Tuesday, January 25, 2011

 

this week was pretty great. i was off of work and got to catch up with some of my gal pals and do a little thrifting. i am really good at spending money and i've been working hard at budgeting myself, especially on things like little knick knacks. here are the items i picked up for $10: a kitchen carmen miranda like bobble head (my grandparents have a set like this lying around somewhere, but japanese... one day i will have to see if they will let these sticky fingers adopt them), a red "i will hold the tea bag" tea bag holder to match it's lemony cousin, and a piece of sheer fabric with a great atomic print that will be turned into a cute little curtain for the bathroom window. what you see behind it is what i get to see in my 'backyard' every day. beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

i also picked up a copy of social distortion's new album hard times and nursery rhymes trying to give them the benefit of the doubt after i didn't like their last album so much. i am sorry to say that i like this one even less sans a few tracks. i was also amazed to see how much best buy's cd selection has dwindled, i guess cds are becoming obsolete thanks to downloadable media! i must admit that i am probably part of that problem - i download a lot of my music too, but every now and then i deem a 'special' album worth purchasing on cd or vinyl. i am however a huge fan of print media and non-digital recordings and would hate to see places like amoeba records go out of business.

and speaking of social d... we are going to see them tonight with our good friends courtney and jay. which means, i am off to clean house and make appetizers!

until next time,
xoxo Lo

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

it's 5 o'clock somewhere

 

ahh a lazy tuesday evening. today i did my re-certification for ACLS (which is just big fancy nurse speak for advanced CPR and the meds that go along with it) and now i have 5 more glorious days off to enjoy. tonight i have a date with myself: i will make myself a cocktail and finish painting the little kitchen shelf that i bought months ago and never finished. sounds exciting, doesn't it? tomorrow is flea market day so i plan on getting there early. the weather has been warm and sunny here in ventura so tomorrow should really be a treat. there is a good possibility of a move to fresno (i know, gross) in the semi-near future so i am really trying to take advantage of my costal living situation. i have never lived anywhere outside of the greater los angeles area and just the thought of leaving saddens me immensely. so in the meantime - i'll drink to that!

cheers!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

ventura county fairgrounds swap meet

r.g. canning, the folks who do the rose bowl flea market in pasadena put on a flea market every other month or so at the fairgrounds here in ventura on sundays. it's no surprise that living in southern california is ridiculously overpriced. often times with the cost of parking and admission ($15 or so per person) i find it a waste of my time and my money if i'm not set out to spend 100+ dollars and to be honest, the rose bowl flea market is usually much better. that of course then leads me to spend an additional $20 or so on gas as pasadena is about 80 miles away from here. it's a snow ball effect you see.

the good part about being an RN with a "normal" hospital job is only working 3 days a week, however the bad part is that unless i'm fixing to work every weekend, one of my work days usually lands on a wednesday. this is unfortunate for me because right here in ventura we have a FREE swap meet on wednesdays also at the fairgrounds. yes that's right, free parking and free admission! i was skeptical as usually a "swap meet" around here means 50,000 mexicans (before you get offended, i too am one of them!) cramming into the community college parking lot trying to buy and sell a bunch of ugly knock off disney princess blankets, ranchero belt buckles, and fruits... but i was wrong! it was fabulous. i had attempted to go the week before but i guess due to the rain it was canceled so last wednesday, the weather was perfect and i drug aubry out of the apartment to go have a looksee.

we got a late start as coaxing an eight year old out of bed early on her winter vacation was no easy feat but we struck vintage gold none the less. the swap meet had a lot of different things going on but to my surprise i had no problem finding 1000 things i wanted to buy. okay, that's really no surprise but my pocketbook was telling me otherwise. i kept myself on a strict $25 budget and here are some things that caught my eye:

 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 

 

 

 

 




i of course am a sucker for anything mid-century and ended up taking that little sewing chair in the fourth photo home for $15. a lot of the things i saw there i didn't bother asking about pricing because they weren't things that quite fit into my tiny little tiki apartment but i sure wanted it all! look how cute those little clocks are! i'm guessing they're from about the 1940s? i always love researching the things i come across - you never know when you'll find a great score (like the kromex kitchen canister set i came across for $5 years ago) and to me that's one of the best parts about antiquing!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

the big black hands on the clock tell me that it's time to rock!



i am a huge patsy cline fan and aubry discovered this song a few days ago on an old rockabilly compilation c.d. i have and asked me to play it over and over again for her. not only is it stuck in my car on repeat, it's stuck in my head on repeat. thank goodness it's such a good song... thought i'd share it with y'all.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

eichler neighborhood of thousand oaks, california



i grew up in thousand oaks, california where tucked away off of lynn road lies a neighborhood of approximately 100  joseph eichler homes built in the 1960s. most of these houses have stayed true to their midcentury roots whereas others have been updated with terrible facades. gah. i would like to punch some of their owners. anyway... i remember mom driving me through there as a kid a zillion times and it wasn't until i became an adult that i too fell in love with these houses. you will have to please excuse some of my photos as it was a gray november day when i took these.

what is unique about eichler homes is that they typically feature glass walls, post and beam construction, and open floor plans in a style indebted to frank lloyd wright and mies van der rohe. 

eichler homes exteriors feature flat and/or low-sloping a-framed roofs, vertical 2" pattern wood siding, and spartan facades with clean geometric lines. one of eichler's signature concepts was to "bring the outside in", achieved via skylight patio gardens, swimming pools, and floor-to-ceiling glass windows with glass transoms looking out on protected and private outdoor rooms.

the interiors have numerous unorthodox and innovative features including: exposed post-and-beam construction, tongue and groove decking for the ceilings following the roofline; concrete slab floors with integral radiant heating, sliding doors for rooms, closets, and cabinets; and a standard second bathroom located in the master bedroom. later models introduced the famous eichler entry atriums; an open-air enclosed entrance foyer designed to further advance the eichler concept of integrating outdoor and indoor spaces. (all info taken from wikipedia)

what is extra cool about mr. eichler is that unlike most builders at the time, he established a non-discriminatory policy and offered homes for sale to anyone of any religion or race. 

if you're interested in learning more about eichlers www.eichlerhomes.com is a good place to start.

an intro!

ahh yes. the obligatory, boring details. my name is lauren. i am 26, a registered nurse, and live in sunny southern california with my boyfriend mike and my two cats zion and aunrea. we live in midtown ventura where it is currently 61 degrees, can't beat that for january! our apartment is part of a 6 unit complex built in the 1920s, complete with an ocean view (and on a clear day like today you can even see santa cruz and anacapa islands!) and 300 layers of white paint on the walls. wait, what do you mean i have crown molding?! both my parents come from large families - my mother's side is irish, father's is mexican - so family is a big deal to me. coincidentally i am an only child sans one older step-brother. mike also comes from a very large irish-italian family and has one beautiful daughter who is 8.


i love researching, finding, and talking about antiques - mostly 1940s-1960s mid-century modernism and am always happy to make new friends who share similar interests.