Girdle Gals

Due in part to the recent sale of the shop and my state of being in between adventures, I decided to get busy and create my own adventure, right now. And thus, the newly formed
"Girdle Gals Road Trip Club", comprised of friends new and old, planned their first trip to visit friends at the "Summer Cottage" antique store in Petaluma, CA.



We started off early in the morning, taking great care to pack the essentials needed for a vehicle trip of any length, really. Map, water, tunes, flares, a large folding sign to display should we get stuck on the side of the road that read "Send Help -- Spent Gas Money While Shopping" and a delicious, just-made-that-morning fresh peach bread pudding made by Rosann. With all the catching up to do, it really wasn't long before the navigator, Sandy, announced that one more right turn and we'd arrived. Excited to see our friends, Marlene and Julie, who work there, we hurried past the darling displays outside into the shop. Julie was there to greet us, but Marlene wasn't there after all. (She was in the middle of her own adventure, but that's a whole 'nother post!)



We shopped ourselves hungry, so after realizing we couldn't buy EVERYcutelittleTHING in the store, we narrowed down our picks, purchased them, rounded up the gals, and off we went to have a great lunch of food and friendship. I was so high from shopping (ever get that way?) that I can't remember the name of the place we ate, but just ask one of the nice ladies at the shop, and they'll point you in the right direction!

After lunch, we consulted the Sunset Magazine that Sherrie had thought to bring, and popped into a few more shops they had featured in the May (?) issue before calling it a day!

So if you need an excuse for an adventure, grab your own gals and head off to Petaluma. It's a great place to spend some time and have a little



P.S. Thanks to Connie at Over Good Ground for the Picasa pointers!

Thing of The Past

Four years ago I was a consignor in a little shop called "Room With A Past". For the last two years, I was the owner of that little shop, and now this month I am consignor once again with my own little slice of Heaven. For those of you who have been there, you must know what I mean. It's a place full of lovely items and run by lovely people. Life goes on..things change, and so it is with my relationship with the shop. My co-owner, Audrey, and I sold the shop last month to a very energetic and creative woman--Susan Goodman-- so we could move on to the next adventure in our lives. Susan has lots of experience within the same type of business and with beautiful things. Judging by all the changes she's made and the displays she has set up for this month's sale (which starts tonight!) I think she's the perfect person for the job! Since I am addicted to being a part of the shop, I love every minute of it & feel lucky to still be there getting my "fix" every month!

I hope you'll be able to stop in for the June sale (Thursday 6 - 8:30PM, Saturday 9 - 5, Sunday 9 - 4PM and Monday 9 - 2PM) to see all the fresh changes, meet Susan and get your "fix" too!

Book Report

It finally came! I won this book, plus a "surprise" from a giveaway at one of my favorite blogs My Minutia, the by artist and all around terribly clever person, Teresa McFayden.


All wrapped up in bows, with a nice glittery card and a sweet note, PLUS (here's the surprise...)


a kewl waxy bag printed with pixies, out from which tumbled an assortment of delicious ribbons and trims! The note said she had picked them up from the "ribbon man" during a trip to the garment district of L.A.



Ok, about the book...remember when you'd get back home after spending your weekly allowance at the local Five and Dime, flop on your twin-sized bed, chewing on a new wad of pink, sugary bubblegum and open the newest edition of "Tiger Beat" magazine to see photo after photo of Keith Partridge, Davy Jones, Bobby Sherman and Donny Osmond? Yeah, it was kinda like that! "Postmark LA" is chock-full of glossy, full-color pages that set my heart a' flutter. I couldn't get enough of it! Less of a "how to craft", and more of a "how to have fun with your crafty friends", this book is a memoir/scrapbook of six friends and how they spent their Spring vacation in the Los Angeles area. At home art parties, interviews, shopping, eating, talking, watching sunsets, and the tipping of wine glasses. I found joyful inspirational for projects on every single page. (And no, I wasn't paid to drool all over the pages and write these things!). If you want a sneak peek into the world of accomplished artists who use vintage photos, beads, buttons, lace, papers, and ribbon, buy a ticket, pack your bubblegum and enjoy the trip yourself!