So I was in Staples buying file folders for my filing cabinet when I got this urge...more of a calling I'd say to go to my favorite garden centre. So off I go and I wander in and what do my disbelieving eyes see but a Domino Peace Lily in a 4in pot. I had to use every ounce of my strength to stop myself from grabbing them all and running around the store in a psychotic squealing frenzy. They've always had these in 8in pots but I just HATE buying big plants. Not nearly as much joy in growing them as there is if you buy a small one and get it to an 8in pot yourself. So though they always had those I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for about 2 years to find it in a 4in pot. Alas my patience has been rewarded and I also managed to only buy one, which wasn't nearly as hard as refraining from squealing as I dislike duplicates. Finding this plant also negates the upset that I should feel at having bought file folders that don't fit in my cabinet.

Well, the big day (8/16) came and went, without a hitch! Well, make that without more than just one ;-) It really was an insane, hectic day, but so full of love and fun. Anyway, I finally got around to posting some pictures of the plants we gave away as wedding favors. Thanks for letting me share! All potted up and dressed with cobalt-blue tumbled glass. All 150 (or so) lined up and ready to go outside the reception. We had 125 guests, and about 120 plants were taken in all, pretty good! All the blue glass we were matching with the top dressing. We filled all the vases with white flowers we bought down in the flower district, and put them on all the tables and throughout the venue. I just think this is a cool photo...

Isn't it fun finding a great deal?! We have been working on our house for a really long time, so I have been buying as we go. I bought our vent-a-hood (showroom model) at a liquidation auction for $46, and the next day found our range on craigslist. We also found our SS apron front sink, brand new, on CL for about a fourth of retail price! Last week, I stopped at a garage sale, and found french doors for our future office for $40, again brand new, AND they match the stain on our other doors almost spot on! Unfortunately, we went looking at slabs today, hoping to find something cheaper than soapstone, and I found the perfect granite. Of course it is even MORE expensive, but it is SO cool! Your baker's table is so neat-I can't wait to see pics of your kitchen as it comes together.

What a beautiful living room you have made. The credenza under your TV is particularly gorgeous. Here is what I would consider doing if this were my room- just to give you ideas to play off of for a start. I would begin by finding some blue, patterned throw pillows for the sofa and the arm chair. I like Indian block prints. They are classic and fresh. What I have shown is not exactly bargain, Target/Home Goods, but aside from the Ginori, it's not terribly expensive either. Here are some from John Robshaw: And for the blue arm chair, I thought something like this could be fun: Next I would find an orchid or cyclamen for the table by the blue arm chair. I am partial to cyclamens, so here: I would look for a silver cachepot. Here is a simple one from The Enchanted Home. I like how the silver echoes your side table by the sofa. I would like a much simpler/more modern silver cachepot, this is all I could find right now. Then for the coffee table, I would find a few pretty and interesting coffee table books: Assouline, Phaedon, Taschen, Rizzoli all have great, colorful, conversation sparking titles available. It is very common to put stuff on top of books on coffee tables. That is not my thing. I would rather just see something pretty next to the stack of books. Maybe a bowl or a vase in this Ginori pattern (Orientale in azalea): Lastly the table between the sofa and arm chair could use a lamp perhaps. I would look for something sculptural in crystal. Like this from Horchow: Your room is lovely and will come together more and more over time. Don't rush yourself. Wait to find things that really speak to you, so that you infuse the room with your personality.