A new love...

I just had to share my discovery of the store Anthropologie. I have read about it on many American blogs, but we just got one in Edmonton in May in West Edmonton Mall, and I finally got around to visiting it on Friday. Just lovely.
Seriously, its the most visually appealing store I have ever been in. Its busy, but beautifully busy. Old reclaimed barn wood floors, weathered, worn and loved looking display stands everywhere, and the cash desks are actually different rustic tables all put side by side. Gorgeous rustic country-ness all over the place. Mmm, delicious.

If I could take pictures, I would, but from working in retail in the past, I know I would likely get tackled once my flash started going. But honestly, if you get a chance to visit one of their stores, I'd encourage you to do it. All sorts of fabulous little nooks and crannies, and treasures to be found in the most unsual places. It reminds me of a thrift store in some senses, maybe the randomness of the set up, but I find it somewhat intriguing. "What treasure will I unearth next?"

Now, well, the prices, that's a whole different story. I can't really promote buying a $98 t-shirt. Or a $500 lampstand. Or a $5000 kitchen table. Its a fabulous kitchen table mind you, and if I happened to have an extra $5000, I would likely buy it. But lets get serious...you know I was the lady in the back corner, in the sale section. That in itself is fairly humourous. It almost looks like an old back closet that they converted into a sale section. For "those people."

So in my "thriftyness" I picked out a few lovely things for my friend Sarah. When I walked into this store, it screamed "Sarah" to me. Well, not literally. But the thing I love about my dear Sarah is that we haven't seen each other in years (well, I actually really hate that part), but I think we still know each other so well, including our tastes. So I found a few little treasures for her way-too-belated Birthday gift (it was mid-August). I didn't want to just buy any old thing. For Sarah it just has to be "oh-so-Sarah," and I think I hit the nail on the head.

I can picture Sarah sipping tea on a cold Saskatchewan night out of this mug...

Check out the sweet flower under the handle. Love, love, love!

A most excellent napkin. I adore the pattern. I thought it would be sweet over a side table. Or under a centerpiece. Or on a serving tray. Oh my, the possibilities are endless...

The most delicious smelling bar of hand soap. And isn't the packaging sweet?

And I mean, do you really think I didn't get myself something? Come now. I had to get one little treasure for myself too. This most fantabulous serving bowl. For a whopping $7.95!

I love the detail in the pattern.

Now, when I finally did get around to the cash desk, I quickly came down from cloud nine. It seriously was a euphoric shopping experience. I could spend hours in that store. But then as I approached the most beautiful cash, Abbi started tormenting Gabe, he started screaming, she started screaming...oh right...back to reality! Now I was not only the lady shopping the sale section, but now the lady with two screaming, bagel-eating, unruly children.

Regardless, the cashier was gracious, and treated me like any other high class customer. She even oohed and aahed over my children, and asnswered Abbi's million questions...

"What are you doing?"
"What do you think?"
"What's this?"
"Why?"

I was even offered their customer loyalty card, and I took it. Heck yes! (Um, can I still be considered loyal if I only buy items on sale?)

Look at the lovely little baggy it came in. Tee hee!

I thought I'd just share a few pictures from their website of some more fabulousness. Pricey fabulousness of course!

I love this glass doorknob. The green is lovely. Reminds me of beach glass.

This awesome patchwork table cloth. So cute.

I'm completely in love with this oh-so-frilly shower curtain.

This cream-colored duvet cover is gorgeous with its tufting, and wooden buttons. I would look forward to bed every night. So dreamy....

And finally, these lettered hooks. We plan on turning our front closet into a mini-mudroom, and I've had my eyes on these hooks for quite sometime. At $13 each, its pricey, but definitely do-able. Although I was trying to come up with a cool word configuration with all of our names, and all that I can come up with is A R G H. Hmm, maybe not the message you want people to see when they enter your home!