Worth Repeating

Let this coming year be better than all the others. Vow to do some of the things you've always wanted to do but couldn't find the time. Call up a forgotten friend. Drop an old grudge, and replace it with some pleasant memories. Vow not to make a promise you don't think you can keep. Walk tall, and smile more. You'll look ten years younger. Don't be afraid to say, 'I love you'. Say it again. They are the sweetest words in the world.

Ann Landers

Vintage Handbag Collection Coming To Shab-n-Chic

My daughter has collected vintage handbags for a few years now, and like any collection...it has gotten a little out of hand. I came home to a dozen purses sitting on my dining room table. She loves them all, but has come to the realization that she will never carry them all. She's still keeping some favorites, but she is letting go of some great ones!

Please visit my Shab-n-Chic online store if you are interested in checking them out! They will be listed on January 1st after 6:oopm PST

Thank you!

Matilda's Mouse Barn Sale Part II

It's been a busy past few weeks, Christmas is over and we can all take a breather. I finally sifted through the photos taken at Matilda's Barn Sale, and selected a few favorites to share with you. The barn sales are held monthly and we hope to attend the next one in January!


Meet the star of the show, Matilda...
and oh yes, Matilda is real!

Kandi loved this cupboard and this cute towel rack



Jane loved these glass doors



I thought this wicker floor lamp was so unique.

A beautiful vignette!



Is this a dog or a pony?

This tiny armoire would have gone in my DREAM bathroom to hold towels and neccesities. It was painted pale lavender! If it's still there next trip...hmmmm??

The Attic Girls with Matilda
Jane, Kandi , Nanc

With all of the tempting treasures, I still thought Matilda was the cutest thing I'd seen that day. :) Sadly, NOT for sale!



The ride home was a little tight after we slid the birdcage stand and column up the middle of the SUV. Haha... We turned the column into a cool jewelry stand for the shop!

Bon Jour

Back in stock on our website are the popular Bon Jour bamboo mats! $39.95 inc shipping to the lower 48 states. Click here to purchase.

Also in... a beautiful jeweled corona.
$89 includes shipping to the lower 48 states.

It was Far From Calm....

on Christmas Eve. It was more like All Is Smoky at our house on Christmas Eve. We had a little "kitchen disaster" that actually, could have turned out to be much worse. We were all at my Mom's house which is next door to our home. She needed an extra oven for baking the dinner so Jenna ran home to turn ours on to preheat. Well....a few minutes went by and the alarm company called my Mom's to tell us that our fire alarm was sounding..No, Nancy wasn't cooking again. She was standing mext to Mom when the call came in! In a matter of seconds, we heard the firetruck and we ran as fast as we could back to our house, which was filled with smoke, but no fire, thank God! We got the dogs out quickly, they were a little shaken, but fine. Lesson of the day. Do not turn on an oven and leave the house, especially if you used it the day before and someone forgot to clean what dripped onto the oven base!

Other than that, we had a perfect day with the family. Lots of laughs, food and good times. Pictures coming soon and no, I didn't take any of our disaster. That was the last thing on my mind. This is one Christmas Eve we will not soon forget!

All is calm...

all is bright....
Merry Christmas From Our House To Yours

Twas The Week Before Christmas

And all through the house, the smell of baked goods, filled the air. I LOVE the week before Christmas!
Jenna tried her hand at Pistachio-Orange Biscotti this year and I hope it's a yearly tradition! Her biscotti is YUM..filled with pistachios and dipped in dark chocolate. The recipe if from the Williams Sonoma Cookie & Biscotti book. She has other cookies made to bag as gifts to her Aunts this Christmas Eve.

Sleeping With The Angel

I placed a cement angel statue under my desk in hopes that it would keep Sophie from crawling under it and unplugging my computer cords. I guess my plan failed because she loves using the angel for a pillow. Did I mention pugs are very stubborn?

A Gnome For Your Pocket

I discovered these sweet little pocket gnomes one night as I was making the rounds on etsy. Isn't Etsy a wonderful place? Each one is handmade of wool and felt in Australia. I placed an order for the store and received them in plenty of time for the holidays. As you can see, each one has a hand stitched on their belly..so cute that it's hard to choose a favorite!

One of our favorite customers came in today to purchase 2 of these little guys for her kids stocking. I just have to share with you what she said she will tell them. She will tell the children that when it's time to go to bed, give all your worries and cares of the day to your little gnome friend. Then place him under your pillow and he will take all your cares away while you sleep. That just melts my heart!


For wee little hands and pockets!

Matilda's Mouse Barn Sale

We finally made it up to Matilda's Mouse, and I must say. It was SO worth the 45 minute drive. Heck, I would have driven 2 hours plus to see it all...maybe even just to see Matilda's sweet face.

From the minute we drove through the gated entrance, we let out a collective sigh as we scanned the old Betty Crocker estate. Kandi quickly announced she would trade her Coronado beach house for this place! As we entered the barn doors, Matilda..the perfect little angel, was perched on a turquoise throne. Matilda is the official greeter, and today she was wearing angel wings and a halo. She was even more adorable as I had imagined she'd be, and really didn't seem to care that everyone was cooing and making over her. She's used to it. :) Matilda must think that everyone comes to see her, not the barn FULL of treasures!
So on to the treasure trove inside the barn. I wish I had taken more pictures, but I will be sharing the items and vignettes that tickled my fancy.

I wanted so many things, but like most of the collectors reading this, we really don't NEED a thing, so we look and try to imagine how we would fit just one more thing in our home...or store.

What we did come away with was a charming little column that will be perfect at the end of our shop counter. It will be a jewelry stand once we have a more secure base attached so it won't tip. I picked up a cute burlap table runner, trimmed in lace and a darling headband which will be tucked into my girl's stocking. That was all I left with for myself, BUT it could have been much more! I wanted so many things, and I am looking forward to the next sale. upcoming sales. Nobody can put a show on these gals at Matilda's, so don't miss out on future events.

So we packed up our goods...the birdcage stand and column barely fit. Shall we rent a U-Haul next time girls? Photos are on the way so check back soon!

A Girl & Her Coat

This has been Jenna's favorite coat for the past two years. It has kept her warm on trips to San Francisco, and many trips to LA. She even wears it when she doesn't even need a coat! She loves it that much. A few weeks ago, I arrived home to find her in tears. She had washed the coat in cold water AND she put it in the dryer, on delicate. The coat is wool..what was she thinking? All she could manage to blurt out as she handed it off to me was that she tried to stretch it back but it wasn't working.
So I spent the next 30 minutes trying to stretch it every which way and I actually think I got it back to an XXXXX Small. So the next few days were spent on eBay, searching for the elusive Anthropologie Flower Field coat. Much to my surprise, she found 3, all of which had been snapped up with Buy It Now. I told her to be patient...another would surely appear... seasoned eBay veterans KNOW these these! `o) And the very next day when I heard a scream from her room, I knew. I made the purchase with Buy It Now, but she paid every penny of it herself. I'm 99.9% certain that this one won't be going into the washer.

A Slow Start

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...everywhere except our house! I'm getting a slow start on decorating our house this year, although Jenna managed to put up her cute little pink aluminum tree in her bedroom today. She borrowed some of my favorite ornies, but that's okay. I am just glad someone is appreciating them! I guess when you have a store to decorate, you can suffer burn out...at least I did! Here are a few shots of the store in holiday mode...


We filled an old birdbath with vintage ornaments...after Christmas it will hold seashells!



Everyone loves these little guys..we only have a couple left.


We have a woodland theme this year, filled with gnomes, forest friends and vintage elves.


Our vintage trellis is so pretty at night. We look forward to lighting it up at dusk. I hope everyone is staying warm and toasty during this season. Even though we've experienced some cold nights, I won't complain one bit about the weather in Southern Calif!

Tomorrow I will be taking a road trip to the Matilda's Mouse event with the girls. I have been wanting to make this trip for quite some time, and I can hardly wait to meet Matilda!