Yayy for Manager's Special Flowers

So I suppose this isn't a flea market treasure, but I'm inclined to also celebrate finding large, cheap bunches of flowers at the grocery store. This was 2 sizable Breast Cancer month sets plus a small bouquet of white alstroemerias. $5 total which is a pretty great deal for such an armful of flowers. Plus a milk glass vase I scored during 1/2 off day at a local thrift store.

I've been trying to practice/work on my flower arranging skills for a couple of years now, and I feel pretty decent about my abilities, but I'd like to improve! I started working small groupings in tall vases, which isn't too difficult, and helped me get the hang of cutting various lengths to make a dynamic and natural looking arrangement. From studying formal arrangements from the likes of Eddie Ross, I've gotten a feel for the sort of spherical shape they should take on.



Next I won a flower frog from a blog giveaway and the possibilities exploded. I no longer had the frustration of trying to figure out how set up a matrix of stems to get the flowers just so. It was great! I wish I had a picture of the hydrangea arrangement I made in a bowl using the larger of the frogs, but alas, I don't. But imagine a much superior product than what I would have made pre-frog!

Then we had a small electrical fire in our apartment, and flower arranging took a back seat. But while I'm staying at my mother's, waiting to find a new place, I thought I'd show my appreciation with some pretty flowers, and take the opportunity to practice! This was my first time doing such a large arrangement, and I think it's ok, not great.

For instance,

Those flowers in front are too short!

Will try to do better next time! They're still cheery and pretty though, and that's what's important, right? Plus I'm glad to get to use this new vase. I love it! And just a couple of weeks ago I had found a smaller version of it. Such a fun treasure hunt!

Magically Non-gaudy Unicorn Decor

I just love it when this happens - I'm moseying down the aisles, not looking for anything in particular, and there it is: something I never would have thought to want, but recognize as something I can transform and pass on to someone who can love it. This is precisely why I opened this shop - to unite treasures I unearth with the people they belong with. Perhaps I took the Velveteen Rabbit a little too seriously as a child, but I can't help but personify inanimate objects, and it feels wrong not to pick up and love something I feel a kinship with.

So on to this week's treasures:

It was a little forlorn when I found it, kitchy hooks screwed into a honey colored wooden board. Someone had the start of a good idea, but didn't execute to its full potential. I had to intervene, so I scooped it up and freed the whimsical beasts of their bonds of mediocrity.

And onto some pretty wallpaper:


And then let it loose into the wild:




Free to frolic together as they please


Lined up together, these unicorns would rein supreme screwed straight into a wall, where their necks can hold a little girl's (or a big girl's!) dangly goodies, from scarves to necklaces. I'd also love to see them lined up in an entry hall or mudroom at just the right height for childrens' coats, umbrellas, and book bags. They would dutifully serve one's umbrellas and dog leashes just as well!

M's rock

y gosh this is a beautiful M.

Thanks to http://dailydropcap.com/

My style(s)...ish

So I took this quiz (http://iscd.edu.au/personal-style-quiz) today to see how it defined me. As a person. With these things usually, I get some mixture of comfortable/shabby chic/eclectic. And I'd say that fits...to a point. But I've been moving towards cleaner lines lately...and I'm awfully bored at work...so I thought I'd take a shot and see what happened.

So who am I?

Well it all started with this mood board, picked from their choices:



All of which were faithfully picked. But when this was the result, I felt a little misplaced. I blame it all on the beverage choice one really, as shown below.




I don't really like beer, super dislike mineral water (but I do really enjoy a glass of ice water so that caused a moment of anguish...are they...in the design way of thinking...the same thing?!?! i decided no and continued), enjoy champagne but feared it would pigeonhole me into french country or something, so decided on green tea, which of all the featured beverages I'd pick to drink if they were laid before me on a table. With sugar, hopefully. But apparently that doesn't factor into my design persona.




And voila, I'm...Eastern Boho? I do think a lot of the (flattering) description applies to me...but I am just really not into eastern things. For about a year I had a very Asian tv armoire in my bedroom, and it felt weird and...that just insn't me! So I tried it again, with some other choices that are just as true...because the paint color option was a toughie also. And this time my board looked like:



I came out to be:




And as is so often the case...the truth is somewhere in the middle. Throw them in a blender, turn the clean, Asian themed lines into something more along the lines of Swedish, and I think we're closer to how I put myself in my home. I must admit, however, that I am not as immune to trends as ISCD tries to give me credit for. I have a tendency to fall a little for things I see in magazines...and give in a little more each time I see it somewhere. I mean I hated Justin Timberlake's Sexy Back the first time I heard it, and now after being inundated by the radio....have come to love it. This is just a tendency I try to fight :)