I Dream of SOWA

I love flea markets.

Love them.

Love, love, love them.

But I've always been THAT person that goes to many, and never finds anything. Meanwhile, other people are finding all these rare treasures at insanely low prices, and doing it like it's the easiest thing in the world. I love flea markets, but sometimes they just don't love me.

And sometimes they do.

One of the things I love about living in Boston is the big vintage presence. There are tons of thrift stores and consignment shops  to go around. There are also, in the summer (and in some cases, all-year-round) open markets. This past Sunday, I took my second trip to arguably Boston's biggest and busiest open market, SOWA, located in the South End. (A friend told me yesterday that SOWA, stands for South Washington.)

This place has it all: food trucks, handmade craft kiosks, and an entire floor dedicated to vintage clothes, silverware, instruments, furniture, housewares...You name it, it's there. And in any other setting, I might find such a huge selection to be quite daunting and overwhelming, but not at SOWA. At SOWA, you embrace it, own it, and you say "excuse me" a LOT to the millions of people clogging up the aisles like they're the only ones there.

I'm moving into a new apartment soon, which means an entirely new decor that I've planned out. Bearing this in mind, I looked for things that would go well, and BOY DID I SCORE BIG THIS TIME!

DSCN0108 DSCN0109Aren't they great? The picture really doesn't do the clock's color any justice. In person, it's this very brilliant turquoise color. The owner of the shop uses chalkboard paint exclusively on all of his vintage pieces, and adds a little shabby chic flair to each one. When I saw it, I looked at the price, put it down, and said that I would think about it. Then I saw another woman come in, pick it up, then put it down. So what did I do? Yep, that's right, I picked it up and immediately took it to the register. Shopping is a battle til the end, baby.

Also a sucker for scented candles, I bought this as a trial-run for some of the vendor's bigger sizes:

DSCN0111 DSCN0112It smells heavenly, and I love it even more, because buying it means that I have supported a local business.

And I'm all about local business.

All in all, it was a REALLY good day for a lover of flea markets that's usually down on her luck.

And if you're looking for other great markets in the city, my personal favorite is located in Davis, and happens every Sunday from June through October!

HAPPY MARKETING!

singature gray

Wishes For My Kitchen

Wish # 1: I wish that my kitchen could be half as organized as this one.

And I know I'm not alone in wishing this. The older I get, the more things in the kitchen I accrue, and before I know it, I'm digging through piles of pans, just trying to find one. But that's the problem with living on your own isn't it? Finding a place for everything is tough, and finding a good solution for more space is a tricky business. Soon, everything does have its place, but it always tends to be the place for everything. And you never want to throw anything away, because you never know when you might need it. If I could just have everything in front of me, not buried underneath countertops, I would be one happy cook.

Whoever came up with this is an absolute genius.

Built-In Storage!

I've lost count of what number this is on my list of dream kitchens. All I know is: built-in storage in a kitchen island is both a genius and totally inspired idea! To make it even better, that shade of blue is beautiful. It's the perfect accent color for a darker brown countertop and stools! LOVE.

Bonus: Check out those lights! I've never seen any like them, and they just belong in a kitchen like this!

So Many Things on the Wall

Check out this design from Elle Decor!

I love this look. I like the shade of green chosen for the walls (though I don't think I'll ever love green enough to paint MY walls that color), and I love all the different mirrors and pictures. I think it certainly takes a skilled decorator to pull off this look. It's hard sometimes decorating eclectically. If you bring in one piece that just doesn't quite fit,  it can throw off the whole design.

Also, not sure how I feel about the vases, but I think that they're so quirky, they'd grow on me.

Probably.

Most likely.