circles du papier

I wasn't able to make it to the craft store last night before it closed, so I had to settle for a trip to my nearby Meijer to fulfill all my tissue paper needs. (For those of you who aren't from the midwest, Meijer is like a super Walmart; it's a combo of both cheap stuff and cheap groceries.) I was actually surprised by the tissue paper selection there. Although there was no burgandy, which I was really hoping for, I was able to scrounge up some paper in silver, raspberry, and sky blue hues. After returning to my apartment, I quickly realized that the raspberry looked much more pink than red, and clearly wasn't going to work in my space. Slightly disappointed, but not discouraged, I assembled the other, cooler-colored pom-poms du papier. I really like the result.

I still want to add a third fluffy, floating orb to the mix, so I'm going to try and run out to the craft store in a bit. I'm thinking a nice, small cobalt pommy might do the trick. That was the one color that Meijer didn't sell in a single color pack, which surprised me, because I thought that a primary blue would be pretty standard. Oh, and for those who would like to know, I bought packs of 10 sheets of tissue paper for $1.99, used jewelry wire I had lying around to form the structure, and hung the orbs with a clear jewelry elastic. So these little beauties were $2 apiece, except for the silver one which was $4 because it's metallic (at least that's what I'm assuming).

Yesterday I forgot to add that one of the reasons I was drawn to the poms is because I have three petite floral balls resting on my coffee table. I found them while on a trip to Walmart for something completely unrelated. So yes, pretty things can be found anywhere and everywhere. I don't adore shopping at places like Walmart, and when I have the money I'm going to be all about the ShoLo, and organic markets. On a graduate student salary, however, I can't be as earth and people friendly as I'd like. Well, I suppose I could be, but then I wouldn't have cute things in my apartment. Oh the dilemma.

Walmart Floral Orbs

I still need to take those photos of unfinished projects; that will be tonight's task. Since I don't have those, I thought I'd share some of the thing's I've recently discovered that are on my "love list."

• I love these shoes that were on the undiscovered seller list on Etsy. All organic, custom-made, recycled ballet flats. What's not to love? Every time I check back at the store, more have sold. Crazy!
• I love the ruffled cardigans that are a mainstay at J. Crew. Every time I walk into a store (or outlet) I eagerly seek them out, only to let out a disappointed moan when I discover that the price is way more than I should ever spend on a little sweater. That being said, making my own adorable, ruffled, and best of all, one-of-a-kind cardy is definitely on my must-do list.
• I love this awesome shower curtain from Anthropologie. It reminds me of a giant flamenco skirt. For future notice, anthro is my "love, love, love" store. It speaks my soul's language, if that makes any sense. It's one of those places where I walk in and know that I'm at risk of falling in love with anything I glance at or touch. It has an aura that just makes me feel like I've come home. Tiny bookstores, hole-in-the-wall cafes, and vintage clothing stores elicit the same response from me. Sometimes I strongly dislike living in a place that lacks all those things. Sigh....