Aspiring Artistry

Floral Design with Thistle

Have you ever used these flowers (I think they are thistles of a sort?) in an arrangement? 

I'll admit it, I've always skipped by them in the grocery and in the flower shop, not knowing what the heck to do with them. They're rather intimidation in appearance, but the color - that subtle purple! - just can't be ignored! (And goes quite perfect with my house.)

When I saw this picture in my online meanderings, it grabbed my attention. I filed it away for "someday," not knowing when I might feel inspired.

Photo via: Saipua  Check out their beautiful arrangements!

I appreciate the stark angle of the arrangement, high to low. I'm not a huge fan of the white box as container, so I made a different choice.

I'm not sure what the trailing flower pictured above is exactly, perhaps some sort of sedum or berry? Obviously, I just used what I found in late fall in my backyard.

I think it turned out pretty well!

Textures

Here and there, I've been gathering up things that seem to have a common theme ... texture. Whether real or illustrated, these beautiful treasures either feel distinct to the touch, or give the illusion of such touch.

Check out this beautiful French wire tray that I found at a  flea market last month. It's fairly small, just a bit shorter than an envelope, and I love it's gently curved sides and delicate, yet sturdy, wire frame.

In a local home furnishings store last week, I saw this remarkable paper on their walls. I immediately thought about the walls on which I'm contemplating grass cloth, and decided I had to have a sample to bring home. 

The multilayered paper is a combination of metallic finishes and cork products. It is fantastic! It's a Candice Olson branded paper, but I couldn't find the exact one on the website.

And last, but certainly not least, this super-cool faux-bois packing tape. I have no packages to send at present, but come Christmas, this will be decorating my kraft paper boxes. Or maybe some simply-wrapped gifts under the tree!

Fall Leaves Crafty

Check out Geninne's Art Blog for her beautiful embellishment of some of fall's treasures. This would be a fun project to do with the little ones.

Doin' The Flea with Eddie

I had a great time this weekend, hitting the flea market with my sister, led by Eddie Ross. We spent about two hours with Eddie & Jaithan, touring the market and stopping at some item-specific booths.

We stopped and chatted at booth's focusing on linens, glass, silver, serving ware, prints, furniture and jewelry. In each of those instances, Eddie guided us through some of the finer points of object identification and construction, and then elaborated on new and innovative ways to use these items. 

The quality of shopping was better than I expected, and I really did learn a lot. Annie from Firefly Hill  was there and has blogged about some of his specific suggestions, tips and tricks. (Plus, her photos are so much better than my phone pics!)

Both Eddie and Jaithan were so interesting, easy to talk to, and such fun! If you get the chance to join them on a trip, I'd highly recommend it!

We did find some goodies, too! I came home with this great little French wire tray, a half-rounded shape. I might use it for mail, but I bet it would be great with a small baguette waiting for some cheese! I've been searching for a small, simple footstool that I can paint and/or reupholster, to go with a rather ornate chair I have in the living room. This one, flimsily upholstered in a grayish-blue, is a simple and inexpensive fix.

We also found a great old apple crate. I might put little casters on the bottom and use it for toy storage, or turn it into a home for my ridiculous amount of magazines. But what makes it really special is that it comes from my husband's hometown. 

All in all, a crazy-successful day. My brain is still swirling with ideas I gleaned on our tour!

Walking Tour of My 'Hood

 I love my neighborhood for so many reasons. It's where I had my first 'grown-up' apartment, where my husband and I fell in love, the corners where we kissed, where I've walked countless miles and miles, sometimes alone, with a friend, or pushing the double stroller. 

After I walked the kids to preschool yesterday, I continued the walk on my own. Listening to an audiobook while I walked, I found myself distracted by observing all these things that I love. So I snapped photos of them, document my walk around the neighborhood.

During those walks I've admired the mix of architectural styles, the beautiful well-kept row houses, and the juxtaposition of those buildings against the run-down apartments, occupied by college students. I enjoy the constant activity of people and places, the contrast of the outside noise and the quiet I find inside.

Thus, I've made a decision about my house issues. Much like an episode of the show House Hunters, I've laid out the three options, revisited them all with a keen eye, and must choose.

I choose Option 3. I'm going to stick it out, patiently and responsibly, hoping that sooner, rather than later, we'll be able to find the 'dream house,' but in the neighborhood we both love so much.

House Issues :: Part 2

Recap Part 1:

Option #1: Stay where we are. Deal with the lack out outside, realizing it's just the trade off for living in this part of the city, which we love, and in the house to which we dedicated so much time, energy and resource.

Option #2: Move to the other city neighborhood, sacrificing some house and atmosphere for the outdoor space.

And then we have ...

Option #3: The most practical. Stay. Wait. Bide our time. Be responsible. Save money. Eventually be able to find a house, in our current neighborhood, one that has more outdoor space than we have now. Hope that it won't be ten years from now, and that we'll still have kids actually interested in being outside.

Of course, It would never be as much space as option #2, but it certainly could be a happy medium. The biggest drawbacks are timing and money. There are very few houses in this neighborhood that sit on a large lot. Thus, they're rarely available, and they cost more. 

It's been really helpful to me to think through it all by writing it out, and I expect a decision is forthcoming very, very soon. 

Probably by my next post (hint, hint).

Flea Market Time!

I have little flea market experienced, but am so excited about my guided flea market trip tomorrow with Eddie Ross and Jaithan! 

I'm visiting my sister this weekend, and this will be us totally indulging in girl time. I'm more of a browser than a buyer, but am hoping to find some oval frames (for all the silhouettes I keep planning to do ... someday!) and artwork for my bedroom, living room, and dining room.

I was checking through my reader, and found that the author of one of the blogs I love to read will be shopping with Eddie this weekend, too. Small world!

This is turning out to be more of a shopping weekend than I expected. My sister lives in this great community, a mix of residential, retail and business. Literally right across the street from her are two of my favorite stores, one an old favorite and one a new favorite (I've only been an online shopper ... have never been inside!!).

I hope to be back early next week to show you all my bootie and finds from both this local shopping and the more adventurous shopping with Eddie. Oh! And I'll conclude my earlier House Drama post.

I Have Issues: House Issues, That Is. Part 1.

I love my home. It's a beautiful brick row house on the edge of a great city neighborhood, built at the beginning of the last century.

I certainly didn't love it when I first saw it: a run-down duplex that hadn't been treated well in years and years. But after enjoying the rent from our tenants for a few years, we fixed up some areas, ripped out and started over in others. It's unrecognizable from it's decrepit past, yet maintains the important historical moldings, and some of the room layouts.

This was our first home as a couple, and it's the house that my children came home to from the hospital. I know every nook and cranny, because I made it.

However, it is missing one thing: outside space. Grass. Room for a table for four. 

Yes, we have a garage (huge deal around here!) and a small backyard postage stamp, which we have made the best it can be. But it's still tiny. It's still paved.

This is not my house, but you can get the general feeling from it. 

Frankly, I never thought I needed more. The house is more than generous in size, but I'm getting more than a little tired of not having a backyard to send the kids out to, having to pack up a bag or car to get to an actual green space. I want to dig in the dirt and grow beautiful flowers, I want the children to climb a tree and maybe even fall! Thus, I've been looking at "house p*rn" for about 2 years now, and we've put an offer on one house...it was perfect. It obviously failed. And yes, I'm still bitter.

I'm okay with leaving this house, but I'm not so hip on leaving the city. Nothing wrong with life in the 'burbs, it's just not for me. 

Thus, my choices are limited.

I recently came across a great old farmhouse, a la Martha Stewart, that's still within the city limits, but not really a walking neighborhood. It's on a beautiful acre lot, hosts some magnificent old trees. The house has charm, very different from my big-moldings home now, but a quiet charm full of natural light. Oh, and some awful 1970s remodeling. 

Awful. Awful. Not livable. As in: must-renovate-before-moving-in-type-bad. But the price is right, and this house with renovation would equal out with the sale of our current home.

Nor is this the house I'm contemplating, but you get the idea. Imagine a similar house, in a city neighborhood, significantly more run-down, but with great potential.

There are kids on the street, great potential for a beautiful home and crazy-big yard (by city standards, that is!), and definite livability. But no place to walk. Wait, I already said that. Yea, that's because it's important to me.

Alrighty, that's where I'm cutting this one off. If you've read this far, I commend you. This is therapy of sorts for me, and I'm hoping after writing it all out, I'll come to a decision.

I'll continue later with Option #3. Hint: it's not moving to the 'burbs.

Mail Call :: Booty Call

It's unprecedented, I tell you!

First, the mail lady arrives this morning at 10:30 - unheard of 'round these parts. My regular carrier is a young man who rarely hits my house before 5:30 p.m., so I'm giving this woman some serious kudos for speed. On the other hand, perhaps I'm normally the end of the route and she started backwards today?

There were five pieces in my delivery today, which is pretty small considering I'm a catalog queen and seemingly a magnet for every piece of junk mail possible. As was the former owner of this house, as well as the umpteen people who lived here over the years when it was a six-unit boarding house (I should do a post on that ... we've got some cool history here), and when it was a duplex occupied by hordes of freshly-graduated co-eds.

Why, might you ask, am I going on and on about the state of the U.S. Postal Service and my mail deliveries?

Because today was a good day. A very. good. day. (Unlike the current character fave around these parts: Alexander and his Terrible. Horrible. No Good. Very Bad. Day.)

I've written in the past about my magazine obsessions, and today was a jackpot.  I'm overcome with excitement as I plan out my evening ahead, which consists of a hot bath and some good reads.

My Continuing White Obsession

I have almost no white in my house, save the washer and dryer, so I'm not sure why I keep snatching up white pieces for my home. Especially faux bois.

When I saw this in a local lifestyle magazine, I sighed. Well, first my hands clenched the pages tightly with excitement, then I sighed when I thought that I'd never be able to have one of my very own.

Until I flipped to the source list in the back, and saw it was carried by a wonderful shop here in my city. Again, though, my heart fell as I realized the magazine was eight months old. As a former home furnishings retailer, I knew the likelihood of it still being in stock was tiny, and perhaps impossible to reorder.

But alas, they had it, I called in my credit card number sight unseen, and grinned from ear to ear. 

With the addition of a few simple orchids, reindeer moss, and this super-cool burlap printed runner/rug, I think it fits in just fine.

But uh oh. Have you checked out the manufacturer website? There is waaay too much to add to this new obsession.