Ask For What You Want!

On my run last weekend, I saw a couple moving furniture from inside their house  to the garage. They had a beautiful credenza sitting out there already so of course I stopped to check it out. I asked if they were getting rid of these things and indeed they were! So I low balled them on a couple items and came away with a new shelving unit to house my Etsy store items. I tried to get both the shelving piece and credenza for a ridiculous price but the chick wasn't having it. She said she would rather donate it to the Goodwill than have me pay a low price for it!!! Makes NO sense to me but I guess she wanted to offer it to someone who might need it more than me. Whoever gets that credenza will be stoked with the Goodwill price since they'll sell it for less than I was willing to pay. 

Lesson - there is nothing wrong with asking. The worst they can say is no. Right? Right.

The piece is cream on the outside but inside was navy blue which wasn't working for me. I wanted something light to show everything off. I just finished painting the inside gold and love it even more now. My living room feels so much better now that everything is organized which I needed since I keep buying more stuff. I have the challenge of finally adding them to the shop to keep it organized!!!

The worst part is the taping!!

All of my goodies

I also added this shelf and kitty I got at a garage sale for $5. 

Things I Love Thursday

It's been so long!!!

Tan with sideburns Elvis

Jim Reeves, reminds me of Dinda

Hanging out with my best friend and her family xo

A growing pillow collection

Comparing recipes with Whole Foods

Best day ever!

In December I posted about moving to a new place and being really excited to decorate. Well it's been a lot of fun with all the painting, DIY projects and organizing. But one thing I hadn't done was get a couch. Well now I have one! I found it on Craigslist for only $50 and texted my brother to help me pick it up the next day. Based on the pictures it was perfect. Vintage, floral, long, different-so I was really hoping it would be as good in person....It was better!!! Amazing condition, in the same house for 20-30 years, vibrant fabric and dirt cheap. They were actually getting rid of a love seat as well so I came away with two couches. I let my brother keep the love seat as I didn't need it.

I didn't know what to expect when we were driving to the house but hoped for the best. The home was a large ranch house on a huge lot tucked away in an old neighborhood of north Orange County. Before we saw the couch, the two of us wondered who would be selling it and why. I assumed it was an old couple that passed away and family was trying to sell their belongings. I was right! The house hadn't been lived in for 3 years because grandparents had passed away and now the grandson was selling things off slowly. The couches were amazing while walking through the home, I saw a bunch of other things I wanted. They said they were selling just about everything so we asked if we could look. They said yes so we spent the next TWO HOURS sorting through the entire home. It was like our own private estate sale. Luckily they were very sweet and knew that we were appreciative so it didn't bother them. I looked through every single kitchen cabinet, searched shelf, linen closet, garage, the backyard and more. It was amazing and I scored some great pieces. Pyrex, milk glass, a blender, iron skillets and more. I spent $120 and got about $500 worth of goods. My brother bargained $250 worth of tools and parts.

And what is best is they are starting an organization for pet owners with medical bills for their fur babies. I, of course, told them I would love to volunteer so hopefully I will be able to support them sometime this year.

Vintage sweater, vintae Harley Davidson t-shirt, Forever 21 leggings, Zara booties

After all that "shopping" I stopped into a vegan restaurant Free Soul Cafe near the home. Best desserts!!!!

Once home, I went through all of my new prizes. The day was so great:

finally got a couch

met some new friends

hung out with my brother

scored some great home goods

ate delish vegan food

Things I Love Thursday

It's been SO long. I suck. Here we go for this week:

My new tattoo...eek!

Mung beans (green)

Kitty hair accessories!!!!

Taking treats to my parents

Slow mornings



Homemade Hummus

Leading up to my move, I spent all of my time packing, sorting and organizing my life so it didn't leave much time for the little things I love. This past weekend was the first in a while where I was able to relax and enjoy some downtime! I hiked, checked out a new church and played around in my new kitchen! Hummus is my current snack of choice; it's easy to make, vegan and really good for you. Here is how I whipped it together:

 hand mash chick peas

tahini

(mix a small amount of tahini paste with water first to create a dressing consistency)

lemon juice

olive oil

water

sea salt & pepper

a hand mixer to make it creamier

  

I enjoyed it as an afternoon snack. It is great plain but I added garlic and soy Parmesan to spruce it up. You can also try: pesto, cayenne pepper, ground jalapenos or bell peppers, tomatoes and more. If you experiment with flavors, let me know what you throw in it!

I also made a red velvet cake.....definitely not vegan!

Note all the milk glass...OBSESSED.

10 Things I've Learned in the Last Six Months

I can't believe we are already halfway through 2012 and I have been blogging for six months! I am really surprised when people say they enjoy reading my blog because I feel like I am writing for myself most of the time, and have no clue if anything I post is interesting or not. I do want to thank everyone that does read them regularly and for those who have encouraged me. Since we are nearing the end of June, I thought it would be fun to recap the last six months. I put together a list of things I have discovered about myself and this life change so far:

1. I like collecting things.

Luckily, I also like to purge as much as possible so I haven't become a hoarder. I feel like I need to write a post about my place so readers can see that I don't have piles upon piles of junk from my recent purchases.

2. I like to spend money.

Even when I have nothing to buy I still want to purchase something: clothes, household items, food, anything. It can't be a good thing and without getting political, it really bothers me. I am currently working to curb that desire because I know it's unnecessary.

3. Taking my younger brother's clothes is almost as good and going to a thrift store.

He has such a great style and hits up swap meets regularly. Everything is already worn in, fits fairly well and is normally exactly what I have been looking for at thrift stores. Best of all, its all free! But sometimes I give him cash for things like a leather jacket.

4. I've met some really cool people.

While shopping at garage sales, vintage stores and estate sales I've started up conversations with people. I normally keep to myself but it is so fun to get to know the people I am buying things from. Most of the time they have great stories, items have history and it makes a purchase more meaningful.

5. An eclectic useroo wardrobe is much more fun than following current trends.

Duh! Who wants to buy a dress from Nordstrom when I can wear one from the 60's? I recently sifted through my old clothes tried to pull out as many items as I could to get rid of them. I have come to the realization that my body was made for everything high-waisted. Clothes today don't work as well for me.

6. Some purchases take more research and time but it's worth it.

Such as my mixer. I was so excited to find the one I did and it was a great purchase. I knew this challenge would make things more difficult but I find what I need fairly easily without heading to Target or Walmart (barf bag).

7. Donations are welcome.

Before 2012, I never would have accepted the number of hand me downs that I have recently but it has been a humbling experience. Since people know what I am doing, they offer me something before donating it elsewhere which is very thoughtful. Of course if I can't use it, I don't take it so someone else can.

8. I love Etsy.

They have two categories: handmade or vintage. I can't purchase the handmade items but I have gotten some great ideas from sellers. It is much better than eBay or Craigslist.

9. Others get more frustrated by my limitations than I do.
On several occasions, my mother has told me just to buy something anyway even if it is new. She was irritated that I didn't make it up to our cabin during the winter because I couldn't find chains in time. I don't feel limited with my options because I normally find something that works. If I can't, I know I will learn something from it and find an alternative.

10. I think this is a long term life change!
It is a fun challenge that has really caused me to take time to think about what I want, what I need and what I can live without. I'm not in need of anything and the alternatives that I have found and purchased normally benefit a family, small company or non-profit organization. I feel really good about that.


I just bought this milk glass mug recently and thought it was appropriate for today's post!

Bad Bargaining!

I have been looking everywhere for a mixer for baking. I had found one that was in great condition at a Goodwill. It was in the original box and I was surprised that someone had gotten rid of it. I asked a staff member if it was used and he proceeded to break down all of the price tag terms. (Stupid me for asking, ignorance is bliss right?) If an item there has COD on the tag, it is new and most likely came from the Target across the street. Most COD items are donated if the packaging is torn, broken or if an item was returned and could not be resold in their store. So this meant I wasn't able to buy the nice, new mixer in the ugly box.

My search continued until recently. I stopped at a yard sale this past weekend and scored some things I had been looking for, one of them being a mixer! It is in good condition but dusty. I was able to test it out before buying it and it works like a champ! I also found some other great items and couldn't help but grab them. While looking through everything, I was given a box to hold on to all of it! By the time I had looked thru everything, I had almost ten items. I asked the owner how much it all added up to and realized she clearly was not a bargainer because she offered everything to me for $5.00! I'm sure most people would consider some of the stuff I picked up as junk but everything was in good condition, items I either collect or wanted for my kitchen and definitely worth more than $0.50 each..so my stupid response was "$5.00?! No way!!! I'll give you $10.00." Who does that? I negotiated up. So I ended up paying $10.00 for everything that could've been half the price. Oh well, I would have felt really bad if I had taken her up on the offer and what's $5.00 more right? Right.

Office Life

Unfortunatley, I can work 50 to 60 hour weeks when I am really busy. I got to thinking that my office should really reflect who I am more than it has for the last three plus years. I've had the boring, black, plastic business holder on the corner of my desk and a generic, clear, plastic pen holder next to my phone for too long. They were functional but so bland and stale. So just this last month, I "revamped" my office. I put it in quotations because I really didn't make many changes but it made a huge difference to me!

I have a lot of glass in my home, and I try to reuse it as much as possible and in a number of ways. Rarely do I throw out food jars, spice bottles, or any other glass container since I can't buy Rubbermade, Tupperware or any other organizers for storage. I decided to pull a couple of these items for my office to help keep things contained as well as personalized. Below are the changes I made:

tapanade jar

flower vase

milk glass for candies and a tea cup for business cards

cool vintage post cards from an antique mall

my plant egg

Here are some other ways I reuse my glass:

Large vase = holds my tea bags

Wine bottles = candle holders

Kombucha bottles = water bottles

Food jar = hold matches, pens, plastic bags, food storage like tupperware

Shot glass = q-tips

Consider reusing something before you throw it away. With all of the food purchases you make weekly, the jars could come in handy. If you can't think of a use for them right away, store them in the same place you would tupperware. Or you could use them as cups like mason jars and keep the lids in your silverware or utility drawer. I have an eclectic, vintage style but clear glass blends well in most settings including modern, French country, shabby chic or any other style if used in the right places.

Estate Sale Adventures

Last year, I was driving thru Belmont Shore early in the morning on my way to Huntington Beach. I like to take side streets so I can check out all of the old houses and apartment buildings along the way. While I was on one of these small streets, I came upon a sign for an estate sale. I decided to check it out because it was in an old, 1940's ranch-style home and I figured there had to be some treasures....and there were. I bought a couple small things that are now placed around my apartment and I just love them. I thought it was so brilliant the way the sale was handled, a 3rd party was brought in and took charge of the whole sale so the family didn't have to worry about it. This company, Trunk Full of Treasures set up and organized tables full of items for sale in each room, had staff members in beige polos close by to help customers and a credit card machine at check out! I loved it. 

After that sale, I started to follow them on Facebook and found out it is a local company that mostly handles homes in the Long Beach area (perfect). One great thing this company does is show what will be for sale on their Facebook page so you can see if it is worth your time before heading over early in the morning. I was lucky enough to be able to go on the first day of the sale this past Friday. I got there at 7:30 because the sale started at 9:00. There were several items that I had seen and knew I needed to grab. Here are pictures of the sale:

A line formed around 8:30. I am glad I got there early!

I was the 8th person in line and SO glad I wasn't any further back. If I was, I wouldn't have gotten the milk glass items I wanted most. The sale director explained the layout of the house and where each room was, which helped me because I had viewed the pictures online. I was able to bee-line it straight to my favorite finds in the kitchen. Of course, I was too busy elbowing old women to take pictures of everything when I entered the house but took a bunch of photos after the initial frenzy was over.

I am upset this picture is blurry because the vintage wallpaper was so great! I loved the design and avocado color.

This was the Christmas room

 The backyard was filled with planted pots, figurines and outdoor furniture. This outdoor sofa is to die for!!! I would've bought it but I don't have anywhere to put it.

 

 

 

Checking out. I brought my own bag and used one of the plastic baskets they lend out so I could carry everything. They used an iPad this time to ring me up. I entered my cell number and received an electronic receipt as well as the paper. Very cool!

These are the biggest score for me!!! I have been searching for hob nob, milk glass salt & pepper shakers for a while now. I had seen similar sets on Etsy for $25.00 a pair. I got one for myself and one for my friend, Marilyn.

I loved this serving tray. Underneath the portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip it says "1952 The Queen's Silver Jubilee 1972".

Cameo night light

Here is where I placed some of them

  

If you are interested in going to an estate sale, you don't have to go to one held thru Trunk Full of Treasures. You can look in the Pennysaver or online to find one near you. If you are wondering if they are the same as garage sales, I don't think so. They are better because estate sales typically take place after someone has passed away and a family wants to liquidate everything inside the loved one's home. This means you can usually find older items, collectibles and vintage finds the person has held on to over several decades. Garage sales are normally done when people are moving or need to clear out junk to make room for more junk!