I’m not sure what started this but suddenly today I am finding myself obsessed with vintage floral sheets. Perhaps it’s the onset of spring (and then the snow, hail, and freezing temps we’ve been having this week again…thanks Pittsburgh!), or the cleaning of the house, or the end of another school semester, or the fact that when I showed people the video project I did around my house they said it looked “like a grandma’s house” and I said “thank you”…whatever it is, I’m in love. We’ll be in the suburbs for a bit tomorrow morning…I think we’ll have to hit up our favorite thrift store to see if we find any for ourselves! For now, here’s a pinboard of eye candy.

Vintage Sheets, by Kelsey Lynn on Pinterest

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I mentioned a little while ago that I ordered some perfume samples from Flourish Bath & Body on Etsy. This was my first Etsy purchase and I am pretty excited about it. I’ve waited a little while to write the review because I wanted to give myself time to wear the perfumes and get past my initial reactions (which were OMG THESE SMELL SO GOOD I’M SO EXCITED YAY PERFUME!!).

P.S. — I deleted the pictures I took for this post so there won’t be any pictures here. Durrr.

First, there is Black Tea & Mint. In the bottle, it smells very strongly of peppermint. Exactly like a cup of mint tea. On my skin, it smells very weak overall, but the mint still overpowers the tea smell. This one also only lasted about 15 minutes. Your mileage may vary, because perfumes react wildly different from one person to the next and it’s all based on body chemistry. This one didn’t work out for me, though. Disappointing! The search for the perfect minty perfume continues

Next, there is Ginger Tea. This was not what I expected at all, but I really liked it. In the bottle it was warm and sweet and spicy, like what I would imagine autumn would smell like if it was bottled up. On my skin, it mellowed out and the sharpness of the spice went away, but it was still definitely there. Delicious. It lasted a while on my skin but not as long as I would have liked (maybe four hours tops, and I like perfumes to last a little longer than that). But still, overall I really liked this one and continue to wear it.

Last but not least we have Woodsmoke & Vanilla. Oh man. What to say about this one? It smells like winter in a bottle. In the best way possible. In the bottle, it smells like a bonfire with sugar cane thrown in. If that ever happened. On my skin, it smells exactly the same, but more mellow. The smoke smell isn’t as biting. The vanilla isn’t too cloying. It’s not a food-y vanilla at all; it’s more just a subtly sweet background to make the smoke less bitter. And this stuff lasts all day on me. It gets less strong as the day goes on, sure, but the smell is still distinctly there at the end of the day. This is a definite keeper.

Overall I’m pretty happy with these purchases, and I’m probably going to pick up a few more samples with my next paycheck. Not sure which ones I’ll get next, but I’ll keep you posted when I order.

When I saw this shop that Lindsey over at Lost & Fawned posted, I knew I immediately had to check it out. I have been searching for the perfect perfume for a while now, and it is so frustrating. I’m very picky with my scents, and often traditional spray perfumes don’t do it for me. I’ve been using perfume oils for a while now, but nothing has quite hit the spot. I’ve tried Auric Blends, Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs, and some brand that Whole Foods carries, all to no avail. I’ve been looking for a wintry scent: something warm, sweet, smoky, and a little minty. I’ve come to love mint smells on people because Jason is always chewing Trident gum and so there’s the vaguest cloud of mint scent around him much of the time, and I love it. But you would not believe how hard it is to find a perfume oil that incorporates a note of mint. I don’t want to wear just mint oil; I’ve been looking for more of a “mint tobacco” scent, if that makes sense. I also love the smell of my morning cuppa; since I have been avoiding coffee, I’ve been drinking a mug of strong lapsang souchong with milk and honey every morning, and I love the scent. But it’s also been impossible to find a tea-scented perfume. (Seriously, perfume manufacturers, what gives? Why all the flowers and powder and lace and frills all the time? Try something different, for once.)

Flourish Bath & Body has the most “me”-sounding perfume oil scents that I’ve seen, most notably Black Tea & Mint. I just ordered a three-pack sample of perfumes, and I got that, Ginger Tea, and Woodsmoke & Vanilla. I am impossibly excited for this package to get here. Like, I can’t even describe. I don’t know what it is about having a “signature scent” but I like the idea of having one. I wore Puma Flowing perfume religiously last year, but either my body chemistry has changed or the little amount I have left has gone off, because I just don’t like it on me anymore. Just as well, because they no longer manufacture it.

This shop also makes lip tints that I’m super excited to try, but as this was my first time ever ordering from Etsy, I wanted to keep it simple with just one order, lest I mess it up (which, umm, I still sorta did. I’m a grandma when it comes to e-shopping, seriously). Next time I’m going to try some of those, though, because I hate everything about lipstick and lipgloss, but I still want some color. And again, you would not believe how hard it is to find simple tinted lip balms that don’t look like cheap little girl makeup. I’m so glad I know about this shop now, she seems to be solving my two great beauty product frustrations. I just hope the perfumes are as good as they sound!

Images via Flourish Bath & Body.

I stumbled upon this yesterday and I am all kinds of obsessed with this shop. Lu’s Boutique makes 14k gold necklaces out of real leaves and petals (and even an acorn!). Here’s how she does it:

“Each leaf is handpicked and soaked in a solution that dissolves the meaty parts of the leaf, leaving only the veins and edges. Afterwards, the leaf is coated with a copper-based paint (in order to conduct electricity) and dipped in 24k gold, silver, or copper. With the right voltage, the metal binds to the leaf – creating a beautiful piece of handmade jewelry!”

I am just…gah! Obsessed! I can’t even describe! Look at all the detail in those leaves! I want one of everything! These are SO perfect for fall. There’s some other really beautiful jewelry in her shop too…

(Click images to go to shop pages)

My favorites include the calla lillies, the acorn, the graduated pearls, and the wishbone. What’s your favorite?

(All images via Lu’s Boutique.)