Monday, Monday

Hope you all had a fun-filled weekend and didn't eat too much leftover Halloween candy. I know I did! A long weekend for me with the Alameda Antiques Faire yesterday...up before sunrise. Found some little treasures that I can't wait to share!

We're scurrying around here taking photos of our latest acquisitions for the website. I've just added a few vintage design books, and vintage bus signs should be up sometime this week. Shooting for next week to add over 60 more items. If you want to be added to our mailing list to receive monthly updates of our new arrivals, please click here.

Have a great week and I'll check in soon!!

Happy Halloween!

Wishing you a SPOOKY and fun Halloween! Be safe!!

The Show Will Go On! Update on the Alameda Flea

Yesterday I posted about the Alameda Collectible & Antiques Faire aka Alameda Flea Market being canceled. Their website offered no details. They simply posted a banner with the following statement: Proceedings have been commenced for the voluntary dissolution of Antiques By The Bay, Inc. As a result the show scheduled for Nov 1, 2009 will not take place.

Since yesterday, it's been a whirlwind of emails, Tweets and phone calls between myself and vendors, dealers & bloggers. What a great network we have. If we want to get the word out, it spreads like wildfire. It appears as if Sunday's show will go on and hopefully continue into the future. Oh, thank heavens.

This very informative article in The Island confirms that this Sunday's flea market will be happening. Evidently there is a legal dispute among the partners who run the Antiques By the Bay corporation, but the President of the company, Allen Michaan, confirms to The Island that the vendors will indeed be setting up at Alameda Point on Sunday morning.

So, for all of you attending, set your clocks back an hour, sleep in a little longer, bring your warm coat, coffee and flashlight, and I'll see you out at the Point!

Want to Really Scare Your Trick-or-Treaters?

If gory-looking things upset you, look no further...

These spooky finger cookies were made by Jamilyn at Living it at Home. Jamilyn bakes them for her daughter's friends and they hesitate to eat them. But, she says they are quite yummy. Take one if you dare!!

Scary Finger Cookie Recipe

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup almonds, whole blanched (not sure what blanched means, I just bought "slivered" almonds for the nails)
1 tube red decorator gel
Preheat oven to 325

Cream the butter with powdered sugar. Mix in egg, and extracts until creamy. Sift and add the dry ingredients. Blend to make a soft dough. Wrap and refrigerate dough until it is easy to work with (about 15-20 minutes). Roll into a finger shape about 3" long and 1/2" thick (They will rise when baked so make them smaller than you'd like the finished finger to be). Place finger on lined cookie sheet. Using a butter knife, lightly press a flat nail bed shape at the end of the finger and cut 3 lines in the middle of the finger to form knuckles. Press lightly above and below knuckle to make finger more realistic (give it shape). Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 3-5 minutes. Put a bit of red gel in the nail bed and press the almond fingernails into the end of the finger.

*Arrange fingers on a nice platter, add some spiders to crawl over fingers.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

photo & recipe from Living it at Home

Important Announcement re: Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Faire

For all of you that attend or sell at the Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Faire in Alameda, California, this news was just released today. "Proceedings have been commenced for the voluntary dissolution of Antiques By The Bay, Inc. As a result the show scheduled for Nov 1, 2009 will not take place."

I am not sure exactly what this means, but I just spoke with a monthly vendor and apparently the partners are in some sort of litigation. Will there be another Alameda Antiques Faire? None of us know. I feel so badly, as hundreds of people make a living from this show; the sellers, food stands, even the City of Alameda. And as a buyer, it is one of my best sources for antiques.

The Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Faire is Northern California's largest antiques and collectibles faire with over 800 booths and a growing attendance that recently topped out at over 10,000 customers. Let's hope this situation can be rectified soon.

PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW WHO ATTENDS THE FAIRE TO SAVE THEM THE TROUBLE OF SHOWING UP.

UPDATE: Word has it that the show may be back on. Will keep you posted with any updates...sorry for the confusion...

photo from here

Hauntingly Haunted Hotels & Houses

Sacramento's Stanford House

We all love a good ghost story now and then, and what a better time than Halloween Week! CasaSugar posted a tour of some of the most famous haunted hotels and homes in the state of California. Here are a few of my favorites...don't be scared!!!

Hollywood's Hotel Roosevelt

"The Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood is said to house one very famous ghost — Montgomery Clift, who stayed in room 928 for three months while filming From Here to Eternity. Stories note that his ghost has been seen pacing the ninth floor, and maids have felt a cold presence brush by them or watch them."

Jean Harlow's Westwood Home

"Film legend Jean Harlow rented a Westwood home in the early '30s. After new owners moved in, their dogs would follow them through the house, growling and barking at something in the upstairs bedrooms. The woman who lived in the home also said that she heard someone whisper "Please help me" outside the master bedroom. The owners also reported hearing a woman sobbing, smelling phantom perfume, and experiencing other ghostly manifestations."

San Francisco's Queen Anne Hotel

"Built by Senator James Fair in 1889, the hotel is said to be delightfully and benignly haunted by the general's mistress, Mary Lake. Common occurrences include sightings of Mary Lake, unexplained cold spots, and clothes and belongings tidied and hung without explanation."

Bessie Love's Canyon in Laurel Canyon

"In the early 1900s, silent film star Bessie Love bought a beautiful little cabin in Laurel Canyon. While living there, she experienced a number of ghostly manifestations, including seeing a transparent man in a cowboy hat, hearing low moans, having doors open and shut themselves without explanation, and experiencing odd electrical problems and lights turning on and off by themselves. The house is said to still be haunted today."

I've never had a "ghost" or paranormal experience. Thank heavens...I'd probably freak out! Do you have a haunted house or ghost story you want to share?

photos/stories from casasugar.com

Tricks & Treats

To celebrate spooky Halloween week, I thought I'd post these haunting photos from the October issue of Harper’s Bazaar. They feature characters from filmmaker Tim Burton's past movies; The Night Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands & Beetlejuice -- the models bedecked in designer clothing and accessories.

The spread is called, "Magical Fashion" and the photos were shot by the talented Tim Walker.

The spread is in anticipation of Tim Burton's career retrospective at New York's Museum of Modern Art from November 22, 2009–April 26, 2010.



To see all of the photos, visit Harper's Bazaar. And, thanks Lisa Golightly for turning me on to this eerie and fabulous spread!

photos from Harper's Bazaar

Happy 100th Anniversary PALACE HOTEL!!

I think many of you know how much I love old hotels. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. I don't want to make this a lengthy history post, but wanted to share a few tidbits about this spectacular hotel, including some of my own fond memories.

photo of the Palace Hotel during the 1906 earthquake and fire

In December 1909, the Palace Hotel reopened, three years after the devastating San Francisco earthquake. More than 1000 people in fancy horse-drawn carriages and elegant autos, entered the Grand new hotel. One described it as a "fairyland of loveliness."

Early postcard-- exterior of the Palace Hotel

1923 - The Ballroom

The magnificent Grand Ballroom still exists with the same elaborate crystal chandeliers. Many of the daughters of the State's oldest families have made their debut with this beautiful ballroom as the setting.

Imagine these prices from 1922

Maxfield's in the Palace was named after the famous artist Maxfield Parrish who painted the iconic Pied Piper of Hamlin mural located in the adjacent Pied Piper Bar. Really beautiful to see in person.


Ahhh... the pièce de résistance... The Garden Court. I consider it the most elegant room in San Francisco. When you first walk into the hotel, you see the Garden Court and it takes your breath away. Magnificent marble columns and 700 pound chandeliers. The ceiling is crowned with an immense translucent skylight created with 25,000 individual panes of glass arranged in 692 geometric panels. Can you imagine?

I have some fond memories of the Palace. On a couple of very special occasions, my family went to their Sunday brunch. What a treat! Also, there were a few years we spoiled ourselves at their annual Christmas dinner buffet. What a magnificent setting!

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL!

The Palace Hotel is celebrating its 100 year anniversary with a very reasonably priced lunch menu and historic tour of the hotel. Lunch is served in the elegant Garden Court and runs $19.09 per person, as in 1909. This is available through December of 2009. Now, that's a great deal! You can get more info here.

High tea at the Garden Court - photo courtesy of The Tea Room

If any of you happen to go on the tour and for lunch, I'd love to hear about it!

Palace Hotel
New Montgomery Street
San Francisco, California, 94105-3402
415.512.1111

all photos except for the last from the Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum, which I may add has a full history of the Palace Hotel

Who Says You Can't Judge a Book by its Cover?

Jennifer at the Peak of Chic has a wonderful series on her blog where she features people's favorite books. I was thrilled when she contacted me about featuring mine. She had an inkling that I'm drawn to books by their cover art. She's right!

I'm delighted to be featured in her blog post today. You can check it out here. Thanks so much Jennifer. I so appreciate it!