Cottage & Family [Search results for California] 

Change of plans ~ AA canceled flights so we won't be going until they are back up and running ~

Tomorrow, April 9th my husband and I are going to California for a week vacation !!! I am so excited because we are from California and I miss it alot ~ Most of our family lives there too so we will visit with them and go to the beach and also visit some of my favorite towns like Cambria ~
I am going to take a camera and try to blog along the way if we have internet access ~ We are starting in Southern California and then taking a drive up the coast to the central coast where our family lives ~
I will talk to you soon !

My niece is getting married next Saturday in Central California ~ We decided to make a vacation out of our trip so we flew into Santa Ana airport and have been sight seeing before we head up the coast ~
We spent our first 2 days at Disneyland and California Adventure which was so much fun ~

Today we went to Laguna Beach and got to put our toes in the sand, which I love to do ! We are from California and miss the ocean very much so every time we visit I have to go to the beach ~

My daughter Steph and I enjoying watching the waves ~

These are my daughters, Kristin and Steph in one of my very favorite Laguna shops called Cottage Furnishings ~

I guess I took a little too long there so this is how my family
waited for me ~

We are heading up to Templeton tomorrow so I will post more pics soon !

I just had to share a few photos of our vacation we are on in California ~
The first couple of days we spent going to Catalina Island on a friend's sailboat ~ It was so much fun because on the way over we took the Catalina Express that took us 1 hour to get there and then we spent the night on the boat ~

The next day we hiked and hung out and then sailed home which took 5 hours because there wasn't any wind ~
Both ways we saw Blue Whales really close ~ it was so cool !!! You see Grey Whales in California more often but rarely see Blue Whales so it was awesome ~

Now we are visiting family in Templeton so we are going antique shopping and just BBQing and hanging out ~ I will take more pics along the way ~

Talk to you soon !!!

I haven't been around because I am in California visiting my family ~ They live in Central California and it is just beautiful !! This is where I grew up and I miss it sooo much ~
Yesterday we went to Cambria for lunch and so I took pictures of the gorgeous scenery to show you ~

This little dog was soooo cute ~ she rides on this motorcycle and they were eating where we had lunch ~

This is the view off of my mom and dad's deck of their house ~ I could just sit there forever ~

I will post some more pics later ~~~

I just got home from a few days

in Central California ~

Oh my goodness it was glorious

there! The weather was awesome

( it was great to get away

from the Texas heat )

and well I just pretty much

love it all ~

Family, childhood memories, the beach,

the mountains, the vineyards,

the weather... I could go on and on ~

It is funny how when we lived there

I completely took the beautiful

hills and ocean for granted ~

It has been 16 years since we

moved to North Texas and I am

a happy gal to have family

in California and flight privileges :)

I am a lavender freak so seeing it

all over is amazing to me!

This is a beautiful bed and breakfast that

a friend's wedding was at in Templeton ~

This is a really fun place in Avila Beach called

Avila Valley Barn ~

This is my sister and niece

picking yummy apples ~

I have been home a day and am totally

ready to go back ~

Hopefully in October for the

Remnants of the Past Vintage Show

and

Three Speckled Hens Show ~

Now it is back to work (fun)

for me ~

My husband and I got
to spend a week at the
central coast of California
visiting with family ~
That is where we are from
so it is going home for us ~

When I go back I often
am amazed at what I took
for granted when
we lived there ~
I just LOVE the beach and
LOVE the mountains that
you have to drive over
to get to the beach ~

This is Avila Beach
where I spent so many
days in the summers~
I want to come spend
a week just here now ❤

Who would have thought
that swinging on the beach
could be the most fun ever!!

I LOVE my mom and dad's house
that is on a mountain that
overlooks 3 towns ~

I LOVE driving the winding
roads seeing the beautiful
wineries and vineyards that
are everywhere ~

Spending time in California
with my family that lives
there is just some
of our best times!

This is my sister, Kim
and I in Morro Bay~

Thankfully we get to
go back a few times a year
which is a blessing for sure!

Lots of hugs,
Lori

I am sitting at the airport waiting to head back home to HOT Texas ~ It has been really nice being in California but it is time to go home ~

I love to go to Paso Robles and wander around the shops there ~ One of the places we went was "We Olive" where you can taste everything and it is yummy !

This is my sister and mom trying something good I am sure ~

This is some of the olive oils and balsamic vinegars to taste ~

Another shop I love to go to is "The Cottage" ~ Sandi has wonderful antiques and home decor in her shop ~

I want to start carrying lavender items on my website so we stopped at a lavender farm ~ I always seem to drag my mom and my sister to a lavender farm when I am in California ~ You should smell my suitcase right now full of this ~

We went for walks every evening and it was stinking cold so I had to borrow warmth since it was hard to even imagine packing for cold ~

My mom and dad live on a mountain that overlooks 3 cities ~ It is absolutely a gorgeous view ~ I could sit on their deck for hours and wander around their gardens full of beautiful flowers ~

There are always deer roaming around which is so much fun to me to see ~

This is LAX today ~ Oh my gosh I think everyone is cramming the last trip in before school starts ~ It is a total zoo !

Well it is getting time to board my next flight on my journey home ~

I just got home from having a wonderful long weekend

girl's trip to Southern California ~

My two girls met my mom, sister and niece

and we laughed, shopped

and ate to our heart's content ~

We all used to live in the same town

but now my girls and

I live in Texas and they all still live in California

so it is great

to get together and do trips like this ~

This is Chelsey (my niece), Kristin (my oldest daughter), Kim (my sister),

Sue (my mom), Stephanie (my youngest daughter) and me ~ We are

at the Orange Coast Swap Meet ~

What is a girl's trip without chocolate :)

This is one of my new favorite shops ~ It is called the Daisy Shoppe ~

Their website truly does not show how soooo yummy it was ~

Their clothes were awesome, girly and lacey ~ I loved the decorations and

accessories too ! It was me all over !! This is my daughter though in the picture :)

This is my mom and my two girls at the Irvine Spectrum ~

It was a glorious sunny day to shop at an outside mall ~

This is my sister, Kim and I ~

It was the end of the day and it looks like we should have

been getting our makeup done with my mom :)

My niece must have been hitting the shops since

she wasn't in any more of these pictures ~

It was a fun time and we can't

wait to meet up again soon

for more girl's weekends !!

My sister and niece have

been visiting me in Texas for

the last week ~ They live in California

and so we try and go back and forth

as much as we can ~

We hit the road shopping all week

starting with Canton's First Monday

{never can get enough junk!! }

Then as much shopping and

crafting as we could squeeze in ~

It was really cold and rainy most

of the time so we spent one day in

front of the fireplace watching movies

and Chelsey ( my niece ) taught

us all to crochet ~

{below is my daughter Stephanie and above

is a good friend Bethany, my niece Chelsey and

daughter Kristin }

Kristin added a rose and I just

love it !!

One day we decided to go

to the Gaylord Texan Hotel because

it is just gorgeous at Christmas ~

{ my sister Kim & I }

{my niece Chelsey, sister Kim, son in law James

daughters Kristin & Stephanie }

It is always fun to have them come

visit and sad when they leave!

I miss my family in California like crazy!!

I guess it is time for us to take

a trip there again soon ~

We got home from California late last night but I wanted to share some more pictures from our trip ~

This is my daughter Steph and her fiance in Santa Barbara ~ we stopped by there on our way to Templeton ~

This is a picture of a vineyard right by my sisters house in Templeton ~ it is becoming a popular area to go wine tasting ~

Here is a gorgeous picture of the ocean in Cambria ~

This is at my niece's wedding ~ from the left is me, my sister and my mom~

And the beautiful bride Chelsey with her bridesmaids ~ they are all cousins except the two girls on the far left who are the grooms sisters ~

The last picture and the one of Cambria are courtesy of my son law who will have a website soon !! He is an amazing photographer ~

Now I am back home and listing some new treasures on my website ~ it is always fun to go but always fun to come home too ~

I am in California visiting my family. We

are from California and I miss it like crazy so

it is wonderful to get to visit.

My mom and I went shopping in San Luis Obispo

for the day ~ This is a picture in

front of Apple Farm ~ The gardens are

absolutely gorgeous !!

This is in front of the Hotel area ~

This is my mom in front of the restaurant ~

We are going to visit the shops in Paso Robles

tomorrow and maybe go wine tasting ~

This area has really become huge for wineries ~

Part of blogging for me
is so that we can not
only share inspirational
ideas but also so you can
get to know us too :)


If you don't already know
I have two daughters,
Kristin and Stephanie,who
also are part of
Katies Rose Cottage ~

They both have babies and
this was our first
adventure on an airplane
with them ~
Their daddies got to go too
so that was fun!


Alot of our family lives
on the central coast of
California so that is one
of our very favorite places and
where we headed ~


They were excited to have the
babies visit the beach since
it is one of all of our
favorite places to be ~
The weather was chilly but
it was still a beautiful
and sunny day!
We went to Avila Beach which
we love!


Ellie thought it was
just the best thing ever!
The swings were great...
The sand was great!

Isaac pretty much didn't like
it at all! We are definitely
going to have to teach
him that it is fun!
Mommies arms were great!

This is my mom and I
with Ellie ~

My son in law James
took the following pictures ~
It is awesome having
a photographer along :)

Ellie loved swinging!

Isaac loved hiking!

This is my most favorite picture of all .... My mom and dad
with their great grandbabies!!
What a beautiful and precious
picture!! I adore it!

It was fun and there
is so much more family
and pictures but
this is just a glimpse
of our time there ~

Thank you for visiting
with us!

Lori

I am longing for a Beach Cruiser Bicycle :)

Every time we go to California and are by the

beach I see people with

their wayyyy cute bicycles!

Then when we went to the

Orange County Swap Meet

there were so many super cute baskets ~

Everyone in my family in California

have them

and always talk about riding

on the Bob Jone's Trail

at Avila Beach ~

So needless to say I am thinking I need one

even though I live in north Texas ~ I can pretend

I am by the beach :)

Oh my gosh I found the

sweetest bicycles ever !!

They are on the Beg Bicycles website

It would be wonderful to ride to

the flower market

and fill my basket full !

{Images courtesy of Beg Bicycles }

{I am not sure who to give credit on this picture because it was a google search }

I loved this picture too because

it is so pretty all in white ~

Target has some

pink bicycles with baskets~

I am thinking my birthday is

coming really soon :)

I just found this

super cute design and printed

it on a bag ~

It is perfect for my new obsession ~

Well it looks like California won't be happening this vacation soooo when all else fails, the flea market is always fun ~ well.... for me at least ~ My husband doesn't think it is all that fun ~

I just love to see what treasures that I can find ~ sometimes there are alot and sometimes there are just one or two ~ For the last 5 years I have gone to one of my favorites that was only 5 miles from my house ~ they sold the property so it isn't there any more but had been since the 1920's ~ I am so sad because it was so close to me and I always found tons of goodies ~

The one I went to today is every weekend and is about 40 minutes away ~ but it does have all different kinds of things to dig through ~
These are a few things I picked up today that will be on my website in the Vintage Finds category soon
~

{my niece, Chelsey }

Last week I got to go to

stay with my mom and dad in California ~

My sister, mom and I got in a crafty

mood and decided to try a

mercury glass tutorial from Pinterest ~

We started with cheapy glass pieces

to experiment with ~

First you we sprayed on

Krylon Looking Glass spray that we

found at Michaels ~ The tutorial

said to put it on the inside of

the glass bottle ~ I tried the candlesticks

and painted the outside and it worked great!

{my niece, me and my mom }

The other pieces we sprayed the inside

and the outside ~

Then you spray your piece with half

water and half vinegar and let it sit

for a minute ~

Then you just pop the little bubbles

with a paper towel ~

It was so fun and super easy!

Next time I want to try spraying

something darkish first so that

it has a darker look

under the popped bubbles ~

I have been away for a week so I just wanted to let you know where I have been ~ My mom and dad are here from California for a visit for a couple of weeks ~
We make it an annual tradition to go to the Canton flea market once a year ~ it is my dad, mom, my sister and I ~ we have a blast and stay for a few days just browsing the treasures, eating lots and laughing lots too ! We won't be going to Canton until the end of May ~

They drive out early to stay with us ~ we have been planting flowers, talking, eating yummy pie my mom makes and watching movies ~ I am so blessed to be able to spend this time with them so I have been kind of away lately ~
I am listing a little on my website, packing orders and answering emails and it will all pick up again at full speed at the beginning of June ~

Talk to you soon !!!

Remember the lavender that I brought home from California ~

It smells soooo good !

I have been making lavender sachets with it that have been alot

of fun to do ~

This is just a quick tutorial on how to make them ~

They are easy peasy !

First start with a piece of fabric ( I use vintage that I have tea dyed ) ~

Stamp the image or images you would like to use ~

I tear the edges so that they will fray ~

Next with another piece of fabric cut the size you want it to be ~

This one is 7.5 by 10 inches giving me 1/4 inch seam allowances ~

Sew on your stamped image pieces ~

Then fold your fabric in half right sides together leaving

a space at the bottom to turn and stuff it ~

When you are done sewing turn it right side out, iron

and stuff with just a little batting and I put 2 generous

spoonfuls of lavender ~

Next turn in the raw edges of your open spot and sew ~

I use my machine because then I am going to sew on lace so

it is okay ~ You can hand sew it if you would like ~

The next step is to embellish with whatever little things that

you want ~ On this one I used gathered tea stained dryer sheets,

seam binding and vintage buttons ~

I also like to stamp the fabric after it is sewn but before the

stuffing ~

It is fun and they smell yummy !

If you don't want to make them yourself

then you can find them at Katies Rose Cottage ~

I LOVE going to First Monday

Trade Days in Canton Texas!

Every month it is something

I so very much look forward to ~

Even though I knew it was hot,

I left my house with a good attitude

and told myself that I would

just stand the heat because

I LOVE Junkin' !

I hit the grounds with my

trusty cart {a necessity there },

my ginormous ice tea and anticipation

of the treasures I would find ~

I drove in and saw ohhhhh maybe

5 vendors when there are usually 75 ~

But....I knew there was cool stuff

even with the 5 vendors and there

was still another HUGE area to hit ~

The next area had about half of

the usual but still some neat things!

I NEED a chicken coop and that cute

little bicycle and all the awesome

galvanized stuff, a gazillion

old keys, a stack of drawers and

birdcage ~

COOL STUFF !

Has anyone done anything awesome

with a chicken coop ~ I want to see :)

I didn't buy any of the big stuff

because I was on a mission for my

website and big stuff is expensive

as craziness to ship ~

After about 2 hours I thought

I would die of heat stroke

so I went to my most favorite

place to eat because it looks healthy,

you get free refills on ice tea

and they have a HUGE fan!!

Ohhhh and the buffalo head rocks!!

{not really, I don't like dead animals

but it is so Texas }~

After I ate I was revitalized

and ready to hit the junkin' trail for

HOURS more ~

Well I lasted about one more hour,

saw sweet Daphne and Dorothy that were fun

to chat with and decided heat stroke

was definitely setting in ~

Dang it!! I so wanted to last

for sooo much longer but

it was kind of miserably hot ~

{110 degrees and it is humid...bleh!!}

Next month I am definitely going

on Thursday so I can visit

LaurieAnna's Vintage Home,

Girls Gone Junkin and some of

my other favorite shops that aren't open

on Wednesday and have air conditioning ~

I talked to my mom, in California,

while driving home and she

told me that she was kind of chilly

because the ocean breeze was blowing

in and it didn't feel like summer

{which she loves }~

I would be loving some ocean breeze

right now :)

I received one of the most special gifts today from a precious friend ~ I met Linda at Canton's First Monday about 4 years ago while drooling over her mosaic conservatories, windows, chairs and other gorgeous mosaic treasures ~ I always take my mom and my sister by her booth too when they are visiting from California ( they plan their trips around First Monday ) because they love her things too~

I was very humbled when I received my beautiful mosaic sign in the mail ~ it is beautiful ~ Wow ! I am pretty much speachless !

Thank you so much Linda ! You can visit Linda and see some of her wonderful talent ather website and blog ~

Our youngest daughter just moved back home from college until January 12th when she will check in to be a college intern at Disney World ~~
She is sooo excited !!! ~ When our girls were little we used to go to Disneyland at least once a year because we lived in California and so they both grew up loving it ~
She will be there until the end of May so I am sure we will visit at least a couple of times ~ woohoo !!!

Texas has been way too cold the last few days so I was dreaming of the warm weather and wonderful time that we had in October when we were at Disney World ~

This is from the left, my daughter Kristin, sister Kim, daughter Steph and niece Chelsey ~

This is a pic from the left, my daughter Kristin, sister Kim, niece Chelsey and me ~

We all love Tigger and Pooh because they are so happy !

Well back to thoughts of Christmas ~