I’ve always been a bit of a teacher’s pet and actually enjoy homework. I get a thrill submitting projects for review and anxiously await the feedback. I get especially excited when I’m proud of my work. My first flower homework assignment was no exception.

For our first assignment in Flower Arranging 101 we were shown how to create a hand-tied bouquet- characterized by its spiraled stem base that stands on it’s own, and a 360 design that looks good from every angle.

I really enjoyed the challenge of creating the spiral in the hand-tied bouquet and ended up redoing the project twice. It was important to me to get it right and I now feel like I could easily pick up a bunch of flowers and create a hundred of these standing beauties. This style of bouquet is popular for weddings, and for gifting because the receiver simply has to fill a vase and plop the flowers inside.

For my hand-tied bouquet I decided to choose flowers in warm autumnal hues with greenery that had a blueish tint to compliment them. I used golden mums, red protea (a tropical flower), a yellow and brown autumn berry mix, and eucalyptus leaves and berries for the filler. The results felt lush and organic, and I puffed my chest out in pride. - b.

I decided to give myself a little birthday gift this year- my very first flower arranging class! Though I thought my first class would be surrounded by old women in a church basement (or something) I'm happy to report that after a lot of research I landed on a much better option. I'm taking an online floral design course taught by the talented floral designer and prop stylist Chlesea Fuss.

The course is four weeks long and each week covers a different flower arranging technique. I've already worked my way through week one and I'm addicted. Sorry, but you can definitely count on my sharing every last homework assignment with you here. 

I've been dying for more floral education and it feels really good to be doing something like this for myself. -b.

I know I'm not the only person out there who's undeniably, head-over-heels in love with every striped tee they see- right? It's an obsession. The problem is deciding between the seemingly endless options. Big stripes, small stripes, blue stripes, white stripes. You get the point. That's why I've begun the quest to find the perfect striped tee (for me).

Part of fine tuning my wardrobe is identifying and investing the those staples I can't live without. I've decided that having at least 4 striped tops is an absolute necessity for me. No two should be exactly alike but they should each fulfill a need in "dream" closet. My current assortment includes: a beloved 3/4 sleeve, navy and white striped top I found at a thrift store, a weekend-friendly long-sleeve, white and navy option from JCrew, and a bohemian peplum-style, red and white striped top from Free People. Which leaves me with one final opening to fill. 

Zara | JCrew | Cos | Uniqlo | Calder

As you can see I'm a bit all over the place with my selections. How can I choose between black or navy, thick or thin stripes, long sleeve or short sleeve? It really comes down to need.

Right now all of the striped tops I own are long sleeve, and though I wear these tops mostly fall-spring I'm starting to feel the need for a short sleeve option which will be easier to layer in the cooler months or throw on during the hotter months. Also, two of the three striped tops I own right now have navy stripes, so I'm thinking a black and white option could be a good call for my final addition.

So that leaves me with a hunt for a short-sleeved, black and white striped top made of cozy fabric and quality enough to sustain hundreds of wears. Any suggestions. Talk about first world problems. - b.