Choosing flooring for a DIY project...tough!

My carpet is nasty and needs to go.

I think I finally found something that will work with my tiny budget and is easy enough for me to do myself!  It's Allure flooring by Trafficmaster. Check out the photo below:

You can see where I took a few strips out of the box and laid them next to each other . This color is golden oak. On top is the sample board for the other one I like, light teak.

What I like about this stuff is that it's basically an interlocking vinyl system that comes in planks that you stick together. You score and snap the planks so no saw is needed, and they make a waterproof barrier over the floor. Plus, it's only $1.79 a square foot and I can do a room or two at a time. 

Alex (daughter) doesn't like the light teak at all. She says it's too yellow, to which I agree a little bit, but I like the fine graining compared to the oak. Did I mention Allure has an embossed grain pattern like the higher end laminates do? It looks very realistic.

Her first choice and my second is the blond maple in the center of the swatch card and on the photo.

I like that a lot but I'm a bit worried that something so light will show dirt and limit my future

decorating choices. However, my house is so small - more of a cottage, really- that 

anything darker than the oak would make the house feel even smaller.

I want to take advantage of my coastal location and decorate in a breezy, florida style, so maybe the blond maple is best, I don't know. Let me know what you think. I could use some second, third, and fourth opinions!

Vintage Postcards

Check out these wonderful old postcards I bought

from Etsy seller Savannahsmiles4U.

I love the linen finish and how they are so crudely retouched in places.

I'm going to frame them and hang them in my house. I live in Florida, so I thought

I should embrace that. Besides, I love anything vintage Florida ~ Highwaymen paintings,

kitschy motels, orange stands on the side of the road, and all that. Im  not

into antiques at all, really, but vintage Florida really calls to me.

On the back of the flamingo postcard (sent from Miami Beach in 1942), the address doesn't

even have a zip code.

It's funny to think that at one time there were so few people in the US

that you could just write the city and state

and someone would get it to you- and bring it to your door.

If you have a secret crush on kitsch or tacky antiques, let me know

so I'm not alone!

Iktomi on Etsy front page!

My Amazon Parrot Spirit Guide made the front page of Etsy today. Woohoo!

I used to have a parrot years ago, who looked similar to this.

He even had a smile in his eye

like this little guy has. 

I'm in a Treasury!

This pretty treasury on Etsy by peaseblossomstudio 

is called

Life is A Fairy Tale.

What a wonderful and magical selection!

Thank you, peaseblossomstudio, for including me.

Now, go and check it out before it expires!

Holidays are over and reality sets in...

I can't believe we all worked like dogs for weeks to get ready for the holiday season

 and it's already over.

Time to get back to work and be serious.

I work at a regular day job and have a major project due by the

end of the month. I think it may mean a few late nights.

Luckily, I am easily sustained by a bowl of  Tom kha gai, a Thai soup made with coconut milk, galangal (ginger), lemon grass and chicken.

Doesn't that look delicious? I'm hooked on it. I go to the place just down the street

where the sweet little Thai girls who run the place know we like our

dishes Medium Hot (not thai-hot, which would scald

your lips off).

So tomorrow I have to get up and put on makeup. Dress like a grown up.

Attend meetings and answer email.

Well, I do like to get paid, so it will have to be done.

But maybe I'll pick up some of that Tom kha on the way home

to make the transition easier.

Hot clay for a wintery day...

Some of the finds I made while browsing Etsy's ceramics and pottery category....

Precious Garden Necklace (w/free shipping) by azulado

This artist makes some wonderful ceramic jewelry - colorful and so original!

Potters Angelfish Terracotta Wall Hanging Sculpture by JudyBFreeman

Judy's wonderful sense of whimsy and playfulness shine in her colorful

fish, butterflies and other work.

Made to Order Set of Two Orange and Turquoise Mugs by LynnCardwellPottery

I love the color combinations used in Lynn Cardwell's hand thrown pottery.

I love the juicy colors in these mugs.

Little Treasure by WisperOn  (It's a handmade bell!)

You really need to check out this shop. The artist

creates the most incredible and adorable ceramic bells, each one of a kind,

in the shape of

animal, gnomes, tiny houses, and more wonderful whimsy.