Sitting on a blanket in front of my orange tree, wearing a white sweater, with two orange brooches, and a skirt featuring various California landmarks, while reading.

California Dreamin’ is Becomin’ a Reality

February 10, 2021, 5 Comments

Since moving to California I had dreamed of having my very own orange tree. I imagined the joy of stepping outside, plucking an orange off the tree for fresh orange juice in the morning or for an afternoon snack. When we moved into our house a little over three years ago I hemmed and hawed…

A buffet piece sits on the back wall of the dining room. Atop the buffet is a diecut owl, cat atop a skull, a skeleton wearing a pirate costume, in the middle a spirit board themed to the House on Haunted Hill, with a woman screaming, skeleton, and Vincent Price, to the right of it a plastic jack o'lantern with a black party hat with an orange cat atop it, and next to it a diecut skull. Hanging above all of it are themed framed pieces. On the left is a framed segment of a paper table cloth featuring an illustration of a haunted house. In the middle framed witch and skeleton, on the right a framed segment of a paper table cloth with witches and pumpkins. Sitting atop each frame is a diecut black cat.

Halloween is Creeping in Early

September 16, 2020, 6 Comments

Normally I don’t share my Halloween decor until early October, because despite decorating mid-September, I tend to spend the remaining weeks of September combing antique malls and flea markets for fresh vintage finds to add. But, this year obviously is much, much different. I’ve taken COVID-19 extremely seriously, and despite many antique malls reopening, and…

An orange, black, and green decoration of a haunted house sits on a shelf.

Trick or Treat

October 9, 2019, 4 Comments

Per usual, I’ve had the house decorated for Halloween for a few weeks now, but have been procrastinating because I keep stumbling upon new items! But seeing as it’s almost mid-October, I’d say it’s time to share. Recently Patrick and I scored this beautiful vintage atomic shadowbox. It was in shambles, but we restored it…

Santa waves from his sleigh full of toys as he appears to take off, pulled by three reindeer.

Deck the Halls…er, Yard

December 11, 2018, 7 Comments

Growing up, my dad always went all out for Christmas, both inside and outside. When it came to the outside, we had a combination of vintage wooden pieces lighted by flood lights and the lighted classic blow mold plastic, and the roof was edged in those iconic large bulbs, which I later learned were called…

A covered patio stretches out from a butter yellow house, on the patio are various ceramic and fiberglass planters, along with two black butterfly style chairs. Green grass surrounds the patio, large agave plants are clustered in the corner.

Our 1954 Home: Backyard

November 29, 2018, 12 Comments

We’ve been in our home a little over a year now, and, with some minor exceptions, we just now finished up our backyard, and I am happy to finally share it on the blog! From the get-go, many people were interested in what our backyard looked like, but I kept it hidden for the most…

Below a painting of a desert scene hang two skeletons and a black cat above an orange and black couch. On the couch spirit board pillows sit.

Hooray for Halloween

October 12, 2018, 14 Comments

While this October makes the second Halloween we have celebrated in our first house, it is the first year I have been able to decorate! It’s hard to believe we have been in our home a year now, and due to the chaos of moving last year the Halloween decoration boxes remained in the garage. So…

Walking through the nursery, which is located along lengthy power lines that extend over the plants and into the distance.

A Visit to the Nursery

August 9, 2018, 1 Comment

When we bought our house, and it’s hard to believe we are nearing one year of home ownership, we had an almost barren backyard. Aside from some large bushes, a guava tree, and a large cluster of agaves, we had no grass, and a bunch of empty beds along the edge of the house. We…

We Bought a House!

October 5, 2017, 12 Comments

Alright, so the BIG news I’ve been hinting at! We bought a house! After over a year of searching, being outbid twice, we finally got one! It’s not the amazing mid-century modern or crazy 50s ranch I had hoped for, as it is relatively modest on the outside, but it was built in 1954 and…

Cool Yule

November 28, 2016, 3 Comments

Last week Patrick and I blasted some Christmas tunes and decorated for Christmas. It takes a couple of days to get everything sorted and put up. Between last year and this, we acquired some more vintage Christmas decorations, including a vintage wall-hanging aluminum tree! As well as some more delightful vintage ceramic pieces that belonged to…

Christmas Cheer

December 3, 2015, 3 Comments

When it comes to decorating for Christmas, I used to be of the opinion strictly no Christmas decorating or music until the day after Thanksgiving. Over the years my love of decorating has increased (as has the amount of decorations), and I hauled out the Christmas boxes in mid-November, so our place has been decorated…