Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Visiting Camps & Cottages

A few weeks ago we celebrated our anniversary by taking a trip over to the coast to our favorite destination, Carmel, California. We took the dogs to the beach and then decided to drive
into Carmel Valley. As we were driving down the Carmel Valley highway, I spied a sign that said, "Camps & Cottages" with an arrow pointing down a side street.
Could it be The Camps & Cottages?
My dear husband, being the patient person that he is, made a sharp 45 degree turn and whipped the car down that road!! And to my amazement, what did we see? Well, you guessed it, Molly Hyde English's adorable shop, Camps & Cottages. And who was there? You bet, Molly herself! This was just the icing on the cake! We visited as I shopped and Molly was gracious to allow me to snap some photos of her wonderful and inspirational store.

If you recall, I posted about her books here and here, so when I actually set foot into her shop, it was like walking in the pages of her beautiful books.

I only had an hour to mill around the three buildings - each one decorated beautifully with gorgeous antiques, pillows, indian art, furniture....well, you will see...
...just take a stroll with me.
Camps and Cottages is located at:
24000 Robinson Canyon Road
Carmel, California 93923
phone number: 831.622.0198

Off a small and winding coastal mountain road,
...you will find the old redwood sided buildings that are tucked back under gigantic old shade trees. Being there in person just felt good - like being in a secret little hideaway and surrounded by all things beautiful. Flower beds were filled with white and yellow daisies - just as cheerful as can be!
A retired - and very shabby - vintage truck greets you as you enter the yard.
A peet gravel path leads you either down to the barn
or to the front door. Lets go to the front door, shall we?
Beautiful warm colors are everywhere - on the walls and in the decor - including these old hand dyed indigo pillows. The fabric came from old kimonos.
Molly's shop features antique indian textiles, art and artifacts
as well as old oil paintings of cabins, birds and flowers.

You will find a lot of vintage souvenir pieces from National Parks and from California.

I would love to start a collection of these vintage Indian souvenir cups! Aren't they cool?


Every cabin should have at least one bear and deer!
Lots of fun pillows made from old grain sacks and French linens.












Molly gave me one of these cool chip-board "Camplogue"
tablets and a pencil.....thank you, Molly!




Now I did not go away without purchasing a few things...like a 1935 trophy that is in one of the photos.

Meeting Molly was the perfect touch to a wonderful weekend. Like any of us, we don't particularly care to have our photo taken, but you can see the corner of her arm in the first photo...snicker. If you EVER have a chance to go there, do so. Molly is so kind and so much fun and you may even find a vintage cottage or cabin piece to take home, too. :)

You can visit Molly's website at http://www.camps-cottages.com/

46 comments:

Sweet Bee Cottage said...

You are so LUCKY! I have been a fan of hers too. My guest room is a mini homage to Camps & Cottages and I just had no idea her shop was in Carmel. I really hope to visit there soon.

Debra Howard said...

What a fun day. Such a treat to find such a cute shop. I would have a great time there. I would love to visit the Carmel Coast some day. Great post.
Debbie

Skoots1moM said...

absolutely love your pictures and so happy you got to meet 'Molly' and see her great things...they are beautiful!
thank you for sharing it with us!
I love southern California...one day I'll make it to Carmel :D

Brenda Pruitt said...

What a lovely place to happen upon! And it was special to you to boot! I took one look at that vintage truck and thought, I would have it filled to the brim with containers of colorful flowers! So glad you had a good time!
Brenda

Mumzie said...

Oh, I'm going to have to visit this place...so cool. Love the Indian blankets and furnishings. Thanks for sharing. Yvonne

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tour and what a GREAT little store! So glad you found it! I live and breathe for this kind of shopping experience.

Di
The Blue Ridge Gal

Rhondi said...

Hi Becky
What a wonderful shop! You are lucky to live near enough to Carmel to drive there.
Hugs, Rhondi

ROSE VINE COTTAGE said...

Oh what a nice surprise, the store and the property look amazing!! I don't think 1 hr would be nearly enough time to take it all in, it looks like one of those places where you could spend the day just browsing (;
Hugs~Kelly

Amy said...

Becky.....this destination is true to my heart. Lucky you for stumbling upon it!! Another place to visit when I get to California. Charming post.

Deborah said...

I haven't been to Carmel since before I was married, I went with an old boyfriend LOL (about 27 years ago).
I loved Carmel, but not the boyfriend! Beautiful place. I really like the Indian pillow. I would have bought that if it wasn't too expensive!
Thanks for bringing back the memories and showing us the pictures! It still looks beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Oh, how wonderful for you to meet Molly! Carmel is just so charming, as I've only driven down the streets and didn't have the time to get out of the car. Bad bad! These shops look so great! Thanks for sharing!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Simple Home said...

Oh what gorgeous pictures. You're so lucky to live close enough to Carmel to go there for a drive. Isn't it beautiful? How nice to get to meet Molly.
Blessings,
Marci

Miss Jean said...

Oh, I know a certain somebody (that would be me) who has a certain sister (that would be Miss Janice) that would love that green framed poppy print. What a wonderful store. I love all that "campy" stuff.

Missing my friends.

Unknown said...

Oh, what a fun adventure you won't soon forget. Camps adn Cottages is packed full of fun and a shoppers dream corner for sure. This is really what it means to enjoy life, the spur of the moment, brakes to the pavement and hubby makes a U-Turn for his wife...awesome, what a guy and Molly, what a gal! Thanks for the heads up! California, here I come!

marie said...

Well, that was quite a wonderful visit! The little noteholder with the oak leaf on it is very nice and I love all the pillows. But Mr Squirrel at the end was my favorite!

Oh yes, I enjoyed Fiona's song very much!

Loui♥ said...

What a delightful way to celebrate your anniversary!so glad you finally got to meet Molly in person..thanks for taking us along for the ride and tour!!what fun!
hugs and smiles..
Loui♥

Jaclyn said...

Oooooo! How fun! I'll have to add it to my list of places to visit the next time we're in Carmel!

The Strawberry Mallard said...

Oh Miss Becky I thought that the little squirrel was the trophy!!!
What a wonderful trip the two of you had ~ so glad that we finally got to talk ~ Love you bunches angel!
NEBS & the Gussy Dog, who longs for sweet Fiona's paws!!!

Kathleen Grace said...

Happy Anniversary To you and your sweetie:>) This sounds like a wonderful trip, your husband is a sweetie to turn around and indulge your shopping curiosity! What a cool place!

Colleen said...

What an awesome shop! I love the burlap pillows! So happy for you that you got to visit and meet Molly. Also, belated Happy Anniversary!

trish said...

Good Morning Becky,
Thank you for taking us along. Those pillows are fabulous! I sure miss the west coast. :o) Carmel is so charming!
My grandparents honeymooned there. :o)
Sincerely ~ Tricia Anne

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Oh, what gorgeous pics! My hubby took me to Carmel, and it is stunning. Came over from Kim's, your blog is so pretty.

Julie said...

We were in Carmel just over a year ago and I missed that shop!

Claudia said...

I have one of those books and have always loved her style. Thanks so much for sharing your photos of this wonderful shop!

Into Vintage said...

Fabulous tour and once again, I am missing California. What a wonderful surprise to come across in your travels. Happy Anniversary. :-)

Bottega Veneta said...

Great!

Http://whatmeeganmakes.com said...

I LOVE Carmel. That's where we spent our Honeymoon over 30 yrs ago! We try to go back every couple of years. I am always so inspired when I come home. The beach, the homes, the ocean, the adorable shops, the Galleries, the food, mmmm...love it! Glad you had a great trip and got to meet 'Molly'!! Thanks for sharing so much with us!

Deb said...

What a gorgeous post Becky! Carmel California has been on our "travel wish list" for many years :-) Being a huge Doris Day fan, I hope to stay at her Inn in Carmel & stroll the beaches of Southern California... Thanks for the link & beautiful photos ♥

GranthamLynn said...

Oh how fun. I miss weekends like that. I would have wanted to take everything home including the shop. It looks like so much fun.
Thanks for sharing. btw I should have told you last Wed. Daisy was in my post. You'll have to stop over and see it.
Have a great Thursday,
Sherry

Dawn said...

Seriously, you found it by accident? What a thrill! You've got such a good hubby to take the side road!
Hugs,
Dawn

Rocky Creek Scotties and Rocky Creek Ramblings said...

What fun!! Isn't it nice to have such a cool hubby.

BTW - just read about your birthday outing in Great Scots.

Have a wonderful evening.
Lynn

Peggy said...

What a neat shop! I love the indian items...my brother collects these and has a pretty cool display.

Peggy
http://pegslifeinthebuttonjar.blogspot.com
http://www.thevintagebuttonjar.etsy.com

Denise said...

If I ever get back to Calif. I will go there...... What a treat for you...

~from my front porch in the mountains~ said...

Oh, I feel like I got to go there!
Thak you for the trip!
Misha

Bottega Veneta said...

Great!

Unknown said...

What a fun trip! Happy Anniversary!
Can't wait to see what you do with the big prize! :) I have never been to Carmel but sure would love to. I feel like I have seen so much of it now from your beautiful pictures.

~Liz

PamKittyMorning said...

So lucky, when we went out there it was closed. I had been to the store when it was in Berkeley, and it was wonderful. xop

Ginger~~Enchanting Cottage said...

WOW! What a wonderful place to go. The area looks so cute. My husband and I love Carmel and have been often but have never seen that sign. I will have to look closer next time, and of couse take address with me. I off to visit her web page.
Blessings,
Ginger

Ginger~~Enchanting Cottage said...

Becky, When you were driving on Canyon Road did you see a cute nursery? We stopped at one ( I don't remember the name) It was so cute, they had a growing area where you could go and cut your own flowers from there garden,(except roses she cut the roses)It was great, so we had the fresh flowers in our room during our stay.
Ginger

Daisy Cottage said...

Hi Becky..

I loved this post and going shopping with you - what a wonderful and lucky find! I'm so glad she was open and how sweet of her to let you share her shop with all of us. It is awesome!

Love you much,
Kim

Sinta Renee said...

Happy anniversary to you both... a bit late! Looks like you had great little side adventure. I love the shop and all the fun photos you took! I like that "campy style"... it's just so fun!

Lisa said...

Oh Becky,
How awesome is all that!!! I was in Carmel on vacation last June and didn't know about Molly's shop. I feel sick! Maybe next time. I've never seen the Camps & Cottages book, I'll have to head over to amazon. Thanks for the tour. Lisa

addie373 said...

Becky,
What a treat! Thanks for sharing! I love the Indian cups too. My Cherokee ancestry is calling me. lol
I know you must have been thrilled meeting Molly. Great pictures!
Blessing's
Sheila

Rosemary said...

That is so cool Becky!!
I have Vintage Cottages on my coffee table right now.
How lucky for you.
Rosemary

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

Well, how exciting, and how nice of your husband to whip the car around. You lucky girl! Thanks for sharing the store with us. What a fun post. laurie

Cindy said...

Love her book. We carry those (the vintage cottage one) where I work. I am a fan as well, had no idea she had a shop. I love the camp look, so wonderful, now, if only I had a lake house! :D

-c
yapping cat