2016 Vintage Purchases

Since buying my house this past summer, I have completely neglected my blog. I've also neglected other activities such as swing dancing, the Noir City Christmas and Silent Winter film festivals. What I HAVE done is antique hunting for my house; however, the antique posts have been nil. So here is a complete run down of my 2016 antique purchases since my last purchase post.

The house counts, right? It was built in 1916; it's 100 years old. So it counts.

I bought this 1890s parlor set in Sacramento. I thought it went quite nicely until my dad visited. As I saw him struggle to lie down, I decided perhaps another sofa is due. The next day I said,  "I'm thinking about buying another antique sofa." My dad replies, "One that I can lie on?" "Yes, daddy. One that you can lie on."

With the purchase of the parlor set, the antique shop owner thew in this Victorian screen door for free. My dad restored it and installed it on my front door. It adds even more character to my house.

And on that same trip to Sacramento, I bought this lipstick holder, which added a nice touch to my antique vanity. Looks great with my Bésame lipsticks.

I picked up this Art Deco armoire in Upper Lake, CA; about 115 miles away. It was worth the trip, though. The scenic drive was so beautiful and serene.


Now about that sofa. When I drove to Los Angeles to visit my family for Christmas, we decided to stop by Whittier's King Richards Antiques. It is a HUGE antique shop about a city block in length. It's also four stories. You can spend hours in there if you really wanted to look at every individual item. But only one caught my eye; a 1920s sofa with a down cushion. And yes, it is very comfortable to lie on.

Back home in the Bay Area, I made these last two purchases of the year. A few months ago, I was eyeing this 1920s coffee table at a local antique shop. I figured that if it was still there on New Year's Eve, I'd buy it. Well, it was there, and the price was significantly reduced. It's mine.

The other item is a hope chest. Since my house does not have a linen closet, I decided a chest would work well. It was a matter of finding the right one. The same proprietor who sold me the coffee table showed me two different chests. One was an 1880s chest and the other was 1940s.  I chose the 19th century hope chest.

I love the dovetailing that was so prolific in the 19th century. But the real beauty is the interior. This must have been an heirloom passed on from generation to generation before it became painted and gifted to a couple. The painting suggested a newlywed couple commemorating their wedding date. I thought it very charming.

And that is all for 2016. Here's to many more purchases for 2017!

Weekend Warriors

Weekend Warrior. I've known the term, but I never lived it until now. My parents came up to visit during the Thanksgiving holiday, and my dad, being the DIY carpenter that he is, decided that I needed a patio for my backyard deck. This is how it originally looked:

Excuse the curve that a panorama shot creates

There was definitely a lot of sun exposure. When I sat for breakfast, the sun was just blinding. My parents and I would (playfully) fight for the seat facing away from the sun; though that meant no view of the backyard landscape. Did it matter? We were to blinded by the light to even appreciate it. So it was decided. Spend the weekend putting up a patio. It took 2 full days from sun up to beyond sun down. 

My mom was the brains behind the design. She did all the measurements and calculations. My dad and I did the grunt work. Well, my dad did most of the grunt work. I did some drilling and hammering here and there. In the end, we came out with a beautiful covering.

There's still some work left to be done. I'm planning to paint the patio an off-white or ivory color. I'll need to run an electrical line so that I can put up a ceiling fan in the center; it does get super hot in the summer. I'm currently researching some DIY pallet bars. I really want a tiki style bar. In fact, that will be my theme for this setting. Tiki. After all, that's what patios, decks, and summer are for. An island type getaway for some grilling (vegan meat and vegetables) and having cocktails with friends. Ultimately, I'll buy a screen and projector and have classic movie nights on the deck. 

Summer can't come soon enough.