Fresh Flower Tips

The only part about going food shopping that I like is at the very end, when I swing by the fresh flower display (Trader Joe’s and Stop and Shop really have the BEST fresh flowers for under $10 a bunch!).  A few weeks ago, an employee of the supermarket gave me a couple really useful tips about keeping flowers alive and looking good for longer…they’ve seemed to work for me  so far, so I’m excited to share them (plus my own flower arrangement preferences) with you!

First of all, my two favorite flowers to have around the house are roses (any shade but red, which I find reads too “Valentine’s Day — of course, if it IS Valentine’s day, or you really love red, go for it! I just find red doesn’t go with my home decor as well), and hydrangeas, preferably white.  Roses and hydrangeas seem to have the longest “shelf lives” and just look really fresh and bright.  When I bring them home from the supermarket (or florist, if I’m feeling really FANCY ), here is what I do:

1) I get a really good scissor (kitchen shears I think these are called? They came in my knife block) and remove all plastic wrapping and set the “flower food” to the side.

 

2) Next, I pull off all the leaves in the sink and get rid of the “babies’ breath” (how creepy is that name!?!?) The removal of all the leaves, even though you may think it adds fullness or color to the arrangement, this is the most important step to making your flowers last! The leaves use up alot of the water, plus, I really prefer just one color per arrangement– you get much more of a clean, purposeful look, in my opinion.

 

3) Now, it’s time to trim the stems.  The florist told me that flowers will last longer if the stems are shorter…easier for the flowers to drink up the water? (Very scientific, I know.) I usually use a vase (mason jars in this case) about 6-8 inches high and cut my stems accordingly, on an angle (again, to promote easier water consumption by the flower!)

4) Lastly, I fill my vases up with tap water, add the mysteriously magical “flower food”, AND a PENNY to the bottom of each vase (this is the final “trick” from the florist– not sure about the science behind it…something about copper reacting with the water…but she swears by it, and my flowers have been lasting about two weeks!)  I arrange the flowers in an even bunch, all about the same height, just an inch or so above the height of the vase– again, the flowers are the main event, not the stems!

 

So, the same goes for my white hydrangeas: remove all leaves, trim stems at an angle, add flower food and a penny to the water…and really, all I have to do is change the water every few days, and I have fresh, bright, beautiful flowers for about two weeks!

(You may notice that they hydrangeas pictured above seemed almost yellow-ish and not very poofy…that’s actally how I like to pick them from the market because it means they haven’t reached full bloom yet, and are the freshest– given a few days, they grow poofier and more white!)

One more tip on the “vases” featured in these pics: neither of them are actual vases!

These gold mason jars are a super easy DIY…literally just bought metallic gold spray paint from Home Depot and sprayed down the jars in the backyard.   The silver “vase” seen above is actually a candle holder…meaning it used to be filled with wax.   When the candle finished burning, I just scraped the remaining wax out with a spoon, and filled it with water.  From now on, when I stock up on my candles at Homegoods, I try and pick out candles that come in pretty jars that I know will look good as vases later!

There are a few places in my home that I always put my flowers: living room coffee table, front hall/foyer, kitchen table, bookshelf, and bathroom vanity– they make my day every time I see them 🙂

Hope this  inspires you guys to add some long-lasting,  fresh flowers to your decor mix!

<3,

Christine

Leather Pants

Trying something new is always a little disconcerting (like starting a blog! eek!); this is especially true when it comes to fashion and personal style because it’s a direct reflection of you.  If the risk doesn’t pay off, or play out how you imagined it would, we tend to pull back and stay in our comfort zone.  Enter leather pants.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple five years, you’ve see multiple iterations of leather-pant outfits– and you probably fall into one of three categories: 1) Proud and loyal leather-pants fan 2) Hater of the leather/leather-look pants trend because you are a Vegan, think they look trashy, or  associate them strictly with bad 80’s “fashion” or 3) you have them in your closet, have tried them on in a dressing room, or admire them from afar, secretly wanting to try them, but also afraid of looking/feeling like “After” Sandy from Grease.

Well, good news, Vegans, haters and closet leather admirers: there are so many really, really good “vegan” or faux leather versions out there for really reasonable prices.  Once your find the right pair, they really do not read trashy at all; instead, they lend just the right textural contrast to lots of other closet faves like structured blazers, fuzzy sweaters, and silky tops (see mixes below).  They look great with booties, heels and even sneakers for a casual-cool vibe.  Instead of leggings, which can read a little sloppy or boring, leather pants or leather leggins pull an outfit together and give it a sense of polish (with just the right amout of attitude).  Surprisingly, they are also easy to wear, meaning they really do look great on a variety of body types– given that you find ones with the right length (just to the ankle bone, in my opinion) and fit (fitted, but not skin, I-can-count-the-change-in-your-pockets-tight).  Extra-extra plus: they keep you super warm and toasty in these polar-vortex-like temperatures!

Leather pants & blazer: Zara | “83” T-shirt : J Crew | Snakeskin “Lovisa” heels: Alexander Wang | Gold-trimmed sunglasses: Super | Gold choker: Vintage, via the Brooklyn Flea Market

 Leather pants: Zara | Blush silk button down: Equipment | Snakeskin clutch: Loeffler Randall | Silver crackled heels: J Crew | Gold choker: J Crew

Leather pants: Zara | Fuzzy textured funnel neck sweater: Zara | Petite shopping tote: Chanel | Gold cuff: J Crew | Sneakers: Converse

Hope this inspires you to keep/add/remix leather pants into a look this week!

 Some of my favorites can be found at:

http://www.zara.com/us/en/woman/trousers/faux-leather-skinny-jeans-c358005p2469549.html

<3, Christine

First Post…

One of the most common questions that my 8th graders ask me when they are about to start a written assignment is “How do I start this?”  They stare blankly at the paper, (or now, their iPads ), stressing over what the first sentence of their essay or paragraph will be.  I tell them that the purpose of a first sentence, or an introduction, is to make an impression on the reader.  I tell them to start with a “hook” that grabs the reader’s attention, give the reader a taste of what’s to come in the rest of the piece, or make an emotional connection with their audience- foster a feeling nostalgia, empathy, curiosity, or humour (English mini-lesson over…this is supposed to be a fashion and style blog, right?!)

What’s my point?  When I decided that I was going to start writing this blog, after a week or so of agonizing over how to start it, what my first post would be like, what content I would cover etc., I decided to just take my own advice.

 So, here we go…

• My “Hook”- see above… Hopefully I grabbed your attention with my classroom writing analogy!
• My “What’s to come?”– Daily fashion and style inspiration in a variety of forms…outfit ideas for the girl who looks forward to getting dressed each day, and the girl who agonizes over what to wear…ways to mix the old with the new, current trends with classics/basics…updates on what’s happening in fashion…some home decor and interior design…some beauty/makeup ideas…fashion/decor wishlists and shopping ideas…and of course a closer look at my own personal style…my littlegoldmix!
• My “Connection”- The name “Thelittlegoldmix” came pretty easily to me– I’m small, I love gold anything and everything– but the “mix” part really nails what this blog is all about.  Mixing parts of life…the expected with the unexpected, the old with the new– this is what makes life, like fashion, interesting and exciting! Yes, I’m an English teacher, and I LOVE my job and my students, but fashion, style, creating an aesthetic– these are parts of my core self…this blog is my way to add these to my life “mix”.

 Not a bad first post! I hope you guys enjoy what’s to come…check back daily to see what’s new to the mix…comments and dialogue are highly encouraged…let me know if there is something that you would like me to post about/write about/feature!

 <3, Christine