Treasure Hunting....

While we still are working over here on the exterior (albeit at a snail's pace these days) I'm getting more and more easily distracted with painting and furnishing (much more fun) the inside of the Muse Shack. I find myself taking little detours on my way home from dropping boywonder off at school, or during some errand I'm supposed to be running - and somehow I end up parked in front of some random choice of one of my many local haunts for treasure hunting. Now how did that happen, I wonder? Autopilot, I think ... at least that's what I'm telling myself. It's my story and I'm sticking to it. Pffft.

I'm just hooked on treasure hunting, what can I say?

So... on a recent treasure hunting expedition, I spied with my little eye this great 1930s chandelier ... pretty isn't it?

I thought it would be perfect for the outdoor dining space under the pergola out back (that still needs painting... la la la I didn't hear that...hee hee)

I made a crucial mistake - I didn't strike while the proverbial fire was hot. I didn't buy it right then and there, instead ... I waited ... and ... now ...there is a new rectangular tag hanging from the chandelier! Much to my extreme dismay, scribbled onto that tag, in fresh black ink are the devastating letters ... S-O-L-D.

UGH UGH UGH!

Shaking my head in disbelief at my slip in treasure hunting 101, the little armoire just beyond caught my attention ....

Not precisely what I'm looking for ... I wish my bathroom were larger, because it would work for holding linens, soaps, and the likes....



It's sort of sweet, and it's growing on me-- look at the detailing ... I decided to think on it and do some measuring back at the house ... after all, I didn't really plan on a shopping trip and I won't be heartbroken if someone else grabs it up ... and then that fabulous panel next to the armoire caught my eye .... gah, I'm so bad - I'm supposed to be painting, not shopping. It also flashed a SOLD tag ... striiiiike two!

Someone stop me.
...please.



Well, there is a happy ending to this post. While I can be an airhead when my dreams overtake my thoughts ... I do learn from my mistakes.

There are so many treasures that I am currently on the hunt for - my list is huge, and there really is no method to the madness other than keeping a good eye out ***and when you see something you love and the price is right don't wait!! Grrr. It's going to take me a while to get over losing that inexpensive and beautiful chandelier...

Anyway ... back to the good news. This John Saladino living room (that we all know and love) is one of the many photos pinned to my bulletin board - I just love the sunwashed hues, and I've been eyeing those rugs for a while now..


Lo and behold -- when I wasn't even looking, I stumbled across the perfect and huge antique rug!!! And, yes, I snatched it up immediately. I am so excited. My wounds from the earlier misses started to ease .. a little. The rug really is PERFECT for the main house living room and as an added bonus, look how close it is in looks to the rug in the Saladino room (click on the photo below to enlarge it and tell me what you think)



So as it were, it did end up being a successful treasure hunt after all ... well I suppose that really depends on whom you ask - me, my husband or my wallet - but speaking for myself, I can say, hands down, that *I* am VERY pleased. One more thing to cross off the list, and a room closer to being finished in this never-ending project!
YAY!
Now ... to the next spot to see if they have any chandeliers hanging around today ...

Have a wonderful weekend!

Want to see what other bloggers are hooked on today? Head over to Julia's "Hooked on Friday" party on her lovely blog, "Hooked on Houses"

The Calm Before the Storm...

Before I jump back into "the storm" that is my all consuming project ala Muse Shack...
I need a little vacation
- even if it's a virtual one -
something calming, soothing, and grounding.
Sound good?

*
Let's step out of our ethereal cabana where we have just had the most wonderful massage. Grab your fresh mango margarita and walk out to admire the view and feel the gentle sun on your skin...

The only sound you hear is the gentle lapping of the clear water against the shore and the occasional call of a seabird...

In a place where natural and pristine beauty has outlasted even the oldest of civilizations...

The complications of everyday life are carried off on the gentle sea breeze and the most simple things take on a new sort of beauty, one that gets overlooked when life gets too fast...

Nothing extravagant is necessary because all that you need to feel elated is in front of you and costs nothing but your time ... Indescribable beauty is everywhere you look.

Time seems irrelevant --

Someone else can watch over things for a while

While you just enjoy the moment ...

... this ...

is precisely why I live at the beach...

She Has A Guardian Angel ... or three...

Sweet and wonderful Thing1 resting after a rough few days!

Whewwwwwwww.

One of my furballs of happiness has had a rough few days, and it's where all my time and attention (and worry) have been directed ... her 12 years are starting to show their wear and tear, and she gave us a pretty good scare. but a frightened runs to the vet, the magic that they worked, and some silent and desperate pleas to any powers-that-be who would listen -- a sleepless night for all of us -- all is once again feeling safe and sound for Thing1 and so all is right in Museville once more.

I have lots to show and tell, but I need to exhale, get a good night's sleep first, and then tomorrow, I have to go pick up my new car!

Yippee SKIPEE!

Roll out the Weekend and Another Decade of Life!

I love this photo --

I can hear the silver bells of the children's laughter and feel the happiness exuding from their faithful companion as he trots after them with his bright dog smile and tail wagging.

Happiness on four legs

-- that's what my son calls dogs, and what a perfect title.

Have a wonderful weekend!

I, myself, am entering this weekend with another year under my belt as well as walking through the gate of another decade.
Today is my 40th birthday.
I think that deserves more than a day of celebration - so I'll be off playing... all weekend long!
See you Monday!

Grey Garden Blooms and Dreams...

There is just something irresistible about old faded grandeur --

a large, aged house that is past it's days of glory cosmetically, but still has the unmistakable bones of those grand old homes of days gone by ... I don't necessarily want it for my own home, but I definitely want one in my life

in some

form

or

fashion.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

*

What's the attraction?

Maybe it's because I live in coastal Southern California and there just isn't anything like that around here. Perhaps it's because it reminds me of the big beautiful old Southern homes of my childhood. Maybe it's the family I came from - seeped heavily in Southern folklore, tradition and colorful history -- and perhaps it awakens some of what I learned in the endless years of Art History and Anthropology throughout college and grad school -- or perhaps it's the Artist or just the romantic in me ...

*

whatever it is,

the pull is most assuredly

a

strong

one.

*

One of my biggest dreams is to have a retail store set in one of these old beauties -- not a warehouse type of store where things are stacked on top of, behind, and over one another -- but rather a store that is set up exactly as a home would be ... except each piece - each original and beautiful piece - would be for sale.


Some new, some old - but everything that can be carried out, would be available for purchase - the rugs, the curtains, the furniture ...


The artwork, the candlesticks, flatware, accessories ... all would be for sale.




How fun would that be to constantly be able to rearrange and refurnish the same home whenever you felt like it -- or whenever you found that perfect piece to add to the decor?



All the linens, pillows and light fixtures would be available --




I just can't think of a more perfect setting for the store I have in mind --

You could easily imagine how something would look in your own home as you happily wandered through the old beauty of a mansion...

Lovely scented bath salts in antique glass and gorgeously wrapped handmade soaps would line the window sill, and silver hairbrushes and hand mirrors on mirrored trays would gleam in the sunlight. Gorgeous French linens would fill the antique cupboard and be draped over these brass rods for display ... Gorgeous in theory, n'est pas?

Hard to find antique books of poetry, folklore and adventure would be for sale, as well as gorgeous new design and coffee table books, dripping with delicious photos of the most beautiful places -- as would frames of all sizes and materials... waiting to be filled with your treasured artwork or photos -- cabinets and drawers would be filled with hidden treasures that would possibly take your breath away --

Room after room, beautifully appointed with ever-changing eclectic finds from all over the world - at your fingertips ...

There would be a kitchen filled with copper cookware from France - etched crystal and hodge-podge silver - all for sale -- state of the art industrial appliances for the cooking classes on those Sunday afternoons ... oh the ideas are endless...

A little table could serve as a checkout desk in the foyer, and of course there would be a fresh coffee and tea on hand and homemade treats served from silver platters which sit on one of the sideboards for those that wished to linger and visit while shopping --

A dream I've been dreaming for quite a while now - Maybe I'll start this little venture in my Guest House ... who knows. But you can say, later on when this dream becomes reality that you remember when the shop was just an idea being spun ...

and hopefully

you

will be one of those that comes to visit

my

little shop

of

dreams.

Do old homes like this speak to you? What do they say?

photos 2 - 12 via Oak Mgmt.

Wordless Wednesday -- No Roof Over My Head, If You Please...

A taste of things to come -- Summer just can't get here fast enough!

See what is beyond words for other bloggers at this week's Wordless Wednesday.

All photos from Smith and Hawken online

Toast of Beauty

A small package, neatly wrapped in cellophane, and sent via Royal Mail from London arrived recently here in Museville -

I hadn't ordered anything, so I was quite curious.

It looked like a book - with its cover of beautifully photographed persimmons -- but upon further inspection, it was actually a catalog. A beautiful catalog - and the cover simply read:

Toast

house & home

...the simple things.

With its bound, thick pages, it felt more like a book than a catalog. Upon opening it, the differences between this beauty and my usual catalogs was clearly and immediately evident.

The catalog is stunning.


The layout is beautiful and so Artistic.



The photography is phenomenal.


I found myself perusing it as an Art book, rather than a catalog for home goods.

The next day, a second package, identical in wrapping arrived, but different in cover - another treat from the UK - This cover was of an azure sky dotted with ethereal clouds bathed in the soft gold of the sun -- which was setting over a calm indigo sea. It was simply labeled

Toast

...cobalt sea, red earth, west wind

I couldn't wait to open the pages, and my heart skipped a beat when I did - an ancient stone building with beautifully worn shutters and a terracotta roof with a viney green bower serving as a shady canopy over the flat roof of the garage were there waiting... with poetry written in a font of artistic handwriting at the bottom of the page --

Winter is past
and rain over and gone
The flowers appear on the earth
The time of the singing birds is come
--Erika in Chania.

Shot is Greece, the photographers, Jonathan West, Jenny Zarins and mojo photography ingeniously included the locals in some of the photographs - making the pictures look like family portraits with the past and present magically caught within the same moment in time.

The scenery is just breathtaking.

And once again, I forgot that this was a catalog for shopping because I was caught in the spell of the Artistry and beauty that I found within ... page after gorgeous page.

I'm sure many already know about this little gem, but if you don't - do yourself the favor and go to their website and request the catalogs.

You will be oh, so glad that you did.

http://www.toast.co.uk/