my vat

Remember this post? When I poked fun at my cousin Shelly? It's a good thing she's such a good sport :) Every day Shell fills up what I call her "vat" - a whopping 64oz container that you could pretty much use as a weapon if you needed to. It's kind of a Utah thing. Vats are very common there. People are very attached to their vats. Aside from nearly needing a U-Haul to transport them in, I'm a little jealous that we don't seem to have anything like them here in diet-Coke-loving California.

Well remember when Shell came to visit me a few weeks ago?

LOOK WHAT SHE BROUGHT ME!!! MY VERY OWN VAT!!!

So of course I had to get to work immediately. Sorry, Fabulous Freddy's Car Wash... I didn't want your logo on my vat. I had to personalize it, and that meant cute paper and Mod Podge was in order. But first, I taped the top and bottom sections off and spray painted the center white, using 3 light coats of spray paint made specifically to adhere to plastic.
The results turned out pretty good, but I should have sanded the smooth plastic finish first. I'll do anything to avoid sanding though - like pretend the directions don't say to sand it first...
So here is the fun part, assembling everything. I chose my papers, decided to use big dots so I got my punches out and started punching, and of course there is the Mod Podge that will put it all together. I put each dot on the vat individually w/ Mod Podge, making sure to smooth it out, and that it had adhered well. Then when all the dots were finally on, I coated the entire surface with Mod Podge. I will also spray it with acrylic since it will be holding ice and cold liquid on the inside. And I'll have to let you know how that goes! But oh my gosh, did it turn out so doggone CUTE or WHAT!!!

have way cute vat, will travel...

now, if only there was a cup holder this large...

I wonder if I'll actually have to strap it in w/ the seat belt...

crack-up

My girlfriends Chris and Tami and I were having such a nice lunch yesterday at the Urban Cafe. That place has amazing food! The three of us meet once a month to enjoy each others' company and catch up on each others' lives. We were having a terrific time, as usual - and fortunately we were done eating - when Chris casually stated, "well... I'm a little tired of staring at that guy's butt crack". Tami and I weren't sure we'd heard her right, but we turned around, and sure enough, right outside the window in full view of the entire restaurant, was this guy's vertical smile. We nearly DIED LAUGHING. I couldn't resist whipping out my cell phone to capture the moment in time. It was almost as good as perusing peopleofwalmart.com :)

What a crack-up. Literally :)

new fall line-up

Ah, the innocence of youth. So ignorant was I. All last year, I was so content - nay, delighted - with my big vintage glass of diet Coke, and my bag of Reduced Fat Ruffles potato chips. Breakfast, lunch, dinner (and in-between snacks)... of champions. Okay... slight exaggeration. But oh, how I loved them! My Reduced Fat Ruffles were my personal manna... my diet Coke was my nectar of the gods. Sigh... how little I knew then.

But I have grown (much wider) in the last year and put away my childish things. My eyes have been opened and seen the light. My taste buds have matured and there is no turning back. The seasons are changing and so am I. Fall is in the air. Change is imminent. And besides... everyone is talking about the new fall line-up.
Well feast your eyes on my new fall line-up! All natural, still-reduced fat, sea salted Ruffles! Diet Coke in my vintage glass... with a splash of sugar-free vanilla syrup in it! Oooooooooooh baby...... life is GOOD :)

The Ruffles are awesome because just like the regular Reduced Fat, they're not greasy like the Original Ruffles. I just can't handle the Original Ruffles - they make me sick to my stomach. And these Sea Salted ones have just a tad less salt than the regular Reduced Fat too. Still salty enough for sure, but wow, they taste so good! And just a splash of that vanilla syrup mixed in - smooth :) And my cousin Julynn gets credit for the Vanilla syrup (in other words, it's all her fault I'm hooked on it)

that's right

uh huh

oh yeah

If you want it then ya better put a ring on it :)

Oh. My. Ga.

Feast your eyes my peeps. That's right. And as soon as you've picked yourself up off the floor like I had to and/or wiped up the drool from your keyboard, get into the lotus position, take very deep breaths, and pray to the Goddess of Divine Simplicity Yet Color-Coordinated and Totally Inspiring Arts and Crafts Supplies. Kind of a long title for a Goddess, I know. You may be so moved as to make a sacrificial offering such as an unopened bag of Ruffles, but of course that remains up to you. Have a few tissues handy though, because no doubt this image will bring a few tears to your eyes. It's seriously so simple and beautiful, it's almost artwork in itself.

I found this image on Apartment Therapy (main site). It was originally part of a cool and funky home tour, which you can see if you click here. You can take the whole tour by rooms or you can see it by thumbnails (there are 36) - the arts & crafts displays are toward the end, and they are all amazingly impeccable. *photo credits Kristen Lubbe

Back to the real world. The world I happen to live in. It's a great world most of the time, don't get me wrong. The above armoire is where I keep most of my arts & craft supplies (in my tiny dining room). And I love my armoire, but I get frustrated having to share the inside space with other things such as kitchen linens, large pillows I've yet to make covers for, my bulky canvases, mailing boxes, blah, blah, blah.

See what I mean? Nuff said.

And my desk with all my Prismacolors sits exactly across the room from the armoire, in the living room. Not too bad really, but still spread apart. Not to mention all the rest of my craft boxes, and all my wrapping paper, is in the garage (yes, my black widow-infested garage which I've spoken of so lovingly in past posts). That, I admit, throws a wrench in the works a lot of times. I've been known to have some whine with my cheese over it.

So let's review. This is nirvana.

This is my life.

Nirvana.

Me.

But enough of that! I almost can't stand it, because I have something else to show you. A really neat surprise you're going to LOVE. Something WAY COOL.

Okay get ready for your eyeballs to pop out Roger Rabbit style. This is Japanese masking tape now available in the U.S. It's from a company called Happytape. This photo here features Apricot Bubbles, but look in the freaking background! And that's not even remotely all the colors and patterns they offer either! Not even close!
So stick your eyeballs back into your head. Now if that wasn't enough to blow your mind, look at this too-cool-for-words 2-pack of decorative packing tape from TapeSwell! STOP IT ALREADY! UNCLE! And this is just the tip of the iceberg - you seriously have to go to the site yourself just to see all their way cool stuff. No, seriously. SERIOUSLY.

Well, I hope you've been inspired. Happy Friday!

bye Cambria ~ bye Shell

Last day in Cambria... *sigh*

We DID run into my dear friend Diana, left - spoken of in many blog posts here and there - and her cute sisters Sandy and Carol! That was a really fun surprise! They had just arrived for the weekend. Obviously, great minds think alike :)

Ah yes, cute feet :) And our cool purple toenails :)

It was hard to take my precious Shell to the airport a few days later and say goodbye. But we had an awesome time, and I know there are many more adventures right around the corner. Thank you for coming! Love you sweetie! ❤

Home Arts, Cambria California

Grab your fave beverage and snack, get comfortable, and prepare yourself for some major home decor eye candy. I'm going to let the photos do the talking for themselves this time, but first I'll give you just a little introduction...

When Home Arts opened several years ago I admit I wondered if it was going to be one of those trendy decor stores that might not last too long. Plus I was still heavily into primitive antiques, and had just barely started mixing other more modern styles in with my primitives. Unless I completely fell for something funky and colorful and knew I could incorporate it into what I had, I was wary. But I am delighted to say that Home Arts has won me over time and time again. Some of my all time favorite pieces have come from this store. They bring me happiness each time I look at them, and I never tire of looking at them. So enjoy feasting your eyes on all the goods - make sure you click on the pics if you want to see them larger!

(hee hee - there's my cousin Shell!)

I hope you had fun - and were inspired too!

Antiques on Main, Cambria California

Antiques on Main has been my personal antiques mecca for many years - long before I began selling my antiques there. Actually that's kind of misleading - long before they began selling my antiques there years and years ago. It's a three-story antiques mall of a different sort - meaning it's high on quality without being fussy. You won't find dust or that... smell you often encounter in antiques stores. Their displays are awesome and everything is well maintained.
You may recognize this sign from past posts. When I see this sign I know I am home :) Antiques on Main is owned and run by Sue and Deb Patchen, mother and daughter. They are like family to me and I love and adore them. They have been so good to me over the years. Sue is a tornado of energy, and is responsible for all the amazing displays. Oh, to have just an ounce of her energy! Deb is in charge of business matters and I love talking to her about her dogs - in fact it's her "girls" in the post below we've been clicking on daily to benefit the Cambria dog park!
This is the main room you walk into at Antiques on Main. There is literally something here for everyone, and they work very hard to keep it that way, with antiques dealers of all kinds. You'd think the store was run by elves though... every time I went to snap a photo, all employees mysteriously disappeared :)
A motherlode of Depression glass and crystal and all things sparkly - lots of different antiques dealers that specialize in just what you're looking for.
One room with mainly furniture, but there is lots of furniture scattered throughout.
Lots and lots of vintage lighting - working lighting! This is just a fraction of what they offer.
Just one of the many light, bright, fun displays here at AOM.
They have an amazing section of vintage clothing - this photo is for Emily :)
I thought this antique fire bucket was totally awesome. Stay tuned - I'm going to try to get a blog up and running for Antiques on Main in the future. In the meantime... take care AOM - love you guys!!!