Such Pretty Things

Long Beach Antique Market

California has some wonderful antique and flea markets.  I have been known to plan my visits to coincide with them - which isn't always easy since some are only held once a month! The Long Beach Antique Market is a favorite of mine, so I was sure to make a stop there on my recent visit to CA.

As always, I searched out the prettiest, shabbiest booths first...

How lovely are the porcelain flowers on this velvet box?

A romantic crystal chandelier dripping with beads.

A pile of pretty pillows made from vintage fabrics. 

I loved this old oil painting of link roses.  Too bad it wouldn't fit in my carry-on luggage!

Wonderful vintage soda bottles with great graphics.  

I though this little vignette was so sweet.

Tons of vintage wedding cake toppers.

A beautiful antique camisole in the prettiest shade of blue.

Long Beach is a terrific place to find crinolines and petticoats.

In every color imaginable and at very reasonable prices.

There were lots of vintage hats covered with millinery flowers.

Some fun floral tacks and enamel flower pins.

A very cool antique, aqua stove.

The Long Beach Antique Market is held on the third Sunday of each month, so if you plan to be in or around L.A., it is most definitely worth a stop!

:-)

Jessica

Truly Bountiful

One of my favorite shops to visit while in L.A. is Bountiful in Venice.  If you love romantic, shabby decor, then Sue Balmforth's gorgeous store will literally make you weak in the knees.

Many years ago, when I originally discovered Bountiful, it was at the height of Shabby Chic's popularity and the shop was filled to the rafters with beautiful shabby antiques. The prices were always on the steep side, but Sue had an incredible eye for finding just the prettiest things. Today, the shop has shifted it's focus a bit - more gift items like soaps and fragrances, but there are still many lovely antiques displayed throughout the shop.

This glass cabinet, lined with wallpaper and stacked with floral dishes, is just fabulous!

I will soooo be trying to replicate this look in my own home!

These tole trays were so pretty. 

These pastel ones are getting harder and harder to find.

This old, chippy phone was so cool and such a great pale blue color!

Can you believe this collection of pedestal cake plates???

Unbelievable!

And this set of French chairs was TDF!

Bountiful has some of the most incredible chandeliers, too.

This one was HUGE!

There was a time (not so long ago) when vintage barkcloth pillows like these were selling for upwards of $200 and $300!  These were part of the sidewalk sale...

The shop has glass apothecary jars filled with shells on every surface.

Very nice for that shabby, beachy look...and very appropriate for the shops' Venice location.

A wonderful wall display of jewelry and candles.

Look at these pretty soaps...

I love the packaging!

And some more pastel candles in the prettiest shades.

I apologize for posting so many photos, but Bountiful is truly "bountiful" and I wanted to share every little bit of it with you.

:-)

Bountiful

1335 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice, CA 90291-3739
(310) 450-3620

www.bountifulhome.com

Shabby Chic: A Sign?

Well, I'm finally back!  We had a fabulous trip to CA. I covered a lot of ground - from L.A. to Cost Mesa to Newport Beach to San Diego. I made it to flea markets, antique shops, cupcake bakeries, flower markets, museums, and lots of incredible shops.  And I have so many things to share that I almost don't know where to begin.  

But, I guess I will start with one of my first loves...Shabby Chic.  As I mentioned in my last post, Shabby Chic was always one of my most favorite places to shop when I went to L.A. and I have been VERY disappointed ever since it went out of business.  Nevertheless, I thought it was only fitting that I go by it's original flagship location on Montana Avenue. I wanted to see it.  See what, if anything, was remaining. I didn't really know what to expect.  Would it be replaced by a new store or restaurant? Would it be all boarded up? Torn down?

 

Funny thing though, when I got there - I was completely surprised by what I found. The building was still the same.  The pretty painted  "Shabby Chic" sign was still intact and there were some lights on inside.

And, yes, a peek through the large glass paned windows showed that it was indeed empty.

 

Except, well...not completely empty.  For in each of the front windows, there was a very simple and beautiful, "shabby" vignette.  In one, a french chair and a table with some pretty china plates.

In another, just a simple old dressing screen.

Or some beautiful vintage textiles.

But, it was this window that seemed like a sign to me...

Just a simple arrangement of vintage millinery flowers trailing on the floorboards.

And while I don't know exactly what all these window displays mean, I have to believe they mean something. I am hoping that they are a sign...a sign that Shabby is definitely not gone forever.  Just on a little vacation... and hopefully coming back home very soon.

:-)

Jessica

California, Here We Come...

Well, soon we'll be off again...this time to sunny California.  I am so looking forward to it.  We try to get there once or twice a year and I usually spend several months planning for it. I like to do my research ahead of time and make sure that I'm not missing out on anything good!  I make a VERY long list (O.K., maybe it's more like a short travel guide!) of where I want to go and what I want to see. I am going to miss some of my favorites this year - especially Shabby Chic, which was always the highlight of my trip. :-( Nevertheless, I still have a long "list" of many other great shops and destinations to check out.  So, I'll be back in a bit with the full report...

Happy Weekend!

:-)

Jessica

Pretty Collecting: Vintage Barrettes

As you may have noticed by now, I love hair accessories.  LOVE them!  Here's a few of my favorites from my collection of vintage barrettes and hair ornaments...

These are all quite old - probably from the 1940's.  I am crazy for the soft, pastel colors and delicate blossoms.

So sweet, aren't they.

I love the pretty cards that they originally came on, too.  The illustrations are simply gorgeous.

These silk velvet bows are so lovely.

Can you see the slight variation in the minty green colors?

This pink one is TDF!

What's so funny about these barrettes and bobbies, is that hair accessory "technology" really hasn't changed much over the years.

Have a great day!

:-)

Jessica

Target Tuesday: Tiered Pastry Stand

I am loving this wonderful three-tiered pastry stand that I found at Target.  I love that it is a nice, basic white, so that it will go with all my table settings. It seems very well-made and quite substantial. And it's a pretty good deal at $29.99.  I definitely plan to use it the next time I am serving some sweet treats, but in the meantime, I am going to use it to store some of my millinery flower collection.

I was in a lavender and pink mood...

I think this tiered stand would also make a fabulous floral centerpiece using fresh flowers.  I can just envision it with a myriad of pink roses piled on top of it. Hmmm....I may have to try that sometime very soon.

:-)

Happy Tuesday!

Jessica

Pretty Collecting: Vintage Brooches

I have been collecting vintage pins and brooches ever since I was a very young girl.  My father would always take me along with him to yard sales and antique shows and I would immediately head straight for the tables covered with a jumble of sparkly rhinestones.

Back then, people couldn't seem to get rid of these things fast enough.  I bought many a gorgeous vintage brooch (in mint condition!) for about 25 cents! 

These are just a few from my collection.  Several of them are actually new reproductions, but I just liked how they looked mixed in with the vintage ones. :-)

This vintage beauty is one of my most favorites.

This one, too...

Even today, whenever I walk into an antique show and see a display of colorful rhinestone jewelry, my heart beats a little faster.  Too bad 25 cents just doesn't get you what it used to!  

Target Tuesday: Mini Photo Albums

I found these cute little photo albums at Target last week.

They are just your typical mini album designed to hold 4" x 6" photos, but at $2 a piece they seemed like the perfect item for a little embellishing.  And you know how much I love to embellish!

You probably have a pile of scraps that look something like this.

I have boxes and boxes filled with left-over bits and pieces from previous projects...random millinery flowers, odd lengths of ribbons, and scraps of vintage wallpapers.  I never know what to do with them. They are way too pretty to throw away, but not really useful for larger projects.  So, this seemed like a great opportunity to recycle some of these lovely little bits.

I started by covering my albums with scraps of some of my favorite vintage wallpapers.  I did this much like you would to cover a text book - folding in the edges to make flaps. I then attached some lengths of ribbon to the inside covers, so that I could close the albums with a pretty bow.

Then I just started embellishing.

The finished product.

I think these will make sweet little gifts...and I can feel good about using up some of my scraps as well!

:-)

Happy Tuesday!

Floral China Bouquets

I got up early yesterday and headed out to the flower market again.  Everything here is very, very green these days, but the flowers are seriously lacking. So, I bought some pale pink roses and lavender Hydrangeas.

This is truly one of my most favorite flower and color combinations.

I like to make one big bouquet first...

...and then lots of little ones.  I love to put these all around the house - especially on bedside tables - so pretty to look at when you first wake up.

I've been collecting these sweet little vintage floral china cups and creamers for years. A tea cup works nicely as well. They are the perfect size for a mini-arrangement.

:-)

Happy Weekend!