Roundtop

A certain boy took me to Texas for an early birthday present for... A trip to Roundtop (one of the largest antique faires in the US)!!! It was amazing and hot and we had fun searching out treasures. Visiting Roundtop is an experience thats hard to describe... Roundtop is actually just one site among many in this two week long antique extravaganza. There were thousands of vendors with booths that ranged from tables set up on the side of a road, to spaces that looked like storefronts inside huge circus like tents. One of my favorite sites was Marburger. Large white tents labeled from A-F housed dozens of booths all decorated and installed like stores (think the Parisian Porte de Clignancourt of Texas).  Amidst the tents sat little cabin like structures that also housed specialty antiques, from fine jewelry to paintings to taxidermy! On the other spectrum, many vendors are farmers or artists who set up shop along the couple miles of winding highway. It was so fun to hunt for rusty junk under tables after walking through fine sculptures and gorgeously displayed items in the tents. Here are just a few of my favorite finds from our treasure hunting!

A Few Good Finds...

Went to the Depot for Creative Reuse after work. This place can sometimes be one of my favorite places to pick up treasures. Sometimes, its just a mess with no finds and rude employees, but I had a good day today. I bought many things, but loved these rolls of bias tape that I use for wrapping presents or tying up fabric. I also had an incredibly serendipitous find later in the day, but I'll post about that later :) Happy hunting!

A Day in the City

Spent the day in SF with my friend Alicia. We started at her house with a breakfast of crepes sprinkled with sugar and a squeeze of meyer lemon juice made by her husband.... they were amazing!!!!



Headed down to the street to Arch to check out art supplies, then to SCRAP for a treasure hunt...

After a walk down Valencia, and a delicious lunch at Papalote's we stumbled upon this wonderful shop appropriately named Gypsy Honeymoon. I found a few beautiful pieces there including a vintage still life oil for a bargain! The proprietor, Gabrielle Ekedal, is the fourth owner and treasurer hunter Gypsy Honeymoon has had in its 17 years open. Gabrielle is warm and welcoming and has created a beautiful store full of delicate vignettes and rare findings. Its a truly unique collection, reasonably priced and thoughtfully, artfully crafted. I can't wait for a return visit!!!

My painting...

French boudoir dolls named Beatrice, Lallou and Lette sit atop an antique dresser...

Happiness...

Sometimes it is the simplest of things can spark a sense of joy...

An old, unassuming wooden box when opened houses this very loved set of chalk pastels, a spectrum of jewel tones.  Owner of Maison Rêve, Yasmine, has it sitting on her desk for inspiration. I always loved to know this dusty box held an unexpected treasure. It takes my breath away every time I open the lid.

Sunday Hunting

Spent the morning and afternoon at the Alameda Point Flea Market.  I was there at 6:30 for a couple of hours before jaunting off to Pt Reyes to drop Aaron off at work. I still had plenty of antiquing hours left in the day, so I returned to Alameda and met my Mom for some good ole' fashion shop till you drop time! I found a couple of great buys, but after the sun shone through the grey morning, the crowd swelled to breaking and I was happy to call it quits around 2. Its a great show if you can make it... the 1st Sunday of every month, rain or shine!!!!

A Day in the City

Aaron and I had an entire day off together, and we spent it in San Francisco. We visited some of our usual favorites as well as going to the galleries at 49 Geary. Aaron surprised me by taking me to the Stephen Wirtz Gallery to see the work of Kathryn Spence who is an incredible scupltor/fiber artist.  I was so close to buying one of her tiny owls for a cool 4k before Aaron brought me back down to the realization that I paid that for my used Honda and couldn't afford it even if I did max out every credit card I own! Her work is truly beautiful, and someday I hope  to actually be able to afford one of her pieces!



She used bits and pieces of fabric, paper, feather, fur etc all tied and wrapped with string, held in place with pins etc to create these amazingly lifelike creatures.  The gallery also has a pair of coyotes she created and some miniature scenes/drawings as well. The show is up until August 22nd, and is truly worth the trip!


We also stopped by Bell'Occhio on Brady and the Kinokuniya bookstore in Japantown. 

I bought scissors with 8 blades at Bell'Ochio for cutting paper fringe, and found three wonderful books at Kinokuniya...

Nathalie Lete is one of my favorite illustrators and her books can be hard to find in the states, This one is both Japanese and French so I can read it, but I mostly will just enjoy the pictures!

This is a book on making fabric flowers. The illustration are beautiful!

Paris Brocante. I will use this as a travel guide on my next trip.

And no trip to the city would be complete without a stop by Miette for les macarons!

It was a perfect day!

Sunday Hunting

Spent last Sunday at the Flea Market hunting for treasures!!!  I love this red bike Yasmine found... Came home with a pieces for myself as well including an amazing anatomical chart ...

Happy hunting! 

Voila!

*** Just got an email from Apartment Therapy and they are going to post a before and after pic of my chair on their blog in the next week or so!  So exciting!!! I will post a link directly when its up...*****

I finished! Except for the patches on the arm rest, I completed the project last night. I chose a gray green velvet for the back of the chair and made a cover for the cushion. I have to say I'm pretty proud of the job all in all! It's definitely an improvement on the original look. It a very comfortable chair and I'm happy to have it in my bedroom. I hope Aaron will actually use it as his reading chair, although I have a sneaking suspicion he'll wind up on the bed (asleep).

New Project

My mom bought me this chair for a reading chair in my bedroom. I love the style but despise the fabric. Last night, as it sat in my living room, and as I sat staring at I decided I would try to recover it myself. I didn't decide this all at once. At first I just ripped off the trim to see what was underneath, then all of a sudden I was searching for fabric then draping and hammering. Within a hour or so I had recovered the top of the chair. The fabric is a natural linen with diamonds silk screened on top. Now I just have to finish the bottom and I might fabric paint the sides instead of recovering them. I think I did a pretty good job to start, I just have to carry it through to finish the chair!

Alameda Point Antique Sale

Went to the Alameda Point Antique Show today. Its the first Sunday of every month, and costs from 5 to 15 dollars admission depending on what time you go (from 6am on). There are so many dealers here it can be overwhelming, but if you can hang out for a bit, there are so many possible finds! I came home with a few old suitcases, a vintage typewriter and a bunch of findings from the $1 booth.


There are 3 booths all owned by the same guy, that is laden with cool old stuff. Watch parts, vials of medicinal powders, and old wooden type are all priced at $1 each. Across the way you can find old suitcases, large metal letters, and various antique decorative items. In the booth next to the dollar boxes are doll heads, brass tags, various vintage clocks and more.


There are always the regulars here at the show including the Bakelite Lady, people selling French linens and architectural salvage, the type guy and many more. Wear sunscreen and bring water...although windy, the sun can be brutal after a few hours of searching! There is also a row of food along the side of the venue for mid morning snacking and lunch, as well as the antique show standard Kettle Korn.

A New Find Called "Filthy Gorgeous"

Was in the Walnut Creek area today for an antique store yard sale (which yielded a few good finds), and happened upon this store in the downtown area. The shop is called Filthy Gorgeous, and lives up to its name an more! The space is beautiful... candle lit, long and narrow with high ceilings and cement floors, laden with unusual treasures and findings. Architectural remnants, and sculptures stand tall next to delicate mercury glass style votives, flickering candles reflecting shadows in the softly lit space. Objects new, old and reclaimed are to be found, along with remakes of vintage children's toys and beautifully crafted paper crowns. A wall of carefully stacked bowls, cups and vessels is opposite a bed adorned in French linens, silken pastel Chinese lanterns hanging overhead. My favorite finds were the teal and brown speckled bird's eggs, and the white glass balls with the letters printed on them in ebony black. Both came home with me... I bought the lettered balls to spell out Twin Crow, the name of my online store, and at 1.25 to 1.50 each, they were a steal! A great find!