It's been a long time...

since I've written a post :) If anyone actually reads this thing, I apologize. Life gets in the way sometimes. Nonetheless, I thought I'd ease back into blogging with a simple "Here's what's new in the shop..." post. I've still been hunting through antique stores and garage sales across the Northwest looking for buried treasures. Anyone who knows me knows that I love any Asian/Chinoiserie decor pieces and here are two beauties that are now in the shop:

I was able to score some more blue and white double happiness ginger jars, which I love beyond reason. During the same trip to a random flea market on the Oregon coast, I also found this very interesting large ceramic Famille Noire planter. I later learned that these planters are referred to as "fish bowls" because of the intricately hand-painted Koi design that decorates the interior of the planter.

If you are looking for an interesting coffee table or statement piece for a living room, you could literally just slap a piece of glass on top of one of these and call it good :).

Monday Morning Quarterback

I can't resist a post Superbowl blog post. From the first play, it was clear Denver was not prepared to play in a Super Bowl. Since I am an avid New England fan, and not a lover of Peyton Manning...I was kind of glad of the outcome. Nonetheless, the only thing that was left to entertain American during the blowout were the commercials, and they weren't even that great :( Being a Michigander, I am always a fan of Chrysler's "Imported from Detroit" pitch. This year though, they decided to take a wider angle and say "Imported from America." I wonder if all the bad press Detroit has gotten over the last year was the reason they changed this, which is too bad. Regardless, I still thought it was a good add.

On a side note, my shop was featured in a nice little blog post about pineapples. Unfortunately, these pineapples bookends that were featured have already been snapped up...but I am always on the hunt for more. Thanks to the folks at prettypanther.com!

Kauai Life

Last week, I had the pleasure of spending a couple of says in one of my favorite places, the north shore of Kauai. They don't call this place "the garden isle" for nothing, let me assure you. In the shadow of the rock formation that was where the sequence for the song "Bali Ha'i" in the move version Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "South Pacific" was filmed; the north shore is a lush green landscape teeming with flora and fauna. Here are a couple of my favorite shots from last week to warm you up on a cold winter day...

New to the Shop- Hudson's Bay Wool Four Point Blanket

I nearly peed my pants when I came across this little thing languishing at one of my favorite antique stores awhile back...

After getting it professionally cleaned and stiched up, I put this Hudson's Bay four point wool blanket in the shop yesterday. These blankets were produced by the Hudson's Bay Company of Canada beginning in the late 18th century. They were used as currency in exchange for beaver pelts and other items. These days they have become highly sought after items that people use for furniture upholstery, cloth for a winter sweater or jacket, or simply to use for some good old fashion cuddling on a cold winter night.

New to the Shop - Chinoiserie Ginger Jar

A staple to any Chinoiserie decor scheme, I just love these blue and white ginger jars and I scoop them up whenever I can find one! The symbol on it is a Chinese symbol for "double happiness" which typically adorns gifts given at weddings.

In a recent blog post, Beth Connolly of Chinoiserie Chic named blue and white porcelain as #9 on her top 10 Chinoiserie trends for 2014. Personally, since my favorite color happens to be blue, I would put blue and white ginger jars at the top of my list :)

Barcelona Chair

Over the holidays I had the opportunity to make several trips back to one of my favorite vintage stores, the Treasure Mart in Ann Arbor, MI. Low and behold, one of these had just arrived in the store...

The Barcelona chair was originally designed by architect Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe and Lily Reich for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona, Spain. It was put into production by Knoll as a piece of furniture in the 1930s through the 1950s; and has now become a piece that is an icon of mid century modern design. I was pleasantly surprised to find this one at the Treasure Mart; appearing to be an original, and looking a tad beat up in terms of the leather on its lower cushion. If I could've purchased it for my Etsy store, I would've done it in a second as it was very reasonably priced at $525 and these chairs can easily sell for up to $1200.  Alas, I couldn't have gotten it to Oregon, and my brothers did not feel like taking on the task of shipping it from Chicago, so I had to leave it there. It was heartbreaking!

New to the Shop - Antique Mason Jar

I found this gorgeous very old Mason jar at the Treasure Mart in Ann Arbor. There is just something about these old jars that makes me happy. Add some peach roses and you have one of my favorite color combinations...

Drift Creek Falls - Oregon Coast

Time to share with y'all about what I did over my Christmas break. I did some more vintage shopping, of course, but I'll get to that in a later post. This previous weekend, I was visited by my best friend (another Katie whom I've known since diapers) and her husband. When looking for things to do, I mentioned that there was a hike not far from my house in Lincoln City, Oregon that has always been on my "Oregon Bucket List" (i.e. things to do before I leave Oregon). Drift Creek Falls is a beautiful, family-friendly hike down to a suspension bridge overlooking a lovely waterfall. The only irritating part about this excursion was the 12 mile drive to the trailhead from Highway 101 up a narrow twisting logging road. Other than that, it was a beautiful hike on a beautiful day...see for yourself.

 Moss covered trees on the Drift Creek Falls Trail.

 Drift Creek Falls as seen from the suspension bridge over the falls.

Walking across the suspension bridge. Beware that this bridge is not for the faint of heart when it comes to heights...it wobbles!