Treasures

Clare asked in the comments of my post the other day what I got at the Niles Antique Fair. So I had a little photoshoot at home this morning so I could share. This was after clearing the house of all the noisy boys in my life. :D

I am hoping to hold the Lego Crew back until Christmas, but it's hard. They are so cute and I specifically chose these five out of a large box of Lego dudes and dudettes. And I chose the two girls because they seemed fierce and rugged to me and I think they will be good role models. 

The mail sorter took my breath away and the price tag didn't so it came home with me without too much thought. It will go in our still-empty living room when I find the perfect white table to set it upon. I have been looking for this table for weeks now. It will come to me, I just know it.

I will put my last treasure on Sweet Eventide's Facebook Fan Page. Have I ever mentioned I made one here on the blog? I wouldn't be surprised if I forgot that detail. M goal with the Fan Page is to supplement the content here on the blog. I'm not into triple hitting everyone with the same information on the blog, FB and Twitter.

Niles Antique Fair

Yesterday I went to the Niles Antique Fair, which unfortunately only happens once per year. It was my first time and the entire town was also having yard sales. Sadly, I never even managed to get over to a single one. I was too busy drooling over the other yummy stuff.

Next year, I am going to carbo-load, hydrate and arrive at 7 a.m. with a U-Haul. I'm not kidding. Ask my husband. 

Inleaf Designs

Okay after huffing up the hill after school dropoff this morning, I admit I was near tears. I am out of shape and this is not an easy way to ease into exercising. But I am determined! Somehow I will get through this portion of the life program.

One way for me to get through is to reward myself. Today that reward was a quick escape into a pretty blog or Etsy shop, which is what I did immediately after walking in the front door & grabbing my water bottle. Inleaf came to the rescue!

blue queen anne's lace towel

Okay the towel doesn't need any sales pitching from me. It's so beautiful I can hardly stand it and have I mentioned my theory about how houses call out certain colors to me? My last house was all about yellows and this house wants blues. So there's that, but the photo! Where can I get a white brick wall?

brown fern sachet

Wouldn't these sachets make a wonderful hostess gift this holiday season? Yes I did say the dreaded h-word (holiday, not hostess!). It's all my friend Colleen's fault for point out on Facebook yesterday how many months to go, thereby planting an evil seed into my pea-sized Virgo brain.

Since I subscribe to the "one for you, one for me" philosophy of gift giving, here's what I will get myself. A tidy, compact, go with everything, clutch.

brown running cedar zip purse

Lotta is the kind of artist that I aspire to be. Using natural fabrics and everyday objects, she makes them into something breathtaking and extraordinary. I try to do this with my camera, by photographing the little things. Seamstress I am not, but lucky for us, we have Lotta. And lucky for us, she's going to keep blogging!

photo credits: Inleaf Designs

First Grade

Wake up: 

on time

Snuggle: 

a lot

Get up: 

a little bit late

Breakfast: 

scrambled eggs, half banana, english muffin

Skipped: 

half a mile downhill

Arrived: 

on time

Hugged: 

Teacher Colleen

Lunch: 

pb&j, grapes, apple juice, note from Mommy

Lunch Recess: 

a total hit

Trudged: 

half a mile uphill

Mood: 

tired, hot and a lil' cranky

(despite the pretty fuschia flowers)

After-school snack: 

apple cinnamon Clif Kid Zbar

After-school fun: 

indoor swinging, 

backyard bubble-blowing, 

beating Mommy  at the matching game *again*

Dinner: 

cheese tortellini, broccoli & homemade Alfredo sauce

Do you like first grade?

Tell us how you really feel!

Cali Figs

This weekend, I related well to a seven-year-old golden retriever and tried figs for the first time. 

Cali seemed quite forlorn by the boyish antics of her brother Duke and cousin Jackson. Figs (brushed with olive oil, topped with blue cheese and broiled for two minutes) are an easy appetizer as well as quite rich & delicious.

I also got my first sunburn of the summer when I went swimming for the first time all summer. Nothing like squeezing in lots of fun at the last minute -- first grade starts in T-minus 16 hours.

Sweet Surprise

I am resurrecting my other blog, the one about all things children, handmade and festive. I have missed it ever since I stopped posting, which was just days before we moved into the studio & my life went topsy-turvy.

My dream is to combine Sweet Eventide and Wee Festivity into one home online but it will take a lot of behind-the-scenes tinkering. For now, I decided it was better late than never and to just start posting again.

It would be sweet if you'd visit me over there too. 

Blik Here, There, Everywhere

I have this family room, this really wooden family room, with a lot of wooden furniture in it. I'm on wood overload here. 

The paneling is not in good enough condition to paint. I am not up for painting all of my wooden furniture (desk, two drawer units, media units) some other color either. Hello Totally Impractical. 

And yet, I need to break up wooden room, including and especially, this giant 12' w x 9' h wall of imposing wood seen on the left there! I have already removed the wooden closet doors and will be putting curtains up to soften up that side of the room.

For the giant wall of wood, I bought a roll of white contact paper and planned to cut 9 circles out to mount on the wall above the tv, right in the middle of the Giant Wooden Wall. I got the idea from my IKEA chair.

But this got me thinking, what kind of cool wall decals are out there?

Well. I could save myself the tracing and cutting and put up these red ones. 

We do have a red thing going in the room, between the beloved red upholstered rocker and the red ticking stripe curtains I got.

Or I could finally get a little Eames action 

going in my own home with these rad circles.

Or we could bring a little of the beautiful outdoors in.

Or we could change gears altogether and go all elementary school style. 

And switch out the curtains. And ignore the giant red chair, ha ha.

All decal images from Blik

Tasmania

Oh dear, I think my husband is going to have to work from home for a few days. I just walked into the nearest airport and left the Bay Area. I'm clear over in Tasmania after tripping over these beautiful stone cottages featured on the Beach Vintage blog.

Shhh...don't you hear the ocean gently lapping upon the shore? I know it's a bit damp, but our nice cup of tea is warming us from within. And our hearts? Calm and peaceful they are. Yes, I think Yoda may have come from Tasmania.

As much as I enjoy chit-chatting with you all, I feel in a quiet mood. I'm going to read a book in bed and have myself a nap.

And sweetie? There's a frozen pizza for dinner.

Kiss the Noodle for me.

Wave by Suzy Lee

Wave, a wonderfully wordless book by artist Suzy Lee, is one of those gems that stops you in your tracks the moment you lay eyes on it. It's published by Chronicle Books* of course. 

That is exactly what happened to me sometime in 2008 when I first saw it at Anthropologie. It was one of the hardest times for me to follow my self-imposed rule of not buying books. 

When I saw it during my last library trip, I snatched it up breathlessly. I didn't even tell the Noodle it was for me. 

I highly recommend you find this book somewhere as soon as possible and see what happens on the page before this one where the little girl gets soaked! It is classic. Come on, I had to tease and challenge you a little!

This little girl is back at the library waiting to delight someone else besides me. But part of her is in my heart and I have a feeling she will come out to play the next time I get myself to the ocean for a little visit.  

*Have I blogged about Chronicle Books yet? About how this year I've realized that most of my favorite books are published by them? They have a great Twitter feed too. I highly recommend it. Talk about a dream job for Jess, I'd scrub their coffee filters if that was all they had available.

Glorious Books

I think I can safely say the Noodle and I both squealed with glee when I opened a certain box this morning. Oh how we've missed that silly boy with the bunny on his head! 

Not to mention all the wonderful ways of saying good night. 

Today I've also found our wedding photos, Parcheesi, playdoh and a dartboard which has promptly been hung in the Noodle's room. The remaining box count has dropped from 21 to 16!

Mason is a Genius

Ta Da!

Thanks go to Sunset Magazine which introduced me to the genius of Mason who transformed a very ugly garage-to-bedroom into an actual hip place for a six-year-old boy. 

I am totally jealous of his room now, yes I am.

Snuff Box

No, I haven't taken up a new bad habit. Don't worry.

A real snuff box, only $1,350!

Photo credit: Snuffbox.com

Jeff broke his snuff box bone yesterday during a bike ride. He was going over a wooden bridge that crosses a (now dry) creek when his front tire fit just so in the gap between boards and BAM! down he went "Superman style" he called it. The boards go the same direction as travel, can you believe that?! Not perpendicular, who builds a bridge like that? He is in a fiberglass splint for now with a sports medicine appointment on Friday. 

We are very unsettled at the house too. While we were finally able to put the Noodle in his new room on Friday night, the largest room in the house is still heavily "eau du chats" and empty again while we try to figure out what to do. Meanwhile the storage pods need to be returned and they are not empty. And now my hubby is out of commission. Looks like I'm gonna be hiring movers twice. The dog is not adjusting well either, he's all Growly Growlerson.

So I have a lot on my mind. All I wanna do is escape into blogland but I can't! Sorry for the whinefest but I wanted to check in with my peeps.

Bumper Crop

Don't you wish you were my neighbor?

This is just what fell yesterday afternoon!

Photo Snippets

Good morning and happy July! 

I have been up to my elbows in primer, paint and carpet since I returned from my big road trip. I've missed everyone here at Sweet Eventide so I am stealing a few minutes to share some photos before I dash off for another day of moving preparations. And to think I haven't packed a SINGLE box yet!

I hope you enjoy my road trip.

I'll see you all here tomorrow for Friday Poems. 

Kisses!

P.S. Those hallowed hallways belong to my beautiful alma mater, the University of San Diego. And the photos of me were taken by my darling son. :)

Sunburst

So long sunny San Diego!

San Diegan Etsians

Having such strong roots in San Diego, I naturally wondered about the Etsy action here. So I did a little cruising around the Shop Local section of Etsy today. Lookie what I found around town!

art print by Pictorial Boom

 

1931 Remington No. 3 by Poetic Home

custom hair decor by Lo Boheme

I'm not really big into the feathers, but she sure looks happy and carefree! I could use a little more swagger. Maybe a feather would help my hair too! And check that typewriter out! Flippin' cool if I do say so! 

I think it's fun to travel in real life and in Etsyland. Less backaches from schlepping in Etsyland though.

Road Trip

Greetings from San Diego!

...chugga chugga...i think i can....i think i can....

I decided to go on a road trip, visit my family and see the Mattson 2 art show for myself. I felt quite like the little engine that could, driving close to 500 miles over two days, just me and the boy. What an adventure!

I am planning a special post for tomorrow, today we're getting settled and relaxin'.

What are my lovely readers up to this week? Leave me a note!

Mattson Family Art Benefit

When Jamie issued a call for help for one of her favorite bands earlier this year, I shyly but quickly offered up a photo mounted on Plywerk.

Poster art by Julie Goldstein and Mark Tesi

Time has passed and a fantastic benefit has been organized. It's all happening this Friday night at Surf Indian in San Diego. Check PineappleLuv for more details and the full list of participating artists.

June 21st

June 21st is a day fraught with meaning for me. On this date 11 years ago, my father died. On this date 6 years ago, Jeff and I got married. Every so often, this date lands on Father's Day, like today and the year my father died. Yes, my dad died on Father's Day -- oh the irony.

clockwise, from upper left: 

Bob (Jeff's dad), Tony & Frank Valli (my dad and his father),

our wedding day, Martin holding Jaden (Jeff's grandfather)

Happy Father's Day to the fathers we are lucky to still have with us and also to the fathers who are gone, but will always be in our hearts.

Butano State Park

Why hello there! After I posted on Monday, we went off on a little overnight camping trip to Butano State Park. It's about 1.5 hours away near the coast and a lovely little getaway. 

This is only our family's second camping trip, our last one was at the same campground before the Noodle was even two years old. It took quite a bit of effort as we had to pick up camping gear from storage and gather supplies. That's the price of being spontaneous though!

Looks like someone thought all the effort was worth it! 

We did all the usual camping activities from hiking to making friends to grilling corn to making lots and lots of s'mores and even scaring the bold raccoons and jays away!

We even did a few unusual things like having the Mama wake up with the most vicious case of stomach flu ever! And the Daddy packing up the entire campsite by himself and carrying the Mama to the car, where she held on for dear life for the entire long car ride home! 

I am recovering now, phew! Next time I vow to remember that campsite #25 is the primo spot for us. There are more photos in my Adventures set on Flickr.