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.

t-minus 2 days!

my baby!

well, i've been promising to unveil my master bedroom for months now. you've listened, patiently, to my litany of excuses - but the hour is ALMOST upon us!

so, yes, i am one of those insane fools that purchased the much-blogged-about ship chandelier. it has been languishing in a corner in my bedroom for ages, giving me the sad-eyes the entire time.

*skies open up* well, i have finally found a new contractor (that i hope will not disappoint me like the last) and he's scheduled to hang this lovely ship in my master bedroom on thursday afternoon (while i slave over 200 cupcakes for my dear friends', sandra and john, wedding on friday).

and, yes, i know that it's simple to hang a light fixture but i am REALLY VERY klutzy. so, if it involves potential electrocution, i say "pass, thanks!"

while he's at it, he'll also hang this beauty (the gold one, not the kit-cat) in my office, though i still have a LOT to do in there, so that reveal will take some time...

are you excited? i'm excited! like, head about to explode excited - seriously! OR "omg! martha's being released from jail and i can finally worship my domesticity goddess again" excited!

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

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.

word of the day: titivate

something fun for the family room

*giggle* i love dictionary.com's "word of the day" email and found october the 8th's entry very relevant.

titivate \TIT-uh-vayt\ , transitive and intransitive verb:
1. To make decorative additions to; spruce.

intransitive verb:
1. To make oneself smart or spruce.

It's easy to laugh at a book in which the heroine's husband says to her, "You look beautiful," and then adds, "So stop titivating yourself."
-- Joyce Cohen, review of To Be the Best, by Barbara Taylor Bradford, New York Times, July 31, 1988

now that the floors are done, and lots of the painting complete, i can start to "titivate" the house with the fun stuff i have been hording at my apartment!

here are a few of the items i am starting with. what do you think?

a new chandelier for the family room (marked down from $1,349 to $189 at lamps plus - whoopee)!

a pair of over-sized faux bamboo chairs from pier 1 - for settin' a while (originally $179 each and a steal at $89 a piece!)

it's true. I WILL.

and one for the roomie, gina. because she is, indeed, a BAD ASS.

damn you, ikea! *shakes fist*

damn you, that is, for having such utterly charming things at such low prices that i think i can afford something like 2000 hours of labor to furnish my home!

in all seriousness, though, i believe that good design should be available at any price range. and along those lines, i also believe, that if with good vision or proper guidance, you can make a lovely home from places like ikea, target, cost plus and pier 1 (not to mention that almost my entire wardrobe is from forever 21).

so, while my dad was in town, off to ikea we went with my pre-printed shopping list. we bought about *5000 pounds* of furniture; here's a look at some of the pieces i chose.

next week i'll show you where it all went with some pretty amazing before and sort-of-after shots of the house.

a four-poster bed (edland)!

a couple of nice dressers, also edland line, 5-drawer and 2-drawer.
(these came with AWFUL pulls, so i swapped them out with some knobs that i picked up at anthropologie - appropriately labeled "diamond gal" - that i loved for their sparkle and organic feel)

a sideboard (trollsta) to use as a tv stand and a great b/w rug (stockholm rand)

and a fantastic stainless steel topped desk (vika) with a matching rug (alvine rand)

and 3 billy bookshelves waiting to be assembled *sigh*

this was an incredibly productive shopping spree - all for well under $2000.

aren't you curious how i put it all together...?