File under G...for Goodie :)

While Rio and I were meandering through Goodwill one day I came across this handsome guy.

Look at him! Mr. File, so beautifully rusty and worn. So perfect for my little tiny world! It was love at first sight. He needed me and I needed him :) A little pricey ($50) for Goodwill but such a treasure! Oh, and I found some more frogs to add to my collection...

I'm a hunter, a goodie hunter. So as you're reading this I'm in Round Top Texas at THE goodie EXTRAVAGANZA!! Can hardly wait to show you the loot!! :)

She's got my hair and eyes of green, and my obsession with HALLOWEEN !!

I realize it's Sept. 22, but I love love love Halloween! Here's what we've been up to :) My house first:

A big thanks to Kristin at Domestic Bliss for carrying these adorable pumpkins in her store :)

Now for Rio's house. For those who don't know, Rio is my 21 yr. old super creative daughter. She has a love for the "scary" Halloween look, and can spot a deal from a mile away.
I absolutely love creating things with Rio. She has an amazing eye for things at thrift stores and yard sales (and the occasional freebie) that she paints, bedazzles and adds ribbon to make it her own. Very talented girl I say... :)

...seek and ye shall find

It was in the spring of 2000 when my love affair with this china started. While visiting our friends in Scotland, I went to a boot sale. They call them boot sales because that's what they call the trunk of the car. The hood is the bonnet. Cute right? Anyway, while Melonie and I were wandering looking at all the goodies, I spotted what would become a forever obsession.

I purchased a vegetable tureen, 4 plates, and a cup and saucer. I could hardly wait to get home and do my research, I was determined to have at least 8 place settings. Easier said than done. The manufacturer is Alfred Meakin and the pattern was produced in England some time in the 1930's. I still to this day do not know the name of the pattern. I searched EVERYWHERE for it. I would find a bowl in London, a fish plate in Austria and so on. I hit the jackpot when I found a man in Germany who had boxes of it that belonged to his Grandmother. He even had a ladle! I now have service for at least 20, and every serving piece I think they've ever made :) This brings me to my next story:

This last Saturday, Rio and I were walking thru an Antique store in downtown Mesa. I turned and to my astonishment- these little beauties!!! I was squeeling!! Amazing. And the best part? $2.50 each... :D

“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.” – Henry David Thoreau

Just thought I'd give you a glimpse into my teeny tiny world. All 500 sq. ft. of it!! How do I do this you say?? Verrrry easily. After living for so long in houses with so much wasted space, I find it quite refreshing to be where I have only what I need.
That's not to say that I don't have a storage full of winter clothes, extra dishes, treasure pieces of furniture that I could not part with, goodies I have been collecting for the new house, and boxes full of christmas presents (I call them that cause I have NO IDEA what's in them). I'm mean pleeeeeze, I'm still me !! :)

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. ~Confucius

A little over a year ago we sold our house (aka the beast). While driving around looking for our forever home we came across a 1916 very neglected and disrespected California bungalow in downtown historic Mesa. It was truly my dream house. You see, I ADORE oldies. There is something about old houses. They have amazing character and if they could talk, oh the stories they'd tell! So started the long process of a full restoration. You see some really awesome, handy, thought they knew what they were doing previous owners DESTROYED the place :( that's where the disrespect comes in. They added an atrocious huge "porte cochere", some horrendous dormer windows and closed in the wrap around porch in a feeble attempt to turn it into...I don't know what. Really?? I find it hard to even write the following words- they took out the ORIGINAL STAIRCASE!!! The horrors. Soooo, after much investigating and research and a promise to return her to her former beauty, our work has begun. While most would think this is an undertaking like no other, I find it the best and most exciting challenge in my life. I can't WAIT!! Our plans took almost a year (grrr) but were finally submitted to the city last week! So exciting!! I'll keep you posted... :)