Today I Played Hookie....

Photo taken today on my phone in the art department at Olivia's university.

Today was special for me...

For one thing, I did not go into work today (shame on me!) and instead I took off early this morning with my BFF, aka my daughter and we "got outta town" for a while to play.

First stop, ANTHROPOLOGIE, where we took all the time in the world looking at every nook and cranny and every detail and every item...

Is there any other way to do a trip to Anthro?

And she even filled out an application

to work there during their busy Fall/Winter shopping season.

Selfishly, I'm hoping for the best!

Can you say "FAMILY DISCOUNT!"

Seriously though, I hope she gets the chance to work there for a bit --

it's close to the university and she would be a natural there.

I wanted to pin a note to her shirt as filled out the application, then spoke to one of the managers...

a note listing all the reasons they should hire her that would have gone something like this:

Dear Anthropologie Manager,

here are the top 5 reasons to hire my daughter:

1.) She already owns most of what you sell in the way of clothing, so she would be great at advising customers on how to put an outfit together.

2.) She's already familiar with so many of the homes lines since she's worked with my store so long and we carry many of the same lines.

3.) She is an art major at the local university and display and creative art is her thing!

4.) You could skip the expense of payroll and just let her trade off hours-for-merchandise.

5.) Her wonderful, adorable, sweet, (and modest) mother promises to make the sacrifice to shop in your store weekly (daily if need be) to make sure that I do my part to keep Anthro's books in the black. It will be a chore, but I'm willing to do my part.

Here's hoping! Fingers crossed!

After Anthro we went right next door to Restoration Hardware.

Ladies... oh my...

I'm still swooning over what I saw today in the store...

If the catalog pages have you in a dream,

oh you can't believe seeing it all in person.

And the sales staff are quick to advise you to not miss out on this opportunity to buy these fabulous new pieces "while you can"! They explained that

"these pieces are all made from 100 year old reclaimed wood and our supply isn't endless; we won't be able to produce these pieces forever, you know!"

I kid you not ... now THAT is some sales pitch! How can you NOT buy when they put it like that? I mean time is of the essence, people! Get 'em while you can! :)

SPOILER BELOW!

The Beautiful Life is going to be carrying the reclaimed wood 3-tier piece you see below -- the same on that our beloved Restoration hardware sells!

SCORE!

Restoration Hardware images courtesy of Restoration Hardware.com

It left me asking myself

"Is it really wrong for me to want to sell the contents of my home and start over with Restoration Hardware?"

The answer came back swiftly:

"THOU SHALT NOT COVET!"

The afternoon was capped off by us then going to university where Olivia getting her degree in art. She's working on this amazing painting and she had a little left to finish up on it before next week. She invited me to tag along with her into the studio space at the school and I was sure in for a treat....

The moment the door closed behind me, the outside world fell away and I was transported to "artist's heaven" -- a huge, cavernous "warehouse" type space in an old building where paint spills are the marks of creative genius in action.

Photos taken on my phone while Olivia finished her painting...

Splatters,

spills,

and drips

of every color imaginable

were all over the floors, tables, and chairs.

A testament to all that has been created in that building

over many, many years.

It was sheer dream-like heaven for me.

Works of art-in-the-making were everywhere... just left hanging and propped up by the students until they come back in to work on them again.

There was almost an uneasy feeling about moving among all that unfinished, raw artistic genius -- as if I were peering behind a curtain at something that was so intimate, so private....

as the creative process can be at times.

It was all wonderful, and magical and fabulous at once.

I wished for a time that I could be one of them.

Having so much freedom to go just do nothing but be creative -- for that to be my "work", and have the place where I go to do my "homework" look like this:

I have been thinking a lot lately of my "past life" as a more artistic person -- I had art classes in school, I have my old big sketch book with all my old drawings, etc. I used to make things myself that I sold, I used to paint glassware (think MacKenzie-Childs style), but I seem to do none of that lately.

I want to.

But when?

So for now, my creative outlet is my store.

I express myself through what I buy for the store and truly, that is as much fun --

it is a different kind of "art",

a different kind of "being creative",

but it is an extension of me, none the less.

Today has left me full in my heart,

satisfied in my soul,

and happy for the venture I see my daughter on.

She is taking her talent on to levels I did not.

Good for her.

Have a great rest-of-the weekend, sweet blog friends!

~Ruth~