STRIPEMANIA: I WANT TO PARTICIPATE

Through a social media trail I found out about Decor 8's Stripe Mania project. And I simply, stripe-ally WANT to be included. And so here I am in a rather subdued black and gray t-shirt that my mama bought me last summer at Dillards. In order to pep up the pic, i included a few of my colorfully striped notebooks in which I hope to write very inspiring thoughts and make fun doodles.

So thanks Holly and Igor...................

Faith and the Find

I XOXO FAITH FARM

ATTENTION SHOPPERS: THE NEXT FAITH FARM SALE  IS JUNE 17TH AND 18TH!!!!!!

Bulk deals is just one of Faith Farm's attractions

 When I first moved to Florida in 2002, I thought I had moved to thrift shop heaven. My aunt Cookie, a rather adept secondhand shopper. introduced me to the Broward County bevy. Unlike the disorganized and crowded ones in NYC, the Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach thrift shops were spacious and well lit, and clothing hung in rainbow order, easy to peruse by color. I was smitten. I was hooked. Thrift shopping quickly became my favorite pastime.

The inflated Florida real estate boom led to the demise of many small thrift shops that benefited under-funded causes. Strip mall kings kicked out these humble stores and hoped to raise rents and attract richer businesses. Those lucrative deals never came and many of these store fronts still sit empty.

There are a few thrift stores that survived the real estate crash and continue to thrive in the economic downturn. One of those is Faith Farm, the proceeds from which help people conquer drug and alcohol addiction. Besides being an everyday treasure trove of new and used furniture, clothes, and bric-a-brac, Faith Farm Thrift has special sales every two months. These events are popular. So the early bird catches the best worms.

a $3 find yellowed with age or nicotine.

these books may come in handy when writing for Benjamin Moore

i get very excited when i find someone else's personal date

i like drinking coffee and tea out of glass or white mugs only.

Last week I strolled through the Boynton Beach store. Didn't get through it all because I had to get to a meeting. But I left materially and emotionally richer, and $5 poorer. My finds included an original river scape, 2 very cool double-handled mugs, the bottom half of a mini tureen, 2 books on color from the 70s, a 2002 planner that belonged to someone named Linton, and 3 children's books including the very popular "Dork Diaries."

notice the oriental relief detail on table base. $400-something

i am a bit hesitant about buying previously relaxed on upholstery but a unique piece like this under $170 could sway me.

buy for $129 (i think) and just add a new slipcover

after writing about YELLOW, I am very tuned into it. ($15)

attention young girls!!! $379

Had I been shopping for a client or redecorating my own place I may have been tempted by a dining room set that Don Draper might get drunk at, an orange velvet sofa with green welting, a very long, slightly curved slip-covered sofa, a bold yellow and grey print for $15, or a new pink twin bed from Ashley Furniture.

Personal Shopper of a Different Kind

A young man discovers a new talent when he helps a friend pick out a wardrobe for summer camp.

Today, my daughter and I went to Forever 21 in the Boca Town Center Mall. She had an agenda; I had none. I flipped through the pretty clothes for a short while, saw mostly dresses disguised as tops,  but without a specific mission and an extra $50, soon lost interest in my own fashion prospects and started tuning into the fervent searches of others.

I was happy to ease into one unique scenario which involved a lively group of 5 recent high school grads. One girl enrolled a group of three boys to help a second girl pick out some dresses. I  watched as one of the boys rose to the occasion, scoured the store, and scooped up a bunch of dresses. I was impressed by the young man's valiant effort. The other boys were entertained but only peripherally engrossed. I was completely charmed.

"I WANT friends like you," I said. Then I asked "Who's the lucky girl?"
They pointed to a cute girl.
"For graduation?" i asked.
"No we already graduated. For camp!" the personal shopper volunteered.
I raised my eyebrows inquisitively. At Lake Bryn Mawr Camp, where I once went, I ne'er remember a day when a dress was required.
"For fancy nights?" I continued.
"For Shabbat," they answered, not sure if I understood.
"Oh. Cool. I'm Jewish too," I said with a smile.

 And then I asked if I could take their picture because it really was a very sweet moment among friends.

TIE ME UP

I just spied these scarf bracelets while "liking" STUFF on Facebook.

and I think they are fab.

in fact, I XOXO them.