turn I see something wonderful!

Here are a few of my finds from today: I loved this darling silver pedestal dish the moment I laid eyes on it. I thought it was a pretty good bargain at just $5.00. Of course it was tarnished beyond believe, but a little bit of silver polish and some elbow grease and it's as good as new. I have a soft spot for pedestal dishes. I have another one of these dishes - almost identical as a matter of fact - on the desk in the garden room. It sits there, looking pretty, holding a handful of old stamps. I've got a project in mind for this pink velvet ribbon. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to find it! There were four plastic bags full of it - each bag has about 2 yards or so of velvet ribbon. I loved the color and, at sixty five cents per bag, you can't go wrong. These cute millinery flowers are going to be part of the same project as the velvet ribbon - another bargain at sixty five cents for the bag of two clusters. Pretty cute, huh? I couldn't resist the title of this cute little book - not to mention the charmingly hilarious illustrations inside.

I can't decide if I want to keep the book in tact, as is, or if I want to cut up the pictures to use for other craft projects. Hmmm ... I guess I'll have to give that some thought.

The next thrift store find I'm saving for the next post. Stay tuned ...

Vintage Linens!

... that's what's in the drawers of that cute little secretary desk!!

On Monday, my first day of spring break, it rained. I had many things on my to-do list that were indoors so I was absolutely fine with that. In fact, I love doing things around my house when it's cold, wet and rainy outside - that's the perfect day!

In straightening out the drawers of the china cabinet in the dining room, I couldn't help but notice that my pretty vintage linens and doilies were in a perpetual state of wrinkle because everything was so crammed into the drawers. BING! I remembered that I now have four extra drawers in the secretary! I took out the iron and began ironing all of the pretty table cloths, table runners, doilies and other goodies so that they could be tucked away in their new home. Just imagine, the next time I pull something out to use, I won't have to iron it first! Now that's a novel concept! (No, you're not seeing things. The shiny dots you see on some of the doilies are vintage glass buttons. I sewed them on a large doily and six small doilies; they serve as beverage covers for a pitcher of lemonade and 6 glasses so that insects don't fly in your lemonade when you're sitting outside.)
Don't you just love that little duck?! I think he is so sweet - in fact, there are actually two of them - they're dresser scarves for a little boys bedroom: Aren't they just adorable? Look at that hand embroidery ...
I saw them when I was out thrifting one day and just had to have them.

Antique Secretary

The other night I began working on the finish of the antique secretary desk we "inherited" a few weeks ago. There were many, many well worn spots on this little beauty. That's okay, though, it just says that it was well used and well loved. Though it was a bit of a messy job - not to mention tedious - I really enjoyed doing it. And the outcome is so spectacular, I feel that it was well worth it!

Here's the piece in it's entirety: Isn't it gorgeous!! I just love it - it turned out beautifully. Well, that and the piece is so beautiful in and of itself.

The glass cabinet I've filled with the James Herriot series of books (All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Beautiful, etc. I love this series! And each book was bought for just pennies at thrift stores - who doesn't love a bargain?!), a sweet little angel musical doll that I received in a bouquet of flowers from my grandparents when I was six years old and went in to the hospital to have my tonsils out, several photographs, two or three more books (Including a vintage copy of Wuthering Heights) and a few pieces of pottery. I love the way it turned out. It's simple and yet special all at the same time.

The actual desk portion was the most difficult to touch up. There were many, many deeply damaged areas that where showing raw wood. Since I'm far from an expert in furniture refinishing, I didn't want to do a lot with it, so I just worked on getting the color right. I think it turned out nicely. Each of the little cubbies is filled with note cards, letter seals, etc.

And the drawers! Oh boy, am I ever glad to have a few more drawers at my disposal! As much as I love our new home, one of the few things it's lacking is cupboard/closet space, so I'm thrilled to have a bit more storage for things. What's in the drawers? Well ... that's coming up in the next post!

Ventura Highway... in the sunnnnnnnnnnshine

Saturday. Get-away day in L.A. We thought we'd take a nice lazy drive up the coast to one of our favorite little coastal towns, Ventura. Unfortunately, everyone in L.A. had the same idea! A trip that normally takes about an hour and fifteen or twenty minutes, turned into a two and a half hour nightmare. Okay, it wasn't a nightmare, per se, but still ... the traffic wasn't pretty. But I suppose that's to be expected when the temperature at the coast is a delightful 75 degrees, while the temperature in land soars to a hellish 105 degrees. Who in their right mind wouldn't want to escape to the coast?

One of our main reasons for heading to Ventura - over and above the weather - is always for ... BBQ! Several years back we made a wonderful discovery: a small hole-in-the-wall-don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it BBQ place. (Don't worry if you think you won't be able to find it ... just follow your nose!) They have THE most tender, delicious smoked meats you could ever sink your teeth into. While we've always enjoyed a sandwich while we're there, several trips ago we decided that we wanted to indulge in this delightful treat more than just every great once in a while, so we wised up ... now we bring a large cooler with us! In addition to satisfying our 'right now!' need for BBQ, we brought home two pounds of pulled pork, two pounds of tri-tip, two half slabs of ribs, two pounds of scraps for the Slips (only $1.00 per pound!), and two bottles of their phenomenally delicious sauce. Ahhhhh, sheer delight! We packaged everything when we got home and stashed it in the freezer. I see many delicious meals ahead of us!

Another Ventura indulgence is their many antique and thrift stores. Out of all of the stores there on Main Street, I take sheer joy in visiting my two favorites: Nicholby's and American Home Antiques and Vintage. Nicholby's has been there forever. It's actually an antique mall with countless vendors within. It never ceases to amaze me to walk through the narrow aisles and poke my head into each and every little nook and cranny; you just never know what you'll find there. I can't tell you how many fun and unique gifts I've found there over the years. American Home is also an antique mall with various vendors, albeit on a much smaller scale. As we were walking through yesterday, my ever patient Kevin uttered aloud, 'This is definitely a Ranny store.' No truer words were ever spoken! It never fails - I always find a treasure or two to bring home from this store. Yesterday was no exception. The bathroom of our new house is very vintage 50's; it somewhat small, but very charming. It has a pedestal sink and the original aqua and white tile (in great shape!) in the tub -- plus a small tiled ledge at the end of the tub. That little ledge will be just perfect for a plant or two and lots of candles! To match the theme of the bathroom, I painted our bathroom etagere - which, in it's current state is a dark tan - a soft, creamy white to match the new bathroom. While at American Home yesterday, I found a treasure trove of goodies that will blend with this clean, vintage look very nicely. I can hardly wait to show them to you once we're in our new home!

Our final stop in Ventura was McConnell's ice cream shop. Ohhhhh man! If you're an ice cream lover (and who isn't?!), this is the place for you! Years ago I discovered McConnell's ice cream when Deb and I ran across a scoop shop in Woodland Hills. The ice cream was so delicious, I nearly swooned! Just after the initial discovery, I found a local store that carried this decadent treat in their freezer case. YAHOO! Alas, it was not meant to be -- they stopped carrying the ice cream a short time later and I haven't seen it since ... until yesterday. As we exited the freeway on Main in Ventura and began to drive down the street, the green awning caught our eye. There it was - in big as you please white lettering: McConnell's Fine Ice Cream and Yogurt. We both nearly squealed with delight! Though Kevin had never actually had the pleasure of tasting this amazing treat, countless times I've described it - in great detail - to him. So much so that he could barely contain himself when we found the shop! As we were driving out of town, we made McConnell's our final stop in Ventura. I'll say this: it's been at least nine years since I had the pleasure of enjoying this delicious ice cream; I'm pleased to announce that, enjoying it again yesterday, well - it was worth every moment of the wait!