Gardening!

I have a huge backyard  back.....lot. This is what I want to do with it!

New model! Hurray!!

I'm so happy to introduce our new model here at Beatniks Vintage! 

                                              Please say hi to Kati.

My goal at Beatniks has always been to use a real model instead of my mannequin (Or as my son calls her, Ashley). So I'm ecstatic to have met Kati. And did I mention she's an absolute sweetheart and she has a beautiful peacock feather tattoo on her right side. 

Next week will be a busy week at B.V. because I now have tons list in our store.

You also have to check out some of our recent pictures, the shadow from one of our trees was making a beautiful shadowy back drop for us.

This shadow isn't showing through the curtain, it's coming from the window across 

the room. I just love the effect...affect? (Hmmm, pick which ever one is correct)

I'm going Industrial

I am so attracted to industrial decorating. The wonderful combination of wood and steel makes my heart go pitter patter. I've never lived in a home where I thought about decorating that way though. I always thought that if and when I ever buy an abandoned warehouse or some huge cool loft then I'll decorate industrial. Well I don't see that happening anytime soon and I've been seeing so many awesome industrial style pictures lately that I finally just said, screw it! I'm going Industrial! What's so great is that my husband and I can just build our own pieces and making them so much more personal.

Here are some inspirational pieces:


I love this table! This is actually on a houseboat.

And this French Industrial coffee table. Love the drawers.





I can totally make these!! I might not even need my husbands help. Ha ha ha!


I think my colorful Pyrex, Fire King, and Bauer would look amazing on this. I would also put this Tonka Jeep on it just because I love it.


It's hard to just pick a few pictures, there are so many! I'm going thrifting today looking for old wood or things made with old wood that I could repurpose and metal framed tables, beds, chairs, and pipes.

BEDROOMS...

I'm working on redecorating my daughters bedroom. We're living in a very small house right now. I'll just say, we're in between houses and this is a temporary pit stop. There's a lot I don't like about this house but renting again puts us in that dilemma of not wanting to dump a bunch of money into it. So I'm always looking for creative ways to make more space. I mean if people can live in a 250 sqft apartment in Manhattan and make them look awesome, I can surely do something with this place. One of the things I do like about this house is that is right down town and also close to a fantastic trail that my dog Lucy and I walk everyday.

Yesterdays hike, this was minutes before we got slammed by a thunder storm.

Back to bedrooms. Here are some great ideas I'll be trying out or maybe I'll just think of trying them out.

So I thought this was some amazing piece of mid-century furniture I had never seen before, then I realized duh duh duh that it's TWO TABLES put together! The cushion makes it look like one piece. I am freaking out over this idea. I am going to make this happen. And the drum side tables?! Oh my goodness, this room really does rock! Fantastic mix of retro funk, femininity, masculinity and rock n roll.


I really this idea. You can find free pallets anywhere and I like free. I have a few other ideas for pallets anyway, so I'm looking around to where I can find some in my area. I like that you can use the open space for magazines, books and maybe shoes. I also like this.

This is a wonderful room to go from tween to teen in (which is exactly where my daughter is right now, today being her 12th birthday.)



And there are a lot of fun ideas here! I really like this separated space, it's like 3 rooms in 1!

Why haven't I posted all week?

Because I was too busy thrifting! And let me tell you, I'm exhausted. I've just finished organizing all the clothes by type, which is now piled on my work table, I have to stand on tip toes to peak over the pile! Exciting? Yes! Over whelming? YES!!

My main goal for my store right now is to get models and never have to use my mannequin (Ashley) ever again. No offense to Ashley but she only has one pose! And that gets a little a little old. (I still love you Ashley! I couldn't have started my shop without you) Anyway, I'm supposed to be meeting a friend of my sons who said she's interested in modeling.

Ok, back on topic....thrifting. Here are a few things I picked up this week....

Hi little Kitty!

My shakers found a new home in this donkeys side bags

Oh the sweetness!!

Ok so the large apple is supposed to have a notepad in the window. I didn't have one that fit so I just put this flower shaped one. I don't like it. So here's what I did...

(ok, the sun isn't up yet so I had to use my flash. Bad girl.)

This is my son Karsten being silly.

This is just a photocopy of my son glued on to the "wallpaper" then that is just taped in. That way I can change the window display when ever I want.

Um....I really don't collect apples.

I was just saying I need a new trivet. 

In looooove with my new frog! This is what you see if we're friends on Facebook :)

Frosted gold leaf glasses 4 for a buck!

I used to collect the silver, not sure why I don't have them anymore.?

Oh I am falling in love with milk glasses.

Well that was fun wasn't it? 

I already can't wait for this weeks thrifting!

Happy Happy Weekend!!

Tattoo Dreaming

You know how once you get your first tattoo, you start planning your next one before you've even healed often while your sitting there getting your present tattoo? Yes? Well not me. I waited until I was 31 to get my first tattoo. (I really didn't want to regret it.) Aaaand as it turns out, I have a very low threshold for pain. I swear I barely made it through the first 2 minutes without screaming, let alone the next hour. I thought this guy was digging a hole to my spine! Then it took forever for me to heal... which was painful. So I swore I would never do it again.

Well it's been 8 years and I've forgotten all about that pain. I've been thinking lately that I might just want another tattoo. My original plan was to have butterflies flying from the left side of my lower back across to my upper right shoulder blade. But the pain of that first tattoo changed all that. So I'm thinking of something small, maybe something on my big toe.... Ok maybe something a little bigger than that.

Like this! I actually have a couple of pictures of dandelions similar to this one. I would add some color, greens and purples would be great!


And this one! Source unknown

Holy crap! I think this is the cutest thing I've ever seen! For one thing the boy and girl are freakin' adorable but also, I collect cute blue birds so I'm in love with those. I've even thought of making this....

...into a tattoo. I bought these sweet little birdies at a thrift store a couple of years ago. The colors are perfect!

I know that this would take a long time to do and I just might have to get put under.. do they do that? No? Well they should.

Wait didn't I say I wanted something small?

Urban Cowgirl

Who doesn't like a great western shirt? Even if it's not something you would wear every day, I think everyone needs at least one good western shirt. I have 4 I think. I wear them around rodeo days here in Prescott, we are known to have the worlds oldest rodeo....it's kind of a big deal here. I don't go to rodeos but that's no reason not to dress for the occasion. Here's a look at some western chic.

I love this shirt! It has a such a sexy fit and a great denim look without that heavy denim weight.  

I swoon over the man who wears a floral shirt!

Of course this one would look great on a girl too!

The floral embroidery on this shirt is so pretty and the 

black trim with arrow pockets are awesome!

Ok, I'm so in love with this shirt! It's from buffalo gal vintage

It's no longer available so I just might have to go through my shirts and start cutting off some sleeves and sewing on some ruffles.....we'll see how that turns out.

Back To Reality

After a lovely 6 days in San Diego, we are back and ready to get down to business. We're busy here at Beatniks Vintage getting our new clothes all ready for listing and looking for a female model or two.

Spending so much time near the ocean was relaxing and so inspiring. The laid back beach life style is what I like to create in my own life here in Az. I don't like things to be too stuffy or complicated, I don't pack a lot of things into my family's days, I give room to hang out and enjoy each others company.  

Of course when you own your own business there is always a lot to do and everything falls on you to get it all done. So it's that much more important to find a balance between relaxing, having fun and getting working done.

I've come home from California with a renewed focus, and I'm excited to get busy again. When school is out, all I want to do is spend time with my daughter and play. 

Now that school is starting back up, I'll be working on my weekly schedule to get my work done during the week and have my weekends free to do nothing but have fun and have adventures. 

If you have any tips on balancing work and fun I would love to hear from you! And what you do with your down time?

Happy Tuesday!

San Diego! Here we come...

I'm almost all packed, except for the last minute things like my toothbrush and phone charger. We're off to San Diego tomorrow for a wonderful 6 days of beach time, Sea World, more beach time, the Zoo and then just relaxing at a nice hotel and chillin' in the pool. I think I'm most excited to eat out, we've been very frugal the last few months and haven't eaten out in a while. I've also been eating very clean and healthy so I really think I'm ready for some fried food, fish tacos and exquisite desserts!

To kick off our California vacation, here's a great recipe!


easy grilled fish tacos                             
1 pound white  fish like mahi mahi 
1/4 cup canola oil
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoons ancho chili powder
1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped
flour or corn tortilla

Marinate fish in oil, lime juice, chili powder, jalapeno, and cilantro for 20 minutes.

Remove fish from marinade and place onto preheated grill (med-high heat), flesh side down. Grill the fish for 4 minutes on the first side and then flip for 30 seconds and remove. Let rest for 5 minutes then flake the fish with a fork.

Place the tortillas on the grill and grill for 20 seconds. Divide the fish among the tortillas and garnish with any or all of the garnishes.

wonderful add ons:

chopped fresh cilantro leaves
shredded cabbage
hot sauce
avocados or guacamole (my favorite)
sour cream
red onions
green onions
chopped tomatoes

My garlic guacamole Only make this if you like eating raw onion and garlic...which I actually love!

2 avocados diced
1 clove of garlic minced
2-3 T red onion finely chopped
1/2 tomato chopped
2 T Mayonnaise (I know this sounds gross but it makes it so much creamier!) If not,
or Sourcream 
squeeze 1/4 lime (save remaining lime to add to your beer or iced tea)
dash of salt

I dice the avocado's right in the skin 
scoop into serving bowl
add all ingredients 
stir together 

Drink with Corona and lime or glass of iced tea (I'll personally be drinking the tea)

See you when I return!

The Vintage Secretary Dress

The weather is so beautiful here right now and it's so fun seeing all the cute new dresses this season. Something I'm so in love with right now are the mini Secretary dresses.


This olive one is so sweet with it's puff sleeve, rounded collar and pleated skirt.



This one from our store with blue and purple pansies, puff shoulders and ruffled tiered skirt. It also comes with a matching belt.


And this one from The Vintage SideShow. Don't you just love the stripes?

I want this dress for this fall worn with charcoal tights and 40's t-strap heels!

How fun!

Saturdays Farmers Market

Oh how I love farmers markets! I lived in Santa Barbara for 4 months, 15 years ago and I've never forgotten it. It was a beautiful time in my life, I was in my early 20's and had never lived away from home before. There I was, in a new town, no car and I only knew one person. I quickly got a job at a beautiful natural food store that, if they would've paid me enough to live on, I would still be working for them today. I truly loved this store and I visit there every time I go back.

                                                   Bundles of Lavender

Every Saturday I would get on my bike and ride up to State St. where, for the day, they would block off traffic and set up the most beautiful farmers market I had ever seen. It was a dreamland for the senses. Bright, colorful produce like eggplant, figs, and peppers and the scents of rosemary, lavender and baked bread. I would ride home with my fresh loaf of sourdough bread, a huge bouquet of fresh flowers and usually zucchini, red and yellow peppers, onions and a new lotion or lip balm.   The whole experience was intoxicating for me. It was such a simple and beautiful time in my life. However, that time was very short lived. Santa Barbara is not a cheap place to live and I just couldn't support myself any longer. I came away with a new sense of self and a desire for a simple yet beautiful life.

                        Fresh Baked Bread

We have a very sweet farmers market in our town. Some how my life has gone by without me ever going to the farmers market here. Maybe I was stuck up and knew it wouldn't be as good and SB's. Who knows why I haven't gone but this last Saturday my friend and I walked there (yes, it's walking distance from my house) and I had a fabulous time. It brought back wonderful memories and I got to meet local farmers and bakers.

Basil!

I so cherished my time walking around meeting new people, taking pictures of beautiful bounties and truly appreciating the sweetness of the small town I live in. After years of wanting to move from here, I'm seeing now that I live in a very special town with very little crime, a wonderful art scene, old time downtown centered around our courthouse complete with gazebo. I've even been lucky enough to have owned 2 businesses downtown, being a part of local business history. One day I want to go through the archives of downtown business owners and write a book on the ever changing storefronts of our town...yes...I'll do this in my spare time. 

Outfit of the day

I chose this simple yet fantastic dress because, with how hot it is here right now, this is all I want to live in.

Happy happy weekend!!

Fri: What I learned this week

I haven't blogged in almost a month! It's harder than I thought to write something every day so instead, I just put it off....but I'm working on consistency so here I am.

It's actually been a crazy month of learning, healing and growing. If you ask me, it's been a bit too much.

I stopped smoking almost 2 weeks ago and then went straight into the most stressful week I've had in years! I learned that somewhere deep inside me I have a strength that I didn't know I had. When I would normally walk outside to take a few drags if my ciggy I  took slow deep breaths instead. I know it doesn't sound like much but this really works!

What I learned this week is that we have stress receptors in our lungs. That's why smokers think that taking a smoke break will calm them down when actually if they just took some deep breaths, they would become more calm. When we're stressed we don't breathe deeply, we take very shallow breaths. It's important to stop and take a look at yourself. Relax your shoulders, close your eyes and calm your breath. Pay attention to how your breath is flowing in and out of your nose. Slow your breath and inhale deeply. You will feel so much calmer and within a few seconds, you'll forget that you "needed" to smoke. Of course you'll need to repeat this about 50 times a day for.......well I'm still doing it so I'll have to let you know how long it takes me to not want to smoke.

I'm happy to say that I've been smoke free for 2 weeks tomorrow. I'm not going to say it's been easy. It hasn't been easy at all, there have been times when I almost did smoke. I worked through these times one by one and before you know it, I made it 24 hours then 48 hours. I still feel quite a void where smoking used to be, I really hope that goes away. Honestly, this is the hardest thing I've ever done!

So if you're trying to quit smoking, good luck and I hope this might help you.

Next week I'll tell you about going to Kundalini Yoga for the first time and what I'm learning from the 21 day Deepak Chopra meditations I'm doing! They're a little too short but they have great tips for healing!

Outfit of the Day

Today's outfit is this cutey from Girl and Closet. I love this dress with the sweet pink belt and the white cropped jacket. So simple yet so perfect.


Have a beautiful weekend!

Thrifty Thursday

Oh what a wonderful week for thrifting! I found so many goodies for my home and for my shop.

For some reason I've always had a hard time decorating my living rooms. My kitchen is easy. I'm so obsessed in Pyrex, Fire King and Bauer that it was easy to get the kitchen the way I want it. My living room and bedroom however has always stumped me. For one, I have a couch that I despise. I have 2 couches and a large over stuffed chair and a very small living room and even though one couch and our chair matches, our second couch is like some kind of Lazy Boy-ish recliner yuck fest.

Also, we have this weird wall that I think was put there in the 70's and not the cool 70's. This wall is scary and it's the 1st thing you see when you walk through our front door. So the year we've been living here I've tried to think of ways to cover or hide it or to devise a plan to just tear the whole thing down. I mean do we really need a wall between the living room and the bathroom? Ok I guess we do.

So I covered the ugly wall with my grandmothers ginormous velvet quilt. This thing is huge! It's even too big for a California king bed.

Right when I hung it, I thought it looked too hippie for me. But being Gemini, I have a lot of different tastes and styles, so it works for me right now. 

Well then I find this afghan, I am not and have never been a fan of the afghan but I love this one! The flowers are 3D-ish, they were crocheted like real flowers and all the colors are so fun! 

One fabric that I've been obsessed with for years is Barkcloth and yesterday while I was perusing my favorite thrift, I found this small comforter, way too small for any bed I have. I absolutely love the huge chartreuse Hawaiian flowers and it looks pretty good on my pink chair.

And on the shelf right above it was this.

I looooove embroidery and this sweet little pillow just made my day. I also collect little blue birds so this couldn't be more perfect.

I found these 3 sparrows a few years ago while thriting but I just painted them last week. 

This wonderful paint by numbers painting of a barn and silo, Monkey wood, 3 leaf tray and this Arizona tray. Plus all of the lovelies for my store. Oh happy happy thrifting!

Have a wonderful week!