Eclectique Chic

07/01/2025

Just got back from my 10th year "solo" beach trip to Santa Cruz/Capitola area. Of course I had to hit up some of my favorite thrift & antique stores. I found this vintage "Art Deco" candleabra that fits in perfectly with my current theme of Art Deco! I found it at Center Street Antiques in Soquel. I couldn't decide if I wanted to keep the original patina...but decided against it, and wanted to get all the years of candle wax off, and get it as shiny as possible. I went on YouTube, and was told to put the item in the freezer for a few hours, take it out, and viola, the wax would come right off! Well, it wasn't that easy. After about an hour of scraping the wax away, I was done. I was instructed next, to boil salt water mixed with baking soda, immerse for a few minutes, take it out, dry well, and polish with a towel. It was quite the process....but in the end, I am quite happy with the results! Excuse the mismatch candles, I need to buy a couple more to match what I have!

02/11/2025

❤️🙏🏻

02/11/2025

I had to share my recent story. It was a a very rainy Saturday morning a few weeks ago when my husband called and said, " I'm at an estate sale, and they have a lot of Art Deco here!" Being that I have been really loving this style for the past couple years, I told him I'd be right there! Luckily, the sale was in my city, and only about 2 miles from my home. The tiny house was probably from the 20's-30's, somewhat in disrepair, but....lots of exciting true Art Deco pieces everywhere! Of course it always seems to be my luck throughout the years, that when I stumble upon a sale this good, I always seem to be on a tight budget! I had been out of work for four months, and was about to start my new job in a couple of weeks, so i had to hold back a bit, and decide if and what i really wanted! Anyway, I did find a couple pieces that did come home with me! I'll share pics of what I got down below. I was thrilled to find a gorgeous vintage- French, crystal lamp, and a decorative crane glass bowl! I will also share pics of the house where the sale was. For some reason, I've found over the years, that some of my most favorite sales, happen to not always be in homes that are in the best condition! Not to mention, the condition of the home sometimes, the dust, and the sometimes disrepair creates somewhat of a time capsule feel! These types of slaes are few and far between, and so when i come upon this type of sale, it makes me really appreciate it more!

12/23/2024

Yes! Lots of meals came from this!

11/22/2024

Having redecorated almost every room in the house in the past few years, I realize my taste changes every few years. Ive come to the realization that this is OK! People's taste changes, and therefore why not redecorate according to your new taste, your new interest in a color palette, and or style?! With FBMP these days, it makes it that much easier to sell your old stuff, and find new and unique items on a budget, along the way!
I have recently gotten rid of my mermaid collection, along with a lot of my favorite Antique, and Vintage Ocean themed items. When I bought these items a few years back, I would've never guessed I'd ever want to get rid of them! Surprise...I did!
I am currently in my favorite color "purple" decorating phase! Along with this new color I've been incorporating into my living room and my loft, Art Deco seems to be the theme for my current phase! I'm enjoying finding treasures to create a diifferent look to these rooms, and adding in the different shades of purple.
Our upstairs loft has been the resting place for unused/unwanted items the past 7 years after my last child moved out. Even though the loft has always been my fave room of the house, when my kids moved out, my empty nest felt very Empty! I noticed only recently, why I was no longer using that room. It had old memories, old pictures of the kids when they were little, and the same furniture. I noticed it made me sad and reminiss of the days I missed so terribly! Once I figured out why that room made me sad, I decided to give it new life, and create a new exciting and calm place for me to watch TV, hang out, and rest in. I sold everything in the room! I went through the clutter of old DVD's, CD's, old family photos, a stack of photo albums, my Grandma's cedar chest- filled with keepsakes, a large and obsolete TV Entertainment Center, and a dinosaur DVD player!
To say this was not a daunting, overwhelming, and VERY emotional task, id be lying!
Fast forward 3 months later. I have made $ on all the stuff I sold, donated the rest, and have found unique, second-hand treasures (mostly from FBMP), and I am starting to create the space I'm dreaming of that feels comforting at this time/phase of my life! I am wanting to create a calm, minimal look, and want to be surrounded by just a few things that make me feel happy. It's slowly wvolving into my new happy place. It takes time when you want to be intentional with a new space. I'm excited to update with photos as I continue to finish the big transformation.

(Below are pics of a "bundle" of Ocean/Mermaid theme items a customer just bought from me)

11/22/2024

I hadn't declutterred my home since Covid 2020. Since I have had some time off between jobs recently, I have been reflecting a lot on life. I've come to the realization that just because I LIKE all the stuff I have in my home, doesn't mean I should keep it. Some of these items have sentimental meaning, and some have great memories associated with them. However, as the years go by, I notice that my stuff can sometimes feel like it is controlling my life! For example, the more stuff I have, the longer it takes to clean my home, the more there is to move when I'm cleaning floors, more to dust, and put away! These reasons can make things physically more difficult in my life.
One of the things I've realized with having more stuff is the negative mental impact it has on me. The more stuff I have can feel overwhelming. Even when things are stored away out of sight in a cupboard or drawer. The phrase, "Out of sight, out of mind," may work for some, but for me, not so much.
Since I started major decluttering when Covid happened in 2020, I have been on a mission to simplify, and keep only things that I absolutely LOVE! It all started with a BIG list! Writing down my goals of what to tackle, declutter, and organize. I went room by room, until my entire house was declutterred and organized. I got rid of so much home decor, extra sheets, blankets, makeup, kitchen items, etc!
Now, almost 5 years later, I'm slowly revisiting all the rooms, cabinets, and drawers, and have found much more that I'm ready to say goodbye to! In the process, I've sold a ton of it on FBMP, and it gives me such joy to see the people on the receiving end, so happy to be repurposing my items, and giving these items a new home and life! It's a win win all around!
In closing, I'd like to say that my list is almost completely checked off! Out of my entire home of the past 22 years, I've declutterred every space there is in this home.; every closet, drawer, cupboard, attic, backyard, and front yard! This leaves me with 2 last things to go through until I've conquered my BIG list, which are; the garage, and my box/albums of pictures.
This process was definitely time consuming, stressful, emotional, draining, and overwhelming. At the same time, as I near the end of the list, I am feeling lighter, less stressed, and definitely more appreciative of what I decided to keep.
Most of all, there is a feeling of gratitude of what I do have, and this relates not to material possessions, but what I value most these days, which is my health, and my family. Without these last two, nothing else matters.

(Below are some photos of the most recent purge of stuff that I've sold/donated in the past month)

11/05/2024

First pic is the "twin" to the first cabinet I ever painted with great detail! (Which is the second pic.) The color of both were created with 4 different colors, mixing as I went. Feeling a bit like an artist with his canvas, lol, with the exception of a wood palette, mine was a paper plate! Once dry, I gave it a bit of distressing with sand paper, followed by a coat clear wax (to protect), and a lot of buffing with a rag to create a smooth texture. Last step was a final coat of dark wax which was rubbed a little here, and a little there, to create a look of age, and a feeling of being around and previously being enjoyed for many years. I have to say, for being my first big project mixing colors and antiquing, it was a proud moment!

01/17/2024

Amazing!❤️

A singer named Lanie uploaded a cover version of Fleetwood Mac's hit song "Dreams" and received a response that was out of this world. The video instantly went viral with over 43 million views as people compared her voice with the band's lead singer, Stevie Nicks. The quality of her cover also sparked debate between Fleetwood Mac fans, some believing Lanie's version of the song to be better than the original. The video was picked up by major news channels and Lanie was contacted by Kevin Jonas Sr., father of the Jonas Brothers, who offered her a management contract with Jonas Group Entertainment. An amazing story that all started with a bedroom recording of her favourite song. Watch video in comments below 👇

01/14/2024

As time passes, people change, and so does their taste. I myself, have gone through many changes and shifts in my life, which have prompted me to re-do, redecorate, refresh, and change things up every so often. I won’t say I have never had regrets, because yes, on occasion, I look back and think…”why did I get rid of that?!.” That being said, I do however feel like when I want a change in decor, I want someone else to enjoy that item, as much as I once did. With this mindset, it makes it much easier to feel good about getting rid of that item. I have a ritual I go through once the item has sold, and before it is picked up by its new owner. I learned this technique from the Japanese author, Marie Kondo. She believes that if you decide to get rid of an item, whether it be clothing, decor, etc., to say, “Thank you for serving me”. I try to remember to do this as I am getting rid of things. Whether it be selling items on Marketplace, decluttering, or bagging up donations for Goodwill/Charity. Lately, I have felt the need to add a pop of my absolute fave color purple, to my living room! I really like the blues I have in my decor still, so I wanted to just incorporate purple, and still keep the blues. This small transformation started with me finding a rug that has both the blues and purples, a rug from Turkey. One that is vintage from the 50’s, and has the different blues I already have in my living room, but also incorporating different hues of purple I wanted to add. Fast forward a year, and I’ve decided to let some other big design pieces go to new homes! I felt ready to change a few more things, in addition to the new rug. You can say, I’ve very much so, adopted the Marie Kondo philosophy of, “keep only what brings you joy.” I definitely agree with this philosophy due to the fact, as you look around your home, you want to LOVE everything that surrounds you. I really resonate with this idea, and therefore, I find myself asking myself, do I LOVE certain things anymore? If not, maybe it’s time for these things to serve someone else. Below are a couple of items I absolutely loved for the time I had them, but was ready for a change, and felt it was time these items found a new home! The table I sold for $950 on Marketplace, went to a family who had been searching for a while, for the “perfect” table. When they came to see it in person, they knew this was the one! They mentioned that they had a door that was also unique, and that the table should definitely compliment their door very nicely. The customer sent me a pic of her door, and my old table in her living space. Amazing! Another customer bought my mermaid creation. One in which I created myself! She definitely had a special reason for purchasing. She mentioned she loves mermaids, because her sister who recently passed, loved them. She feels the need to surround herself with unique and special mermaids, because she says it helps her feel close to her sister…❤️My lovely mermaid served me well, and she will definitely serve her new owner, as she will hopefully feel comforted by the mermaid’s presence, in remembrance of her beloved sister.
(mermaid creation sold for $325)
This customer also purchased a few smaller mermaids from my collection. Some of which were from a friend who is no longer in my life, and they don’t have meaning to me anymore, so no regrets there!