Lovely snapdragons and such

I know I'm constantly singing the praises of Trader Joe's, but there's a reason for that. One big reason (besides their wonderful pretzel bread) are the gorgeous flowers. Every time I go there, I find a new selection to choose from. I've gotten everything from irises to carnations, and have never been dissatisfied with the quality. Plus the prices are great—these snapdragons were $5.59 per bunch (I have a bunch of white and a bunch of pink here). Most of the flowers run around $5 a bunch, and even the pricier ones, like lilies, are still a deal at $7 and some change per bunch.



And yes, that's this print...



...in the background on my living room wall. I love looking at its pretty colors whenever I walk in the room.



And I just finished placing an order at Michael's for this print (above) to be custom framed as well. It's going to look like this.



It's an odd size and large, so unfortunately I can't just grab a frame and mat off the shelf and do it up nicely.



These lilies were on my display table for over a week, but were starting to lose petals, hence the purchase of the snapdragons. But then I realized there were a few flowers that hadn't opened yet and the lilies had some more life in them, so I just swapped the lilies over to the tv stand, and the snapdragons to the display table.



And of course these mums were on the tv stand, so they had to move upstairs to our bedroom. Pete probably wonders why I've gone so flower crazy, but they're cheap and pretty and I have lots o' vases for them.



But I couldn't resist this pretty iridescent vase from Target. The color in the very first photo in this post is more accurate. It's normally a $40 vase (which I would never spend on a vase like this) but it was marked down to $9.98. Quite a bargain, eh? And the custom framing job on the black and white image was half off. Oh yes, I am forever finding great deals on the clearance shelves at various stores, as well as having become a coupon-weilding fiend!

Pretty, pretty milk glass

I am crazy about milk glass. Not to the point where I have obsessively bought tons of it (not yet, lol), but I just think it's some of the prettiest glassware out there and have slowly been collecting it. I love all the different shapes and colors it comes in, and all the dainty purposes it was created for—delicate salt cellars, gorgeous vases, frilly cake stands, and everything else you can imagine.















A good source to look for milk glass kitchenware is on eBay, of course, but don't rule out going to your local antique and thrift stores. Milk glass tends to be relatively cheap, and it's often the perfect thing to display on your coffee table or in your china cabinet. And even newly-produced milk glass can be beautiful. Martha Stewart has a line of milk glass that stands up to any vintage piece.




Right now I only own about 4-5 milk glass vases, so I'd like to add more functional items to my collection, like serving pieces. I've been looking at salt cellars on eBay, which I find so appealing. I can imagine throwing my much dreamed-about tea party (with my growing collection of inexpensive vintage teacups) and having tiny little salt cellars placed here and there on the dining room table.







Another milk glass item I've been lusting for are cake plate stands. I would love to get my hands on a pretty hobnail stand or two, although there are plenty other designs and colors to choose from. I found quite a few on eBay, but shipping tends to run $10 or more, although you can find quite a few inexpensive ones that will run you under $20 total. You just have to browse a lot and see what's listed.








Since I'm headed to the Spring Outdoor Market next weekend in LaGrange, I'm going to wait to purchase any milk glass items on eBay, unless they're pretty cheap or I absolutely must have them (none meet that criteria so far). I prefer to be able to look at the item in my hands, turn it around, see how many imperfections there are, and also see how it catches the light. Milk glass seems to come in different formulations, and even among my collection the type of glass varies greatly.






If you're lucky enough to already own milk glass, congrats! And if you're newly interested in the stuff, have fun searching it out. It's a great vintage look to add to your fanciest china or everyday dishes. Happy searching!