::b&w beach::

Home is where the beach is.

I know it's mid-November, but that's why I love The Sunshine State. Here's some warm love. Happy Friday.

::a little christmas cheer in november::

Anthropologie has done it again. I love the creativity...

{Click on the image to go to their homepage to see this adorable video of their Christmas ornaments.}

::color wonderful::

A couple weeks ago J and I ventured to the famous Chalet Suzanne, which is around the corner in Lake Wales. We went with little knowledge of the place, but J had heard it was a bit "vintage." That's all he had to say to convince me. And, I wasn't disappointed. This place has so much character!

I took out the camera to get some pictures of J skydiving. Yea, they even have a drop zone. After he jumped and landed (thank goodness), we went to check out the cute, little Inn rooms and soup cannery. We sampled mushroom and broccoli soup, walked the rest of the area finding more and more cute things, and fed turtles.

{J, such a daredevil}

They feed the turtles leftover bread from the restaurant. They were fearless.

xo.

::this one's for the ladies::

Actually, no need to keep quiet about it. Shout it from the rooftops. More details to come-- lots of exciting things happening at 6 petals.

Don't worry, I'll fill you in as we go...

::studio table::

After visiting my hometown last weekend, I was excited to pop in to petite surprise. I'd heard about it from mom who happily picked up some items earlier this year. The shop owner, Molly Stracuzzi, and I played soccer together in high school-- I had no idea she shared the same love of vintage, antiques, and marketing!

I've been wanting to create a work table for my studio. I'm currently using a vintage sofa table but it's too tall and narrow. The plan: to use an old door and add natural wooden elements for legs. Luckily, I found this beautiful idea (to give me a better visual) and decided to look for a great pair of wooden saw horses. And, of course, found the most amazing pair, but with a $725 price tag, they're a bit out of my budget.

Oh, well. A nice piece of glass to top this old, blue wooden door from petite surprise, and attach the saw horses and it's done. A girl can dream...

It's a beautiful store, Molly! So glad I could stop by. For more about petite surprise, you can check out the blog.

saw horse image from Factory 20

::girls night::

A few of us got together to wine and dine...with arts and crafts time, too. Here are the girls hard at work making their own version of 6 petals vintage toy block photo holders.

Perfect to hold photos, business cards, table card settings, and recipe cards. These handmade, one-of-a-kind blocks will be available for sale in the shop soon! {Not the blocks the girls made, of course. Those are priceless.}

And, while you're here, take an extra second and follow 6 petals on Blogger/Google Friend Connect, Bloglovin', and Facebook. Because, you know, you gotta stay updated :)

::eco-friendly::

Green is sexy. For real, it is. This website provides tips to make an impact of our environment. They aim to spread the word and make a difference. "Green is sexy is about tiny changes, big impact."


Trendy or not, there's no getting around the fact that being eco-friendly/green/energy conserving/whatever you call it, isn't just about using less water and turning the air conditioning off when you're not home. There are so many things people can do every day to make a little difference. Don't get me wrong, I drive a car, wash enough clothing for 3 people, and love a nice, long, hot shower in the mornings. But...it's easy to do a little and make small changes in your daily routine to conserve. We don't all need to resort to tree-hugging communes. Although, I'd support you if you wanted to (looks pretty cute).

This is a major foundation for 6 petals using a mix of new with vintage items, recycled wood, remnant fabrics, and found treasures. There's no doubt that the quality is excellent and the visual appeal adds character and charm.

GREEN TIPS from 6 petals:

• Buy organic cleaners and health/beauty products. My father's has been hounding me for years about the dangers of Aluminum Zirconium, which is found in the popular antiperspirants. And, most soaps are made with detergents that can even be cancerous.


• Invest in a good water bottle. This one is a big pet-peeve of mine. Too many are purchasing cases of plastic water bottles only to be thrown away as quickly as thirst is quenched. Choose to refill and save money (and look good doing it-- there are so many great designs to choose from). Or, bring a glass to work instead of going through multiple Styrofoam cups at the water cooler.


• Buy local and/or handmade. And, pay attention to what you're buying. This reduces waste from expensive packaging and shipping costs, and it's a great way to support your community.


• Do something outdoors. My love of camping and hiking lets me enjoy the more simple things-- Mother Earth amazes me. It's cheap, good exercise, and fun with the right company. Read a book in a hammock, bring your knitting needles to a local baseball game, doodle in your sketch book in the park, or ride a bike. Just relax once in a while without a cell phone, computer, radio, television, or iPod.

Share your green tips, too...

::that girl's got lungs::

The great part about Thursday is that we're one day closer to Friday. Here's a taste of what I'm listening to, and what I catch myself humming most days.

I made an attempt to watch this year's VMA show. As soon as I turned to MTV, Florence + The Machine was beginning their live performance. {Weird, I know...I didn't think they played music anymore either.} And...Whoa. This isn't just your average pop star with autotune. She's good. Really good.

Shortly after hearing them, I didn't stay on that channel and remembered how much I dislike MTV.

images courtesy of florence + the machine and BBC, video youtube