What could be better than Bob Saget? full house Vancouver, not San Francisco

As much as I would have loved to visit the true Full House again, this time I visited a Full House of Mid-Century Modern Furniture! This store was like no other I had visited before. Wall to wall, floor to ceiling MCM furniture all in gorgeous condition. I already have a plan for how I can get these pieces back to the states, but in the meantime I will just have to use my imagination. 

magic bullet.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of returning to one of my favorite vintage stores, Out of Vogue, in Fullerton, Ca. The owner kept thanking me for the way I looked at his store, thoroughly investigating ever corner.  I returned with this treasure, a 1960's bullet desk lamp.

hair. not the musical.

My obsession with 60's hair continues. In particular francoise hardy. 

Love this style with the eye make-up.

why i?

It appears as though this diner (Pine Cone Diner) has a set of my dining room table chairs. This makes me smile.

mid-century dining...no regrets.

I have been wanting a Formica dining table for years now. Ever since I saw a light yellow set, for only $225 at Out of Vogue, one of my favorite vintage stores in Fullerton, Ca. I didn't have the cash to buy it that day and have always regretted it. Fast forward 3 years, I am visiting my dad in Washington and as we are doing dishes we start discussing vintage Tupperware. The thought of Tupperware prompted him to say "You should have seen the old table Cindy (his renter) had for sale." Upon further discussion I found out it was yet another yellow Forminca table. I went to find Cindy immediately. Turns out the table has always been in her family. It was the family dining table in 1949. She kept it as an adult and had the chairs reupholstered. I asked her how much she wanted for it. She was so ecstatic that I wanted it so badly and would give it a good home she said $100. The table and chairs made their way south to my kitchen. It fits perfectly and I am in love.

vintage los angeles

Canter's Deli: world famous, pretty delicious and the light fixtures speak for themselves!

http://www.cantersdeli.com/

there are no words | the 60's dress, wedding, and so much more

I don't know why I ever pretended like there were any other dresses out there more appropriate than the two options I'd posted already. And perfect they were. In fact, the entire day was perfect. For the ceremony I wore the newly altered flower dress (pictured here along side a '69 hemi orange plymouth road runner). I wanted to transform into a preppy 60's housewife.

My favorite reaction was the bride seeing me for the first time after the ceremony and yelling "oh my god" with the biggest smile on her face. Speaking of the bride, she wore a vintage beaded gown from the 60's that her mother wore at her wedding.

Both the wedding and reception were held at the Automobile Driving Museum. This was the first time they ever let a couple get married on the floor of the museum. The Beatles theme carried into the ceremony where friends and family performed Beatles songs with a live band. For this I changed into my mod look.Oh, and I had to bring my own vintage champagne glass to complete my looks.

Everyone in attendance was dressed entirely 60's. The wedding party wore specially tailored Beatles coats. I performed during the money dance. You can see everyone dressed up in this video.

And then there was the rehearsal dinner. My gift to my favorite couple was Sgt. Peppers inspired cupcakes.

my quest for the perfect 60's dress | part 2

I spent many nights this week of trying on various dresses, one casualty (r.i.p. garment rack that will never see it's full potential), and one jaw dropping trip to the alteration shop. Upon entering the shop I was greeted by this baby blue pfaff sewing machine. 

Alberto let me look through the drawers and I found the cutest package of green vintage buttons. I will ask him if I can purchase them when I go back to pick up my dress. So yes, the dress. I took my baby in to make her fit better. I knew I had to take her somewhere special but I had no idea it would cost me $48 to have three inches taken out in the waist! Would it have been cheaper to have two ribs removed? I can't wait to pick it up on Wednesday to see what it feels like to be able to zip it all the way up for the first time.

Make-up inspiration:

to be continued...

my quest for the perfect 60's dress | part one

It's not often that I have occasion to dress in complete 1960's attire, however, the month of April has gifted me he most splendid occasion of them all. Two of my dear friends, Dennis and Annette, are getting married on April 10th. They've decided the wedding will be a 60's Beatles theme, requesting that everyone in attendance dress accordingly.  Naturally this begins my quest for the perfect 60's dress...or two. There will be many other decisions: hair, makeup, shoes...but all will revolve around the dress!

option one: Ben Sherman "Elm" in black. Mod, buttons remind me of Sgt. Peppers jackets.

Inspiration:

a curtain post

Often times I see something I have to have even when I have no use for them at the time. This was the case when I found this adorable pair of curtains a couple of years ago. I knew someday I would have a kitchen or breakfast knook to hang them in. Last April, while apartment hunting, I walked into this tiny bungalow kitchen and saw a window just begging for my curtains. A lease was signed, the heavens parted, and every time I enter my kitchen I am greeted by these lovely little apples.

Later, in the same bungalow, another window called for some curtains. I found this pair - Alexander Girard vintage reproduction of his 1961 "flores" print, that originally appeared on wallpaper.  (purchased at urban outfitters)

gifts that fit

My dear friend just returned from a four month vacation. He visited Iceland, Paris, Rome, Germany, Amsterdam, NYC and finally, Ohio. Yes, Ohio. I had no expectation of receiving gifts upon his return. Not only were they special gifts but they were a complete surprise. Nothing is better than the gift of thoughtfulness and I could tell that these gifts were picked out just for me. The first was a trivet, not vintage, but it goes so well with everything in my house and I'm starting to notice a red theme. It's straight from Sweden and oddly enough I had just been thinking about needing something to use for hot plates.

Second was this melamine plate, not vintage, but the print is so 70's inspired and I love it! Also, from Sweden.

My favorite was this handmade notebook. It came from a flea market in Brooklyn (a trip I was supposed to be on) and is made (http://www.etsy.com/shop/anotherworkinprogres) from an old "Snoopy Card Game". It has extra special meaning since my cat, pictured here, is named after the cat of the Peanuts character Frieda (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frieda).

dress monday | 70's edition

For my second Dress Monday I decided to wear this vintage dress I picked up quite a while ago at a thrift store in Venice, Ca. for $10. It needed some slight alterations. Actually, I removed the sleeves entirely. They were these weird wing-like things that had to go. It's now a simple tank style, worn here with one of my favorite, very old,  cable knit cardigans.

new year, new dresses

I’m not one to make a New Year’s resolution but this year I thought, “Why not give it a try?” It’s not to lose 10 pounds or eat a healthier diet. “So what is it?” you say.


It’s called Dress Monday. I wish I could call it Shift Dress Monday, or Vintage Dress Monday, but I don’t have enough shift dresses to carry this out, so Dress Monday will have to do.  Tomorrow is my first day back at work in the New Year and I will be wearing this adorable little shift I picked up for $5 at my favorite John Muir Flea Market. I had to do a two second zipper fix and it’s ready for Monday.

I’ve been off work for over a week and it’s given me time to daydream about dresses I would like to wear. Like this one:

Or this one:

Or these:

 Or these!:

oh desk, please find your way to me

Remove the chair, the stuff on the floor and you have the perfect desk. It looks brilliant with the turqoiuse-y blue wall paint too!

my vintage new year

When I was shopping at The SPCA Benefit Shop in Carmel, Ca (http://www.spcamc.org/benefit.htm) I immediately fell in love with these dainty little glasses. Their etching reminded me of 50's/60's logos and backgrounds. They were only .50 each and I figured the lonely smaller glass would make a cute vessel for a dessert someday. New Years Eve was the perfect occasion to use the champagne glasses. It just tastes better this way and you're forced to hold your glass high as they did back then.

hometown thrifting pt. one | following the yellow brick road

As promised, on my trip back to my hometown of Carmel, Ca., I visited The Yellow Brick Road Benefit Shop. This has long been my favorite place to thrift. It has been many years since I have been back and I had mixed emotions. I don't know if it's inflation or popularity, but the prices have increased dramatically. I'm not quite sure what they "benefit" and I am always happy to contribute to a good cause but $20 for a used cookbook, even a Martha Stewart cookbook, is just to steep for me. On the other hand, I was able to find a few treasures. Pictured above, a set of laminated orange flower coasters in box from Japan (I'm guessing fromm the 60's by the print)($5). Orange is one of my favorite colors and the set goes nicely with the rest of my things.
Three very old classic books (Dickens, Vanity Fair, Sense & Sensibility), 1/2 price at $3 each. A wooden Kokeshi doll, from Japan ($4).
A Pyrex serving dish from the 60's with this adorable green flower print. It must have been made to separate the frozen peas from the frozen carrots! ($5)

thank you john muir

You've done it again. Okay, this time I wasn't blown away but there were a couple of finds. This is a view of the market:
One of the first things I saw was this pair of "Street King Derby Skates". I can't imagine rolling around on those metal wheels. They must have been really old. I am surprised I did not buy them. I didn't even ask how much they were. I just admired them and took this photo.
I did buy a shift dress. I did not die over it, but for $5 I thought it would be a nice addition to my dress collection. I also purchased some items for my sister's birthday but if I post them she will see. Look for an update after Christmas.

Next week is looking promising. I will be traveling north to my home town of Carmel. Some of my favorite thrift stores there like "The Yellow Brick Road Benefit Shop". Many years ago I found this Raleigh Space Rider for $10. I am hoping to come back with a lot to write about.

six owls

I imagine there will be many times when I post about owls. Besides books, clothes, shoes, and records they are the one thing I can never have too many of. Here are a few of my favorite:


Ice pick holder. Purchased for $10 (http://www.johnmuirptafair.org/). Fully functional, just need an ice pick (or do I?).


Wooden postcard. A gift (purchased at http://www.johnmuirptafair.org/)
A little wooden laminated owl from Mexico. Purchased for .99 at a thrift store in Santa Monica.

A small ceramic owl pitcher/vase and a tiny dish. Neither are old but I love them just the same. Purchased at Urban Outfitters.

An owl candle that will never be lit. A gift and a perfect book end.

I am missing one of my favorite owls. A small wooden danish figure I picked up at an expensive french 50's/60's mid-century antique store in Venice, Ca. (http://www.french50s60s.com/) I'll find him soon.