Thrift Share - Dinnerware Delight

I've been on somewhat of a shopping drought lately. But I did come across some vintage plates that were quite a delight.

I found a total of 8 plates from the mid century Mikasa Terra Stone line.  

3 Dinner Plates in color Curry Yellow

5 dinner plates in color Bronze Green

 I love the simplicity and weight of the Mikasa plates, but the real find were the pair of these beautiful porcelain dinner plates...

The line is Acapulco by Villeroy & Boch.  I just adore the color & whimsy of the birds and flowers on this pattern.  Not only are they fun, but they are worth a bit of money too.  The dinner plates can go upwards of $100 each.  

Im debating if I will hold onto the Mikasa plates.  They would mix nicely with my current dinnerwear...but the Villeroy & Boch plates have already made their way into my Etsy Shop.

Linking up & looking forward to seeing all of the other lovely finds this week over at Sophie's & Selena's.

Cheers ~ Lara

Summer Sale

Take advantage of Summer Savings at NowSoLA Vintage!!!

25% OFF your entire order!
Use the Coupon Code

 SUMMERSALE at checkout!

Now thru August 31st, 2011!

Cheers ~ Lara

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Carmageddon 2011

Los Angelenos have been in a tizzy over the shutdown of the 405 freeway that will begin tonight and continue for the next 53 hours.  Thankfully my plans don't demand braving the shutdown, but...
If I had to get stuck in Carmageddon, I wouldn't mind being stuck in one of these sweet rides.

How bout this Pretty Pink T-bird.

I could roll in this drop top Cadillac all day!

And of course, my all time dream car... a 1950s Porsche Speedster Convertible

this beauty would certainly do the trick.

A girl can dream!

Cheers ~ Lara

Inspirational Outings - For the Birds

Sea-Bird, skimmer of the waves,

Whither doth thy journey tend?

- Isaac McLellan

Photos of birds from recent days at Balboa Island in Newport Beach, CA & Whale Watching from Long Beach, CA.

Cheers ~ Lara

Thrift Share - Color Therapy

I've been in a little funk since getting 3 of my wisdom teeth removed, and just haven't been in a shopping mood.   Bright colors always help me feel better, so I'm pulling out some Colorful thrift scores that I've yet to share for a little Color Therapy.

 1946 Swatch book from Color-aid

 How fun is this Enesco Vase? It adds a wonderful splash of color in our living room.

12 X 16 Painting signed B. Parker

I immediately fell in love with this Quilt painting.  I found it at a Yard Sale in Tampa a few years ago.  I actually gave this beautiful painting as a gift to my wonderful Mom who is a quilter & collector of vintage quilts (you can see the quilt she just made me here :-)  She loves it & it hangs in their cabin now!

I hope the Colors brighten your day.  I'm feeling better already!

I can't wait to see what everyone else found last week....so once again I'm linking up to Flea Market Finds , Thrift Share Monday, and Thrifty Treasures.  

Cheers ~ Lara

Street Artist JR - My Portrait

French street artist JR is known for using bleak streets in cities across the globe as frames for poignant portraits of people who live there.  He won a $100,000 TED Prize and was granted a wish -- the Inside Out Project.  I was happy that I had the opportunity to attend the TED Prize Wish Kick-off event in Long Beach where a photo booth in the art gallery was used to make self-portraits that printed out as posters. JR says "The rest is about action."  I haven't got to hang my photo on the streets yet...but I need to make sure it's up somewhere for others to see, so I'll start with my blog until I decide what next to do with it.

It's huge & hanging in my studio...

and my eyes are crazy! LOL.

It was a neat experience visiting the gallery & I've enjoyed seeing so much of JR's work around Los Angeles & Long Beach.

Phantom Galleries Long Beach

Phantom Galleries Long Beach

Downtown Long Beach

Downtown Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles

I can't wait to see what JR does next.

Cheers ~ Lara

My Old Kentucky Home

It's the 4th of July today.  

I'm sitting on our patio having a glass of wine, contemplating life, and dreaming of home.

Though California is where I live I firmly believe the old saying is true..."Home is where your Mom is!"

The Main Cabin & the Guest Cabin

Since I've been away from KY (a whopping 15 years already) my home there has changed.  My mom & step-father moved to the country (Trimble County) and have built these 2 log cabins (well, there are actually 4 if you count the "Dog Cabin" & the "Pottin' Shed)  on a beautiful 100 acre piece of land.  It's so warm & welcoming & I dream of being there all of the time.

The Pottin' Shed...behind this Old Rustic Tractor covered in Wildflowers

My step-father is a true craftsman & artist.  I joke that he can whittle a masterpiece from a broken branch...but it's true.  He's so talented & so modest about it!  They basically built both of their cabins by hand.  Hundreds of hours of sweat equity have resulted the beautiful inspired masterpiece that they call home!

My Beautiful Mom & wonderful Step-dad Mike

A neat Leather Guest Book ~ of course handmade by Mike!

Another amazing piece of handmade Leatherwork ~ a biblical verse hanging proudly in the guest cabin

The Guest Cabin was an original Log Cabin from the 1800s that they bought from some land elsewhere in KY.  They meticulously broke it down piece by piece, transferred, then resurrected back on their land.

An interior peek of the Guest Cabin

 My mom is also very talented.  Though she says she's not creative, she totally is!  She quilts & sews & gardens & decorates...they are both my inspirations!!!  I wish I could spend a summer (or years) just learning how to use the woodworking tools in his garage & quilting with my Mom at night.  I think it would be pure Bliss!!!!

This is the AMAZING Quilt my Mom hand made and sent me for Christmas this year!  We LOVE it and use it everyday!

Though they may be thousands of miles away in distance...they are always so close in my Heart!  And on this holiday today, and every day, I am so grateful to have my parents in KY as my Love & Inspiration!

Cheers ~ Lara

Thrift Share - Craigslist Crazy Holiday

Happy 4th of July weekend to all of my US Thrift Hunting blogger friends!

Whilst yard sales aren't as plentiful on a holiday weekend I hope you all managed some great finds!

I'm super excited about what I brought home...though it was quite a task to acquire it.

If you've been following my blog a little you probably remember how frustrated I've been with changing up our Den.  I can't find the right pillows or table & just overall not happy with the space.  I moved the oversize ottoman back, returned the brown pillows, and picked up these new Yellow & Color Burst ones from West Elm this weekend.  I think they are OK, but not perfect.  What do you think??? 

So on to my find...

A couple of weeks ago I shared my envy when Morgan at The Brick House found a perfect coffee table for their room on Craigslist...and I knew it would be perfect in my room too.  Our ottoman is ok, but there's no where to put drinks & we really need a harder surface.  So guess what....I FOUND ONE!  Well, not exactly the same, but pretty darn close!  Yesterday I was scrolling on Craigslist and thought "What the Hay", and checked in San Diego listings.  We had nothing going on & it's not too far of a drive...when low & behold I found the pics on this listing!

I called, the table was still available & for only $75 and a drive to San Diego it was mine.  Sounds easy, but with the 4th of July traffic it took 4 hours to get there.  Regardless, I've got my project for the rest of the weekend.  The table is great.  I'm going to sand & stain it a little darker & reseal the travertine & I'll have some pics for you next week (maybe with different pillows, lol).  We were all exhausted after our drive, but hopefully it was worth it in the end!

I hope that you have a safe and fun 4th whatever your day brings & I can't wait to see all of your Thrifty Things....so once again I'm linking up to Flea Market Finds & Thrift Share Monday.  

Cheers ~ Lara