San Fransisco Fun!!

Ok well I haven't visited my blog lately but its all in good reason. This month I have had planned a huge girl trip with some of my best friends.Itinerary including some of the best sushi, I recommend American Ichi Sushi in Placerville Ca.Try the Tom roll.MMMM.
Also we have visited Lake Tahoe, which was an amazingly beautiful day. Its the neatest thing to see snow on the beach but sitting in the sunshine :0)If you get the chance visit the Beacon at camp Richardson, the calamari is so tasty and you cant leave without trying their famous Rum Rummer!
Yesterday we visited San Fransisco not knowing exactly what we were going to do. We mainly wanted to visit Pier 39 as a usual thing you do when you go to San Fran.
Well on our drive down through the area we stopped at the Ghirardelli square. I came across this amazing tea shop that I absolutely fell in love with. Its called Crown and Crumpet.When I walked in I was so excited as if I met a celebrity! It was so cute and beautiful.It was shabby chic meets Alice and Wonderland.
The food was excellent however a little pricey for four girls on a budget. However we made the best of it and we split a few things off the menu.Some of my favorite things included the Paris tea and Chicken Curry tea sandwhiches.
The customer service was excellent. I reccomend this place for any girl wanting to have some fun!

Romantic Homes Magazine Now Available!

Now available at Not Too Shabby for $4.50 normally $5.99. Look for our ad in June :0)

At Not Too Shabby Today! New Pics ...

More new arrivals! Shabby Dresser on sale! $350.00

Shabby Dresser! Beautiful. Has a gold irridesent finish to it.My favorite part about it is that theres this cool hidden jewlery drawer... who would have thought?
Also a sassy cheetah chair...Now on sale for $95.00 was $125.00
And a great country chic library table for $225.00

New Arrival! Rustic Burlap Chair $229.00

Before and After..What a difference right? Didn't think you could love it? Well I did!
It is the second vintage chair I worked on this week. It was hard not to keep it for myself...but I fought the urge.:0)On a scale from 1(lowest) to 5(highest) what would you rate it? I would love to know what you think...Thanks All :0)

New arrival! Black and White Burlap Chair Sorry Already Sold!

I couldn't wait to get this into the shop! I loved working on this chair! It came out beautiful if I dont say so myself! What do you guys think? What does your favorite chair look like? I would love to know! :0)

At beauty school today wishing i was working on a project!

Photos of the new shop!

Here are some new pictures of our new shop Not Too Shabby. Karryann made a beautiful burlap pillow to go with my wingback chair. The dresser is Karryanns and its beautiful, I love how the large mirror compliments it.

Come by and see us!We've got coffee!!

*Custom Upholstered Chair

$349.00
*Darling Shabby Dresser

$285.00

*Ornate Beveled Mirror
$195.00

My Favorite Table!!

Beautiful Shabby Chic Table $650.00

Here is my latest project I finished! Isn't it beautiful? It looks like it came out of a Billards Designs catalog! But the problem now, is that I want to keep it :) However it's at my new shop Not To Shabby. You can't see it from this picture but it has a beautiful iridescent gold finish, something new that I am experimenting with. So far so good...

Exciting News!

I've been givin the best opportunity! For the past year I have been at Melange in historic Folsom and now I am relocating across the street to Not To Shabby. Its a beautiful little shop but also comes with two really great people. I'm always looking for a new opportunity and I have found one that works great for me and my family. My family couldn't be happier for me and I'm very thankful for the support from them and also my friends. I am so looking forward to the year ahead! Stay tuned for some of our upcoming events!

The day came to a cold end...

This is how the day ended. The weather turned cold and so my last resort was to just put a hot light close to it. I was determined! Hey it worked :0)

Victory! It's painted!

These are my new dining room chairs. I love them! I will be covering the cushions in burlap.

Here is the dresser from "my projects" posting. Isn't it pretty in white? It still needs to be "shabbied."It will be going into my shop.

Here is the matching table to the dining room chairs. I love this also!

A day of hard work!

I finished sanding, priming and painting my soon to be shabby chic furniture! It was a long two days but it feels good to have it done. I had a few minor complications with my paint sprayer, the sun and cold weather. I decided that my technique of painting wont work during the winter months. What I do is spray my furniture in bulk so its all done in one day but when the sun isn't on your side, you have dry time problems. Oh well its done :0). I love after a hard days work, to sit and see all of the beautifully, freshly painted white furniture setting all together giving off a wonderful clean glow. Very pretty :0) For me this technique is only thing that works since I'm always just short of time(aren't we all).I forgot (always)to take some before and after pictures of what I have, so what you see is what you get. Some of the pieces are for my lovely little home and some are to be put in the shop.
Well I just looked for my adapter to upload photos but it seems to be in my hubbys truck who is not here right now so I will post pictures later! Hope everyone has had a wonderful day :0)

Back to Alameda!

Were off again! Cant wait to see what new goodies we find (my hubby and I)! Looking forward to visiting friends from Not to Shabby(nieghbors of Melange in historic Folsom)Karryann and Bobbi at space S-2 and Marilyn at space C-6. The weather is supposed to be nice...we'll see :)

I finished my upholstery project!

It seemed like forever but its done! And I'm proud to say so.... I worked so hard on it! It took me a total of two weeks to finish (in between full time beauty college) with many nights being up until 1:30am. (I love coffee!)

Being my first chair I wanted to make sure I took my time and careful not to ruin the pattern. As I went along I took pictures of each step, so if I were to forget what i did and what went where.

This project was alot of fun and for any who are thinking of taking on this task...good luck!

What you will need ~ :0)

*Patience

*A very large cup of coffee

*A loving hubby who is willing to offer a helping hand as you go along (love you charlie)

Tips:

~Upholstery fabric can be costly so try finding donated fabric at your local thrift store.

~Finding a chair can also be costly~ try looking for a chair at your neighborhood yard sales(that's where you'll find the best prices).

~Finally~ Be creative and have fun!

So here it is... my first upholstered wing back chair!

Last summers project...

This was this summers project... The chairs are so gorgeous!

My first mobile post!

Alameda Pictures

Can you say PRETTY!
Look at these amazing items!

This vendor has amazing pieces of old tin.

This vendor makes beautiful sea shell bottles.

I love this old iron bistro table. The coral makes the look!

This vendor had beautiful stuff. I liked the iron bed and the chalk boards she had.

Alameda was so much fun!

Alameda was great. When we arrived it was windy and cold (so wear layers if you get the chance to go). When we first arrived we walked towards the entrance and there behold an entire truck with a sign that says "FREE STUFF". Jackpot! Inside I found an old rocking chair and a set of dining chairs. It was great! We finally made our way inside and yes, heaven on earth! I spent alot of time walking up and down the asiles finding many amazing things but remembering I had a strict budget to stick to. On the list I was looking for a crystal chandelier,settee and a bird cage stand. The first vendor I always go to see is Marilyn in space C-6. She is such an inspiration!

Half way through the day the clouds cleared and the sunshine came out... suddenly a loud roar from all the shoppers and vendors was heard as everyone started clapping and honking their horns to their trucks. Californians love the sun! This moment gave me chills and is something to remember. In all I spent about four hours shopping. I had one amazing find... a crystal chandelier! I love it..what makes it so amazing is how great of price it had($45!). I didn't find much but what I did find was a mind full of great ideas, I met some amazing vendors, and witnessed how happy the sun makes people..

Alameda Road Trip! On our way!

Very excited to see whats there today! It was an early start at 4:15am. The sun is just now coming up with a few clouds in the sky. Hopefully we won't have rain. The road from our house was icy and a car slid off the road. Scary! Be careful out there guys! I'll let you know my finds later... :) Have a great day everyone!

Flea Market Fun!

Looking forward to visiting Alameda this weekend! You can always find little trinkets!! One of my favorite vendors is Marilyn space C-6. She has so many great ideas!

Fascination of the Old

Have you ever heard that saying "do what you love,and you'll never work a day in your life"? Well I did. Lets just say it changed everything for me. It started about one year ago when i entered into this little shabby chic shop. Instantly I fell in love with it and told myself.. I can do this! Within one week I became a vendor in that very same shop. It opened so many doors into my life. I now felt i had a sense of creativity..imagination. Something I didn't think I had.

I have this fascination with the old, used and history. I look at an old vanity with paint chips and scratches and often wonder what little girl looked in this mirror with her mothers hat and pearls? How that mirror showed her who the person she was becoming, when it showed her tears and smiles. Its a beautiful thing isn't it? I look at it and think how can I bring this little piece back to life?
And thats where the fun begins....

What is Tattered Elegance?

The love of something old,something simple,something beautiful. Its something that makes you think with a simple glance..what story lies behind this?...gives you a smile and lets your imagination run. Its the creation of something old into something new and having appreciation of its flaws.Its glamour and beauty.