Imagine Finding This....

at your local Goodwill. Just this week, a retired jeweler was sorting through items donated to a Goodwill in PA when he spotted a 2.6 carat diamond and platinum ring. The ring was appraised at 17,600! The ring has a two-carat European-cut diamond, surrounded 14 smaller diamonds.
Goodwill official aren't sure why the ring was donated or who donated it.

My guess is that it came in from someone cleaning out an estate. They probably tossed the entire box of costume jewelry, thinking it was all junk jewelry, in a bag to be donated They may have looked at the size of that diamond and thought that it couldn't possibly be REAL! It's not uncommon to find 14K jewelry mixed with costume, but I've never found anything this valuable. My shop partner once bought a bag of mixed costume jewelry and there were 2 Tiffany heart bracelets inside the mix. That was unexpected and a nice surprise!

Have you ever found anything valuable at a thrift store or tag sale?

Repurposed Jewelry Displays

Displaying jewelry in an interesting way, can really generate a second look! Here are a few of my favorite displays around the shop.

Kandi made this pretty jewelry display for the shop from an old frame we had laying around the shop. This is an inexpensive and easy project to take on. All you need is an empty frame, fabric, foam board and a staple gun. I found the fabric remnant at the thrift store for a dollar, the frame was an estate sale find and the poster board was purchased new. Just add long pearl bead pins to hang your necklaces on. I don't think the entire project cost more than $10!

Pictured below is another one that we had made when we first opened. This one was a bit more involved as we had a shadow box behind the frame so we would have a shelf to sit bracelets on.




A vintage decorative scale has perfect arms for displaying necklaces.


This old pottery vase looks like it was just made to hold this pretty layered chain bracelet.

Old silver loving cups can show off a display of cuffs with style.



Don't throw out that old screen! We have a collection of bird necklaces on this one. We added some simple white cup hooks across the top to hold the necklaces. You can also slip earrings right through the screen.

This once held money in an old cash register...
now it's filled with beans and rings!

All jewelry pictured is available at The Attic Just ring us at 619-435-5614, or stop by to see us in person!

Taking The Etsy Plunge

Daughter is gearing up to open an eTsy shop with her vintage dresses, shoes and handbags. There's no more room in the closet, so something has to go! Each time she tries on one of her vintage dresses, she walks out to show me and asks the same question. "Should I sell it??" Anyone out there who collects, can relate. It's so hard to let go of the things we love, even though we don't have the space or need for them any longer.

She purchased a tripod so she can take her own photos. The older she gets, the more she hates for me to photograph her. I'm still posting this one..she never reads my blog. :)
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You can CLICK HERE to visit her eTsy page

A Phone Call From A Friend

I have known her for years..she was one of my first customers on eBay back in 2000. We spoke by telephone for the very first time the other day..why did we wait so long Barbara! I'm sure we were on the phone for at least an hour..chatting about old times all the way from CT. We reminisced about things she had purchased from me, about the reason she purchased a pretty milk glass bowl from me. My description drew her in..."imagine it piled high with fluffy mashed potatoes"...hahaha we had a good laugh out of that one. Did I really write that?!! She recalled a rose garden that my husband planted for me , abut the time he was going through treatment for cancer. Just so many little things she remembered, and it made me smile to be reminded of them!

We chatted about so many things...we both have daughters who are close in age. Her's, ready to spread her wings to begin college soon. As we were talking, it felt like we knew so much about each other, with only an online friendship! I demanded that she come out for a visit and I would spend a week as her tour guide to all of the hot shopping spots in Southern Calif. She plans to, maybe next year, and I can't wait to meet her in person!


She purchased the pair of chairs pictured above from my store recently and we shipped them to her. Barb is married to one of those nice guys who doesn't bat an eye seeing 2 pink chairs rolled into the house. :) We are lucky gals, in more ways than one, right Barb?

I Wanted It ALL

I was visiting my favorite thrift store a few weeks back, when I turned the corner and saw this....NOT 1, but 2 dining tables with 10 chairs, 2 chaise lounges, 2 side chairs, a love seat, 2 side tables...my heart went into overdrive.





And then I saw the price. At least they priced things separately, but how in the world could I choose just ONE thing?!! I wanted it all, but I wound up leaving it all. I know..some of you out there who are reading this must think that I fainted and hit my head, but the prices were out of my range. Not that it wasn't worth their asking price! This stuff was HEAVY, the good old iron with the original aqua paint and look at that fruity design! The table with 4 chairs that I really wanted was $350 and there was no glass top. The larger table and 6 chairs had glass and was much higher. If I had a large patio with pool, I would have sold my left kidney to buy it, but I don't, so I just stood there in a trance for what seemed like 30 minutes. The worker offered me a better price but I had to TAKE IT ALL. So instead of taking it all, I took the photos, went home and dreamed about that set. I could not get it out of my mind. Went back the next morning and POOF! It was all gone...just like that, sold to one person. I can just imagine this set on the patio of a 1920's Spanish mansion... I guess it wasn't meant to be for me!

I Can Hardly Believe It...

We don't have a teenager anymore..Jenna turned 20 today. I took this photo of her last August with her baby girl, Ms. Sophie, given to her for her 10th birthday. BEST birthday present EVER! :) I was surprised and a bit embarrassed to discover that this is the latest picture I have of Jenna. I guess that's what happens when we get so busy with work, school, life..time just gets away from us, doesn't it? That and the fact that she really does avoid getting her picture taken. I do love this one though because at the time, she didn't even know I was taking it.

Together, we prepared french toast for her birthday breakfast with to die for Dudley's Louisiana Pecan Maple bread, fresh mango and banana slices. We'll be going out to dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant, Swaddee in Coronado. My friend Tasna is the owner and does a lot of the cooking. If you are ever in Coronado, I highly recommend it!

Jenna wanted to make her own birthday dessert...this sinful treat: Chocolate Caramel Tart I'll let you know how it is..after I come out of my sugar coma.

This is the big one....

I've experienced numerous earthquakes in my lifetime, but never one quite as long as today's quake. After about 20 seconds of being inside the house, I decided to make a move outside. It seemed to last forever, although it was over in less than a minute. Most of the quakes I have felt are a little more jerky..this one seemed to come in waves, which made me feel quite tipsy! Several after shocks are still going on within the last hour, but thankfully, no damage here..just a few hairline cracks in the stucco.
I found this video on You tube tonight. These guys didn't even wait but a few seconds after it ended before getting their drinks..I just found it funny. :)

Burlap Table Runner & More

I was expecting to have more for you on the website this week, but I ran out of time and energy. This burlap table runner was made by my shop partner, Kandi. We've already sold them in the shop, and now it's time to introduce them to the online shop! I added just a few items today, but promise to have more by the weekend! I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter Sunday.

Click here to visit the website.