Divatosity

Yesterday morning, I headed over to the newly established Farmer's Market. To my surprise, it was packed with families, neighbors, and others strolling along the sidewalk. In my estimation, there were about 5-10 booths and even a guitarist crooning out folk music. Across the street, I witnessed scores of people sitting on benches and chatting with one another. A local donut shop and the cafe next door were packed with people. Over the past year, my small city has started taking steps to becoming more pedestrian friendly.  

A couple of months ago, I decide to plant a garden in my mother's front yard. For years she has mentioned how it might be nice to have a garden but, she lacked both the time and the inclination to plant one. I have been an apartment dweller for the past few years and I have been itching to plant a garden. So, I set about figuring out a way to create a simple garden which would look good but, would not require a lot of upkeep. This inspired me to plant the garden in a vertical manner. The recent influx of almost daily rain and the peat moss soil mix has caused the garden to grow exponentially.

  I scored this simple set of  folding patio furniture from Overstock.com for less than $90.00. It is lovely and easy to store. Patio furniture adds a warm weather element to your balcony, deck, and/or backyard space. Make sure that the patio furniture that you choose actually fits your lifestyle. In other words, buying a whole bunch of patio furniture to use when you are rarely home does not make the best financial sense.  On the other hand, not having any patio furniture when you are the one constantly hosting the summer parties seems kind of silly.  

  I received this precious masterpiece from a young budding artist. It is  now hanging up in my living room.

I stumbled across this sassy apron whilst putting the finishing touches on my kitchen decor. I was drawn to the zebra pattern and the feminine touches of ribbon sewn onto the front of the garment. This apron practically begs me to take my cooking to the next level.

This table is older than I am. My parents bought it back in the earlier 1970's. It is truly an antique. Alas, over the years she somehow became neglected. She has been a holder of travel souvenirs, bowls, and even a vase or two. After I nurse her back to health, I plan to use her as a vanity of sorts.

  Sometimes, your plain black couch just needs a little flair. Well, in my case, it needed a lot of flair. Up until about 5 days ago, this couch was adorned with simple red twill pillows and a random electric blue throw with the name of a former vendor emblazoned upon it. Once upon a time, the aforementioned red pillows were a nice addition to the demure black couch.  However, these days my decorating tastes lean towards a lot more flair and drama. I purchased the plush black and white throw from Walmart for about $10-$15. The red decorative pillows cost $13 each at Tuesday Morning, the red ottoman/trunk/coffee table was about $60 at Ross, the black ottoman was a Christmas gift, and the black and white damask chair rang up at $80.00.  Yet, I cannot put a true value on the way in which these additions to my living room have positively impacted my daily life. I find myself taking more time to quietly reflect upon my day. My mornings are spent slowly savoring ...