WOW!!!!

Lucky us....

Lucky me....

I have to say that I truly live in a very beautiful town!!! Our sunset was beyond

words tonight!!! Maxie and I took a sunset trip to the beach and this is what we got!!! Max said "boy Gigi God can sure paint good" That doodleboy:) This is part of my "Vision Quest" spending more time looking for sandcrabs, exploring the jetties looking for starfish with Max...

In April I said I am on my "Vision Quest" for what does being 50 really mean.. Where do I go from here... I have gotten many emails from old friends and  new blogger friends expressing what 50 meant to them.. I would say 100% said that is when they started living their lives for themselves!!! Taking the time to enjoy things that make them happy... I really thought about what makes me happy and I mean really really happy... you know that feeling in your tummy happiness??? Well of coarse my Maxie is right up on that list... But that is such a no brainer... I am a little bias:) I started to write down what makes me happy and the list was over 100 things!!!!

Part of the my quest is knowing when something doesn't make me  happy and I have learned in the last month that it's ok to change it and that made me really happy:) Life has a funny way of just going on... either you are aware or you are just bumping along... and I realized at times I have been just bumping along... So this whole turning 50 thing is actually helping me figure some things out making some changes and seriously loving my life!!!!

Cheers for now...

Juanita

Sweet Lavender

I went lavender picking on Sunday.... The moment I opened the car door the aroma of the lavender was so thick in the air it was amazing!!!!

The fields were amazing....

The colors were amazing....

There were bees everywhere, busy working.. It was a very lovely day. On the way home we stopped at this little fruit stand that was on the honor system... gotta love small towns:) The organic apricots were amazing!!!

I am making my own lavender soap... will let you know how it turns out...

Cheers

Juanita

Sweet Vintage...

Just did the show the Little French Flea Market... Lots of fun as always love seeing

my friends from this show:)

I had this sweet cabinet that I painted the yummiest blue ever inside, I had so many people come by

saying that it caught their eye with the beautiful milk glass inside.. The cabinet sold as did much of the lovely

milk glass... Then I have the fabulous from the 1950's owl bird bath oh my gosh sooo cute..... Though my daughter had a thought... she said aren't owls suppose to scare birds away... uumm???

 It was a great day since this is inland the weather turned out to be wonderful, living by the coast right now is not so fun we are having our famous "June Gloom" it gets pretty old after awhile...

This is my favorite show!!!

My vision quest continues my daughter and I took a little trip up to Monterey (one of my favorite places!!!) and we had a great time... I found lots of sweet treasures.... ie the owl bird bath was one of them... It rained a good part of our stay there but we still got out and saw the sights another one of my favorite spots right next door is Pacific Grove just a darling little town. The history here is very interesting. The canneries the Spanish just all of it... The ocean is the most beautiful color such a deep and rich blue and when the waves break with the snow white foam it is just amazing. 

 The contrast between the white and blue is breath taking as the waves hit the huge rock formations in the ocean and the water flows back down to begin its journey again....

Cheers for now

Juanita

A Show....

BEFORE

AFTER

So I had this idea to take before and after pictures at the Irvine Flea Market...

The before setup picture was easy ... the after not so easy... that is to remember to take!! 

It was super windy so my friend Rose and I could not put up the awning. We got busy before we were even close to having everything out. Trust me I am not complaining about being busy!!! My grand plan did not go as I had wanted but it was a fun filled selling kind of day!!!! Which is good..... I love doing shows with Rose, she is one of the sweetest people I know and soooo talented.. she makes these incredible pillows.. which of coarse I don't have any pictures of:(

I have been very busy getting ready for my shows in June... With our weather lately its a bit challenging to paint and create outside... I have some new ideas busy making jewelry using broken vintage jewelry and combining it with new... My daughter Sarah has been helping me to create and to think outside of the box.. I think we have some really cool pieces... I will post those pictures in a few days... I would love to hear your comments when I post them..

Thanks for stopping by:)

Juanita

Maxie and Spring:)

So my promise to do better at updating my blog... well didn't pan out the way I had hoped... Soooo it's a new month and I am up and running again!!!! Maxie and I had a very fun day baking and decorating the Spring Baskets and the colored eggs... You should of seen the cupcake he decorated for himself:) His original plan was to put icing on the cupcake then the jelly beans and candies THEN another layer of icing.. I nixed that idea, after all he was spending the night with me..... Gigi wanted to get some sleep:)

The past 3 weeks have been jammed pack with getting ready for shows working on special orders and then doing the shows.. whew its been busy... Last weekend I did a Saturday show in Huntington Beach and then on Sunday a show in Irvine. They were both great fun and very busy... I will post pictures from those shows soon.

If you haven't been by my web store please stop by... http://www.sweetvintagehomeandgarden.com/...

Thanks for stopping by........

Juanita

A Journey Part 2

No this has nothing to do with the fact that I have turned 50 as of today!!! These pictures were taken on my "Vision Quest 2011" This is an old cemetery outside of Sutter Creek.. I think old cemeteries have a certain grace about them. The history is written right there. Loving father, devoted wife, cherished child or a war veteran... This cemetery goes back 150+ years!!! One family lost 6 children in a 4 year time period!!! How hard life must of been in the harsh winters in the middle of nowhere supplies only coming in once a month weather permitting. Now we consider life hard if we have to do dishes by hand.

So I have extended my Vision Quest... I don't know for how long just am... I was in the grocery store buying some birthday candles for my son Aarons birthday which is this Friday... This little old lady had a walker one with a seat and she was facing me and said "Oh I love birthdays" Whose  birthday is it? I said me son and my birthday was soon also. How old will you  be I said 50 with a sigh... You would of thought I just told her she won a million dollars!! She was excited clapped her hands together and said I LOVED MY 50's!!! She continued on how she remembers them so well, I'm thinking I can't remember last week yet alone my 40's...She looked so sweet and cute, big smile on her face, I'm thinking the 1950's?? or your 50's:) She went on to say that was when her life started, kids were grown and she got to do what she wanted.The bagger asked if she needed help out to her car and she said well the bags ain't goin load themselves!!! She had on a mixed match outfit on and one pantyhose up and the other around her ankle.. One thought I had was what was keeping that one pantyhose up?? As she turned to leave she said "enjoy your 50's because... the cashier asked me a question and the one time I didn't want my ADD to fail me it did. She waved and winked and shuffled out and in my head I screaming WAIT I need to know what comes after the because... because your 60's will  suck,  because you get to wear and say what you want without that censor in your head nope don't say that..... BECAUSE WHY!!!

Well the world didn't explode at midnight... thats saying something because I was pretty sure it was going to.. Sooo my "Vsion Quest 2011" continues and I am going to make the best out of it all:) This is the year I will do what I want one of things is expand my Sweet Vintage Home and Garden business it is something I love love to do:) and isn't thats what life is about doing what you love........ So three things I am going to do starting today

1. Just be

2.  be kinder

3. laugh more even at my own expense

Thanks for stopping by

XOXO

Juanita



A Journey... Part 1

 I have not been very good about blogging these past few weeks ok almost like a month... I did 2 extra shows this month and I was busy with my other job.. Real Estate.. Time seems to fly when you about to turn 50, "it" happens this Wednesday...Its funny I have never cared about turning a certain number till now.. Not haha funny either..

Sooo I went on a little "Vision Quest" Though my daughter explained to me that the Native Americans vision quest sent them into the woods with no supplies and pretty much hopped up on peyote, she also point out I do not like creepy crawlers, sleeping on hard surfaces or am I very fond of cold weather. All very true!!!  I guess it was more like checking off something I have wanted to do for 10 years..  I went up north first to Los Banos a small town we lived in when my father was working on the dam there. I have many fond memories there.. Such a different time in the world.. I picked up my girlfriend and off to Sutter Creek and to as my picture says Daffodil Hill. It is an old ranch from the early 1800's the owner was from Holland and he planted thousands of daffodils, the family continues to open it up to the public, it is a short season usually 3 weeks.They also plant 5000 new bulbs every year. A few days before I went there was a late season snow/hail storm and the daffodils were still a bit shall we say dazed... It was still amazing and I am thrilled that I got this wonderful opportunity. My dear sweet friend Donna indulged me every time I wanted to stop take pictures or rummage through (some would call them) junk stores though I prefer to call them treasure stores:)... I shopped along the way and I found some very lovely treasures for my next show which is coming up on April 30th.. In Huntington Beach, the show is called Behind The Pickett Fence!!

This is my first time doing this show so it should be interesting, I am excited!!!

Thanks for stopping by:)

Juanita

XOXO

ps.. Absolutely no idea how I changed half of the font??? Part 2 coming soon!!!