Today is my day to shop!!! I have it all planned out.  I'm going to shop for the girls.  Sam's 18th birthday is coming up (in 11 days!) and Cass starts school in 3 weeks so after getting coffee at Cosi's, I head out to shop. 

I'm looking for some deals, but I'm in Manhattan so after going into 4 boutiques I start to get discouraged because the prices are so much more than I expected.  I found this great dress for Sam - $498, a to die for skirt for Cass - $298.  I'm in the wrong part of town.

Then I go down another block and I'm thinking I'll try one more store before I give up and just go to Grand Central Farmer's Market for some chocolate pudding, when I head into 9 West shoes, and there is a SALE!  I quickly whip out my phone to get the girls' opinion on the shoes and I walk out with 3 pairs of 9 West shoes for $110!!!  Whoo Hoo!!!


I meet up with Pam & Ryan for lunch and then I head down around the block from 9 West and I find a great clothing store having a huge sale also!  I pick up 2 dresses & super cool leggins $110.

Tuesday in New York City! 

I decided I needed to get to work on my blog, pictures, website, FB, etc.  and it was forecasted to be a very hot & muggy day, perfect to park myself in a cafe and work away.  Just like a native!

And the adventure began, first I got up early and went to Starbucks.  Now here there is a Starbucks conveniently located on just about every block...so the first one I went to at Grand Central Station, had no chairs.  I kind of needed a chair to work on the computer.  Around to the next one, which was on the other side of Grand Central Station, no seating area either...sensing a trend here.  Okay, I circled around and went to the Starbucks on Madison, YEAH they have chairs.  Order my coffee, picked up a Greek honey yogurt and granola, snag the only table near a plug and I'm doing pretty.

About an hour and half later, I start to need the bathroom, especially since I had spent about an hour looking for a spot before I even sat down.  Now, I'm sure there is some type of protocol for leaving your computer on the table to go the bathroom, but in my mind all I can think of is OMG if it isn't there when I come back... not a happy thought.  So, I look around, there is a guy sitting at the bar working on his computer and he looks pretty settled so (since now I really have to go having drunk up the coffee and all) I decide I'm going to ask him to watch my stuff.  Then I realize I hadn't seen the bathroom when I walked in so I'll ask the barista first where the bathroom is, THERE IS NONE!

Okay, now I am past the okay point so I pack up and start back to the hotel (only 3 blocks away).  I get upstairs, just in the nick of time, and now I have to add a new item to my check list - wifi, plug, and bathroom.

Since the Internet is $15 at the hotel, I head out to find another cafe to work at and Cosi's comes to the rescue, located right across the street from the hotel.  The have nice air conditioning, offer a great menu, lots of tables, plugs (right below the AC so I'm now freezing LOL), and they have not 1 but 2 very clean nice bathrooms!  I'm ready for the day.

I hang out here till almost 4, work on the blogs, website, FB, pictures, talk to the kids, get a cramp between my shoulder blades, enjoy a wonderful spring green salad, flat bread, and diet coke.  I even get to over hear this very morose man explain to his girlfriend how it is not his fault he has a bad attitude, it is everyone elses'.  After nearly laughing out loud at his explanation , I decide it's time to stretch and head back to the hotel.

Great timing, everyone wants to get together at 5 at a local bar for happy hour and dinner (Vander's).  So I had a very nice day just hanging out and sharing all the news with you.

Today, I'm on my own all day so I decided to just walk around and enjoy the feeling of being in NY City.  I went to Grand Central Station, and shopped the market (yummy fruits and meats).

Then off down Broadway, back around 45th, and all over Madison.  I did take this great shot of a portion of the Berlin Wall.

Then met some friends and had dinner at Modern at the MOMA.  The restaurant is beautifully modern (of course) and very busy in the bar area as they were hosting Restaurant Week.  We were eating in the dining room, elegantly quiet.  I wish I could describe the food better, but I really have no idea what I ate except for the 2nd course being risotto with fava beans & crab.  I did sneak pictures with my cell phone:
The risotto was amazing, nutty and creamy. 

The best part was the dessert which was a spoonful of pistachio sorbet, rhubarb sorbet, some thin cracker style pieces of rhubarb divinity, all artfully arranged.  After we had all eaten the dessert they came around with a chocolate dessert cart!  So we selected only a couple of pieces (full!) but the lady then selected about 5 more pieces for us (LOL).  I decided to get it to go, and they swished it away giving me a claim ticket.  After we enjoyed more conversation and wonderful coffee, I went to the front desk to claim the dessert package and it was all boxed up in a beautiful tiny bag, and they added more caramel and nougat bars!  I'll bring some home to the girls, if they make it...

We woke up a little later today and made my way out to the street with the goal of going to the  GreenFlea event.  But we got waylaid with a huge farmer's market happening right outside the hotel.  It was 10 blocks long, both sides of the street so what could we do but enjoy this first!

We enjoyed some fried chicken, peach cobbler, sliced up watermelon, fresh lemonade, and then went on to shop and got some cute t-shirts for the girls.

Then we hopped on the subway up towards Central Park & walked all over the GreenFlea event.  It was really hot so I had a frozen mango (dipped in dk. chocolate of course), and lots of water.  Scored a couple of manganese glass pieces for our collection.  There were 2 people selling painted furniture, not shabbied, but the prices were so much more than I could have imagined.  There was a beautiful vanity with 3 full size mirrors & 2 sconces for $1400, a nice curly full size white iron bed frame for $1200, and a great white hat collection - $65 each.  A little more than my pocket book can support so I moved on to the map booth.
This booth had a nice collection of framed maps, wall maps, and globes, very similar to what we have at the store right now.  The prices at this booth were also higher than i expected, with globes selling for $100+ and wall maps at $300.   Although I didn't buy anything from these 3 booths, it was fun to see what was popular in NY was the same as at our store!

Then we walked over to Central Park and just enjoyed the day - sunny with a little breeze!  It was a busy day at the park with lots of bikers, joggers, and rowers. 

This picture was taken just before they all crashed into each other!

There are so many things that I love - things that make me smile, things that I love to touch, look at, and share, that I thought I would share a few:
I love mirrors!  Round, square, small, big, metal, wood, resin - I love them all!  I especially like layering them and creating a collage.
I love old bottles!  I had a collection of them so I painted them with chalkboard paint, added a few vintage buttons and keys and created these wonderful bottles that look great on your vanity or tucked into a bookcase.  Tuck a message inside and you've created a unique wedding favor.
I love vintage cameras!  First off I love the color - black and silver, and then when you place them around people love to touch them.  Since they don't usually work, there is no danger when kids want to touch them and they are great conversation pieces - can you believe we used to take pictures with these!

I think that's all for now from me, what are a few of your favorite things?  What things do you put on your shelves that get people talking? touching? and reminiscing

I just finished up the most beautiful piece!  First off - I love RED!  and, I love windows!  A customer had bought this cabinet from another wonderful store in Sutter Creek and she wanted it red.  She had painted it herself but didn't like how the paint had dried and it hadn't sealed to the wood very well so it was peeling off in places.  So, I took on the project.  After stripping, primering, painting, curing, and I started the shabby process. 
I spent about 8 hours, over the course of 3 days, strategically sanding the piece down, applying a satin finish, then sanding between layers. I learned a new technique for my 'tween layer sanding that made a huge difference.  The cabinet has turned out so beautifully, with an amazing smooth finish, every time I walk past it in the garage I rub my hand across the top.

I can't wait for the customer to see it!  She plans on using it for a dresser - it is going to look great filled with sweaters and baskets.

 
Recently one of my Not Too Shabby Treasure Hunters asked me to put together a donation for her to donate to a local Folsom school auction.

So today the Gift of the Basket was created.

My Treasure Hunter took some of our AMAZING French soaps. They retail for $7.50 and make a wonderful gift by themselves. It’s amazing how long one bar of good quality hand soap will last. And they make a gift basket smell fabulous!!!

Then we added the sparkle of silver Mercury glass to add a luxury look – a wonderful pair of candle holders and a versatile stand. The stand makes both a lovely centerpiece OR cake stand.

Together we decided shells would be a great idea for an auction item, appealing to a few styles and tastes. Some large shells and starfish later and it looks amazing!!!

You can bid on the basket at:

Empire Oaks 3rd Annual Crab & Pasta Feed

http://www.empireoakspta.org/

Friday, April 8th

Folsom Community Center

52 Natoma Street, Folsom

5:30 – 11:00pm

Or stop in the shop and I can make one up for you to purchase. Bring in a basket and we can customize it to fit your special recipient together. The Gift of a Basket is always FUN to put together!