Chateau De Fleurs

Hello my Sweet Hearts...

I had the bestest weekend ever, I hope you had a wonderful one too!

I knew that on Saturday there was going to be a wonderful show, Chateau De Fleurs, at Christie Repasy's house in Fallbrook, CA. Fallbrook is a ways from my house & I wasn't sure I wanted to drive that far, but when I woke up to blue skies, the sun shining brightly & a temp of about 76 degrees, I knew I HAD to make the trek & I am SOOOO GLAD I did! It was truly FABULOUS!  ;)

First of all I fell in LOVE with Fallbrook. What a charming place, with all the small town quaintness of a little berg in Texas...I could TOTALLY live there!

Walking up to Christie's house,  I was greeted by this vignette with one of my favorites, a vintage bicycle with a basket full of flowers...I knew I was in the right place.

The glimmer of white tent tops surrounded me,

along with this wonderful vintage bed, set up right at the entrance...yummy!

You might remember, I just worked with Lisa Loria on a new blog design & I knew she was going to be at this show, which was one of the reasons I wanted to go. I love to get to know my bloggie friends better & really wanted to meet her & see some of her art in person...she is AMAZING! 

What a talent!! She & I talked like old friends for a long time & I adored everything about her. She lives not too far from me & I'm hoping we'll have a chance to get together again...maybe we could play 'ART'!

Thankfully, we will be working together soon, as she wants me to help her create a

cohesive look between her blog & print work.

Lisa's art is filled with so much whimsy & color, I just love working with it...I can't wait!

After talking Lisa's ear off I headed over to see Christie's shop, Christie Repasy Designs,

right there in her house. I mean really, a dream come true!

Who wouldn't want there store to be literally in their own backyard?

Christie is renown for her gorgeous floral designs, but it's her ROSES that takes your breath away & reminds you of a much sweeter time & place.

Her shop was delicious all in pink & hardwood, so feminine. Can you imagine falling asleep on this beautiful bed surrounded by roses? What sweet dreams one might have.

You can see Christie's work at her on-line shop, Chateau De Fleurs  & find out a little bit more about her on her blog. She has this show at her house 4 times a year & the next event will be June 3rd & 4th, so you just might want to mark your calenders & go...I know you'll enjoy it, I sure did!

Now along with Christie, another presenter of Chateau De Fleur is Rita Reade of Mammabellarte & blog fame. She is creative beyond belief & teaches classes in soldering, which I have wanted to take since I met her at a show in Redlands a few months back.

I LOVE her style, everything in dreamy creams & whites. Look at this birdhouse, screw the birds...I want to live there! LOL

So much more to see...I will have to break my day into 2 posts, or no one will ever get through it all!

That's just how much cool STUFF was at this show!!

Thanks for coming along with me, I can't wait to show you all the rest of my day at...

Chateau De Fleur!

XOXO

vintagesusie

Finding Heart!

In the mountains high above the hustle & bustle of Southern Cali, the sun is shining, the sky is blue, the air is cool & inviting & a little boy with walking stick in hand, wants to take a HIKE!

He wants to lead an expedition into the wilderness in search of a HEART...

Ya wanna come along???

He considers himself to be a professional & has all & any emergency equipment that may be required, stowed away in his Star Wars backpack. He has packed an army thermos with water, a rice krispy treat, 1 fruit snack & some pizza sticks. These are the rations we will survive on in the event that we get lost in this wilderness, but fear not, I have complete faith in our guide. He just LOOKS like he KNOWS what he's doing!

In an attempt to prove his prowess on the trail, he climbs to the top of some towering boulders & yells out to the group, "Monga, take a picture of me on this rock!", which I immediately do. Now remember, he's got all the FOOD!

He shimmy's into a hollowed out area of a huge pine tree, thinking this could be the perfect place to hide if a sudden storm blows over us. We all agree it's a great shelter, but I am keenly aware that the only person who will be safe from the freezing winds & rain & lightening strikes, will be him. 

He says "Listen, I here water!".

Looking down from the trail we see the river that will eventually lead us to...

Finding Heart!

Along the way, he took a minute to be photographed with a local LEGEND...

Jeremiah Johnson, who also goes by the alias of Grandpa.

After what felt like a mile or two of hiking forest trails, the sound of rushing water could be heard echoing through the trees. We stopped breathless for a moment, knowing we had to be close to

Finding Heart.

And then, there it was...

a piece of rock, made by time, in the perfect shape of a HEART!.

Magic, made by billions of drops of water over the course of millions of years,

in my own backyard.

Having arrived safely to our destination, our guide went off in search of the perfect skipping stone, leaving us to simply sit back & enjoy the view. Now these pictures are deceiving...the drop is probably about 75 ft & the other side of the river is about 50 ft across. In this picture you can see the wheels in Jeremiah's head spinning, as I had just commented on what a shame it was that the piece of wood was stuck in the pool, ruining the beauty of every one's photographs.

How was I to know after taking this picture & wandering away for a while to play in the river, that Jeremiah was hatching a plan.

Returning to my vista point, camera in hand, I was completely surprised to see this...no WOOD!!

Yes, my man had scaled down the rocky crag, crossed the swiftly moving waters, climbed up onto the rock wall above the heart pool, found a long, strong stick, sat in the hole in the rock above the heart & patiently & slowly worked the wood out of the pool & down into the river below, so he could take this picture of me sitting on the opposite side with a PERFECT Heart Shaped Pool behind me.

Now that's LOVE!

And I could take a picture of my baby with the perfect heart shaped pool behind her & she could take a picture of her baby with the...oh, sorry. Our guide shed huge crocodile tears cuz he was too scared to sit on the rock & was certain he would fall to his death into the river below. I have the up most faith in our guide, but I do have remember...

he's only 5!  ;)

Tears wiped away with promises of no more death defying pictures, happiness returns to our guide as we gather up our equipment {Star Wars backpack} & head back out to where our journey began.

Discovering an ancient cave dwelling, our guide finds a rock just his size that works perfectly as a recliner & yells out, "Monga, take a picture of me on this rock!" I obligingly comply.

Thanks so much Sweet Hearts, for coming along with us on our quest.

And to leave you with the moral of this story, as ALL of my stories have some kind of moral, LOL

it would have to be this...

when in need of FINDING HEART, don't forget to look in your own BACKYARD!

There may be some MAGIC waiting there just for you to find it!

{having just read this story to Kai, he insists on one change...

THE END

& he typed it himself! lol}

XOXO

vintagesusie

11 ~ 20 & a Beautiful Redlands Victorian

Marvelous Monday to all my Sweet Hearts! I have to admit, I do love the start of a brand new week...it seems anything is possible. This weeks new possibility is to start a Low Carb Diet...again. Here's my tiny little goal, to diet & try & lose a few pounds before my birthday on November 25th. {that shouldn't be too hard, right?}

I LOVE it when my birthday falls on Thanksgiving...it makes me feel sooo Special! The thing I don't like about being a TURKEY baby is that often I end up getting a piece of pumpkin pie with a candle on top of it, rather then an actual Happy Birthday cake! Isn't it great how the child in us still manages to find it's way out no matter how old we are! LOL Thanksgiving is at my house this year, so there's no fear of that happening. Maybe I'll call the Cake Boss & get a $300 cake to make up for all the missed cakes I haven't had...nahh. I'd rather get a pair Maggie Pearl bloomers! ;) 

As promised, I wanted to show you a few more pics of the amazing Victorian house in Redlands where Jamie & Lori hosted their lovely boutique. Enjoy your tour as I try & complete a few more questions for '30 Days of Truth'.

Number 11: Something people compliment you the most on.

Even though I've closed my shop, I would have to say I got so many wonderful compliments on my little store 'Lambs & Ivy'. Most of the people who entered through her charming dutch doors, commented on  how much they loved it...I miss that!

Number 12: Something you never get compliments on.

Unfortunately, that's an easy one...

my cooking. ;(

Number 13: A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough times.

Jackson Browne! I started listening to him in high school & it always seemed as if he was singing my soul or my pain. His lyrics are like beautiful poetry to me. He's been in my life longer then most people. 

Number 14: A hero who has let you down.

I have lived my adult life trying very hard not to put ANYONE too high upon a pedestal being that we're all human, they are bound to fall off...I sure know I do. I would guess my biggest disappointments or sadness has come from OD's. River Phoenix or Heath Ledger, young men who had so much to live for & yet still couldn't find happiness.

{house kitty}

Number 15: Something or someone you couldn't live without.

My baby's...if something ever happened to my daughter or my grandson, I can't imagine life going on. Maybe it would, but I just can't imagine a life without them.

Number 16: Something or someone you could definitely live without.

Prejudice...I can't abide by any form of prejudice.

Number 17: A book you've read that changed your view on something.

In my world, life is made up of various shades of gray. I'm not a black & white kinda gal, there's extreme dark grays & grays that can almost look white...but life isn't so clear cut for me. If we're talking about life changing views, it's not a book but a movie. It was so many years ago I couldn't tell you when or even the name, but the story went something like this...

A wife & mother was raped & her world was completely turned upside down. Her rapist had been prosecuted & was serving time in jail, but she felt she couldn't get her life back unless she was able to confront him. With everyone thinking this was a terrible mistake, she made the arrangements for them to meet. After her initial rage, as she quietly cried, she asked her attacker why. He told her his life story, of summer's spent on his grandfather's farm. Of begging his parents not to make him go & yet every summer, for most of his childhood, his grandfather raped him daily. With him now in tears, she slowly walks over to his chair & gently hugs him saying, "I wish I could have been your Mommy & protected you from so much pain." In that moment, my world became gray.

Number 18: Your view on gay marriages.

I have amazing sisters! My youngest sister is a college professor. She is wicked smart,  incredibly loving & caring, she's beautiful inside & out & she's gay. I absolutely believe in gay marriage.

Number 19: What is your opinion on religion.

I am a spiritual person. I try & live a life I can be proud of. Organized religion confuses me often. When I think we should be teaching our children & the world about love & tolerance, sometimes it seems that organized religions are spreading messages of prejudice & intolerance. I know it's simply the flaws of man that creates this, but I don't like it.

Finally Number 20: Your views on drugs & alcohol.

I grew up in the 70's, so for me to say I never took a drug would be ridiculous! I am blessed that my daughter never got into drugs & I pray my grandson never does either. The drugs they have now just seem to be so deadly & addictive, they scare me. Alcohol, I have no problem with social drinking. Anything in excess is not a good thing...except for maybe pizza!  ;)

Look at the gorgeous fruit on this tree! 100 years ago Redlands was nothing but orchards. When the orange blossoms are in bloom, I just want to pull my car over & BREATHE!

So, now I'm down to my final 10 questions & when my task is done, you will all know more about me then you ever wanted to know. I guess the hope is, that maybe I'll know myself a little bit better.

I want to thank Jamie of Two Wild Roses for our wonderful tour of her beautiful home. Here she is standing next to her Mom's, Vintage Shasta travel trailer & y'all know how much I love me a vintage trailer! Soon I'll show you some of the awesome Victorian's we went & saw yesterday in Echo Park. Until then...

XOXO

vintagesusie

long lost friends...found!

Can 36 years go by in the blink of an eye?

Growing up in Huntington Beach, CA was something of an idyllic childhood. We had a modest home in a lovely little neighborhood where all the kids that lived there, played together, joined Scouts together, played softball together & went to elementary, junior high & high school together. One of my bestest little friends was Susan Jacques.

My family took very few photographs, so this is one of my prized possessions...an old black & white photo of my 11th birthday party. My face is covered by a reflection, but on the right you can see Susan sitting on the floor next to me. {my little sister Kristen, who has the llama's in CO, is standing on the left}

I was in the sixth grade then & Susan & I did everything together!
Things I remember about Susan...
Her parents were French & had accents & sometimes I had a hard time understanding them.
She lived just a few house away from our elementary school Schroeder, so it was always fun to go to her house right after school.
We went to Girl Scouts together & our leader had a wandering eye & I could never tell when she was talking to me...so I got in trouble a lot cuz I wouldn't stop doing whatever she was telling me to stop doing. I thought she was talking to someone else. lol
I sold her sister my entire collection of Barbie's for $5 when I was in HS so I could go to a movie. I still kick myself for that.
And she was my bestest friend.

After HS, the gypsy in my soul took me to far off lands like San Francisco, Durango, Co & Salt Lake City & sadly, I lost track of so many of my childhood friends.
Fast Forward.
Through the super powers of facebook, Susan & I have just found each other after being separated for 36 years....how Crazy & Wonderful!
This is her sweet hubby Phil standing in front of the sign of my local lake, the lake I see everyday.

As serendipity would have it, they have been coming to Crestline for years. They have friends with a cabin here where they often come to relax & get away. They have eaten at the Cafe directly across the street from my shop. We have been feet away from each other all this time & never even knew it.

They came up this past weekend & we got to see each other face to face & it seemed as if time had stood still & we were still those 2 little girls who loved to talk & play.

She loves to make handmade jewelry...just like me.
She has her house decorated in lovely little vignettes...just like my shop.
She loves antiques...just like I do.
There was a reason we were such good friends when we were young.
We are so very similar.

So Sweet Hearts...today, if I could wish you anything, I would wish for you the pure joy of standing next to, talking & laughing with & being able to give a hug to,
a long, lost friend, found.
It's Magic!

Click here to view this photo book larger

{a photo book from Shutterfly I made a few years back with some of my childhood pictures}