high on thrifting {pt. 4}

Posted on | October 27, 2010 | 21 Comments

i should have named the store High on Thrifting, huh? then i could shorten it to HOT and yeah, what was i thinking with Opal?

anyways, here are a few of my latest finds that i bought for myself. seriously you guys, the hardest part of building this shop is the fact that i want to keep EVERYTHING i find for it. that is the problem with doing something like this that you love. if you end up buying anything from the shop, you can be sure i went back and forth in my head about why i NEED to keep it and most likely, i will have kissed it goodbye (literally) before shipping it off to you.

first up, this mirror i found. it was gold when i found it:

i found a pretty pale turquoise paint, taped up the mirror part and went to town with a sponge brush (much easier to get in the intricate little spots of something like this, just fyi) and 3 coats later, ta da!

i am completely in love with it. and since i hung it in the entryway where my Modern Bird piece was, the MB needed a new home in just as visible a spot:

on the living room shelves. doesn’t it look great there? i love it. the owl family? all different thrift finds. same with the little bundle of vases. i love mixing vintage pieces with modern things. it makes my face happy.

remember last time i told you guys i was going to make a plate collage? it’s up! i found enough plates to make a giant one, but i’ve started with just 6 plates and will add to it or change it around as my mood changes. i got the coolest ever plate hangers from Dischangers and they adhere to the back of the plates so you can’t see anything. highly recommend.

so there you have it – my latest projects. tell me about yours! what have you found or created lately?

good day.

Posted on | October 26, 2010 | 44 Comments

this is the last week that my baby will be one. i find myself carrying her everywhere, even though she can walk, squeezing her just a bit harder and being more (maybe too) forgiving of her tantrums and mind numbing displays of her toddlerhood. i just can’t believe it’s been two years. i just can’t.

yesterday was one of those days where everything is really good, the terrible twos stayed at bay and we just had an amazing day together. some days are the worst – out of the blue screaming, tantrums over seriously nothing, and the day ends with me itching for bed time – mine and hers – in hopes of waking up the next day with my kid back. yesterday was one of those days. she was back.

i was downstairs with my morning coffee when i heard her in her room, ready to get up. “mommy? mommy!”. i opened the door to a smiling little monster, who willingly kissed me and said “love you mommy. i’m hungry.” down to breakfast we went. “pancakes?” she asked. sure kiddo.

she giggled as i spread peanut butter on each mini pancake and placed raisins in the form of eyes and a smile. i drank my coffee, she ate her breakfast. we talked about mickey, we sang the abc’s, we laughed at the puppies (“stegga and yuyu”) running around. she didn’t throw any food on the ground and she didn’t throw a fit when i cleaned her up.

it was time to get dressed. “do you want to read a book while we get ready?” i asked. “sure mommy” (seriously – “sure” is her new word, she uses it instead of yes and it’s precious). i give her a book and she tells me all about it while we get her a new diaper, jeans and a top on. no fussing or fighting me. she picks out her shoes and a hairclip (or a pretty, as she calls them) and she lets me brush her hair into a ponytail without screaming as though i am murdering her.

we head into my room and she plays with some toys and dances in the mirror while i get dressed and ready to go in public (you’re welcome, public). it’s time to go to the grocery store, something we usually always do as a family on sundays, but on sunday i wasn’t feeling well so it didn’t happen. it’s POURING down rain outside, but we have to go. it’s just not an option, according to my pantry and fridge. i bundle us up and we head out.

the second we pull into the parking lot, she falls asleep. crap. waking a sleeping toddler is never a good idea, and now it’s hailing. i mean coming down like a mothertrucker. she snoozes. i send Mae a picture message of the hail. i consider going home, but there are groceries inside, and a starbucks and i need a chai. minutes later we get a break and i hop out of the car, run around to the back and take a sleeping nugget out, bracing myself for the storm (the toddler, not the weather). instead of waking up screaming, she opens her eyes, points and yells “punkins!” with a huge smile on her face.

we head straight for the coffee line. i order a chai for me and a mini vanilla scone for us to share. you’d have thought i bought her a pony. “mommy, it’s gooood! yummm”. we take our time shopping, she never asks to get out of the cart, and she charms the socks off every person we pass. even though it is monsooning as we run back out to the car, and i curse in my head over getting soaking wet, she throws her hands up in the air and yells “RAIN! it’s wet!”. and i smile, because it is.

at home, she helps me put the groceries away. “woah, peanut butter HEABY, mommy”. “yes, the peanut butter is heavy kiddo”. she has a string cheese, with no help from me. she eats lunch with no fits, no food wasted and asks to go night night. as i tuck her in for her nap she says, “bye bye mommy. love you”. “i love you, honey”.

with the exception of the usual early evening whining (i don’t think we could ever have a day without those, even on such a perfect day such as this one), the day is perfect. one of those days you don’t expect. we didn’t do anything spectacular, but the day was spectacular.

i marveled at the little human we created and have raised for 2 years. how bright she is, how polite, how caring she is of others (“uh-oh! baby crying, mommy” in the grocery store) and what a fun and hilarious little human she is becoming. i felt genuinely proud of myself for helping make her this way, becoming the mom i wasn’t sure i’d ever become, and unbelievably grateful that i was chosen to be her mama.

this week is kinda sad, as we wave goodbye to one and hello to two. but i can’t be too bummed, because look at what i have. perfect days with my little lady.

Introducing…Opal.

Posted on | October 25, 2010 | 70 Comments

so we all know i love thrifting. i talk about it all the time, blog about my finds, tell you all about how often i go and how it makes me high as a kite without the tooth loss or weird hallucinations. how looking through piles and shelves of someone elses junk makes me feel like i’m hunting for treasures (arrrgh) and insanely happy.

and after countless comments from you guys about my thrifting, and telling Scot about how you think my style is fun, how you wish i could shop for you and how even though you try to go find the goods, the goods just don’t seem to be around you – i’ve decided (well we’ve decided, my husband is a huge part of this) that i will shop for you. maybe i can’t come to you and maybe we can’t go shopping together and then go get a sandwich and some iced tea and gossip (that is what we would do right? right), but i can open an online shop of vintage and gently used goodies. right? oh. heck. YES.

i can and i AM.

i am so stoked (out of my everloving mind) to tell you guys about my new online shop, Opal. we will officially launch November 8th with a store full of amazingness – kitchen wares, womens accessories, kitschy decor, kids vintage finds, etcetera etcetera etcetera! i’ve been out collecting amazeballs finds to pass along to you. everything in the store will be high quality, but preowned. which means affordable. Opal will have all kinds of goodies at all kinds of prices for all kinds of budgets. some pieces will even be redesigned by me, painted or otherwise altered to make it even better.

are you excited yet? because i think i need to go change my (jammie) pants just typing this out. i am thrilled. ecstatic. nervous. but mostly jumping out of my skin STOKED.

if you’re excited, you have my Scot to thank. after i kept saying i wish i could shop for my job, start a store, do something with my creative overflow (as if 2 blogs weren’t enough?) time after time, he finally said “you need to just do it”.  he has been my cheerleader while this thing has taken shape, and i can’t thank him enough. i did give him a bunch of fancy titles though, like “Chief Financial Officer”, “Investor”, “Head Mail Room Coordinator” and such.

me? i’m “Buyer”, “CEO” and “Head of Photography”. yeah, it’s legit around here.

as i’m closing in on 30, i have finally reached a point in my life where i feel comfortable trying things i think will work. years ago, i’d have never given my ideas a shot. i was too scared of failure. these days, i feel the worse that can happen is it doesn’t work, and that is a small price to say i gave it a go. and if my plans succeed? even better. life is just too short to sit in the corner wishing you were doing what you enjoy, you know?

so! mark your calendars for November 8th. don’t worry, i will direct you where you need to go then, but for now, if you’d like to get a head start, feel free to like Opal on the facebook and follow Opal on the Twitter (where each new item will be tweeted as it arrives in the shop).

as usual, thank you kind readers friends and family for your continued support and kind words. it means more to me than you may ever know. now get your shopping shoes on, and see you over at Opal on November 8th!

Meet Our Sponsor – 25 Design {GIVEAWAY!}

Posted on | October 25, 2010 | 110 Comments

this giveaway is now closed! the winner was jessica. thanks to everyone for entering!

i’m excited to introduce to you one of our new sponsors, 25 Design, who offers fun and fresh necklaces, headbands, bracelets, rings and clips.

everything in the shop is made in fun colors and whimsical and versatile designs. i adore the cuffs and think i need one of each. i love that the headbands can put the finishing touch on a pretty dress or sweeten up a tshirt and jeans (i always throw a headband on if i’m feeling blah about an outfit). i was lucky enough to get this pretty yellow rosette necklace from the shop and i LOVE it.

isn’t it lovely? i really adore it, and am thinking of wearing it for Harper’s birthday party. or you know, every day. because yellow makes everything better.

guess what’s neat? Torie (the shop owner and creator of all things lovely within it!) is giving one of you, my wonderful and faithful readers, a pick at anything in the 25 Design shop! yep, your choice. necklace? sure. headband? yes. pair of cute bobbypins? uh huh. all you need to do to enter to win is leave a comment here on what your favorite thing is from 25 Design. ta da! easy peasy.

i will draw a winner at random this friday the 29th, so get your entries in by midnight PST on thursday the 28th. good luck!

i was provided a necklace from 25 Design as a gift and at no cost to me. all opinions with in are my own and no compensation was received for this post.