oh, geez...

i have a soft-spot for hobos (he's actually a table lighter)...

it has been far too long since i have written! things have been crazy here in fog city (i know, it's no excuse) but i'm ready to fire-up this here blog once again...

as most of you know, we had a fire 6 months ago. things worked out just fine, the work is almost complete, but g has opted to keep things private - so i'll just say that it looks beautiful and leave it at that!

i've also taken a fab trip to vietnam (!) - i'll post pics soon - and started a new project for a friend. it's another gorgeous san francisco home - this time late edwardian (as opposed to my VERY victorian one) and BIG. like, it even has a garage. which is a true luxury here in fog city. stay tuned for some news on that front.

anywhoo, today i'm going to start with an easy post...

i took a trip up the california coast (with many stops for wine-tasting) for a weekend of antiquing with the girls. and picked up a few new cuties for the house. check out all of my new boyfriends!

and also for ringmasters (esp. when pose as adorable piggy banks).

and who could resist "clippy" the paper-clip holder? (though he may actually be promoted to toothbrush holder.)

i love old neon signs. this one is made more awesome by the fact that the acrylic has faded to yellow and hot pink - making it OH SO GIRLY. perfect with the pink and orange flowers in my office.

here are a few photos from the trip, in case you're interested...

everything's just perfectly rusted up here. and check out those beautiful california poppies!

lunch at sequoia burger! nomnomnom.

water lilies at j vineyards

the inn in timber cove. so so so great. nothing around for at least 20 miles.

after dinner - toes up by the fire at the inn! (and time for S'MORES!)

what trip is complete without thomas magnum? perfect late late late night viewing (with wine and cheese, of course).

early morning walk along the cove

and a view back towards the hotel from the walking trail

brunch in guerneville. sometimes, in wine country you have to branch out and drink something other than wine. like sparkling wine. with fresh lemonade and mint. mmmmmmmm...

wild lupine on highway one.

i'll tell ya what i want. what i really, really want...

my favorite find of the day: a 1950s china girl bobblehead. she looks like me!

somedays all a girl wants is a nice day in the sun, all to herself. a day filled with shopping, hand-cut french fries, driving too fast on sun-dappled winding roads through ancient redwoods, and a good book on the beach.

well, that's how i spent my saturday and it was GLORIOUS.

i hopped in the car and headed over the golden gate bridge (for those of you not from here, no, i never do get tired of seeing it!) and up towards sonoma.

first stop was vintage bank antiques in petaluma, an old gold mine boom town. this place is AMAZING. a decomissioned bank filled with antiques top-to-toe. you can even walk through the old vaults.

i could have spent hours here, but i was itching to head a bit further north on the gravenstein highway (yup, we gots the apples!) to sebastopol, another ag and gold mine boom town just a few miles up the road.

first stop is always llano house. it's beautiful little cottage and barn filled with depression glass treasures and great vintage chairs.
no luck for me though so i headed to my favorite, ray's trading and salvage.
ray's is filled to the brim with vintage cast iron goodies and salvaged doors (which i plan to acquire a dozen of when i am ready to restore all of the doorways in my house). in his yard i found these lovelies, which came home with me.
click the photo to look closer - don't you love the *mustachioed lions' heads* in the centers?!

they will soon become a loveseat-sized park bench in my backyard - for lovers (in the victorian sense - get your mind out of the gutter!) to canoodle on when we have backyard parties.

with that success under my belt, i happily headed to fft and found a pair of these! *swoon*

if you've seen photos of the house exterior, you know it is DROP DEAD GORGEOUS. however, someone did a runner with our original doors. i'm thinking this pair might be the perfect replacement. what do you think?

then i headed to the big-daddy of sebastopol antiques, the antique society. i got lucky again and found a pair of embossed thonet-style chairs...
a great bottle opener to mount to the wall in the backyard...

well, this just about sums my style up in one picture, doesn't it?!

and a pretty little gilded bud vase for the guest room.
after all of that, i was famished and hit sequoia burger, a little mom-and-pop burger stand, for one of my all-time favorite burgers (and a SMALL side of their hand-cut cajuns).
fortified, i hit the bohemian highway (yes, that name is FOR REAL)...
and ended up here...
on the beach in monte rio. and i (finally) read water for elephants, cover-to-cover.
it was a GREAT day. just what i wanted.

how do i love thee? (a poster to swoon over.)

valentine's day is fast approaching and it really does seem that love is in the air. i just attended the (spectacular) wedding of two wonderful friends, john and sandra, and *so many* other friends seem to be in love and getting married this year.

it's all so lovely and heart-warming! (sweet lord, is my little black heart swelling à la the grinch - my favorite cartoon hero/ villian?)

speaking of love, i have fallen head-over-heels for this lovely poster.

i found it at a small gallery here in san francisco, artzone 461, during their "six centuries of printmaking" exhibition. i walked in to the gallery and my eye was immediately drawn to this piece - it is so vibrant and quirky and fun!

while little is known about the piece (likely late 50s, early 60s, show produced in amsterdam) steven, the gallery's director, explained that the piece comes from his late uncle's collection - an eccentric with and exceptional eye and a love of purple.

i'm excited to get it framed and use it to anchor the art wall in my living room. any suggestions on framing? i think i know what i'd like to do but i'd love to hear some of your creative suggestions.

curious and curiouser.

i love a good oddity. and i heart a great curiousity. to that end, i have enlisted some of my best friends to make the occasional trip to antiques fairs, auctions and the fantastic shops here in san francisco to scavenge with me.

i haven't posted on these trips lately, so here are a few of my recent treasures. fun, huh?

early 1900s chandelier for the entryway, found hanging in a local barn. needs a good scrub first.

vintage kit cat clock with rhinestones. sadly his tail is missing, but he looks great on the mantle.

ezra brooks kentucky bourbon bottle from the late 1960s. a great little ode to my hometown.

this is so awesome. the color makes me feel all *squeeeee* inside.

a lovely clock for the guest room. the rosy copper color is so fab.

i just thought that this was beautiful.

a vintage french ash tray for friends who like to light up.

white glass bud vases (for 75 cents each!). great as candlesticks.

a chunk of amethyst - my birthshone and, apparently, a cure for drunkenness.

a gorgeous vintage shift in sparkly champagne - only 7 bucks!

and a stunning calathea from my new favorite store, paxton gate. words cannot do justice to how weird and wonderful this place is - just take a look at these photos!

hope you're feeling as inspired as i am by these fun little items. now get out there and find some of your own!

here are some of my favorite places, in case you'd like to check them out for yourself...

valencia corridor:

Tradesmen
Neighborhood: Mission
311 Valencia Street (at 14th St)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tradesmen-san-francisco

Accident & Artifact
Neighborhood: Mission
381 Valencia St (at 15th St)
http://www.accidentandartifact.com/

Farnsworth
Neighborhood: Mission
393 Valencia St (at 15th St)
http://www.farnsworth.1stdibs.com/store/furniture_search.php?FRID=aGrFY5lok5qW

Monument
Neighborhood: Mission
572 Valencia St (between 16th St & 17th St)
http://www.monument.1stdibs.com/store/furniture_search.php?FRID=Z2qTYWZkkZaY

Harrington Galleries
Neighborhood: Mission
599 Valencia St (between 16th St & 17th St)
http://www.harringtongalleries.com/

The Apartment
Neighborhood: Mission
3469 18th St (between Lexington St & Valencia St)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-apartment-san-francisco

Paxton Gate
Neighborhood: Mission
824 Valencia St (between 19th St & Cunningham Pl)
http://www.paxtongate.com/default.aspx

The Curiosity Shoppe
Neighborhood: Mission
855 Valencia St (between 20th St & Cunningham Pl)
http://www.curiosityshoppeonline.com/

X21 Modern - now gone, but you may be able to purchase some of their amazing things on 1stdibs.com
Neighborhood: Mission
890 Valencia St (between 20th St & Cunningham Pl)
http://www.x21modern.com/

Room 4
Neighborhood: Mission
904 Valencia St (between 20th St & Liberty St)
http://room4.com/

Gypsy Honeymoon
Neighborhood: Mission
3599 24th St (between Guerrero St & San Jose Ave)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/gypsy-honeymoon-san-francisco

Painted Bird
Neighborhood: Mission
1201A Guerrero St (between 24th St & 25th St)
AS OF 1/29: 1360 Valencia Street (btwn 24th and 25th)
http://paintedbird.org/

other spots around the city:

The Perish Trust
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPA
728 Divisadero St (between Fulton St & Grove St)
http://www.theperishtrust.com/

Mickey's Monkey
Neighborhood: Lower Haight
218 Pierce St (between Haight St & Page St)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mickeys-monkey-san-francisco

Found
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
1842 Union St, 2nd Fl (between Laguna St & Octavia St)
http://www.foundsanfrancisco.com/

Past Perfect
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
2230 Union St (between Fillmore St & Steiner St)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/past-perfect-san-francisco

San Francisco Antique & Design Mall
701 Bayshore Blvd
http://www.sfantique.com/

up and away! alameda, oakland and sebastopol:

Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Faire
Once a month and full of treasures!
Runway 7/25 Alameda Point
Alameda, CA
http://www.antiquesbythebay.net/

Clars Estate Auction
Another once-monthly event. Easy to get lucky here. ;)
5644 Telegraph Avenue
Oakland, CA
http://www.clars.com/

and there are plenty of others on gravenstein highway but these are my favorites...

Antique Society
Specialty: A HUGE multidealer co-op, everything under the sun!
2661 Gravenstein Highway South
Sebastopol, CA
http://www.antiquesociety.com

FFT Antiques
Specialty: Antiques and salvage - and all proceeds go to a wonderful cause.
2701 Gravenstein Highway South
Sebastopol, CA
http://fftfoodbank.org/support-us/fft-antiques/

Ray's Trading Company
Specialty: Antiques, salvage, old tubs, doors, and windows. Fantastic prices.
3570 Gravenstein Highway South
Sebastopol, CA
http://www.winecountrychic.com/2009/04/shopping-for-antiques-along-antique-row.html

Llano House
4353 Gravenstein Highway South
Sebastopol, CA
http://www.winecountrychic.com/2009/04/shopping-for-antiques-along-antique-row.html

what to do? what to do?

here's another item i have inherited over the years. it's the only "big girl" rug i own (the rest, while nice, are from ikea).

it's been rolled up in a corner for about 7 years and, now that i have a dining room, it's time to trot this puppy out.

anyone have any ideas on what to do for decorating with this thing? i think the walls will be light gray and i have a duncan phyfe table that will sit on top of it, but i need chair and curtain ideas.

want to keep it eclectic and fun. and slightly o.t.t. (or "over the top", for those of you who do not know me personally...)

help!

seriously, who goes "antiquing"?

antique hands from ray's trading co. for my favorite rings from forever 21

and what kind of person uses "antique" as a verb?

well, at the ripe ol' age of, um, 30-something - i do! it's been fun planning for this new house because i have always wanted a home where people just wander about gaping at all of the cool ephemera and artwork.

to that end, i have taken to attending estate auctions, antique faires and making trips up to sebastopol for all of the great "vintage" shops up there.

here are a few of my recent finds... stay turned for more!

the prettiest lamp in the world - from one of the stalls at the sebastopol antiques collective

i got this for 20 bucks at the monthly clars auction house auction! can you believe it?

seriously, how cute is this?! found it at ray's trading co.

family tradition!

remember that old song by hank williams jr.? i sure do. here it is if you've forgotten...



so, here are a few things that i have inherited from the family to decorate the house with.

the fact that this is appearing on my blog, and in my home, will give my mother something to gloat about for years. wise as she is, she has always maintained that "everything comes back around" in fashion and decor. to my horror, jelly gladiator sandals have indeed re-appeared. however, so has the groovy baroque, hollywood regency vibe that is RIGHT UP MY ALLEY.

i told my mom, for YEARS, to throw this mirror out. "it's hideous" i said. "who would ever want that?!" i cringed.

flash forward to me sheepishly asking, "so, mom, you know that mirror..." she chuckled and said "of course you can have it. i told you so."

people, remember: your mom is ALWAYS RIGHT. (happy, mom? i love you!)

my grandmother's fold-out sewing machine. isn't it gorgeous? and it still works!

and my grandparents' nightstands. i may do these in black laquer, so the lines stand out a bit better. stay tuned on that one...