MONTEREY

Hello everyone,

How are you all today? I'm doing fine.

Monterey is a beautiful city.  There's this one building that I drive by quite often when I'm downtown.  It is heavily decorated.  I'm not sure how old the building is. My first thought is that it was built in the 1920s or 1930s based on some of the design features.

There is a flower shop on the ground floor that has been there since the building opened. Hmm...that's a thought. I should walk into the flower shop and ask the owner. 

Here's a photo of the building from the outside. It has some amazing detail and I LOVE the fact that the main entrance to the building is on the corner. You don't see that kind of detail much anymore:

The flower shop is called "Flor Monterey".  In any case, I'll make sure and get some more photos of this building sometime this week or next week.  It has so many interesting details.


There was a controlled burn out at Fort Ord yesterday and then again this morning. Here are a couple of pictures that I took with my mobile phone camera.  It looked a lot scarier than it really was, but I figure that as long as that smoke is not shaped like a mushroom, we're doing fairly well :)

The first pic was taken around 9:47 a.m. this morning from the Whole Foods parking lot. The controlled burn had just started at 9:30 a.m.

This next photo was just over an hour later. It was taken from my front yard. By this time the smoke was quite thick and it even covered up the sun. However, it didn't last long. It's 1:20 p.m. now and most of it is clearing away thanks to the wind.

I actually have today off from work. So I stopped by my hairstylist's salon to get my bangs trimmed. They were getting kind of long and I just can't make up my mind about whether to keep them short or grow them out long.  In any case,  I had my mobile phone with me and snapped a couple photos.  There is beauty all around if we can only learn to keep our eyes open for it.

I really like bougainvillea. It's a beautiful plant that grows very well here in the Monterey Bay peninsula area. I just loved how this particular bougainvillea was growing up around the slats on this balcony railing.

I also love vintage antiques, including trucks. I usually see this beautiful Ford truck at a local carwash. Today it was parked downtown.  This is my dream car, for real :) :) I so would love to drive something like this.

I also went to Trader Joe's to buy some cheddar cheese. I have a leftover bag of gluten-free tortilla chips that I purchased at TJ's yesterday. Then the idea came to me to make easy peasy nachos. So on the way to the store, I stopped to get a photo of this beautiful iris. This is another flower that I see a lot around this area.

Oh, and in my backyard, we have quite a few different varieties of trees from Spanish oak to a very tall Redwood tree.  Well, a few weeks ago, one of the trunks on the Spanish oak just fell over. It just missed the house by a few inches. Thankfully there was no damage. One of our neighbor's was really kind and helped us chop up the trunk. Most of the wood has gone to the yard waste recycle bin. This is what it looks like now. Thankfully the rest of the tree is solid :)

That's about it for now.  I hope you all are enjoying your Tuesday.  That's the news  from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :)


TEACUP TUESDAY

Hi everyone,
I'm a day late with my "Teacup Tuesday" post.  Okay, so I posted this photo earlier this week.  This is a vintage reproduction napkin holder from the Homer Laughlin China Co. It was made in 1996. Doesn't it have a vintage feel? I purchased it at a yard sale for about $1:

That's one funny looking "teacup". Well, when I went to check who made this napkin holder, I saw that it was made by the same folks who made one of my china teacups.  This teacup is made by the Homer Laughlin China Co in the early half of the 20th century. I haven't been able to figure out the exact date of production, but it is a Craftsman style china pattern. So my guess is that it was made sometime in the 1910s or 1920s. If you have any information, please let me know:

I received this teacup from a friend back in 2004.  It's funny how I acquire some of my china pieces. However, she asked me if I wanted this. I said "YES", even though I thought this piece was rather ugly at the time. It grew on me, and now it's one of my favorite patterns.  Did you notice the secret flower detail on the inside rim of the cup? I just LOVE this kind of detail.  Here's a photo of my teacup again, so you can admire the lovely flowers:

There is a slight crack running through this teacup. So it's no longer something I would drink out of. However, it is a lovely cup to put on display.  This is the backstamp. Oh what a backstamp this is. It's one of the fanciest backstamps that I have ever seen on any piece of china. I'm sorry about the dirt around the bottom of the cup. It was like that when the teacup was gifted to me. I've not been successful in getting rid of the dirt marks. Inspite of that, this backstamp is it's own work of art:

This pattern is called "Chartreuse".  I did find other pieces in this china set at Replacements Ltd. However, I've been unsuccesful in finding out more about the history of this particular china pattern.  When you turn the cup around slightly, look at the lovely detail you can find here:

I really love vintage items because of their attention to detail. This teacup is no exception.  It's what makes this particular teacup very special and unique. 

Most of the items in my china collection are mismatched pieces.  When I was taking photos of my teacup, I realized that it would look lovely with this saucer which was purchased for $1 at The Goodwill thrift shop:

The floral detal on my Homer Laughlin China Co. "chartreuse" teacup seems to match the floral detail in the center of this china saucer.  Now this saucer is a Grosvenor China pattern.  The green and gold detail around the edge of the saucer is what first attracted me to it.  Here is a look at the backstamp:

This saucer was made in England by Bristol Festcon. 

I really enjoy tea very much: drinking it, collecting china, eating food during tea time, everything about it. There is something very lovely about a nice cup of tea. Maybe it's the people that I get to spend time with. I'm not sure. However, tea always brings joy to my heart.  Thank you for joining me today. Please come back again to visit anytime. You are always welcome here.

That is the news from the ocean shores of California today.  Love and hugs, Heather :)

MY FATHER AND YARD SALE TREASURES

Hi everyone,

My dad returned home from the VA last Thursday. I was really happy to see him. Here is a pic of my father and I together. A friend of the family picked him up at the VA and brought him home :) :) She kindly took the photo for us. Here it is:

THIS IS MY FATHER AND I JUST A FEW MINUTES AFTER HE CAME HOME.  NOTICE THE SMIRK ON  HIS FACE? I THINK MY DADDY WILL BE JUST FINE.


When I saw my father pull into the parking lot with our family friend, I started jumping up and down and clapping. I was so happy to have my father back home. Even the dog could tell something was different about that day, because she kept sniffing around the house looking for him. When my dad walked through the door, the dog's tail started wagging so fast, you could have used it as a fan :) Isn't my daddy handsome? 

Oh, just a sidenote, in this photo I have lost a total of 60 pounds. You can't tell very much, because I've had that faux suede blouse since BEFORE I started my healthy living/weight loss journey.

I was having a bit of cabin fever and wanted to get out of the house this weekend. My friend P. told me that she had some errands to run. I asked if I could come along. She said yes.  Then we were coming back to the house to watch Downton Abbey on Netflix.  So we found a yard sale on the way home, and yes, I bought two things. Here's a look at what I found...all for $2.25.

The first item was a super cute satin pink pajama set for $2. It actually fits me. I washed it and now I feel really pretty and feminine when I go to bed :) Here is a glimpse of the fabric:

THE PAJAMA BLOUSE IS A REALLY BEAUTIFUL PINK DAMASK STRIPED TOP. THE PAJAMA PANTS ARE JUST PLAIN PINK SATIN. I REALLY LIKE THIS SET BECAUSE IT'S PINK. WHEN I WEAR IT, I FEEL REALLY FRILLY AND FEMININE.

The next item was just a small Christmas item that I spotted. This was only $0.25.  It's actually a dark green pillow with an embroidered center that was hand-stitched. It says "Christ is Born!" I gave this to my father, because I knew he would LOVE IT...and he does. It's sitting on his desk, in front of some books.

I'm working on a pair of socks for my aunt's really, really , really late Christmas present. I started them back in November. So when I actually finished them, I'll post a photo for you and maybe a tutorial, too, in case you want to make a pair for yourself :) 

That's the news from the ocean shores of California today...speaking of which, the weather has been a really interesting mix of sunshine/rainy clouds today.  I really like it a lot. Love and hugs, Heather :)

MY TEA THINGS FOR JANUARY 4th, 2012

Hi everyone, 
Let me share my latest teacup and saucer with you today. Before I do that, let me give you a short update on our "plumbing" problem here at the house.  YOu can click here to read the original post. We finally had the plumber out for a third time in a week. They ran a camera down the pipe and discovered that the pipe was an old "Orangeburg" (sp?) pipe that was installed when the house was originally built back in the 1940s/50s.  The pipe runs 24 inches below ground, underneath the garage. When my aunt had the house remodeled, they never found that pipe, because they never looked.  When they installed new water pipe, it was installed only 18 inches below ground..so they never discovered the old pipe. Basically, the old pipe is very small and is collapsing in on itself. It will need to be replaced, eventually...but for now, my dad and I can use the upstairs bathrooms just fine with no problem. So, we're okay for now :) :) That's is a total answer to prayer.

Okay, now for the fun stuff.  This teacup with matching saucer was given to me as a gift by my aunt's friend.  She had purchased it at an auction. My aunt's friend said that it was in a box full of junk. It was like finding a diamond in the rough.

HERE IS A VIEW OF MY LOVELY PINK ROSE TEACUP WITH MATCHING SAUCER, AS SEEN FROM THE TOP. IT IS A LOVELY SHADE OF PALE PINK, WITH BEAUTIFUL CHUBBY, RED ROSES AND OUTLINED IN DELICATE GOLD

WHEN YOU SEE THE NEXT PHOTOS, YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WHY I TOOK THIS PHOTO FROM THE TOP VIEW.

THIS IS MY TEACUP AND SAUCER AS SEEN FROM THE SIDE VIEW.  YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE TEACUP ITSELF IS A SIMPLE, PLAIN WHITE WITH A DELICATE GOLD STRIPE RUNNING AROUND THE CENTER OF THE CUP. ALL OF THE DETAIL IS ON THE INSIDE OF THIS BEAUTIFUL TEACUP.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE TEACUP. IT SAYS "BY APPOINTMENT TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN - CHINA POTTERS - PARAGON - FINE BONE CHINA - ENGLAND REGD"  THERE IS ALSO THE LETTER "P" ON THE CUP.  I'M NOT SURE IF THAT IS SIGNIFICANT OR NOT. IT DOES ADD A BIT OF MYSTERY TO MY TEACUP.

HERE IS A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SAUCER. IT IS REALLY LOVELY.  I THINK PINK IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL, ROMANTIC AND VERY FEMININE COLOR. IT ADDS A TOUCH OF BEAUTY TO THE EVERY DAY THINGS OF OUR LIVES.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE SAUCER. IT IS THE SAME AS THE ONE ON THE TEACUP. THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL MARKINGS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THEM OR THEIR MEANING. IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT IT COULD BE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.


Thank you for joining me for tea today. I love having visitors. Your comments also make me smile :) :) 

Oh, as most of you know, I live by the ocean. This is what the waves looked liked yesterday (Tuesday). Isn't it just dreamy?

I NEVER GET TIRED OF LOOKING AT THE OCEAN OR TAKING PHOTOS.

AT ONE POINT, THE WAVES WERE GETTING SO BIG AND SO FAST, THAT THERE WERE MULTIPLE WAVES CRASHING AT THE SAME TIME. 


That is the news from California today. Love and hugs from the ocean shores, Heather 

MY TEA TIME TUESDAY AND TEACUP & TEA THINGS TUESDAY FOR DECEMBER 1st.

Hi everyone,

Okay, here is my tea post for this week.  I tried to get it up yesterday and totally forget.  Here is the last of my tea things that I purchased at auction a few weeks ago.  The cup and the saucer are from the same designer. The plate is from a different designer.  However,  the patterns are so similar, they fit together nicely :)

THIS IS THE TEACUP, SAUCER AND PLATE THAT I PURCHASED AT THAT AUCTION A FEW WEEKS AGO.

HERE IS THE PLATE.  IT IS REALLY INTERESTING WITH THE BEAUTIFUL SCALLOPED DETAIL ALL THE WAY AROUND THE EDGE OF THE PLATE. NOTICE THE PRECIOUS LITTLE ROSEBUD IN THE CENTER OF THE PLATE.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE SCALLOPED ROSES PLATE.

NEXT, I PLACED THE SAUCER ON TOP OF THE PLATE. DO YOU NOTICE HOW WELL THE ROSES ON BOTH ITEMS FIT TOGETHER? IT IS REALLY AMAZING.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE SAUCER.

THIS IS THE FLORAL MOTIF ON ONE SIDE OF THE TEACUP. IT HAS A VERY SIMPLE GOLD DETAIL ON THE HANDLE.

THIS IS THE SMALLER FLORAL MOTIF ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TEACUP.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE BOTTOM OF THE TEACUP.


I really enjoyed sharing some more of my tea things with you.  Now the trick is to find a way to display them beautifull in my home. Right now, it's just random placement wherever there is space in my room :) :) :)

Oh,  Friday I'll be sharing some vintage finds that I found this week. You'll have to tune in Friday for that.  I've really committed to buying things at thrift shops and antique shops, when I can afford it.

Thanks for stopping by my blog to visit. I LOVE visitors and comments :) :) That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

MY TEACUPS AND TEA THINGS & TEA TIME TUESDAY POST FOR NOVEMBER 8th.

Hi everyone, 

So I totally forgot about last Tuesday. Something in the California air has really done something to my sense of timing. Ever since I moved to California, the days just seem to run together so fast.  So TWO weeks ago, I showed you the Royal Albert sugar bowl and creamer that I won (as part of a mixed collection) at an auction. Today, I'm going to show you a little bit more.

THESE ARE ALL THE TEA THINGS THAT I WON AT THE SILENT AUCTION BACK IN SEPTEMBER. IT IS A REAL MIX OF DIFFERENT PIECES. ALL OF THEM ARE SO LOVELY.

The items that really caught my eye were the Royal Albert "Old Country Roses" creamer and matching sugar bowl.  The other items that caught my eye were the violet teacups, saucers and teapot.

These are the violet china tea things that I wanted to share with you all today.  If you look really closely, you'll notice that one of the teacup's, with matching saucer, is slightly different than the others. Oh, and to my surprise, the teapot was made in Japan, while everything else was made in England. Here are some close-up pictures of my lovely china:

THIS IS A CLOSE-UP VIEW OF THE LOVELY VIOLET DETAIL ON THE TEAPOT.

EVEN THE LID ON THE TEAPOT HAS LOVELY DETAIL. ISN'T IT JUST BEAUTIFUL? YES, IT REALLY IS. THERE IS JUST SOMETHING ABOUT VIOLETS.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE VIOLET TEAPOT. THIS CAME AS A TOTAL SURPRISE, BECAUSE I KNEW THE OTHER PIECES HAD BEEN MADE IN ENGLAND.  THE DESIGNS MATCH ALMOST PERFECTLY.

HERE IS A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BEAUTIFUL VIOLET TEACUP AND MATCHING SAUCER. THEY BOTH HAVE A LOVELY SCALLOPED EDGE WITH GOLD DETAIL AROUND THE RIM.

WHEN YOU TURN THE TEACUP AROUND, THERE IS A SOFTER VIOLET DETAIL ON THE OTHER SIDE. THIS IS SO DELICATE AND BEAUTIFUL.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THOSE "SECRET" FLOWER DETAILS ON THE INSIDE OF THE TEACUPS. IT REALLY ADDS A TOUCH OF SOMETHING LOVELY.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE VIOLET TEACUP WITH THE SCALLOPED EDGING.  I THINK SOME OF THE MARKINGS ARE VERY INTERESTING. HOWEVER, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY SIGNIFY. IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS, LET ME KNOW.

A LOVELY AND DELICATE VIOLET SAUCER WITH SCALLOPED EDGING.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE VIOLET SAUCER WITH THE SCALLOPED EDGING.

THIS WAS THE OTHER VIOLET TEACUP WITH MATCHING SAUCER. HMM...ON CLOSER INSPECTION, THEY MIGHT NOT BE VIOLETS AT ALL. IT'S CLOSE ENOUGH FOR ME. IT HAS A VERY GENTLE SCALLOPED EDGING WITH GOLD TRIM.

HERE IS A CLOSER LOOK AT THE LARGER VIOLET DETAIL ON THE TEACUP AND SAUCER.

HERE'S THE VIEW OF THE SOFTER FLOWER DETAIL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TEACUP AND MATCHING SAUCER.

FINALLY, HERE IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THIS TEACUP...

...AND THE BACKSTAMP ON THE MATCHING SAUCER.

That completes my tea collection for today.  I'm really curious about the person who owned all these tea things before they came into my possesion. Whoever that person was, she must have had excellent taste and a love for flowers.

Oh, exciting times coming up on Wednesday. I will be hosting my very first give-away. So you'll have to come back Wednesday to have a look-see.  I'll post it as soon as I wake up on Wednesday morning.

Thanks for visiting me today. I love visitors and messages, too...so feel free to leave me a comment. That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)

MY TEATIME TUESDAY AND TEACUPS AND TEA THINGS POST FOR OCTOBER 25th.

Hi everyone :) :) :)

Okay, so here are my tea things for today. It's been so LONG since I've been able to participate in some of the beautiful tea parties here in blogland.  I went to an auction about a month ago in Pacific Grove, California.  There was a set of various assorted china tea things.  I placed a bid and WON the auction for those items. That was so cool.  I'm not sure where the "group" photo of all the items is. When I find it, I'll post it next Tuesday. Until then, here's just part of what I have to show you all today :) :)

I finally have some Royal Albert china...in my FAVORITE pattern, too "Old Country Roses". This is my beautiful Royal Albert "Old Country Roses" creamer and matching sugar bowl.  It was such a joy to finally have some of this for my home :)

THIS IS A CLOSE-UP VIEW OF THE CREAMER. THE RED AND YELLOW ROSES ARE SO BEAUTIFUL AND DELICATE AGAINST THE WHITE BACKGROUND.

THIS IS THE FRONT OF THE CREAMER. THERE IS A DELICATE LEAVES AND ROSES DETAIL. ISN'T IT LOVELY?

HERE'S A SLIGHTLY BETTER VIEW OF THE DETAIL ON THE CREAMER. I JUST LOVE THIS PATTERN. I NEVER GET TIRED OF LOOKING AT IT.

HERE IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE CREAMER. EVEN THE BACKSTAMP IS BEAUTIFUL. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TOO MANY ROSES.

HERE IS THE TOP OF THE SUGAR BOWL. NOTICE THE HANDLE IN THE CENTER. THE CIRCLE RING IS DESIGNED TO NATURALLY FIT THE FINGERS, FOR EASY HANDLING.

THE FRONT OF THE SUGAR BOWL.  IT'S SUCH A NICE PATTERN.

HERE'S ANOTHER VIEW OF SOME OF THE SMALLER ROSES DETAIL ON THE SAME SUGAR BOWL.

That is all for the moment.  I hope you enjoyed my Royal Albert "Old Country Roses" creamer and matching sugar bowl.  I think "Anne of Green Gables" would have used this for her tea. Don't you think?  Stay tuned next Tuesday when I show you some more beautiful tea things from the auction :)

Oh, wait, one last thing.  A friend shared this video on Facebook and I'm sharing it with you. It's a beautiful song from Tracy Chapman called "The Promise" with a video montage of soldiers coming home to their families. It was on this program called "Wretched".  The video is beautifully done. It's a reminder of the men and women who sacrifice so much so that we can worship as we please. I also agree with the host that it's a small taste of what heaven will be like, when we are reunited with our loved ones. The song is beautiful and I've been listening to it over and over today.

That's the news from the ocean shores today. Love and hugs, Heather

p.s. Watch the video below: