HOME...be inspired everyday

the English Tudor part II....

Yesterday got away from me like it does sometimes.   I get caught up on my housework and checking up on everyone's blog.  I don't always comment but man are there some inspiring blogs out there, that I ran to HOME DEPOT and got two cans of spray paint to start on the "out to the trash" vanity for my daughters room, some 99 cent fall Mums found their way into my cart....and I DRAGGED all my fall boxes down from the rafters  to start decorating for the season.  It is after all the FAll Equinox...or the beginning of Autumn today!!.  There is a crispness in the morning air and the last several days it has been a bit gloomy, I've been lighting my candles and enjoying their smell with my morning coffee.  But you been waiting to see go upstairs to see that beautiful home..haven't you?

So without further ado, lets head upstairs to the Guerra's Tudor home...

This is the upstairs landing..an office space. 

 
Just to the right of the office space you go through some double doors and into the Master suite...

 Wow...does she have some jewelry...

Hand painted furniture with another pretty chandelier...

 

I have always wanted a slipper chair...can you see it in the corner.  I nice place to sit and relax or put on shoes.  

A cute little window seat tucked into the eaves, over looking the backyard. 

  
Marble topped vanity..for the lady of the house....

Now the reason we were at this house....

 
was because my neighbor had a double birthday party for her children..the cutie poototie you saw in the last post and her son..which you can see here..

 Her son...in the navy blue left hand corner....she is going to have her hands full when he hits middle school....he is very handsome and quite the character....he did a full Karate Kid move on the pinata.  My neighbor is the one holding up the black t-shirt.  She is also quite talented..check these guys out...

MacKenzie thought they were the cutest li'l Alien cupcakes....if you have NOT seen Toy Story 3... 
  you Must..it was one of my favorite movies all summer {not that I went to a lot all summer so I have nothing to compare it to} But seriously it was the BEST for old or young alike.

Is this not the cutest Toy Story cake EVA!!!   Her cousin made it..this is one talented family....No? 

Come back soon ya'all...i have an announcement.......

A Charming Tudor

A few weekends ago I went to my neighbors'  kids birthday party at her in-laws home, they have the most charming Tudor Style house, looks like it could be somewhere in the English countryside.

 
This is the little courtyard right outside of the front door.. would it be so nice to have your coffee out here every morning with a nice piping hot muffin to go with it.

Here is the front door.... but hold your horses we will go inside in a minute...all good things for those who wait....

 
The whole front of the house is covered in clingy, climbing Ficus....I love climbing anything as long as it is not a bug or snakes!  NOT a fan of snakes!!

 
Lots of window boxes with colorful, beautiful flowers in them....

Let's go in the backyard and boy are you in for a treat.. it is an oasis of a backyard, if I do say so myself and I do-say-so-myself..

Sweet little door off the kitchen with that green awning, chaaarming...

Don't you want to take a refreshing dip in this pool?  I know you do...but I was NOT about to put on my Bikini.....with ALL those handsome Latin men hanging out around the pool...

This is looking from the pool towards the back of the house...check out that Staghornfern, doesn't she look healthy growing on that enormous tree?

Under this beautiful tree were these green painted birdcages with plants and spanish moss growing in them....

Here is a nice quiet place to enjoy the view of the garden..

 
If sitting under the peacefulness is not your "thang" you can hang out in the Grandchildren's Clubhouse...and take a ride on that slide!

Speaking of the Grandchildren....here is one of them, is she not a cutie poototie!!  She also happens to be the Birthday Girl... she isRockin' that swimsuit!!  So very darling!

 
 Here is the view of the pool from the upper deck.  It is a two story home that was originally a one story.  At night it was so pretty with all the umbrellas lit up with twinkle white lights...it felt like Disneyland! OK, now we will head indoors...

As you can see they are Vintage Lovers..they have lots of antiques in their home and they even have a booth at King Richards in Whittier, our local antique mall.

a view of the living room, without my flash on.

That's what I'm talkin' bout!  Check out that exquisite chandelier!!

 
From the living room we go through the dining room and I spy another beauty!! 

   See I told ya!  She is so very pretty!

Here is the "I love Lucy" door that goes from the dining room into the kitchen...La Cocina { Spanish for Kitchen}

this is to the right of the "I love Lucy" door.....

this is to the left of the "I love Lucy" door....

 on the other side of the kitchen....

Here is the stain-glass window above the sink in the kitchen...

the quaint breakfast nook, this is where on the outside you see all the window boxes full of colorful flowers...

  
Now a good use of space is turning the space under the stairs into a bathroom...

Now the owner of this home makes these Fleur de Lis candles..and sells them at his booth.  Not only do they have good design sense they are Crafty too!

this small dresser was tucked into the staircase...

 I really liked these antique knobs...something you would find at Anthro...

 one thing about the old houses that where made in the 1920's are the use of glass knobs...THAT is my favorite thing about these old houses...

Now my neighbor's husband is also talented and just finished this bathroom for his parents. 

A two sink vanity.  Bronze colored faucets, granite counters, black framed mirrors...

a beautiful sconce...for your romantic bath pleasure....

this is the family room and I really liked this mirrored console....

Tomorrow I'll post pictures of the upstairs...I'm pooped already, all this finger clicking...is tiring!   

 it was a Toy Story theme and took lots of pictures at

The Brick Basement/Downtown Fullerton

My wonderful friend Secondhand Becca  invited me for Coffee the other morning....in her town of Fullerton, CA.  Well you don't have to twist my arm.  My friend is the original dumpster diver of Fullerton or alley driver.  She finds all kinds of deals in her old town and at her local Goodwill. So after having a PUMPKIN SPICE Latte...I asked if she wanted to head to her local Goodwill, well I didn't have to twist her arm either..I didn't take any photos while we were there but after we parted ways I hit the downtown area and they have the cutest, funnest, best antique Shop called The Brick Basement .  I can spend hours there and I always manage to buy something.  So lets take a look what caught my eye. 

Going in the back door.....there is long hallway with lots of goodies...

turning around and looking back out the door, this corner cabinet caught my eye.  They have lots of these in older homes and I always love them.  So quaint I think.  Would love to have space in my home to get one and stuff it with junk antiques.

In one of the cabinets I saw a cute pink  metal "toy" refrigerator, all rusty and sweet.  Sorry for the glare off the glass. Speaking of children....

Look at this Child's Kitchen, complete with pull out cutting board just like Mama's.   Real Glass doors too!  Would love this if I had lil ones for their playhouse, you know the one from this post. 

A cheery red plate rack with a cowboy boot planter for some red geraniums.

 
  A very, very old dresser vanity by looking at the aged mirror.  I liked the bead-board inserts and the latches on the doors.  

They have lots of white painted furniture at this place, this area was all gussied up for the up coming fall season.  I thought the amber colored knobs were a nice touch.  They call this place The Brick Basement because it has two levels and the walls are all exposed brick....LOVE IT! 

Here is the front of the store.....

Here is my junk, I mean "antiques" found for the day.  My daughter {the  reader}  has been asking me for a book shelf for her room for awhile.  She has a lot of furniture in her room, so it needed to be on the small side.  This wasn't priced and it was in the "book-room" at the Goodwill so I asked the manager, "how much?"  he said, "6.99."..so with a good cleaning and swipes of white paint....guess who is getting a bookshelf?
  

Ya know I like enamel....and this pitcher had the sweetest shape...so she got a new home...ready for some fall sunflowers...{this was from the Brick Basement}
 

Here I go again with enamelware..there was only three of these so I'll have to be looking for a fourth.  I can see it now...serving some Hot piping Broccoli Cheddar Soup in this or some French Onion..Yum! {these from GW}
  

I know I probably spent too much on this milk glass vase, it was $28.00 but I fell in love with the details of it..the beading, the embossed shell print.  But as Mr. Incredible says, "if it is worth it to you, then that's what it is worth".  Hey I like that kind of thinking!   I think I'll use it in the bathroom for Q-tips or toothbrushes.
 

This cream-ware platter looked so familiar...it was $5.99...
 

When I got home I had it's smaller sister, {this was from my Mother's collection}.  Now wouldn't it be fun to find another and make three! 
  Here are the two platters on the end....I was puttering around the house yesterday, dusting my hutch.  I love to play around with all my junk precious possessions, moving them around and seeing the different vignettes I can come up with.  You can see my small pitcher collection up there. I should do a post on them..or have I already?  I have CRS syndrome....

Well...I'm attaching to Southern Hospitality ..she had a Garage Sale over the weekend and boy....did she and Layla Kill it!!   Would of loved to gone to that! 

Memories of a Brother....

 
This beautiful bouquet was given to our family by our neighbors {thank you Delgados}  in honoring the passing of my husbands' brother....aren't they pretty?  We have had such an emotional week.  We had the viewing on Monday evening and the service and funeral was on Tuesday.  It was a beautiful service and the preacher did a wonderful job capturing the life of Keith Hammonds.  He was a man that lived life to the fullest!  He worked hard but played hard.  The stories that came out, on that gloomy day in the church of my husband and his brother brought laughter to the room.  He told of the time when they got pulled over by the police and Keith thinking that his younger brother was the "innocent" one gave his name instead of his own.  When they looked up his{Mr. Incredible} record..they found out he had outstanding parking tickets...the police looked over at my husband and if he{Keith} is Troy Mader, who are you?  Well....they both spent the night in jail that night.  He also told about how one time the Gardeners came to clean the yard at Keith's house and when he came around the Pool he came face to face with an ALLIGATOR, it was my husbands' "pet"..he needed a place to put him and the pool is a logical place for an Alligator, right?  Since he got out of the "fish" tank one time and scared the mailman away when he came up to the doorway over at his Condo and started hissing at him!!   They had good times him and his brother growing up.  Keith's life was cut  way too short, at only 49, he had so much more living to do and was just getting ready to retire, he had achieved so much.  Keith was also such a natural athlete, whatever sport he took up he did very well.  He played baseball in his younger days, was the quarter back for his High School, love to waterski or snowski..it all came so easy for him.  He had so much more living in him and we will miss him....terribly, our hearts are filled with sadness as he left this world behind.   

Here is Mr. Incredible with his BFF at the memorial service..they both were the pallbearers along with my husband's father, I think the coordinated their head ware!

Aren't they a pair, with their Cue-ball heads?  

Some flowers from the memorial service...{thank you Gina}.  Yes....all we have now are our memories of a father, a husband, a friend and a brother.  Rest in Peace....Keith, R.I.P.  your time here on this earth was way too short. 

thinking of you...Lorraine and Nicole

Two nights ago my husbands' brother was killed in a Golf Cart accident.  He got the phone call at work yesterday morning.  We are in shock. He was only 49 years old and has a wife and young 16 year old daughter.  As I type this with tears in my eyes, I want to remind you to hug your loved ones  a few more times, say "i love you" more often and connect with those you might of lost touch with.  My husband was very close with his brother when growing up but some time in their adult life they had a falling out, as many do in families.  Lucky for my husband they both saw each other in the last couple of weeks on their jobs and where chit chatting it up.  I hope and wish that my husband will have Peace in his heart. 

I send{post} these flowers for his Dear Wife and young daughter as they grieve the loss of their father and husband.  My heart aches for them........

Old Fashioned Lemonade Stand, Salt Water Taffy and BACK to School

 
SWEET!!

A few weeks ago on a VERY HOT summer day, the girls wanted to have a Lemonade Stand..it was a Monday, I didn't think they would do very well, I thought it would of been better on a Saturday since we get so much Yard Sale traffic throughout our neighborhood, but who am I to stop these young entrepreneurs.  They invited their BFF's over and started squeezing lemons, adding some sugar and water and soon had a pitcher of old fashioned Lemonade.   They also wanted to sell some Salt Water Taffy that I got for our Summer Bingo Gameat the beginning of the summer....

They made signs and posted them up all over the "hood", they made flyer's and went door to door to drum up business.

They ended up making about fifteen dollars, not bad for a Monday afternoon.  I don't think they were really into making money just setting up the business was all in the name of "summer fun". 

Speaking of Summer fun....school starts tomorrow, binders are decorated and  back-backs are all packed, first day outfits are layed out and ready to go.

and I must say.........I'm SOOOOOOOO Glad!!!!