My Friend Fred

I have a friend named Fred, who walks by the shoppe on his way home each night. Everyone on the block knows Fred, and even greet him with " Hi Fred!" Once in awhile he'll poke his big old nose in the door to see if I'm giving away free belly rubs.

He's not shy.

Fred always gets his way. What a character.

Pavlova = LOVE

I tasted the most amazing dessert the other night. Something I had never tried before..it was Pavlova Have you tried it? It's TO DIE FOR people!!! I didn't actually watch Jenna make it, but she whipped up 2 small ones, topped with homemade whip cream and lots of berries. It was melt in your mouth goodness. If you've never tried it, take my advice and make one. I promise you will not be disappointed! She is going to make another one on Sunday by special request from her "friend" David. He loved it, and what is that old adage?? The way to a man's heart is through is stomach? *snort*

Ingredients:
4 large Egg Whites
1 Cup Bakers Sugar
1 tsp White Vinegar
1/2 TB Cornstarch

1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 1/2 TB Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Fresh Fruits..choose your favorites!
Kiwi, Strawberries, raspberries, black berries, blueberries.

Beat egg whites until they hold soft peaks.
Gradually beat in sugar, 1 TB at a time.
Fold in vinegar & cornstarch with a spatula.
Spread mixture in a 7" circle onto parchment paper on baking sheet.
Bake for 1 hr 15 min. Let cool in oven, do not open door. It can even stay in overnight!

Whip the cream until it takes shape.
Add sugar & vanilla.
Assemble the cake. Eat...enjoy, and try not to think about the calories.

A Summer Tote

I wanted to share some photos of a tote my daughter just made for a co worker. It's an Alexander Henry fabric called "Folklorico" Calaveras (skulls). At first glance, I found it a bit strange, but then it grew on me! The print was just so fun and what great colors for summer!

Ebay Rant

When eBay announced last year that sellers could no longer leave a buyer negative feedback, I knew it was a bad move. There are just too many newbies on ebay who may not read the entire description, receive the item , and if it's not exactly as they imagined it would be....bam! The seller receives a negative and theres nothing they can do about it. Some buyers take 2-3 weeks to pay, but guess what? The seller cannot leave them a negative. If the buyer receives a damaged item which was a result from careless handling, they can also leave a negative without even contacting the seller. Many long time sellers left immediately after the feedback change, but many stayed until they realized that eBay simply isn't looking out for the sellers anymore. They have lost many great sellers from this, and just yesterday I heard from a friend who has been a member since 2000. Her account was suspended without notice, for leaving a comment on her buyer's feedback list. Since she could not leave her a negative, she left the positive mark, (while gritting her teeth, I'm sure),but she left a comment that did not sit well with the buyer. The buyer then contacted eBay and the rest is history. You can read about it here. No warning, just flat out suspended her account.

eBay was a great place at one time...back in 2000. It isn't so great now , in my opinion. People have so many other options to sell their goods. Sell from your own web site or Etsy. I'm sure there are others, but you get the picture. By the time eBay charges you listing fees, final value fees, pay pal fees....is it really worth it? I guess it depends on what you are selling, but for a lot of sellers, it simply isn't worth the hassle.

Love's Greeting

I've been spending a lot of time at our shoppe lately, so it doesn't leave much time for blogging. If you'd like to see a peek at our Valentine's displays, hop on over to The Attic If you live in San Diego, drop in and say hi! We are having another giveaway this month, for this cute little heart case filled with surprises! A candle, soap, card case and necklace. Oh, and a few chocolates too. What's Valentine's Day without chocolate?!!!


We will choose the lucky winner on February 7th and announce the name on our blog.

xoxo

Inauguration Breakfast :)

I was awakened at 7:30am by our daughter personal chef, who announced she was preparing a special breakfast for the family on this very special day. We dined on Bailey's Baked French Toast with maple syrup, ham and an assortment of fruit in red,white & blue, as we watched the inauguration. It was scrumptious!
I wish our new President well, and hope he can turn things around for our economy. We all know it won't be an easy road, and it may not even happen this first term, but I am hopeful that this is a new beginning!

Has it Been A Year?

After I created this post, I realized it was 1 year ago today, that I started blogging. It doesn't seem like a year..wow. It was also the day I found my little Ivan on that cold winter morn, shivering on the corner. He had been running the streets for at least 3 days that I know of, but he ended up on "lucky street", and jumped straight into my heart. I took this picture of him today. He likes to hide half way under the sofa when he sleeps. Maybe he had to hide out when he was on the streets. I think it's pretty darn cute so I just had to post it. :)


I will be adding these new items to the web site over the next week, unless you want to contact me directly through the blog for purchase. These items are currently at The Attic , so be sure you email me prior to purchase so I can phone the shoppe to mark them sold. :)



Vintage pincushion doll inside a vintage inspired crown. We embellished the crown with seashells and moss. She is not attached to the crown, but sits perfectly inside! Isn't she sweet? She greets everyone as they enter our shoppe and brings lots of smiles. :)

Crown: $89 , Doll: $59- If purchased together, there is FREE shipping!

Child's Armoire: $159 plus shipping.


This is just adorable! A vintage child's toy armoire in shabby green. It has cute little glass knobs on the sliding doors, and a swivel mirror on top. You can use this on a dresser or vanity to hold makeup, jewelry.. oh the possibilities!



A vintage metal cherub lamp with antique silk shade.
Notice the heart on the shade? $110 including shipping.

I will be adding these new items to the web site over the next day or two.
These items are currently at The Attic , so be sure you email me prior to purchase so I can phone the shoppe to mark them sold. :)

Did Somebody Say Birthday?

It's Ms. Sophie's 9th birthday today. She's finally older than me... in dog years :)
My baby has worn many hats over the years and has never complained. No one could ever take her place, that's for sure. She hasn't put in her dinner request just yet, but I'm sure I'll slip her something special.

Where's the party?
Another lump of coal this year. :(
A bad hair day, for sure.
I don't do visors
My morning face


Her favorite headpiece. :)

Jeweled Picture Frames

It was a gorgeous Saturday and I should have been out enjoying the weather. Instead, I decided to embellish some frames that I have had sitting in my craft drawer. I have been wanting to make another jeweled frame for awhile now, and that's just what I did, only I went a little crazy and made two. :)




(You may click to enlarge photos)
I have made a few of these frames over the last year, but I have not kept even ONE for myself. As I finished the first two today, I thought of keeping one, but I can't seem to decide which one I like more. Guess I will have to live with them for a few days to see which on grows on me. You will most likely see one, or maybe both on my web site any day now.
*EDIT* I decided to let them both go and they are on their way to their new homes. A huge thank you to the buyer! I hope to make a few more before Valentine's Day and will post them here before they go up for sale.

Created with vintage broken beauties, sometimes missing a stone, but still beautiful. The first one pictured above took me longer to design, than to attach the jewelry.
I just couldn't decide what pieces to use, but I knew I wanted the crown at the top. I always love using a little birdie, a crown , heart or something unique.

Here are a few others from my past collections....each one unique, made with love and now living in their new homes.

Ho Hum.....we made the Forbes List

I was listening to the radio a few days ago and they were discussing the Forbes 10 Most Boring (or ignored) American Cities List. So as I listened, I thought I would play along and try to guess a few myself. I only got one right, Bakersfield, Ca. The countdown ended with the NUMBER ONE most boring city...who would it be I thought, as the DJ said " and the number 1 most boring city in America is....Chula Vista. Huh? Hey, wait a minute buddy. I was born and raised in Chula Vista. Well, technically I now live in the city of San Diego, but Chula Vista is a mile north from my house, so close enough.

It got me thinking...maybe I do live in a boring city, but I never gave it a second thought until I heard we made the list. I was born and raised here, but it's home to me. Whenever I travel to LA or San Francisco, I enjoy those cities for what they are, but it's always nice to come home to my little town. It has everything I need, even if it doesn't make the headlines.

So, if anyone is interested in knowing the other cities no the list, here ya go. :)
Let me know if you made the list, and your thoughts.

Chula Vista, Calif. Population: 217,478
Hialeah, Fla.: 212,217
Mesa, Ariz.: 452,933
North Las Vegas, Nev.: 212,114
Chandler, Ariz.: 246,399
Santa Ana, Calif.: 339,555
Bakersfield, Calif.: 315,837
Aurora, Colo.: 311,794
Gilbert, Ariz.: 207,550
Henderson, Nev.: 249,386

An Angel In Hell's Kitchen

The heat was turned up in my kitchen last night, as my little angel hosted her first dinner party. It was her friend Andrew's 19th birthday, and a home cooked dinner and cake was his gift from Jenna. They went to HS together and he's currently home on break from Cornell. She wore her new favorite apron from Anthropologie, looking straight out of the 1950's with her little pin curled bangs. :)
Notice whose sitting in MY chair? She has a habit of jumping in anyone's seat who leaves for a second. Pretty sneaky Miss Sophie, but I've got your number!





She prepared one of my favorite dishes, Yakisoba and a platter of deep fried cream cheese & crab filled won tons. Yakisoba is a Japanese noodle that she stir fries with zucchini, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, water chestnuts and baby corn. Half eaten, but you get the picture. :)


I love this dish and it's an easy one to prepare, but not while you are trying to prepare appetizers and dessert at the same time!

Needless to say, the kitchen turned into Hell's Kitchen for a brief period of time, and I was ordered on more than occasion to "Get out!" I think she was a bit stressed trying to make the filling and icing for the cake, whilst chopping veggies and stuffing her won ton skins.

It ended well, dinner was served, and everyone let out a simultaneous Mmmmm...at first bite. We all fought over the last Won Ton. The cake she baked was one that was featured on the December issue of Bon Appetit. Devil's Food Layer Cake. She made a slight variation in the frosting by changing the peppermint extract to vanilla. Layered with dark chocolate ganache and white chocolate cream, then topped with a marshmallowy vanilla frosting. She did the math on the calories and fat grams per slice...you don't want to know.

Just cut me a small piece Jenna. Ummm..I guess you didn't hear me. I said a SMALL piece?


It was oh so yummy and everyone took home two slices, thank goodness! I would have surely gained 5 lbs from eating that over the next few days.

On To The Next Round!

Our Chargers beat the Colts in overtime 23-17. The game just ended and what an exciting game it was. They played their heart out, and now it's on to the Divisional Round Playoffs. Darren Sproles was amazing to watch..all 5'6 inches of him. :)

A few more days...

We are three days into the New Year, and my tree is still up. I may just leave it up for this first week. I am the complete opposite of my Mother, who takes hers down the day after Christmas. Of course, her tree was real and dropping needles like crazy, so I guess I don't blame her. She would have still taken it down though, real or fake. She came over a couple of days ago and asked the age-old question. " When are you going to take your tree down?" My Mom likes to get er done...and I want to be more like her, but I have too much going on in my life I guess. I'm going to work on that for 2009 though. But for now, I think I will enjoy my little white tree for a few more days. :)