a piece of cal

This past weekend, sad circumstances took us up on a last minute trip to Northern California.  Despite the tone of the trip, we managed to get in some antiquing, and take a quick trip over to Berkeley to pick up the coolest thing ever.

My husband attended UC Berkeley and I lived there for year.   It's a lively place and an amazing urban college town.  Established in 1868, the campus is filled with so much history.  My husband, Jesse, is obsessed with Cal football and follows all the games.  Every fall, we try to make it up to see a game and hit our old hangouts.  Even though we plan on going back in a couple months, I figured while we were close by we could pick up a very special treasure.  

Since 1923, Berkeley Memorial Stadium has hosted the Cal Bears football team.  This past year it was renovated and retrofitted (it sits directly on a fault line) and during construction some old wooden bleachers turned up.  A local wood shop in town, The Wooden Duck, managed to salvage the bulk of it and is now selling it.  We knew it was essential to have a piece for our home.  We rooted through a giant, filthy pile of beat up blue and yellow boards, all inscribed with numbers, and found a couple pieces to turn into a small bench or side table.  Yes its very beat up, but not lacking in potential.

All of the boards had numbers on both sides and even numbers on top of faded numbers.  They managed to get a long life out of these boards. Each number a seat for an enthusiastic Cal fan, probably waving a felt pennant and rooting for the Blue and Gold.  

We also hit up a little antique shop and founds a few more treasures.  I keep finding neat stuff that I claim is for our future house, guess we will see if it works soon enough.  My new obsession is American stoneware crocks.  They usually have a cream or grey salt glaze, stamped by the maker, and range from small to huge.  

I also picked up some big thread spools (I see string art and friendship bracelets in my future) and a milk glass Old Spice shave mug with the logo faded to the perfect shade of grey and pink.  

Lastly, we picked up these puppies.  Jesse builds beautiful wood encased vacuum tube amplifiers.  Vacuum tubes made a lot of electronics work back in the day.  These tubes were probably from old TVs, they don't work, but I love to incorporate my husbands interests into our home design, now I just need to find the perfect apothecary jar to display them.

holy paint by numbers

It's been almost two years since I saw it.  It sat behind some tarnished silver and a pile of tangled jewelry.  I was at a thrift store and I heard it calling to me.  It was a painting of Jesus, specifically a paint by number painting of Jesus.  There was something about his face, each dimension of his beard painted in a different subtle shade of brown.  I'm not too religious, I grew up Presbyterian and I'm sure when kids are in the picture we'll go back, but here and now the pure retro funkiness of this art was calling to me.  The thing is, I was at the thrift store that day with my mother, and I knew if I picked up that painting to buy it, I would hear about it.  "You can't just hang a picture of Jesus in your house? You don't even go to church, although I wish you would."  I'm not sure why I wanted something so not me, but I wanted it badly. When I returned to the thrift store on my own he was gone and ever since it's been a regret that I didn't buy the paint by numbers Jesus.

knock, knock anyone home?

For our first wedding anniversary and every one after, we want to follow the traditional gift schedule, and be a little creative about it, this first year was paper.  Jesse handed me a half opened cardboard box stuffed with newspaper "its technically not paper, but close enough."  I laughed because my present to him sat so neatly wrapped on the table and I was handed a box that just fell off the post truck.  I peeled back the first layer of newspaper to behold "Jesus!" I shouted.  I beamed with excitement.  Looking down into the box again, a faint glow peeked out from the remaining newspaper, it was none other than Mary to join the gang.  I was floored, I couldn't think of anything I wanted more. They're weird, colorful, fantastic, and who care's if I'm not Catholic or whatever, these are art.  The beauty of the gift was that I never actually asked for it, he just knew that it was something I was always searching for and took it upon himself to find it.   Honestly, gift exchanges between my husband and I over the past 6 years have been hit or miss.   He's a dude, I don't communicate too well, and together we procrastinate.  Giving a gift that was never ever expected, but awesome, is the best kind of gift.  These two paintings will have to wait until we are in a new place, but when they get their own wall it's going to be righteous, literally.

He also got me some Padres tickets and a certificate for a mani/pedi.  I got him a voucher to go on a spearfishing tour and some books on growing a beer garden and raising chickens and goats (we are really serious about this homestead thing). We had a nice dinner at Starlight, then enjoyed a slice of guava cake from Extraordinary Desserts at the buy your own bottle bar Bottlecraft.

  
Overall it was a marvelous anniversary and the first of many.

all that glitters is junk

I have this little problem (that I can picture myself one day being on an episode of hoarders) where I like to buy junk.  Whenever I have some extra cash, I don't think about blowing it at the mall but at the flea market. These last couple of Sundays I've gone to the flea market without my husband which I quickly learned is a bad/really good idea.  

He is always my voice of reason, the "we don't need that" little angel on my shoulder.  Sometimes I agree with him and move on, sometimes I reluctantly agree but look back with regret, and other times I persist and throw down cash, opinions be damned.  "I need this metal pie safe, it is completely necessary for my well being and you can't stop me."  I've gotten a lot better about things I can and can't live without, but lately it seems as if I can't live without anything.  My current obsessions are tin/metal, glass, and anything utilitarian i.e. objects that served a specific basic function that nobody really thought about too much.  

The problem is, while I sometimes picture these items decorating my current or future house or as a planter for my succulent business, most of the time I want it and buy it because I want it and have to buy it.  I recently came into possession of one of those carts seen at flea markets and anywhere with a homeless population (insert image of me turning into a crazy old lady here).  I filled it to the brim with treasures my first week out alone, my husband didn't say much about my trove, he's gotten used to the fact that our money somehow turns into rusty metal and random portraits of old men (the native american man in our bedroom needs a companion, duh).

an old chicken feed trough I intend to plant herbs in on our patio

He can't complain, we share this obsession together, for every useless tin can and glass bottle I pick up, he is eyeing the rusty old tools and vinyl records.  It really all ebbs and flows for me, there are times where the cart is full and the junk flows like wine and others where life goes on, the cart collecting dust, waiting for new friends to arrive.

I will be at the Golden Hill Farmers Market tomorrow from 9:30-1:30 with several new arrangements.  I'm also always available to do custom arrangements in your junk or mine.  Or if you are looking for a little piece of history you would like me to keep an eye out for while I'm at the flea market just let me know.   

trading time

I've been so busy lately, not sure where the time goes.  My hours at work were recently cut back and I've been using the free time to make up for all the things that have gotten messy at my house.  How does that much animal hair accumulate under the sofa?  The good news is the free time is nice for getting down to gardening.  I've been building new garden boxes, reviving sad little succulents, and watching my crookneck zucchini come into their own.  It may not put money in my pocket, but that peaceful feeling of working outside is a good trade off.

I'm back into my "hit the flea market every Sunday" routine and I found some fun stuff for my arrangements.  Wish I could have done more, including planting in the old first aid box but alas, not sure where the time goes.

how cool is this thing?!

Also, tomorrow is the The Old House Fair in our neighborhood.  It's a cute little street festival honoring all the historic homes in South Park, including house tours, crafts, food, etc.  It's about 2 blocks over from the farmer's market and would be the perfect day of fresh produce and historical enlightenment.  I won't be able to make it to the fair, which is sad because old homes are my calling, but there is lots to do for the BBQ we are hosting that evening.  I think after a long and unsettling week, a good beer with friends is more refreshing than a craftsman bungalow tour (maybe not by much, seriously I skip a heartbeat for old homes).

long beach antique market

We went and saw some friends in Orange County today, and decided to take advantage of the once a month Long Beach Antique Market.  I've never been before, but having been to similar ones I knew to expect some really great stuff at a premium.  It's not the type of flea market where you can buy a new pair of sunglasses and a bag of oranges (like Kobey's).  The vendors are true collectors, they bring the best of the best and charge for it.  The pros-so many wonderful things, furniture, knick knacks, salvalged architectural details, spotless quilts and linens, and so on for what felt like miles.  Unfortunately, there were cons-it was crowded, the vendors were often distracted chatting with other vendors, so that asking for prices usually involved waving like a maniac or standing awkwardly close to them not wanting to interrupt.  Most were unwilling to haggle and made terrible faces at you when you said "How about $8?" instead of $10, not entirely unreasonable.  Still, the sea of vintage goods was dizzying and magnificent. 

I picked up a few things, but surprisingly nothing special.  It was so odd to be surrounded by wonderful stuff and not even see one item that I would have seriously shelled out for.  I ended up with a wire milk crate, a couple metal card drawers, an old salt can, and a wooden D (after 6 months I finally got my last name officially changed).  I'm happy with my finds, but I think I will stick to sifting through the junk at garage sales and swap meets.

kobey's swap meet

We spent the morning at Kobey's swap meet, the local flea market at the Sports Arena, it's the biggest one in the area and is quite eclectic.  It's mostly a mix of new stuff, garage sale/junky stuff, and those few vendors who have a consistant mix of good old stuff.  Unfortunately the people with the good stuff tend to be more expensive, but I value their collections and they are the best to talk to about the history of brilliant objects (like glass bulbs of water meant to be thrown on out of control fires, so cool).  While my husband roots around the vinyl records, I love to sift through the junk looking for anything that piques my interest, which lately has been anything I can stick a succulent into. 

 some random lovelies I picked up for my succulents

It seems as if every time I go to the flea market (which is almost every weekend) I pick up something amazing.  Something that I do not need...at all...not even in the slightest.  This week it's an old school hanging scoop scale used for who knows what.  I'm obsessed and one of these days when I have the place for it, it will be my fruit bowl...someday.  Sigh.  I talked the man down considerably and that always leaves me with a sense of satisfaction and makes me bond with the junk even more.  Again I sigh, where will I put it all?

our curious frenchie, Pickett  

so succulent

Aside from a wonderful husband, my wedding provided me the perfect business oppurtunity, growing succulents.  These juicy little plants have always been a favorite of mine.  They are the quintessential San Diego plant and are insanely low maintenance.  After the wedding, I was left with about 20 centerpieces all that had grown from small clippings into pots brimming with plants looking for more room.  I started propagating the succulents and what was once about 100 small plants has turned into nearly a thousand, all born from my happy day.  I love to garden, I could pull weeds and dig all day, but after several sad attempts at gardening vegetables, I have found my calling in succulents.  

I have another obsession, vintage stuff.  Basically junk I find at good ol' Kobey's Swap Meet.  In particular, old household items that at one point might have served a woman good in the kitchen or laundry room (I just picked up an amazing wooden ironing board, for no good reason other than awesomeness).  I am fascinated by the history of mundane objects.  

One of my new years resolutions is to focus my hoarding and random purchases into my succulent business.  To narrow my flea market finds into "vessels" that can hold succulent arrangements.  I have to think "is this good for the company?"  I could easily buy furniture and junk all with the intentions of repainting and repurposing, but there is only so much room in our house and garage and my husband has an equally bad habit of collecting surfboards. 

 my useless collection of jam jars soon to be terrariums

these guys scream for artichoke-y succulent blooms

My goal, hopefully within a month or so, is to sell my succulents, both on their own and in my crafty arrangements, at the local farmers market (and eventually kits on Etsy).  I've got the ball rolling, so here's hoping I start off the new year as an entrepreneur!