My Current Color Crush

Have you ever gotten a color stuck in your head? I know if I have a T. Swift song in my head for days, the best way to shake it off is to just listen to it. Somehow listening to the song that's stuck in your head makes it un-stuck. It seems counter-intuitive, but it always works for me! With that logic, I figured the best way to get a color un-stuck from my head is making a blog post about it. I'll let you know if it works.

Anyway, for some reason I can't get this chartreuse shade outta my brain! I've been planning for a while to use different neutrals, blues and blush in the living room of my new loft, and in the back of my head, I keep thinking I'll add in a little chartreuse. Merry and I toured the loft a couple months before our lease began, and when we got to move-in day, I was pleasantly surprised our hanging kitchen lights are this exact color. (Which is probably why I've been thinking about it... because it was Inception'd into my brain.)

So, here's a little mood board inspired by Mrs. Meyer's and my current favorite summery shade:

Links: (1/2/3/4/5)

I love how this color can feel young and vibrant, but in small doses, it can also feel sophisticated and modern (lookin' at you, West Elm rug!) I've also had to talk myself out of buying that Target candle (number two) about four times by now. P.S. If you're local to Springfield, MO, you can get the Capri Blue candle (number three) at The Market — it's one of the pretty things pictured in "The Dos and Don'ts of Burning Candles."

Leaving you with this lamp (also from West Elm) because, well, just look at it!

Heart-eyes emoji for days! Any colors you've been loving lately?

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She Plants Things: Fall Flowers 101

Bring out the felt hats 'cause it's fall, folks! A new study just released says the trendiest place to wear a felt hat is at a local greenhouse — it has a 64 percent success rate of obtaining compliments from other plant-enthusiasts. (OK so that might not be true, but it probably is.) So, of course I had to throw on the floppy hat and take a trip to buy some new plants.

For some reason, I never cared about plants in college. Maybe they weren't allowed among the candles-on-candlewarmers that nested our cement-walled rooms. Or maybe my school's clocktower was so great that it consumed any extra space in my mind that could have been filled with flowers. Currently, I find them to be a pleasant addition to my living space. Anyway, who even knows what they like in college? I'm a grown-up now, and grown-ups like plants. (Right, mom?)

Over the course of the time I've lived in an apartment, I've had my fair share of succulents (see proof here, here, and head over to my Instagram to see my favorite birthday present from my sweet roomie). Succulents are great because they're pretty low-maintenance, and basically, once you figure out how to take care of one, you can apply the same method to a billion other types of succulents. Since fall is here (#PSL), I wanted to expand my knowledge to some other types of seasonal plants, so let the learning begin.

In my mind, if any one flower defines early-fall, it's a giant pot of mums. Interestingly enough, I learned from The Old Farmer's Almanac that you're actually supposed to plant them in the spring. Who knew?? For me, that's no big deal because I don't have a yard, so these babies aren't going to be planted anyway. For a small investment, though, they'll make my porch an even more enjoyable location for eating fancy cheeses and watching sunsets.

Other fun facts about mums: I haven't bought a pot for this one yet. Any ideas? I'm veering away from the standard terra-cotta for this one because I'd rather see the orange flowers "pop" more on a contrasting color.

Actual fun facts about mums:
- The correct term for these flowers is "Chrysanthemum," which is a 7th grade spelling word.
- They are originally found in Asia and northeastern Europe
- The first mums in America date back to 1884.

I also bought some kale, mostly because I thought it was pretty and wondered if you can eat it. (Honesty hour.) (It's the purpley-cabbage-looking one if you didn't know.)

So to answer the question I just Googled, ("can you eat ornamental kale"), I present the answer from gardening.about.com: "Ornamental cabbage and kale are in the same species, Brassica oleracea, as edible cabbages and kale. They are the result of hybridizing and, although they are still edible, they aren’t as tasty and tender as their cousins."

So, someone who writes for About.com thinks kale tastes good. Huh.

For the mums and kale both, I'll water them when the top 1 inch of soil starts to dry, unless I forget and accidentally kill them.

Let me know if you bought fall plants, have kept them alive, didn't buy fall plants because you think they're dumb and/or like eating kale! I'm going to go eat some pizza!

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She Sells Things

You must have thought I've forgotten about learning. Or that I fell off the face of the planet. Or worse, that I've been trapped on some remote island with no internet access. 

None of those things are true. But if you thought, "Hmm, Ana hasn't blogged in a while. I wonder if she's been busy opening a mini-boutique," you would have been right! Opening a shop has always appealed to me, and I can now officially say that 2015 was the year that I dipped my pinky-toe into the vast pool of business ownership. 

Turns out there are a lot of things to do to open a business--who woulda thought. But I am enjoying the new adventure! I'm carrying a lot of products from Rifle Paper Co. (insert heart-eyes emoji), some magnet boards, wall hangings, lamps, mugs, coasters, and a few other little knick-knacks.

I've already learned things (look at me go!) through this process, and I'm sure I'll continue to learn a ton more. It is helpful and humbling to have an individual like my mom (who has been a small biz. owner for over 20 years) to help me navigate the process for myself. 

So, where is it? I thought you'd never ask! There is a boutique in my hometown called The Market, which my mom has had space in for as long as I can remember. There are a few women who have space in the shop, and everybody has different things, ranging from home furnishings, gifts, clothes, baby clothes (the cutest), accessories, etc. etc. etc. It's pretty hard for me to remember that I'm there to sell things and not buy all the things. 

Now that I've gotten the shop up and running, I should be back to learning things more often. Thanks for sticking with me, guys!

So if you wanna, look up The Market's page on Facebook, and follow @themarketspringfield on Instagram. Also, if you have any products you'd love to see in the shop, send me a note at shelearnsthings(at)gmail(dot)com, and I'll see what I can do! 

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