Fun, funky, gift wrap.

Great gift wrap ideas for your lover-day gifts!  via  my cakies

We'll sit on the front porch, the sun can warm my feet

You can drink you coffee with sugar and cream

I'll drink my decaf herbal tea

OR

You can get up

get dressed 

and hop on down to abode 

early bird discount 20% off from 11 am to 1 pm

go on seize the day!

Love story giveaway

When I was home for the holidays my grandparents captivated me with stories of the beginning of their relationship.  My grandma says that she begrudgingly went on their first date wearing curlers in her hair only because she owed her friend a favor.  My grandpa says that she used to wander around the docks trolling for sailors with a mattress strapped to her back...I think I believe my grandma. 

Regardless of how it all began, the best part of the story for me was when my grandpa talked about the moment he knew he wanted to marry my grandma.  He had just been released from the navy and was back in Southern California.  He purchased a 1952 Oldsmobile and was driving through the San Diego hills when Johnny Cash's Walk the Line came on the radio.  It was the first time he had ever heard the new Cash single and he immediately started thinking of my grandmother in Boston and how she kept him on his toes.  He drove across country and proposed to her...the rest is history. 

My grandpa holding his great grandson.  All because two people fell in love.

In honor of Valentines Day Abode is asking you to share your love stories with us!  The readers of the blog will vote for their favorite story and the winner will receive a $100 gift certificate for a romantic Valentines dinner at a hot local restaurant! Sooo fancy! 

The rules: no purchase is necessary but you must stop by the store to drop off your story in order to qualify!   A story alone is beautiful, but if you have photos or love letters or even video we can display online it will make your chances of winning even better!  You are more than welcome to tweet, facebook, or blog about the event to get people to vote.  In fact, we encourage it!  Bringing me treats while I'm at the store will not greaten your chances of winning but is still encouraged.  HAVE FUN!

green shag?

When I was at BYU (yes, I graduated from THAT school, don't hold it against me OK?), I lived in a quaint looking little house called "Korner Kottage".

Yep, let your imagination run wild when words that typically start with a C do so with a K!

This place was a melange of hideousness, from the green shag carpet to the burlap curtains (OK, ladies, burlap was NOT a style statement in 1986).  Once while lounging on the floor watching the forbidden MTV, I happened upon an ancient Brussels sprout - that says it all!  And the sofa was so long that a roommate stored all of her shot guns and hunting rifles underneath end to end!

Casa de bad taste - don't let this happen to you . . . too bad we didn't have a shop like abode that sold fun funky household treats at fabulous prices and offered a student discount for this entire week.  We'll be dedicating this week to dolling up your dorm, prettying up your pad and artfully arranging your apartment.

C'mon down with your student ID and load up and get 25% off your entire purchase!*

Swedish student housing

*discount to be applied to items not already marked on sale and cannot be combined with any other discounts

Vintage Weddings.

With wedding season approaching I wanted to remind all the brides-to-be and wedding planners that Abode offers wedding rentals.  We're talking doors, dressers, chandeliers, chairs, you name it.  Call or stop by to ask about our policy.

I snagged a few photographs from the wonderful website Once Wed just to get your brains brewing with the vintage wedding goodness.   

Love is in the air!

A little obsession

never hurt anyone...right? 

  

First off the colors are uuuh-mazing.  And B, loving how it's made to look like cross stitching.  So in love...can't function properly.  

Vintage table cloth, $18.  

Butcher block tables.

Perhaps it's the country girl in me, but I just LOVE the look of a good butcher block table.  You can scratch 'em up, even use them as cutting boards, and it just makes them look better.  And we just marked our butcher block table with white legs down to $149.  Get into it. 

(SOLD! I'ma miss her!)

Home is wherever i'm with you.

I've been loving the song Home by Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeroes since I saw them play in Chicago this summer.  If you've never heard it, have a listen.  And yes, their band is THAT big. 



It's a great little love diddy and I adore the way they define home as being with the one you love.  SO, I found the below video to be so unbelievably cute I couldn't stand it.  What a great tune for a father and daughter to sing together.  I'm sure she's gonna be a regular Joplin in no time with a great dad like that. 

 

I hope every one is HOME with the ones they love tonight.  

Clothes make the (wo)man.

Naked people have little or no influence over society.  -Mark Twain



Don't worry, we've got you covered. 



Gray Calvin Klein tank $9, Jones New York Sweater in Rust $15

Turquoise necklace made by a local artist.  Comes with earings!  $59

Gold tipped cowgirl boots $25

Snag the look for less.

The January 2011 Anthropologie catalog is a hodge podge of retro and gypsy inspired glamor.  I'm obsessed.

(It was tough for me to get my hands on a lot of the images from the catalog, so click here to see more of what I'm talking about.)

But if you're anything like me Anthro's prices are a bit... ugh.  So i'm here to show you how to get this glamorous retro feel for less with authentic retro items found at Abode.  Here we go:

We have several retro side tables and desks starting at just $22. 

Retro knick knack bottles.  Adore them.

Love this decanter and these pink martini glasses.  So chic! 

Mod dresser on sale for only $40!

Set of four retro martini glasses $16.  Vintage martini kit $15.

The fabrics in the catalog are all very bright, travel-inspired pieces.  Like these vintage floral curtains with birds. 

Art deco mirror and vintage artwork starting at $22.  Art deco floor lamp only $35.  Tiffany inspired lamp $99.

To die for, but at this price you won't have to.  $35

Caught in action.

 

This vintage sequin butterfly top from Abode was spotted downtown on this very fashionable girl.  Total babe.

Kick start your creativity

January kicks my butt.  I find it a challenge to bust my routine and create something new.  Check out this storque posting on etsy - I love the concept of making something new everyday!  No matter what else is going on in the world climbing into the world of ideas sounds so appealing.

Abode has the goods - all creative components (wallpaper books, fabric and collage ephemera) 50% off this week!

Girl overboard floundering at sea . . . throw me some scissors and glue!