Friday, October 19, 2012

Haphazard Arrangement



In the early 1990's I worked for a very high end design shop, in the capacity of Go Girl.....Go get me this...Go get me that.....Go make coffee for the wealthy ladies, as they shopped and liaised with their designers in their quest to make their grand homes even more beautiful. (although someone once said that "People with taste need money and people with money need taste" I thoroughly enjoyed it, learning the ropes of the design trade from an extremely talented, though sometimes difficult, owner. She used to tell clients she went to the New York School of Design, which delighted the client, but really meant she learned what she knew on the street, working the flea markets, working retail, browsing windows and watching carefully how the big designers operated.

One of the tasks I was assigned, presumably because I showed a bit of an aptitude for it, was flower arranging. Remember this was the 90's. Silk flowers were fashionable, and the Lakeshore Ladies used to bring huge silver tureens and antique blue willow vases, into the shop for me to fill with hundreds of dollars worth of silk flowers. The bigger and the more variety the better, these arrangements went home with the ladies to adorn their enormous dining tables and buffets and to delight guests on their front hall tables. 

It was kinda fun, but no floral piece I ever made, was EVER a reflection of my taste, nor would it fit in my suburban cottage of a house. If I had to pick between a massive, expensive arrangement or a $4.99 bunch of carnations, my heart would have to be with the lowly carnation.

Today's bunch were a treat for myself as I did a quick lunch time shop for Kitty treats and a chewy for Frenchie.....I spied them at the cash desk and popped them in my cart. They cheered my up after a morning of watching a drapery rod collapse under the weight of some very pricey drapes at a client's home.....luckily my installer is experienced. He politely ignored my obviously wrong choice in brackets and rods and suggested we cancel the install. He helped fold the new drapes and put them away and he re-installed the old drapes until I can sort out the hardware issue. I get very stressed when things mess up in a client home. It is easily solvable with a better rod and bracket, but in the meantime I have to tell my customer something's not right...and then I go away and over think my incompetence vs. the shoddy nature of the hardware fittings. But, I do have to eat the cost of the shoddy rod system, and the cost of having the installer come back again. So...I've lost about $350.00 today...

Tired and cranky, I tossed Frenchie his chewy, and popped the carnations into 2 little cream jugs that came as a gift from someone special in England many years ago, and placed them on the mantle to engage with the vibrant sunflower abstract painting.

Frenchie paraded around with his chewy, not sure whether to eat it or bury it, full of excitement and tail wags, moving this way and then, worried the cat would take it, or me, but finally settled on the rug beside me, glancing at me with delight but slobbering away on the bone......and suddenly, my grumpiness lifted, and I'm gearing up for dinner out with friends tonight, and a Sunday country drive for lunch out with my Sweet Mama.

16 comments:

  1. Watch I don't find out where you live and "sneak" those lovely pitchers from your mantle. *Sigh* I was thinking just today about feeling upset in the past & just recently this week. Trying to convince myself, "this too will pass". Chin up, and yes our pets have a way of placing a *smile* back on our faces, do they not? xx

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  2. you girl, can always find the rainbow..or the sunflower. :D

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  3. A simple, beautiful little bunch of carnations and a pair of soulful eyes can do wonders when things go a bit pear shaped.

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  4. The flowers are darling. Shelley literally tears up every chew toy we give him. He beheads them. Thanks for the Costco tip-I do not look at spices there usually.

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  5. I love both your charming arrangements and that fabulous painting.

    And if anybody was half as expectant of us as we are of ourselves, we'd tell them to get stuffed.

    Glad being home with the critters eased your mind.

    xo Jane

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  6. Bummer about the drapes, but I bet you find perfect hardware. I love the carnations. They look so happy. Hope your evening is perfect.

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  7. Ahhh~ I remember how impossible it was to stay grumpy when Pup was around. He would either do something silly and make me laugh or he would snuggle and make all bad feelings go away.
    Something I miss every day. Kisses to Frenchie **

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  8. I enjoyed reading this (sorry ahout the $350 though), especially when I got to the part where Frenchie was obviously enjoying himself immensely. The flowers are so pretty by the way :)

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  9. You are a delight . . . with such an ease that is infectios, (in a very pleasant way). Out 350 and perking life up with a chew stick and some carnations . . . you make it easy!

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  10. Things go awry sometimes with everyone - it's not just you! I was helping Peter with a reno job - 1.5 million dollar house. People were moving in within a few days and I was doing all the painting. The Hunter Douglas blinds were already in the house from the former owners. I had covered everything but somehow missed one set of blinds. And wouldn't you know that a small drop of paint landed on those damn blinds? I was mortified, sick and was picturing my whole week's pay going to get new blinds. Luckily it was on the valance piece, apparently very easily replaced without too much expense. Whewwww!
    Just so you don't feel alone about stuff happening. :-)

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  11. what a delightful story chania. i love your ex boss's school she attended.:)

    and i also love the way a simple bunch of flowers were able to calm you down and put the day in perspective.

    xo

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  12. I love simple flower arrangements - they make me smile much more than anything big and elaborate. In the late 90s, I managed a high end design shop that catered to the same type of clientelle. The owner and her lawyer husband would fly me to gift shows in their private plane. But like you said, people with taste need money and people with money need taste - so true!
    Bummer about the drapes. I guess not everything goes smoothly all the time. At least Frenchie was there to provide a bit of comfort and a smile. :)

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  13. Those carnations have the prettiest shade of pink, and they are just perfection in those little pitchers. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who likes carnations. Great painting too!

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  14. Hello Chania,
    Simply beautiful - beautifully simple... Love the way the light falls on the flowers in the first picture. Hope you had a special time with your mother today. Great post - so true! (sorry about the money bit:-()
    Ivan

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  15. Sometimes the brightness of fresh flowers is al it takes to turn a day around. Hang in there. Thank goodness your installer was patient and able to assist further, despite the added expense. The world may be an imperfect place, but a pitcher of pink carnations is beyond perfection.

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I love to read each and every comment and are thrilled that you take the time to send one. Thank you so much. Chania