Idea Board: Eclectic Living Room

Amy wrote to me asking if it's possible for her favorite couch, the lime green one, and her husband's favorite couch, the leather one, could co-exist in a room. I told her, of COURSE it can!

I love mixing pieces that are complete opposites [maybe because my husband and I are complete opposites, yet still fit]. Anyway, back to design... here is the result: a completely eclectic, yet comfy, living room.



(Their current wall color had to stay - it's a light tan color)

I won't go into details on this one, I think the board speaks for itself! It's a total eclectic mix full of organized chaos :)

Sources:
Couches: sent to me via Amy... I don't know the sources.
Ottoman: WS Home
Mirror: Ikea
Rug: Shades of Light
Console: Crate and Barrel
Flower painting: Etsy
Lighthouse painting: eBay
DIY Shade with Ribbon: Brooklyn Limestone
Lamp: Ikea
Side Table: Home Decorators
Side Table Knob: Anthropologie
Chair: Pier 1
Tray: CB2

I have to be honest, I love this one.

The Reveal: Living Room [work in progress]

And now for the reveal.... what exactly did I use robin's egg blue for?

The living room console!

{paint = "Vintage Map" by Martha Stewart for Valspar}

I've been wanting to do this for a while... remember this post?

I'm slowly, and very inexpensively, working on updating our living room. This console is definitely a work in progress... I really want to change the wooden knob, but when I went to take it off, I found it's glued in.

Does anyone have any idea how to get our a glued in piece of wood??

I think I may have to saw it off, sand down the remnants and then drill a hole for the new hardware. That's on my to-do list.

See the white box? One thing I did was find a storage option for my husband's big, clunky surround sound receiver. I'll post more details about that another day.



When I go to the Rose Bowl flea market, I am going to be on the hunt for a large, neutral piece of art to place on the table. I don't want it to be too bright to take away from this lovely little painting my grandmother did (above). Aren't the colors so 70's? I love it.

Now for the shot of the room.....



This is a serious work in progress.

Things I've done:
- Paint room
- Hung light, white curtains
- Paint console
- Re-arranged mantle and coffee table accessories
- Added leaning mirror

Things to be done:
- Jute rug (for my birthday)
- Large art for console
- Make bolster pillow
- Hang the white curtains on the other side.

I have to be honest - in a perfect world, I'd create an idea board for myself and be able to go out and buy new furniture and accessories. But that's not in the budget, not now and not for a while. Each little project I've done has been around $20, and I'm definitely working with what I have.



I'm always open to suggestions for this room - like I said, it's a major work in progress, and done on a teenie tiny budget. One thing I am asking for for my birthday is the rug - I keep going back and forth about it- should I do something neutral, like an ivory jute or something graphic and dark?

Sneak Peek: Robin's Egg Blue

We were busy this weekend (again)!

We did clean out the garage.. it wasn't too hard since most of it was just trash.

I pulled out the paintbrush again for another project, and here is a sneak peek of the color - a gorgeous robin's egg blue.

{vintage map by Martha Stewart for Valspar}

milkglass + platters

Yesterday during lunch I stopped by the post office, and since Salvation Army was on the way back to work, of course I had to swing by. Boy, am I glad I did because I found some Finds with a capital F.

Let me back track. In our kitchen, we had a Pottery Barn wine glass holder* installed above our kitchen table. Sure, it was a nice use of space.... but the wine glasses would collect dust and literally never be used (we would always use the wine glasses that were in our cabinets instead, on the rare occasion we opened a bottle).

You can see it here.....

[this is an old picture. I'm so glad I got rid of the gold]

Since I'm not a fan of unused clutter, we took it down when I re-painted the kitchen.

After seeing this picture from Eddie Ross's NY apartment, I decided I wanted to put up a cascading row of platters in the space instead.



And much to my delight, I found these at Salvation Army yesterday!



They ranged from $4.00 to $2.75 each; each of them were found in Salvation Army Clearance section. If that's not a deal, I don't know what is!

I'm not going to restore them... I kind of like them all beat up and tarnished. It tells a story of where they have been.

Next to the silver section, was the milkglass section... another love of mine. I found these vases and had to purchase the collection.


My favorites are the faceted ones. Each of these ranged from $1.75 - $2.75.

I also picked up a couple spring colored belts and three short sleeve shirts.

I LOVE Salvation Army!

* I plan on selling my PB wine shelves on Craigslist. I have both shelves; they are exactly like these but in black. If anyone reading is interested, shoot me an email!

What a perfect little summer outfit.....

found via urban outfitters

I'm filing this one away.

52 to 25: A Post About Life

Warning: Sometimes I like to use this blog as an outlet. Today is one of those days. Skip if you don't want to read a semi-reflective, semi-whiny post.

Well... it's officially 52 days until my 25th birthday. Yes, I'm very young. However, I won't deny I'm having a 1/3rd-life-crisis.

There were a list of things I wanted to accomplish by my 25th birthday.. here are some of them:

- Get organized
- Lose weight
- Be debt free
- Bring exercise and healthy eating routinely into my life
- Always look "put together"

Surprisingly, I have stuck to this list and been doing pretty well! Here are the updates:

- Get organized: I have organized almost everything in our home and gotten rid of junk, junk and more junk. I only have to tackle my closet, the garage (!!!), and a few kitchen drawers and I'm DONE!

- Lose weight: I'm mentioned it here and there, but I'm proud to say I've lost 15 lbs since August 2008. Slowly and steadily has worked for me. By my birthday, I want to lose another 5 lbs. It's a pretty hefty goal, and I need to start hitting the pavement again regularly to get there.

- Be debt free: We are just a couple months away to being in a really great place financially. We'll have no debt, minus two car loans, at 25 and 26 and I'm proud of that!

- Bring exercise and healthy eating routinely into my life: I've done a pretty good job of this, and I think the weight loss is result of it!

- Always look "put together": Thanks to my new love of thrifting, I now love to put together outfits. The best part is, now I have personality to my clothes since many of them are vintage, instead of looking like a poster child for the Gap.

I have to admit - blogging really has helped me with my goal list. I find such inspiration for my life in the blog world.

Now here comes the whiny part. Here I am at 25, and my "crisis" is that I'm still trying to find who I am; mainly in the career department. I enjoy my job, but I get a little sad when I see things like this:


print via etsy.com

Truth is... sure, Advertising is fun and all, but it's not what I love. I consider myself a creative person and I yearn to live a life where I can use creativity to bring in income. So this begs the question - is it too late to do that? In my dreams, I imagine my life as an interior designer. But that requires school, and when thinking of going back to school, I'm overwhelmed and guilty. Overwhelmed at the cost (we just got out of debt, why should I get back into it? Plus one income? eek) and guilty at the thought that my parents gave the gift of college to me, and I choose Advertising instead of Interior Design. It's something I really regret, but the decision was made, and I am forever thankful for the opportunities they gave me. I don't want to throw that all away....

Another question - is there a way to live what I love full time without having to spend a bunch of money to go back to school? Truth is, I'm working towards this with the launch of my new site. I'd love to be able to work with people out there on rooms, web sites, logos.... that way I can live what I love and also be able to use the skills I learned in college.

But alas, for as long as I need to, I'll continue to live my double life - Advertiser by day and designer by night. It's a perfect life, actually, and I really have no reason to whine ;)

So as I approach an age milestone, I've created some new goals for my 25th year and beyond:

- Bring even more creative outlets into my life: painting, drawing, expansion of my offerings
- Find a place to live where my husband and I can thrive
- Lose more weight (what woman doesn't have this permanently fixed on her life list?)

And with that, I'll share with you baby Bryn, approximately 24 years ago:

Idea Board: Hawaii Bedroom

Jenny also asked me to create an idea board for her Master Bedroom - I loved doing this room. My inspiration was sand - I wanted to put all the colors of sand into this room. The result is a room that is completely neutral and calming.

Another important factor for me in this room was to keep in mind that Jenny's husband is a military man and I knew he wouldn't enjoy falling asleep in an overly feminine room. So I made sure to add in both feminine and masculine touches.



The Details:

- The sand colors include grays, tans, whites, ivories, and browns.

- In this room the feminine details are the upholstered bed, the clean, curved lines of the bed and the nightstands, the roman shade, the sheen in the duvet cover and candles.

- The masculine details are the the nail heads in the bed, burlap and jute textures, the stocky modern dresser, the oxidized metal vases and the steel side tables.

Sources:

Bed: Crate & Barrel, knock-off on Overstock.com
Duvet cover: Amazon.com
Pillow: Etsy.com, seller PetitCoterie
Rug: Overstock.com
Art: Etsy.com, seller PerlaAnne
Side table: Target
Lamp: CB2
Roman shade: Target
Vases: Jamali Garden
Candle Holders: Jamali Garden
Dresser: Z Gallerie

Rose Bowl Pics

Eddie Ross posted his re-cap (short and sweet) as well as some awesome pictures of the Rose Bowl Flea Market day!

Here are some pictures I thought I'd share with you.


Me and the give-away prize!


Do you see me on the right listening closely to Eddie?


See my AWESOME fabric? I need to buy a bolster pillow so I can make that case already.

I can't wait to go back April 12th!

Thanks, again Eddie :)

Idea Board: Hawaii Living

Jenny, who just moved to military housing in Hawaii with her husband and 2-year old son, contacted me to help her with their new place.

I had a blast doing this room because it was a challenge; Jenny and her family cannot paint walls. Jenny also requested a "Hawaiian" theme, without being theme-y. (Just say NO to theme rooms!)

Jenny made my job easier because she already has great core pieces: sage velvet couch, beige velvet chair and ottoman, great round pedestal dining room table.

The Board:




The Details:

The first thing I thought of when she mentioned Hawaii was "texture": earthly textures in natural tones. I'm not a fan of the bright cliche Hawaiian prints, so I went muted with a splash of color.

- The rug has florals that reminds me of Hawaii, but doesn't scream it.

- I suggested to Jenny even though she has a rental, it's relatively cheap and easy to switch out window shades. I suggested she replaced the verticals with earthy bamboo shades. The grommet drapes are organic cotton.

- Frames lined in a row, and hung on the same horizontal line (like in the board) is a great modern way to display black and white family photos and scenes of Hawaiian beaches.

- Recognize the hutch from Eddie Ross's Blog? I suggested to Jenny that she scour her local thrift shops to find something similar that she can display white and cobalt blue dishes in. I also suggested to go find some great, simple mid-century chairs that she can recover herself. Thrifting is the best way to decorate on a budget.

- Speaking of cobalt blue, it's the perfect accent to her neutral pallet. The cobalt blue reminds me of the deep Hawaiian ocean. I suggested she scatter it around her room: dishes in the hutch, a platter on her coffee table with a few magazines on it, two cobalt blue lamps on each end table and a striped bolster pillow on the couch.

- And you probably have noticed, but I'm a huge fan of leaning mirrors. They really open up a space. I told Jenny a leaning mirror would be great behind the ottoman (which is against the wall).

Sources:

Hutch - Eddie Ross
Bamboo Shade - Overstock.com
Drapes - Smartbargains.com
Frames - Ikea, Ribba
Rug - Overstock.com
Mirror - Ikea
Platter - Fiesta in Cobalt (found via Amazon.com)
Fabric - Premier Prints Fabric
Lamps - JCP

Spring Cleaning

Happy First Day of Spring!

I did a little spring cleaning here at Newlywedisms - we got rid of the old [title] and in with the new [title].

I changed the title of this blog from Newlywedisms by Bryn to bryn alexandra, for a couple of reasons:

- Let's face it, at almost two years of marriage, we are hardly newlyweds anymore! We're getting into old married couple status soon ;)

- I don't actually write much about newlywed life here on the blog. Since I ramble on about anything and everything, I figured I'd give it a basic name - and you can't get more basic than my name!

- My address is actually brynalexandra.blogspot.com, so I thought it'd be fitting to have the blog name match the blog address.

- I'm working on my actual website, brynalexandra.com, and I thought it'd be fitting to have the same name. On this site I'll have information about all my little "services" - web design, blog designs, idea boards, wedding invitations, etc.

So there you have it! Blog spring cleaning.

**If you use blogger, it should automatically update on your blog roll, but if it doesn't please update your blog roll to my new name :)

And don't worry - nothing about the blog will change. Unless you want something to change for the better, and in that case let me know!

Busy Little B

You know my post saying I've become quite ambitious this spring? Now that living room and entryway is completely painted, I'm moving on this weekend to the kitchen and upstairs landing area. Both of these areas are pretty small, so I'm not anticipating much work this weekend. (However we will be moving the fridge !!! )

After painting the walls, I have plans to re-vamp two consoles. Those will be done maybe next weekend?

Once the paintbrushes are cleaned and put away, my house ambitions don't end with paint. I've saved links to a couple little projects that I want to tackle in the next couples months...



1.) Vintage Elevated Dog Feeder via Design Sponge

Isn't this little dog feeder awesome? I saw so many old vintage crates at the Rose Bowl that would be perfect for this diy project. Hubby promised to go back to the Rose Bowl flea market next month, so I'm adding a crate to my list. I really think it will help Char's post-surgery back, too. She won't have to strain her neck as much when she eats.

2.) Padded Footstool Makeover via Design Sponge

I just love this footstool makeover. The original was so... blah. But Bonnie used a fresh coat of white paint and some Ikea fabric and turned it into something really pretty! I want to do the same thing to accompany the chair in our office. This diy is actually also for Charlotte - we have donned the office chair "Charlotte's chair" because she loves sitting in it and watching cars go by during the day. However, post surgery she can't jump on furniture so I want a little stool to help her step up. Dog mommy (me) will also enjoy putting her feet up on it while sitting in the office and chatting with the hubs while he is on the computer.

3.) Slipcovering a Reader Chair via Apartment Therapy

This one is the big scary diy project. I've wanted to slipcover Charlotte's chair for a while, but it's just too expensive. Then I came across this little article and thought "hey - maybe I can do that!" When I read that the author hadn't touched a sewing machine since high school, it really inspired me. Who knows - I may end up over my sewing maching with tears of frustration running down my face, but I'm going to try it out. The fabric I want to use is the picture underneath the chair. I found it here.

Who knows when/if I will conquer these diy feats, but I sure am going to try!

..........I just noticed all three of these projects are ultimately for Charlotte. That's one spoiled dog! And with that I'll leave you with a picture of her in her chair:

In a dream

This bag is perfection.



In my daydreams, I picture my 32-year-old self running down the white steps of our front porch to my car with our blond, curly haired child in one hand. My other hand is rummaging through this bag, passed paint swatches and fabric samples and client receipts and Gizmo the sock monkey to find my keys at the bottom of it (Heck... Lexus keys, while we're at it).

A girl can dream, right?

UPDATE: I've had quite a few people ask about this bag - you can click on the words "This bag" up at the top of the post and see the Etsy listing for it! It's sold by seller renneslechateau. It is $190, and made of soft, brown cowhide.

The Perfect Greige - A Love Story

Can I just say - I LOVE our new color? I'm so glad I decided to paint... it was a huge task to take on, but it's so worth it. And honestly - it wasn't that bad! And my sore muscles makes me happy to know I'm got a good work out :)

Matt acted as photographer during this process. [Editors note: Matt doesn't paint. He doesn't like it and I'm not going to nag him to do something he hates. To be honest, he's not great at it and I'm a perfectionist, so it works out.]


Here I am taping - See all the scuffs? We really needed a new coat of paint on the walls.

Matt got some great shots of the during:


Here's the color!

Isn't it great? It's the perfect greige. I decided Thursday night at 8 pm that I wanted to go lighter than originally planned - so I ran to Lowe's (open til 10) and grabbed two samples. I painted those samples on the wall, and picked the perfect color.

The color: Woodrow Wilson Putty 6006-1, Valspar (Lowe's)

Weird name, beautiful color. It's one of Lowe's National Trust for Historic Preservation colors (I love that collection). Our wallets are glad we went with this color, too - it was only $17 per gallon versus $24 per gallon of Benjamin Moore (and that $24 is the cheap contractor's paint, not their good stuff).

I highly highly recommend Valspar paint. It's amazing quality; very thick and you really only need one coat. I always do two because I'm anal, but I could have easily stopped after one.

Okay, on to more pictures...


Char hung out and watched during the process.

And here are some afters. You only get previews for now because I have some plans up my sleeve for the living room decor and I'll share the full room after I'm done! :)






See this table? I just bought it from Craigslist. Can you help me pick a color to paint it? I plan on getting some antique drop pulls for it too. I also need a new lamp shade.

My final thoughts: I LOVE this new color. It's quite a bit lighter than I originally planned, but it makes the house so bright and airy. I think the new color brings sophistication, but I'm planning on bringing in some wimsy (like my new striped yellow fabric!).

Next weekend I'll do the kitchen & upstairs.

Rose Bowl Giveaway WINNER!

Thank you all so much for entering my Rose Bowl give-away! The winner is.....



Laura's comment was: "very cute! :) thanks for posting about your time at the Rose Bowl, I loved seeing what you all found" on March 11, at 5:39 AM.



Laura, please email me your address and I'll ship your new beautiful alabaster jewelry box out!

Thank you all so much for commenting and reading :)

weapons of massive consumption

I am in love with this song right now* - and I'm that much more in love with the video. It makes me want to watch Marie Antoinette again!



*I know it's not that cool to be in love with a song that's everywhere right now, but what can I say... I'm not too original :)

Easiest "homemade" Caesar Salad.... Ever.

Who hates bottled caesar dressing? Me! It's so far from what caesar dressing should taste like. A couple times in my life I've done the caesar thing from scratch.... raw egg yolks, anchovie paste and all. Sure, it was great, but it took a while.

So last night the hubs and I made chicken caesar salads for dinner*, and I played scientist in the kitchen to try and come up with something that tasted homemade but was Sandra Lee easy.

My measurements are so not measured, but you can play around with the consistency yourself at home!

A cup or two of Low Fat (or Fat Free) Caesar dressing - I bought the cheap Ralph's brand, $2.00 for a bottle
2 to 3 spoonfuls of Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
A couple swigs of olive oil
Cracked pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 generous pinches of shredded Parmesan cheese

Combine all of the above in a bowl and whisk together to your desired consistency.

It really turns out tasting like close to the real thing. Adding the olive oil and parm does not make it low fat by any means, but starting with a low fat or fat free store-bought base helps out with the fat factor. If you really want to go authentic, add in a couple little drops of anchovy paste. If you try this out - tell me what you think!

*We did the salad for dinner thing last night, I have to say I just can't do it. No offense to all your salad eaters out there, but salads are for appetizers or side dishes, not for an entire meal. Even with creamy, fatty, oily, cheesy dressing. Nope, can't do it. It's still a salad.

Made for me

Matt - does this print describe me or what? You, blogs and [chai] tea. (okay add Charbear to the mix and you can call it a day).

madebygirl

Ambition is in the air...

There is just something about spring that brings out the ambition in me. Last year in March, I re-painted the office. This year............ is a much bigger ambition.

I plan on painting the house. Yes, pretty much the entire inside of the house. Currently, there is this goldish-yellow-beige that covers the house:



At first I didn't mind it. Then I grew to prefer something else, then I just grew to dislike it. It's probably why I don't feature the house too much here on the blog. So I sent out a request to my in-laws to paint the entire house*, and they came back with a yes! It needed a fresh coat of paint anyway and I'm doing all the labor so it's a win win for them. I'm going with a "griege" - a grayish beige. I think it will be a great neutral, and won't blend in with the floors, furniture and drapes as much.





Currently, my contenders are Revere Pewter and Stingray (both Benjamin Moore). I'm planning on painting large swatches on the walls tonight, so I thought I'd make it official and post my plans today :) No backing out now!

Of course, I'll blog my adventure; the good, the bad and the ugly. I know my arms, back and core are going to be killing me in the next couple weeks, it's going to be a big, grueling job. The rooms I need to cover are:

- living room
- dining nook
- kitchen
- entryway/stairs
- tiny little upstairs
- upstairs and master bathrooms (maybe)

But by doing the labor myself will save hundreds of dollars and it will be a great workout. It will take me a couple weeks, but I've consulted a local paint shop and the total for paint will only be around $140 for the whole job.

And don't think the ambition stops there - I have a few other projects up my sleeve that involves a lot of DIY action, too. It should be a fun, busy spring/summer!

*My husband's parents own the home we live in and we rent it from them, which is why they get final say on house projects. They are undeniably generous and we are forever grateful to them for letting us rent this amazing home while we are in our poor early-twenties, newlyweds stage of our lives.

The Rose Bowl Giveaway

Here it is! My favorite purchase of my day with Eddie. It's a vintage jewelry box. It's made of a beautiful alabaster with a tiny tinge of mint green. When I saw it I just knew it was the perfect gift for one of my awesome readers!

You can really do anything with this... put your rings in it, use it as a catch all for change or keys, or just put it on a shelf or dresser and let it sit pretty.

To enter to win this beauty, just comment to this post. I dedicate this giveaway to the amazing woman who made Sunday happen for me, and to Eddie and Jaithan, too! I'll draw a name randomly on Saturday.

Rose Bowl Flea Market: My Items

As promised... here are the great finds I found at the Rose Bowl Flea Market with Eddie!


First we passed a huge pile of fabric scraps and this striped yellow fabric "spoke" to me - I am going to attempt a bolster pillow out of it! It was my first purchase, and only $5.


I then found this beautiful watercolor/graphite piece. It reminds me so much of Degas. I'm really really hoping that it's a real watercolor... I haven't pulled the backing off to check yet (It may be a print). I can't quite read the artist's name either, but underneath the name it reads Paris '87. Even if it's just a print, it was well worth the $15.

I was thinking of painting the frame a glossy black, but I kind of like the junky bluish/grayish/black that it is now.



I found this beauty ($8) on a table full of antique glass. This used to be used in a barber shop. I wasn't sure what for, but I asked my husband when I got home and he said it was probably for after shave. Smart guy! I put clear soap in it, and it's now sitting pretty by our kitchen sink.

(Hubby was making homemade pasta when I took the picture, I'm such a lucky gal)



This vintage wire basket ($15) was my last find of the day. I LOVE it so much. I didn't really have a purpose for it when I purchased it, which goes against my cardinal rule of shopping, but I know I'll find a use for it. I'm thinking of putting it beside my bed to catch magazines.

I bought one more thing, my favorite purchase of the day, but you're going to have to wait to see :) It's the item I'm giving away here on the blog in honor of selflessness, check back on Wednesday night for more details!

3.8.09: Shopping with Eddie!

Yesterday I had a great time shopping with Eddie. I learned a lot, and it's really fascinating how he can zoom in on something amazing from a mile away. It would take me hours and hours to find the things he just sees was he walks down the aisles. Must be that Martha training!

Today I'm going to share with you the pictures and "Eddie Tips" from the day, and tomorrow I'll share with you my great (very inexpensive) finds! And I also have a beautiful, very Eddie inspired giveaway for you that I found while shopping with him.

It was a beautiful day in Pasadena. We met at the front and got acquainted. Then Eddie took us to the very back.

Eddie tip: Start at the back of flea markets and work your way up. That way you make sure you don't miss anything and get lost in the rows and rows of stuff!


At this vendor, Eddie showed us the tables of "stuff". It had so many great little knick-knacks.


Eddie tip: Find little things (like on this table) to place around your house - it will add character and it's an easy, inexpensive and chic way to fill bookshelves.

We then cruised down to an amazing vendor with the best antique pieces. Just check out this piece:

A vintage dresser with a travertine marble top! AMAZING!

Eddie tip: He would paint this piece color that is in the travertine. Or perhaps a cool gray. He also mentioned he would cover up the gold, but keep the antique hardware.


The amazing detail in the marble top.

This piece was only............. $175!!!

Eddie tip: Cut off the legs of this piece, add some height with some new wooden legs, install a sink and use this piece in a bathroom. The whole project would cost a total of around $350.

Another Eddie shopper suggested using this as a nightstand.



Eddie found this amazing antique and shared it's history with us. He mentioned the year it was made, but I cannot recall it correctly. I want to say it was from the 1700s? He explained to us that it was used for cooking turkeys, and the little row of holes (you can see it a little) were used to get all the juices and make gravy. I could just imagine woman in little bonnets using it hundreds and hundreds of years ago (I'm such a sucker for history! That's why I love old things).

Eddie tip: If you can, invest in an antique like this ($800). You can use it on a very inexpensive hutch with two tall candle sticks next to it, and keep it there year round; not just during the holidays! This is a investment piece, and something you can pass on down generations. (Hello Antique Roadshow!)


Eddie spotted these AMAZING turquoise vintage lamps. One of Eddie's shoppers snatched them up - I'm so glad! I can't wait to see them finished (she promised to send pics to Eddie).

Eddie tip: Clean them off, put a lucite base on them (love that!) and put a huge oversized drum shade.

A little bit of history I loved - many things like these lamps from the 60's and 70's have that dingy black stuff on it - it's from tar and smoke from cigarettes. Can't you just see a chic young married couple smoking some Lucky Strikes by these lamps? Okay, smoking is bad bad bad but I just love imagining the families that had these items.

The same vendor had some amazing stuff:



I love that setee!



Eddie tip: Go ahead and buy the single, lonely candlestick. There are so many great places you can put them! And it looks great to have a bunch of mis-matched candlesticks all together in a bunch.


See that crystal knob in Eddie's hand? They were only $10! They were fantastic, there was a whole box of them!

Next up are some images I took on my own of some things I loved:


I loved this vintage pendant. I didn't ask how much it was, but the white and the wood makes me weak in the knees!


AMAZING mid-century furniture. I didn't dare ask how much.


I really loved this hutch. Check out the hardware! (and for those of you guys who love my thrifty threads, you can see what I wore to go shopping with Eddie)


Eddie, me and Jaithan! We had such a blast!

A HUGE THANK YOU to the amazing woman who allowed for this to happen, and to Eddie and Jaithan, too! I had such an amazing time, and I've now made plans to go to the Rose Bowl Flea Market every month!

Check out Danielle's recap... she was super sweet and got an amazing chair for $5. She also got to meet Ginnifer Goodwin... last night during Big Love I was sooooooo jealous and sad I didn't see her!

As other bloggers post their recaps, I'll be sure and try to link them up. Check back to see my amazing purchases!