Before & Afters: the airstream

“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.”

―Jack Kerouac, On the Road

The thought of traveling in an Airstream is so....romantic.

With the people you love, the friends you make along the way....

but have you ever seen the inside of 1975 Airstream bathroom??

Not so romantic-not even close! The yellowish gold, plasticky surroundings?? An odor that grew stronger as the years wore on from old plumbing??

 

We knew the time had come to update the bathroom, I had pitched the idea of a clawfoot tub to the mister-just planted the seed.  This is how we usually do the remodel dance: I pitch, sometimes they catch.  'Too heavy' he says, ' They come in acrylic' I say.
A few days later the mister says, "Let's do it," and the production begins...

TA DA!!

Once again, a bit of the material was recycled, some new, and some traded. The mister built in a cabinet around the pipes, and around the sink, to match the lower walls. A bit of Carrera marble left from our kitchen and maps from an atlas we found at a yard sale years before all found a place.  My personal fave is the mirror above the sink, it was probably the first 'vintage' piece I ever bought back in the 80's! 

(while photographing, Betsi couldn't resist a dip!)

We are all done with our Before and Afters...the road calls! If you have any of your own, please share!

Before & Afters: Kitchen & Living Room

The past few years have been a series of 'befores': kitchen, dining, flooring, upstairs attic room and then the Airstream bathroom...

whew.

Call it a can of worms, a series of fortunate events, a big ol' mess...

THE KITCHEN

The house is dated 1928 and was about 945 square feet-tiny, but it worked for years. The dining room was maybe six feet by eight feet: tiny. The kitchen was still original and was made for very petite people.

We took the wall out between the dining room and kitchen, re-worked a little here and a bit there until we got a much more functional space.

For a while we were able to set up a temporary space to use,while work was happening all around us.

Open shelving or cabinets? A bit of both! After laboring over which brackets to use for shelving-some were too ornate, some too small-the mister decided to custom make floating shelves. This created a more clean look, with so much else going on.Oh this ol' fridge! We loved this little guy. Though we hated to see it go, luckily a great young couple down the street adopted it!For a while, we moved the kitchen into the living room.
Ta Da!! We made it to After!!

We have cupboards and drawers on the left dedicated to baking, flowers, and tea making. To the right is the misters department 'the command center'. It's wonderful!

We were able to keep costs down with a bit of craigslisting, the mister trading service for product, and by saving for what we absolutely wanted: reclaimed flooring and the doors and windows. 

One of the items the mister wanted was the Sub-Zero fridge. There was one on Ebay and when he saw that it hadn't sold, he contacted the seller and made an offer: it was accepted! It had been used as a second fridge and only for drinks, otherwise brand new for a quarter of the price! Lucky us.

Last step, my dream item: reclaimed barnwood floors. The mister was willing to go along as long as we could find a company to tongue and groove them.  We did, making us both happy!

LIVING ROOM

And again, TA DA!!

We moved a small round table into the living room for sometimes dining, sometimes puzzles-although, when friends come over, we tend to bring a bunch of stools around the kitchen island. Before the remodel, the front room was much more floral, when I brought the Satillo serape we threw on the back of the couch, the vibrant flea market art naturally followed. Now, we can easily change out linens and art when we want a new feel, and keep the base pieces!

With the new year, we plan on enjoying more impromptu meals, gatherings, and most of all, glamping and camping!

Hard dirt and hard work

This week we invited one of our crew to contribute to the blog. Here, she kicks off our Befores & Afters series with her backyard project...

As I find myself in the throes of "winter", my thoughts are increasingly taken with planning for the future. For instance, what should I plan for my garden this year, and I look to the past for inspiration. I.e.: I'm looking back at the transformation that took place in our yard over 2013.

Having lived in the valley for 30 years with the heat and challenge of trying to grow things in a desert, my experience here in paradise has been a fruitful one. ;-) It started with a large, dead yard, a landlord that gave us free reign, a lot of hope, and a rototiller! I'm afraid I don't have any pictures from the VERY beginning but just imagine nothing but a cement slab, some unfinished brick work, and lots of dead crabgrass. We decided to start small and just put in a couple of box beds....and then I thought, but what about some grass for The Kidlet to play on? After getting our hands on that blessed (and tortuous) rototiller it was all over. It took HOURS to till the hardpan for sod and my body felt like it had been hit by a truck in the weeks that followed.

Finally, we got the sod in and my body started to loosen up from it's achy stiffness and I thought, "what about another bed right HERE?" Then, "what about a little bit farther out?" And it spread like a beautiful little plague. My dad came for a visit and was sweet enough to take a day to help me build a pergola (and by help me, I mean, he did most of it and I just nailed what he told me to). And so it was, by bits and pieces, days here and there we slowly pieced the yard together. 

We hung pictures and tapestries, thrifted furniture, and made a "settee" out of planks, cinderblock and blankets. Our garden, our lawn, our outdoor room, finally came together and it's brought me so much joy and satisfaction, aches and pains. 

Isn't it interesting how often we find the things that are the hardest, whether emotionally or physically, often bring the most joy? Maybe because it cost us something. If it didn't cost us anything then the value would be subdued. So here I am, looking back at what we've come through this last year and planning, with some trepidation, for things to come. 

I hope this year proves as blessed in it's challenges for all of us!

-Kendra G. (The Body Electric)

Super Sale!

Pssssst! Guess what?! We are having a SALE at Ruby Rose this Friday and Saturday! We are opening up shop earlier both days so swing by this Friday January 17th 10 - 5 and Saturday January 18th 9 - 4 to check out the sweet deals. All furniture will be 20% off and select items will be priced to sell (clothing, accessories, artwork). Stop by, we'd love to see ya!

Lotta leatha

Mid Winter blues gettin' you down?

Dreaming of bikinis and wearing shorts after sunset?

Tiring out your go-to overcoat around town?

We have just the thing to get you through:

leather.

Jackets, that is.

And we have heaps of them right now! Classic sleek styles to compliment all your outfits, fringe heavy southwest-inspired jackets, form-fitting jackets-to keep your figure through all those winter layers-and lots and lots of other colors and textures. Haven't you always wanted a vintage leather jacket in your wardrobe?!

Check out these lovely ladies as they model some our greats...

The pictured jackets sizes and prices are listed below (from left to right), but we have lots more:
(1) Tan with stitching detail (on Betsi): small, $52
(2) Tan fringe: medium, $45
(3) Fitted corduroy: size 8, $74
(4) Dark brown fringe (on Kendra): small/medium, $120
(5) Light brown: medium, $58
(6) Long caramel: small/medium, $135
(7) Dark brown 3/4 sleeve: medium, $120

New Eyes for the New Year

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

-Marcel Proust

After the holiday purchase frenzies and seeing it best to give-rather than receive-we take pause. Time now, to look at what we were given. We are taking a moment to detox from all our consumer buying habits to re-reflect on our new belongings-and on where we belong: right here.

Many of us traveled back and forth to see family and/or loved ones, fought mid winter slumps and stuffy noses, and are now launching into 2014 with new plans and fresh resolve. With all the new things we want to accomplish this year, what if we instead take a new perspective on our present situation? What do you enjoy about your daily routine? What do you love about your home, your town, your lifestyle? What is it you already do or have that makes your heart happy?

Let this year be one of discovery of how complete you are. Take a look through your closet-how can you re-invent your style using what you already have? Spend time re-arranging your space to find a new flow. Change up how you spend time with friends, see who they are in a different light.

We chose to theme our year around Marcel's quote: enjoying our recently spruced up spaces, getting to know the local biz owners a little better, and savoring weekend buying trips as adventures. This doesn't mean we won't travel or gather new lovelies along the way, but our focus is on the already, instead of the must have. Welcome to 2014, it's going to be a great one...

What does it mean for you to have new eyes this year? Let us know in your comments below!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Ruby Rose made it into AAA's Via Magazine!

We were featured in AAA's January/February 2014 issue of Via Magazine! We were honored to be included in their round-up travel guide! Other small businesses mentioned were Granada Hotel & Bistro, Central Coast Wines, Big Sky Cafe, Batch Ice Cream and Firestone Grill. Here is the spotlight on Ruby Rose (you can read the full write-up here: San Luis Obispo: 5 Things We Love). Thanks AAA, we sure are blushin' :)

A few blocks outside the heart of downtown, Ruby Rose fills a warehouse with desirable doodads from the 1940s through today: manual typewriters, old-fashioned globes, picture frames. Neither jumbled junk shop nor stale antique emporium, it’s a curated assemblage of surprising delights. 805-545-7964, rubyrose805.blogspot.com.

P.S. We have also updated our press page if you'd like to take a look!

Happy 2014!

Hip, hip, hooray! Happy 2014! We will reopen tomorrow, Thursday January 2, 11 - 5. Come drop by!

 

Happy New Year & 2014, illustrations and stationary by Rifle Paper Co.