Hours and hours of things to do while strapped into the back seat

1. Finish reading my Donald Miller book.
2. Read anything else on kindle.
3. Cross my fingers that I don't get car-sick.
4. Flip through my 2 new Harper's Bazaar magazines and pick out inspiring colors.
5. Take pictures of my feet.
6. Take pictures of my face.
7. Delete pictures.
8. Listen to music.
9. Nap.
10. Drink my Arnold Palmer Arizona tea.
11. Work on my screenplay.
12. Flip through my screenwriting book.
13. Beg for a pit-stop.
14. Take pictures of everyone hopping out of the car.
15. Buy some chewy sprees. These are my favorite traveling food.
16. Listen to music/read until I fall asleep.
17. Take pictures of the Mississippi bridge.
18. Text Sarah sad pictures.
19. Pick at my nailpolish.
20. Whine when my nails look crappy.
21. Start a rebel rousing game of "ABCs."
22. Take a nap.
23. Take pictures of everyone else taking a nap.
24. Tweet.
25. Braid all of my hair into little cornrows.
26. Try to nap, itch head, remove cornrows.
27. Text Sarah again.
28. Wish I had downloaded more interesting books to my kindle.
29. Remember that I left something plugged in at home.
30. Take a nap.


I guess I'm in a destructive mood.

Packing

I don't want to do this. I'd rather load my kindle with more books.

We're le

Feeling a little entreprenurial

Good news: We’ve found THREE different boutiques who want to sell our flowers. I’ve had to process so much this week…like the difference between whole sale, retail, commission, etc… I think we’re doing it different with each boutique. If I’m getting paid at the end of the day, I guess I’m okay with it!

Let me take you on the tour.


Our

Our friend Janie told me about Divine Images many months ago, but I just didn't have my act together until recently. Last week I contacted the store's owner, Michelle, about selling my flowers. Her reactions to the flowers was priceless, and I ended up making her a bunch for her daughter's wedding.

Now we've got a spot on the top shelf of her display, and she has kindly offered to sell our flowers to the local cosmetology school.

I decided to give City Glitter (its like our town's version of Plato's Closet)a call and see if they sold items by local designers. She said they were interested, but we'd have to pay to rent a space. So, again, I hesitated and waited. Last week I was in the store selling some shirts, and I felt the need to try again. This time, she seemed more enthusiastic and I decided to take the plunge.

She picked her favorite flowers out, and helped us to put together a nice display. Our stuff fits in so well with the rest of her inventory!

That's my LOST inspired outfit. I don't dress for summer. I'm a layer-er.

Today, we were revisiting a place in Cocoa Village that had expressed interest in our flowers. Unfortunately, they wanted to take half the profits which would mean driving up the prices of the flowers. I highly doubt anyone would pay that much for hair accessories (I could be wrong!) but we didn't have a peace about it.

Good news! My friend Amy Joy's aunt owns a shop in proximity. We weren't going to drop by, because we had hoped she could join us when we took our flowers there, but we thought "why not?" and gave it a shot. Ba da da da! She loved them a took a bunch! It was thrilling.

That's us, feeling incandescently happy.

(Check our the LePastiche facebook page for more pictures from VernaFlora!)

It is so nice to have all of this business-y stuff taken care of. I'm ready to get creative again.

AAANNNDDD Saturday I'm leaving for Texas, which means NO business for a week. I'm struggling to wrap my head around being out of town for 8 days. But I've been watching a lot of LOST, so I know it's doable.

Learn to love

I feel like I have to tell the long story, because it’s cool how this blessing came about.

Last week, I went thrifting with Maria and Becky. It was at that time that I told the girl “if you buy a shirt made of polyester, I’ll make you a flower and keep the surplus fabric.” Nellie-who-makes-potholders overheard my little proposal, and, excited by the prospect of chatting with a fellow crafter, chimed into the conversation. She queried me about my business, then told me about her own (the potholders).

I was in kind of a hurry, because it was 30 minutes till closing. I really needed to get some fabric, and get a deal. You gotta get thrift store cashiers in the right mood if you want to haggle. Trying to haggle five minutes before closing is a no-no.

Anyways.

She started talking at Maria, and told me to examine a wedding dress so I could pick off supplies. It was an $150 dress, so of course I wasn’t going to buy it, but this was my moment to escape the conversation.

Nellie chatted with Maria for a while longer, and I felt a little guilty about how I had treated the situation. Maria had really taken an interest in this lady. She listened attentively as Nellie repeated that she “only makes pot holders in one side” and reacted enthusiastically to Nellie’s list of sports-related fabric patterns. I was intrigued.

In his book Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller said, “…sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself…” This quote has been repeating in circles on the bright LCD screen in my brain. As I watched Maria, her love for this complete stranger was contagious and convicting. She showed me how to care.

So I listened to Nellie. Nellie lives alone in the boonies. She sews potholders on her one hundred year old Singer that her father had purchased for 30 dollars in Kissimmee. She worked out at the Wild Life Refuge, but now her income comes from Social Security and her potholders. When she can’t sleep, she sews. She’s lonely. She gave Maria her number, and asked that we call her if we need any potholders, or want to help her cut fabric.

And that’s Nellie.

The next day, I went to another thrift store and struck up a conversation with the owner. Determined to get to know this lady, I asked her questions about the shop and she told me everything there was to know about the store. It was a God-inspired operation. Before managing at the shop, she did estate sales. That’s how she met the owner of the De Ja Vu Salon in Downtown. After the owner of that place passed away, this lady—I forgot her name! Let’s call her Pat—took on their inventory and is selling it for the widower. He wants to “take back his garage” and Pat is enthusiastic about helping him.

After we parted ways, I felt a fresh wave of caring for humanity. Its surprising how out of touch I had gotten.

I told Danielle about the thrift store that sold the boutiques old inventory, and she suddenly (urgently) asked if this beaded top was at the thrift shop. I’d remembered running my hands through the beaded draping, taking pleasuring in the cool, heavy beads. Yes, yes it was.

The next day, Danielle and I went back. The shirt was there and was selling for $74. A little expensive if you asked me. And Danielle only had $40 cash. So we haggled. I told Pat about Danielle’s cash situation, and Pat said if I pay the tax she’d let Danielle have the shirt for $40. A 1920s original flapper top for $40s. $40. (I feel the need to say it again, because I never type of the $ symbol).$$$$

And that’s the long of it.

“Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small - and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven’t been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn’t it be the other way around? I don’t really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void.”

—

Kathleen Kelly from You’ve Got Mail.

I relate to everything Kate says in this film. This has never happened before.

Summer fun

I present to you the lovely Catherine Tate:

One day, I hope I run into her as I am casually walking down the streets of London. We’ll have a meet cute, become real chums, and then soon after realizing that I’m a loony bird—she’ll make a comedy sketch about my life.

Catherine Tate could do a good Anna Williams.

These past few weeks have been spent in “acclimation mode.” I’ve been like a child in a candy store, and by child I mean single, part-time employed lady and by candy store I mean nothing to do with my days. Reaction: hyperactivity aka more flowers!

Yes, I mostly make flowers and watch Netflix. My current fix is Arrested Development, Lost, and really offbeat Indie romances.

This afternoon I watched a film called Timer which is about an alternate future where scientists have discovered how to predict the time one finds one’s soul mate, and how people deal with that. It was a really interesting plot. The script was pretty good, but the overuse of f*bombs took some of the refinement from the film. I believe that if a person’s gonna use swearing in a script, the plot really needs to deserve it. Plot and swearing aside, the characters were plausible, but I didn’t connect with them. Mostly because I thought the heroine was going to be Christina Applegate, but it turned out to be anther blonde Christina that lacked adorableness. And the lead male was whimpy. And last night I just watched You’ve Got Mail and so I am currently comparing ALL men to Tom Hanks, so it may be impossible for anyone to be that good.

However,

Tonight I went swing dancing with Amy. We had a fun time with the free beginner lesson (basically, triple step-triple step- rock step), and some friends begged us to stay for intermediate. But intermediate costs five dollars…and is an hour longer.

Then Matt (aka almost as suave as Tom Hanks) paid for our lesson.

And there was a perfect male to female ratio because of it. And I had a dancing breakthrough, so it felt like a win!

subject change

(I always feel bad when I abruptly change topics in one post. But I really must.)

LePastiche is going to thrive this summer! I have discovered a shop that is willing to sell our flowers and NOT charge us to rent a space. Which is fantastic. And the owners are fabulous Christian women who’s reaction to seeing the inventory totally made my week.

Its 12:30 on the dot. I think it’s an appropriate time to say goodnight.

Philadelphia Strawberry Cream Cheese makes toasted whole wheat bagels (aka, thick & chewy cardboard) taste like Valentine's day.

Accessories don’t make the girl, but they may reveal how crazy she is.

With freshly painted nails and pretty flowers, last night I was ready to go out.

Painted nails asked, “Anna, why can’t you seem to capture the orangy hues on camera?”

“Oh, you’re so illusive,” responded pretty flowers.

Anna didn’t mind the banter between her accessories. However, she could feel new sunglasses pinching her nose ever so slightly out of jealousy. New sunglasses had just tagged along for the ride.

This day, last year

Sometimes I browse through my old posts to gauge how much my life has improved... Last year on May 12th, life was good. I had started my (failed) summer reading challenge, was pushing through post-Ragtime blues, and really involved with Fusion's music.

Fond, fond memories. Why must things change?

Fortunately, books always stay the same. And I've decided to pick up with where I left of with my thrifted summer reading list.

Maybe my tastes will have changed a little, or my desire to leave no book unfinished with keep me on track.

I can do this. Do you have any cheap romance novel recommendations?

ha ha... I love re-captioned book covers.

Taste of Culture of the Day

Google surprised me this morning with its commiserative GIF logo paying tribute to Martha Graham. Its so strange how a little movement, a symbol, can evoke so much emotion.

For those of you who have no idea who she is, google her. Basically, she was the forerunner of modern dance and a brilliant choreographer. I studied her the semester I took a modern dance class, and really came to appreciate the expressive potential of the human body, and how limitation really do reflect our psyche.

Check out her dance "Lamentation." While there are multiple versions, she always wears the constraining Periwinkle tube dress. Have you ever felt that way before?

Need/want to do

Without work, I am faced with one of life’s ultimate challenges: conquering the will. Its almost one, and so far today I’ve shipped out a couple flower orders, taken a shower, and indulged in quite a lot of The Catherine Tate Show. She is SO versatile/funny. Yep. That’s about all I’ve done.

Need to do:

- put on an outfit, take hair out of towel…but it’s just so warm and clean against my scalp…

- apply for a scholarship

- clean this overwhelmed-fabric-shop of a room

- a little laundry

- make plans for swing dancing

- get my fancy scissors out of the car

- charge my ipod

Want to do:

- re-paint my nails

- make more flowers!

- finish re-reading Chalice

- Buy a whole lot of music from Amazon.com

- stay in my bathrobe and drink coffee all day

 

I need a lifecoach to yell “OUT OF BED, INTO PANTS, NOW!”

Florence and the Machine, “You’ve Got the Love”

“Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air
I know I can count on you
Sometimes I feel like saying “Lord I just don’t care”
But you’ve got the love I need To see me through

Sometimes it seems that the going is just too rough
And things go wrong no matter what I do
Now and then it seems that life is just too much
But you’ve got the love I need to see me through

When food is gone you are my daily meal
When friends are gone I know my savior’s love is real
Your love is real

You got the love…

Time after time I think “Oh Lord what’s the use?”
Time after time I think it’s just no good
Sooner or later in life, the things you love you loose
But you got the love I need to see me through

You got the love

Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air
I know I can count on you
Sometimes I feel like saying “Lord I just don’t care”
But you’ve got the love I need to see me through

You got the love…”

I finally folded and purchased a pair of sunglasses that cost more that six dollars. I can tell a difference in the quality….

Because money is tight, I have a new goal: Don’t spend more that $100 dollars on accessories/clothing this summer. Starting tonight, ending this August. This means limiting what I spend on pants, baithingsuits/coverups, dresses, shirts, shoes…etc. It’ll be a challenge because I’m still transitioning out of my winter wear. But thrifting for clothes can be my new thing.

Crossingmyfingersthatthisdoesn’tdrivemecrazy.

And while I’m talking about good sales, I found a pair of gladiator sandals for TEN BUCKS (well, it was $9.??) at Target. This was kind of exciting because I buy sandals once in a blue moon (or when my Mother says, “Anna, I’ll buy you some shoes.”)

I also found some really stunning nailpolish that looks like fire topaz—green with flecks of orange and red. And it was half off! Woot woot! Pictures of that tomorrow. Right now I gotta let them dry as I type.

Mother’s day

I am so thankful for my Mom, and yesterday was a really fun day of celebration. It was the perfect way to end Sarah's "summer vacation" before her summer classes started.

 

After lunch, Mom wanted turtle brownies for desert. While I’m not generally a brownie eater, I added an extra egg so they’d have more of a cake-y texture. They were great!

Dad grilled shrimp, it was amazing!

 

“Reasons why we love Mother….”

 

This is my new car! I LOVE it.

 

Dad’s little grill. We’re trying to convince him to buy a large, fancy one, but he’s kind of particular with how he cooks his meats. I think he’s waiting to find the “perfect” grill. For now, this will suffice. The smell of grill smoke always puts me in the mood for summer.

“What’s that clicking sound?”

 

 

This is my mom’s idea of a vacation: no cooking, no cleaning, just time to spend talking to her sister on the phone and browsing on the internet.

I also made bean salad.

Buddy wants to try… 

Girl Power song

I have no idea what the lyrics mean, but whenever I listen to this song, I feel like banging invisible drums.



Now I'm going to go stare at a bunch of girlfriends as they watch their boyfriends play softball.

Single Girl Power!

New Listings

lepastiche.etsy.com

New listings on the site! Check us out, if that’s your thing. :)

Little Green Dress

Isn't this just the most adorable dress ever?

TimelessVixenVintage has the most gorgeous dresses. I'm waiting for the mid-calf trend to come back into fashion.

Especially because I'm attending swing dance lessons!

Tonight I start again, and I am torn between wearing a flouncy dress or my Starwars t-shirt. I often say that when I meet Mr. Right, I hope I'm wearing my Starwars t-shirt because its a great conversation piece. I should purchase some Starwars buttons, that way I can wear them and a dress.

Those are nice. :)

Little Green Dress

Isn't this just the most adorable dress ever?

Costume Institute Gala 2011

Its one of those events that I forget happens every year, then I stumble across some pictures from it and think: “Oh! Pretty fashion. I’ve forgotten you exist!”

If you don’t know what the Costume Institute Gala is, then I’ll describe my understanding. A bunch of rich and famous celebrities and models gather under a fancy tent showing off the most stunning designer gowns they can find. Its like award season on steroids.

It was through the Costume Institute Gala that I discovered my favorite designer and dress:

Oh, John Galliano. God rest your career. :(

This year was kind of off. Most of the women looked tired and a little disheveled. Maybe it’s a trend? Here’s Anna’s list WORST, BEST and WHY DID HER STYLIST LET HER LEAVE THE LIMO IN THAT THING dressed.

WORST:

Oh, Beyonce. You are so stunning, but this isn’t your best look. Let your hair down, and go back to a colorful wardrobe. My eyes will thank you.  

The silhouette of this dress isn’t that bad. It kind of follows a couple of the really popular trends of the night: Poe and Feathers. I just want to know what’s coming out of the back of your head.

 

Remember that wedding shower game when girls have five minutes to throw together a wedding dress made of toilet paper? Well, the designer of this dress had an advantage because he or she had a strange gold lacy thing to attach her strips.

Oh no! Renee’s hips are gone!

The train of this skirt is nice… I’d like it better if the 1980s bridal top was the same off-white color, because together it looks like she’s been trampling through tea. I don’t think Fergie is enthralled with the look either. 

BEST:

I think this is Mary Kate. This look is pretty straightforward and simple, but the sleeves are what made it a “best.”  She’s a petite girl, but those huge sleeves don’t distract us from her pretty face. She is wearing this dress. :)

Taylor swift always looks pretty on the red carpet. This is a little departure from her fairy princess look into a little sophisticated Goth. Her red lips mean business.

I forgot her name, so I’ll her pretty tan girl. Pretty tan girl should wear this color all the time. It’s stunning! I love that fabric’s dimension and how it hangs so flattering against her figure. If I could tweak one thing, I’d pick a wider belt. That would take it up just a notch from “pretty look” to “bam! I’m a rock star.”

 

YES!!! Thank you Jennifer. I love full ball gowns. This dress, while voluminous, has so many light, airy fabrics that it looks like its been ensemble by a flock of silk worms.

 

Hi Amy, you are really funny. You also turned it out for this event. While that flattering blue dress looks so old hollywood, your gold necklace makes it modern and hip. A little tip: I wouldn’t part your air so tight down the middle. A soft hairstyle would have looked lovely with this dress.

WHY DID HER STYLIST LET HER LEAVE THE LIMO IN THAT THING

 

Upside-down-urinal dress, meet bedsheet dress. You two should play hide and seek.

The Royal Wedding

Kristen came over and we celebrated single-lady style with cake, chardonnay and homemade wedding hats made of coffee filters.

I have so much admiration for this couple. The wedding ceremony was prestigious. Kate was a stunning bride, and I hope her demure modesty catches on. Prince William looked...Princely. My favorite moment:

Yes, we all screamed. I think it was because they put so much effort into keeping straight faces throughout the ceremony, and finally they just couldn't contain themselves.

Picture time:

We spent so much time icing this cake.

This was my first time doing a hardcore piping project. I learned that the worst possible posture when piping a cake is stiff shoulders.

Kristen crafted us a make-shift wedding topper. It was adorable.

"Happy Wedding"

That's us in our hats. If you are interested in purchasing those flowers, contact me. They haven't been uploaded to etsy yet.

The icing on the cake was a really simple and delicious peanut butter frosting. Here is the recipe. Warning: if you make this, you will be tempted to eat it all with a spoon.

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup creamy peanut butter
* 3 tablespoons milk, or as needed
* 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.