#clay pot candle gift online

[angelisverba]

thinkin’ bout you

in which harry owns a flower shop and has a major crush on a girl who comes in to buy flowers every once in a while (and he’s too shy to ask for her number) 

word count: 17.3k

paring: florist!h and y/n

warnings: just some pinning and lustful yearning. m for mature...

author’s note: i’ve been working on this forever. not to pick fav’s but i think florist!h comes second to sl23... hes just so.......well, you’ll see!!

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When Harry was given the option to go on a playdate with his car-loving and dirty-nailed schoolmates or spending the weekend at his nan’s house, he would often pick the latter. 

He preferred to spend his afternoons frolicking with her Siamese kitty in her wild-flower filled garden, sunbathing in the open grass, or napping on a quilted blanket under the large, round oak tree, with the kitty nestled into his tummy, keeping him warm. When he woke in the arms of his nan as she carried him inside the house for a glass of cool lemonade, he bore a band of pink sunburn over his button nose, and the blue and white striped Mickey shirt was sticking to the areas where his furry friend had provided an extra heat. 

So, it was safe to say that from the start, Harry’s tastes weren’t what could be considered ‘average’ or ‘normal’ or ‘straight’ for a heterosexual male of his age in current society. 

Not that he ever valued those opinions, but their impressions rang in the back of his loving head when the women who he brought to the comfort of his home made hurtful ‘joking’ comments on how ‘peculiar’  his choice of decor was or giving him prolonged strange looks before shaking their heads and yanking their clothes off so that they landed in a forgotten heap in some unimportant corner of his room. 

Granted, he still got a good shag, but it wasn’t enough to fulfill his desires regarding any actions associated with relationships. He wanted someone warm and soft and kind. Someone who wouldn’t judge his home, his music choices, his clothing, or anything else about him. A girlfriend, not a fuck. 

Long ago, he’d stopped caring about what others said about him. Adopting this mindset had given him some of the happiest and healthiest moments of his life (albeit occasionally, doubts merged with the ghastly shadows of his loneliness). Business at his flower shop increased as his charm increased with positivity, and a new life within him bloomed like a baby rose bud when he accepted that being single was okay. The ribbons of his bouquets bouncing with an added umf and the mist that landed on his skin when he changed the water in the flower buckets only enhanced the golden hue of his skin. 

Harry even took to renovating his home a bit. 

 Coincidentally, his apartment was located on the floor above his flower stop, and contained a significant amount of singular flowers in vases or bouquets in empty corners to prove it. An array of pastel colors smeared on the once blank walls. Bambi pink in his bedroom, sage green in his kitchen, and a French blue in his living room. The couch was a suede papaya three-seater with black and white checkered pillows, and the coffee table was an emerald-tiled piece standing on top of a geometric lavender carpet, a soft contrast against the dark oak of his floorboards. Harry’s taste in pop-culture, art, and literature was displayed on the frames hanging off his walls. Pictures and posters of his favorite pieces like Matisse’s Blue Nudes and Goldfish and The Dance II. An enhanced, enlarged photo of maraschino cherries and a raven haired pin-up girl. Another glass table by the end of the couch held a silver candlestick and a small statue.

Sometimes, the miniature Greek statue he bought at a thrift store of a man with his nakedness pure and unobscured to the viewers' eyes made his dick bloat against the seams of his pants. If he stared at it for too long, his eyes drawn to the softened cock between thighs that looked so flesh-like even though it was carved out of some clay or ceramic material, his mind would travel to sensual, honey-red places that he hadn’t been in so long. Harry’s imagination explored- as cheesy as it sounds- the sexual aspects of the male genitalia, and therefore his own sexual expeditions and how much he missed giving or receiving a good fuck. More often than not, he ended up with himself in his fist, forehead sparkling with perspiration under the candle lights in his room as his thighs and abdomen clenched with every buck of his yearning hips. 

The doorknob of his room was in the shape of an eye, the iris colored a brilliant blue. His king bed- no, frame, just a minimalist white base, pushed up against the wall with two tables on either side, both of them loaded articulately with vintage trinkets and ceramic ring trays shaped like seashells to hold his jewelry. His bedsheets were a stylish combination of pastel colors; lilac comforter, mint and sky pillows. Previously, they had been snow white sheets with strawberry print, but a woman he brought over said they looked like the sheets her five-year-old niece had. 

He changed them the week after that.

On the windowsill, a pot in the shape of a white, blue-eyed kitty with vines of string of hearts kissing the floor. A mirror in the shape of a heart with a pink trim besides the lightswitch, above his brown dresser. In the corner, a bookshelf stuffed with books that spilled over the seams, and perpendicular to it, the home of his pet chameleon, Owen (he wanted a cat, but when he went to the pet store and saw the dehydrated creature, he couldn’t leave him there). A 16 x 16 x 30 inch tank filled with a branch that cut across halfway. It was full of all the things he might need, maybe even too much of it, but it didn’t matter because when Harry was home Owen spent most of his time hanging off the collars of his shirts or snuggled in the ruffles of his hooded sweatshirt on his shoulder. The small, color changing friend adored his owner, and only morphed into a mild red color when Harry didn’t feed him more mango. 

The renovations occurred in his bathroom; a cherry-red covering the walls because it looked boring before (at least in his opinion).  The gold piping of the sink accentuated nicely with the darker color, and the sun seemed brighter when it streamed in through the window above his ceramic claw-footed tub. Owen particularly liked the misty showerhead stall in the corner, and as long as he kept his eyes to himself, Harry didn’t mind it if his green friend wrapped around the showerhead and enjoyed the mimicked tropical atmosphere. 

For awhile now, it had been just him and his chameleon (and maybe his mum’s cat if she was going out of town and needed a sitter) but he didn’t mind it. 

He got to meet new people everyday within the parameters of H’s Garden, and they all tended to overshare when it came to buying a bouquet. ‘My wife just had our son, want to see a picture?’ or ‘my boyfriend and I have our anniversary on Saturday’ and even ‘my sister had plastic surgery so me and my dad need something that says ‘congrats you look like Kim Kardashain now’ how ‘bout it?’ 

Stories ranged from sweet, to grotesque, to sad, to funny, and sometimes even evil- Harry didn’t like customers that gave flowers as a ‘fuck you’. He thought it was a waste of beauty and sacrifice. Flowers were living things that had their lives cut short in order to provide momentary satisfaction and life long memories to the receiver, not bitter feelings of revenge. Although it was still business, it pained him that such a pretty arrangement be misused. It was one of the cons of his work. He created what he considered to be masterpieces, and had no control over where they would end up, whether it be as a centerpiece for a candlelit dinner, or in the trash after the apology for a strong argument hadn’t been enough. 

However, Harry couldn’t deny that he didn’t love his job, because he did. 

When he turned 16, he’d determined that he wanted a peaceful life with a job that wouldn’t bore him. He wanted to be as stress free as possible, with his spirituality as a prominent highlight in his lifestyle. When he turned 18, he had determined that he wanted to be a florist, and began to save up to open his own shop with the occasional help of his friends and sister. He refused to take anything from his mother because he wanted to be the one giving her gifts and money and everything good after all of her sacrifices in raising him. Call him a momma’s boy. Harry loved his mother. 

Online seminars and college classes became his best friend, teaching him everything he needed to know about accounting, stocks, and how to keep his business going. He was a businessman first, florist second. During the slow seasons (the start of winter and an awkward half-week between summer and spring) he relied on his investments to triple-ensure that he had enough money to stay afloat. 

On his 22nd birthday, as a gift to himself, he signed the lease to the building that housed all of the pretty plants in temporary buckets full of flower food and water, and hired a graphic designer to design the cursive, golden letters that spelled out the name of his shop above the front door. 

 Now, three years later, he lived as happy as can be. 

And he wasn’t lonely anymore. 

Well, if you wanted to be technical, his relationship status was still a checkmark over the box labeled ‘single’, but his heart couldn’t be fluttering any harder at the sight of one of his regular customers, and she was there, creeping around in his brain to keep him company. 

She was the complete opposite of every girl he’d ever been with. She was sweet, kind, funny, and didn’t judge him for the way he dressed, or his profession. In fact, they bonded over things that previous women had… slyly berated him for. The color of his nails, the lace of his collar, the pattern of his flared pants,  and even the sheep on his baby blue sweater vest.  

She stole his heart the moment she walked through his door with a soft smile on her face, a sparkling gleam in her warm eyes, and placed it in her pocket the moment she said, “it smells lovely in here!”

Harry, awestruck and blushing because well, she was pretty and wore a shade of purple that somehow made her hair look so soft. Two strands of hair were pinned at the back of her head, essentially keeping the rest of it away from her face save for the few baby wisps that rested gently against her cheeks like a lover’s caress. The stuttering, stumbling cupid’s-bow-struck fool replied with, “thank you. It would be my pleasure to help you with anything you’d like,” and that had been his name, signed on the dotted line of a soul contract. Only she was not the devil. She was an angel. 

But even then, it wouldn’t matter. If she was the devil, if she was an angel, something in between or something new entirely he wouldn’t care because he was half gone for her already. 

“In that case,” she smiled, and Harry’s heart sang a melody it never had before. It was like the sun beamed from the spaces between her teeth and tickled the fuzzy spot beneath his earlobe. She had the most amazing voice, tranquil and clear and ethereal. “I just moved into a new apartment and wanted the place to feel like home. I thought maybe flowers would give it a little life.” 

He vividly remembers that the color of her cheeks changed to that of what is called a ‘blush’, but he didn’t know if it was a trick under the light, or a product of his wistful imagination. Her fingers gently skimmed the petals of a rose from it’s bucket near her hip, and one of the straps of the tote bag on her shoulder disrespectfully dropped away from her shoulder. He wanted to simultaneously rush over and fix it for her, and yell at the inanimate object for not being grateful of the fact that it had the opportunity to cling to her shoulder.

But, before either of these inner-conflicts met a sound resolve, her delicate fingers righted what was once wrong, and Harry cleared his throat, embarrassed because he’d stared for a little too long. He wanted so badly to ask for her name and how she liked her eggs in the morning, but instead he said, “there’s nothing like a bit of something pretty to brighten your day. Did you have something specific in mind?”

He hoped that the meaning of his words wasn’t caught on her, or that would be totally embarrassing and ‘loser’-like. 

When she walked out the door with a content smile on her lips, his own heart was beating faster than the flapping of a hummingbird’s tender wings. He was sure that he had never laid eyes on a pair of lips like hers, neither the feeling that blossomed in his chest at the thought that she might be smiling just for him to see and enjoy. 

Of course, it was a silly crush. One that clawed and gripped onto his sweaty palms with no sign of letting go. Maybe, Harry thought, it was because he hadn’t wet his wick in so long, and the interaction he’d had with her had sparked irrational, poem-inspiring feelings within the love cavern of his ribs. Because how could he fall head over heels with someone he didn’t even know? Surely, the swarm of hormone-pumped butterflies in his stomach was the beginning of a dead-end infatuation. 

Right? 

Harry went that entire day, appalled at the apparent angel he had the fortune of being in the presence of in her short fall from the tender heavens. He wondered where she placed the flowers she bought (an arrangement he was particularly proud of, full of lilac, delicate stems of lavender, and puffs of baby’s breath wrapped with a white bow) and where that tiny extension of him was. At the entrance of her home, right below the place she rested her hand against as she tugged her shoes off? At the center of her table? Maybe besides her bed? Where she would see the purple petals and white of him as he wrapped it every time she woke up or went to bed? He hoped- as much as it was a romantic thought- that it wasn’t the last one. He’s been so awkward, so pink. A blush on his cheeks he hadn’t remembered being there since the time he yelped, startled, at the unexpected pain of a tattoo needle, the artist pointedly peeved. Acting like such a boy. 

Right before crawling up the steps of his apartment, heart still bleeding with love-blood from the deadly tip of Cupid’s arrows, he made himself a mini version of the bouquet he’d made her, and placed it at the center of his tiled coffee table. 

*********

A few days trickled by, and the memory of her face drifted in and out of his mind like a giant sway of fabric slowly billowing in the wind. He was just so… struck by a slab of awe, stunned by her kind of beauty. Natural, the kind that hooks you in it’s purity, like the golden beams streaming in through transparent curtains on a warm spring afternoon. 

Her strawberry lips curved elegantly under her nose, and displayed a smile that leaked some sort of heady drug into the air because the air was sweet when he breathed it in. And when he handed the bundle of flowers over to her, the pads of her delicate fingers skimmed the rough ridges of his knuckles. He wondered immediately what kind of moisturizer she used, and if it smelled like honey or lavender or peaches. She smelled sweet. Sweeter than all of the flowers in his colorful soul shop put together. The colors that belong to her, on her person and worn by her, were more captivating than any of the tones that painted the petals on his plants. 

Owen got a kick out of this whole ordeal, though. Harry’s passionate mood had him divulging in munching and nibbling on things that tasted the way he felt; ambrosial, fresh and pure. It resulted in the purchasing of endless amounts of fruit, with many bites given to the tiny chameleon. Mangoes, strawberries, oranges, grapes, pears (Asian pears, if the store carried them, they were Harry’s favorite), peaches and guavas. The sudden craving for fruit might be explained as just a casual craving, but deep deep down inside, Harry knew that it was because he wanted to replicate the feeling that coursed through his golden veins when she giggled at something she happened to find funny. 

He wished that he had caught her name. The girl had paid in cash (and left a five dollar tip Harry fawned over), so he couldn’t have read it on her card, and he was halfway between charming and awkward that he didn’t even think of asking for it until the minute the door closed behind her, bells tinkling in announcement of her exit. He wished for a hundred different things, but he was not the type to live in regret. Not anymore. So after about a week of floundering in her memory, he meditated for an hour, tropical incense on one of his bedside tables, and cleared his mind as best he could. 

The next morning, he did the same thing. Woke up with heavy limbs, plopped himself down on his blue mat and stretched in various positions, his white boxers hanging low on his hips. His lips and eyes were sticky with sleep, and the back of his nose ached with cold air that he must’ve breathed in throughout the night after forgetting to close the window (again) but the pleasurable twinge of stretching aches between his joints were the perfect way to start his day. They urged his mind to transform into the still surface of water, clear and collected from any unproductive-pinning thoughts towards a girl he would most likely never see again. 

Even his clothes reflected his refreshed mindset.

Harry donned his favorite pair of flared  trousers in an earthy brown color, nestled snugly on his slender hips and around his thighs. The tight fit accentuated the way his back tapered into his waist, glutes shapely and sculpted. A maroon sweater vest that had a teddy bear embroidered on the middle of his chest, the small latte-toned stuffed animal seemingly childish, but on him it only directed attention to the spotlight daze of the velvety heart sheltered underneath his breathless plate. Underneath, a mustard long-sleeve shirt with tiny cherries printed on them. Some straight, some tilted or lopsided. His shoulders and biceps were hidden in the floofy bunches of cloth, anonymity given to the true thickness of his ink slathered skin. 

He looked like a corduroy dream. A thick milkshake of patterns and colors, but he managed to pull it off.

A tiny gold hoop on his right ear gleamed under the morning sun coming in through the windows and a pearl necklace rested against the downy skin of his throat. Slender fingered tipped with a coat of pure white, with his ring fingers accented in a shimmery pink. Chunky rings adorning the base of his digits; a silver rose, a band of dancing teddy bears (a running theme with him), two gold rings with his initials H and S on one hand, and a simple ruby stud from his graduating class. 

He looked good, he knew that he looked good, and was ready to begin a bright, healthy, non-pretty-girl-thought-polluted day. Even the old woman had pinched his cheek whom he had been assisting- a regular-had said he looked like a proper ‘nice boy’ along with ‘when are you going to her a lovely girl to help you run this place, Harry?’. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he had momentarily sworn off women until his broken sentiments healed, and they had a long way to go. 

In the middle of wrapping a smashing set of tulips and fern stems with a cherry red bow, the bells adorning the top of the door frame dinges, announcing the entrance of another pleasant customer and giving passage to a gust of chilly air. Harry looked up to greet the customer with his usual pleasantries of ‘welcome! I’ll be with you in a moment!’, but the words died on his throat in a desperate hussle, just as the little mermaid had given up her voice to meet her gallant prince.  

It was his own personal little slice of heaven presented to him on the black and white checkered floors of his shop. Hair loose against her shoulders again, eyes cast downwards to inspect a bucket of fresh daisies that tickled the space above her bare knees. How she could wear a skirt in this biting weather, he didn’t know, and it partially prevented him from continuing his pursuit of admiring her because the first thought his caring mind jumped too was, ‘is she cold? And if so, does she need a sweater? Because I will gladly give her one.’ His second thought, however, was ‘how could someone be that beautiful?’. The third was something along the lines of ‘all my yoga has gone to shit, and I’m okay with that’. 

He cleared his throat, tightened the bow around the stems of the flowers in his hands and said, “I’ll be with you in a moment, love!” His head bowed, looking at his work because he wasn’t sure he could afford the medicals for the paralysis that was sure to take over his meek self if they made eye contact so soon. Harry needed a moment of homeostasis, his soul adjusting to her dulcet presence. 

The woman he was assisting, Edna, spoke, drawing him out of his daze, but he had been so deeply in thought that he had not heard what she said. 

“What was that?” He asked her. He grabbed Kraft paper from the roll by the register to wrap up her arrangement. 

“The girl. You like her?” She was smiling at him, wagging a finger the way his nan used to do when she caught him with his hand in the cookie jar. “Don’t lie to me, I recognize that look. I’ve given and received that look many times throughout my life.” 

The woman was not wrong. With age, comes wisdom, Harry thought, smiling to himself at being caught. A dimple carves itself into his cheek, nestling onto the space above the corner of his mouth as if he had no choice in the matter. The apples of his cheeks were shadowed with a dusky pink, and the tip of his nose was twitching like a rabbit when it stood on its rear and sniffed the air, only he was coy after just being caught and wanted to avoid the question as much as possible. 

“I’ve got no idea what y’talking about,” he chuckled, keeping his voice low so that the intriguing stranger in the store didn’t hear that their topic of discussion was her. He moved over to the register to ring her up, and even slid in a discount he applied to customers he liked. 

“Next time I come in,” Edna said, passing Harry her debit card, “I hope to hear that you got her number, dear. Don’t let these opportunities pass you up. Life is short. And who knows? She could be the one.” Harry gave her the card back after charging her, and handed her the flowers, too. All the while Edna was grinning at him, shaking her head like she knew something he didn’t. 

“Take care, Edna. And don’t forget to change the water every 2 days with the flower packets I placed at the stems,” he reminded her, sweetly wiggling his red-lacquered nails at her retreating woman as butterflies awakened in his stomach in a furious flood of nerves. The girl was looking around, her hands hovering over the up-turned faces of a bundle of lively sunflowers, browsing and quietly humming to herself as she waited. 

There was no backing out of this, even if he wanted to. And he didn’t! He didn’t want to back out. The girl was a customer, and he would have to approach her no matter what. But she was so pretty it was also intimidating. He doesn’t remember ever being this nervous while approaching someone, especially one he harbored feelings for. His heart was pounding so loud, he was sure it was audible. 

“Hello,” he wanted so badly to add ‘love’ at the end of his greeting. “Are y’finding everything a’right?” He asked her, his hands wringing themselves, palms moist with sweat from his unyielding need to impress her. The pink tip of his tongue poked out to swipe across his full bottom lip, and soon after that his teeth sunk down into it, nibbling with uncertainty. Harry made sure that he was standing straight, body aligned to face hers because in that psychology course he took once, he learned that it was a subconscious tactic to engage interest and pleasant replies to attempts at wooing another. 

At the sound of his voice, the girl jumped, startled at the sudden vibrations of Harry’s husky voice. Her delicate feet, he noticed, skittered on the floor from her tiny jump, and her doe eyes widened, shouldered rising and falling at a quicker pace than before from the new rush of light fear. When she realizes that it’s just him her hand flattered over the base of her neck and her collarbone in attempts to soothe her racing heart. 

“M’s sorry,” he whispers, his hand clamping over his mouth, and then lowering to his chin when he speaks again, “didn’t mean to scare y’love.” This time he can’t restrict himself. It comes so naturally, like the endearment was meant for her, and when a flush covers the bridge of her nose his first instinct is to coo at her for looking so cute. The second is a surge of guilt for having scared her to such an extent. 

“It’s okay,” she says, a little out of breath. The blush on her face was partly because she was embarrassed at her own reaction, while the other was that she had let herself act so freely and uncoordinated in front of someone that looked like him. Handsome and sweet and eyes so green they refreshed you upon first glance. Like the cool burn of water going into a mouth that had just chewed a stick of minty gum. “I want to buy these flowers.” 

God help him. Her voice alone was enough to make him melt. The lilts and melodies of her voice swarming all four of the ventricles in his heart with warmth, and every blood cell that passed contained a glowing heat, buzzing with her energy. 

She points to the sunflowers, her gaze lingering on them with longing. A soft smile toying on her mouth, and Harry could see the tendons in her throat stretch as she inhaled to add another thought to her sentence, “Do you sell vases by any chance?” The girl looked at him shyly, her eyelashes almost twinkling as she blinked, and his heart soared, “I had a really nice one in the shape of a big Coca-Cola bottle, and I accidentally knocked it over, so now I have nothing to put them in.” 

Harry is incredibly enamoured by subconscious gestures that take over her hands as she speaks, fiddling as if the vase she spoke about was in her hands, all in one piece before it was broken. He’s quiet throughout her tiny ramble, listening and taking note of her enticing antics. She’s looking down at the floor or the flowers or her hands, and when her eyes dance over to his steady gaze, “I’m rambling aren’t I?” she murmurs bashfully. 

“No, no it’s a’right. I can look in the back for something if y’like?” He suggested, arrowing a thumb to the ‘back’ he mentioned. “Did y’want anything in particular?”  

“Oh, I don’t wanna be a troubling customer!” She squeaked, concerned with becoming a nuisance she didn’t want to be. 

“Y’not a bother, love. M’promise. I’ll go look f’you. What color did y’have in mind?” He asked her, tone calm and soothing to reiterate his sentiment. She was not a bother. The only thing about her that bothered him was the fact that he did not know her name, and even that was his own fault for not asking her. 

His hands rest on his hips, tattooed cross momentarily hidden by the bunch of his sweater vest  as he waits for her to respond, his eyes locked on her mouth, her own tongue subtly licks her lips, adding a sparkly sheen to it that only drove him crazy. Ever the jilted fool, his mind jumps to what it would feel like to kiss her, or what it would feel like if she kissed him in other places. What fruits she tasted like, and what kind of kisser she was. A timid one? With a patient mouth waiting to be broken open with the force of his own? Frugal? Opening her mouth and giving him everything she had to offer. 

“Something pink, please. If you have it.” That smile again. One that told a million apologies it didn’t owe, with her eyes pinching at the corners with whatever nonsense culpability she felt. Her voice was sweet, Harry thought, like wind chimes on a summer morning. 

Feeling guilty for allowing such dirty thoughts to gallop through his mind when she was so… so pure. Like an angel. Even her way of presenting herself was shy and sweet, yet he was thinking about kissing her. Was that perverted? She was a customer he had seen twice, and his mind was already running wild with luscious assumptions; a sunday topped with a red cherry of sensuality. How awfully dirty of him. 

But! But those were not the only thoughts he had. He wanted to ask her what happened to cause her to drop her vase, and where she had bought it. If it was vintage, considering it was a Coca-cola bottle, and if she had any accidents while cleaning up the mess of broken glass. He wanted to hear her thoughts. No, better yet, he just wanted to hear her talk. He wanted to get to know her. To know if she was as nice as she looked. 

“‘Course,” he mumbled, his eyes shamefully downcast to the floor. “Be righ’ back.”

Harry stalked off to ‘the back of the store’. Truth was, there was no back of the store containing vases. There was only a small closet with boxes of items he might need around the store, like flower food, rubber bands, and decorative paper for the bouquets. A crate of bottled water for when he got too lazy to climb up the back stairs and into his home. 

His home. 

Plucking the keys from his pocket, a ring that held a ceramic swan his closest friend Mitch had gifted him with a humble admission of ‘saw this at a thrift store and thought about you, H, I had to buy it’, and five keys: one to the front door of his shop, one to the cash box in the register, one to the mailbox, another to the front door of his apartment, and one to his car. The one to his front door was painted at the head with pastel pink nail polish, so it was easy for him to pick out when he was dead tired after a long day of being on his feet (spunky shoes that he liked to wear sometimes didn’t help ease the ache on his back, and neither did his posture). 

The back door that led to the stairs had locks on both the inside and the outside. A deadbolt and chain on matching sides of the door to ensure comfortable sleep at night, and peaceful work time during the day. Not having to worry about curious children opening doors or nosy customers relieved him. It was a little amatuer, but the door made a loud noise when opened because it wasn’t quite level, and he had a tiny key so he could lock it from the outside, too. 

A loud shucking noise resonated through the store as he pulled the door open, and then again when he closed it behind him. The delicacy of his dainty yet large hands were nearly comical around the tiny golden pin stud that hung from the chain, almost slipping from his hands with nerves as he slid it in place. Harry didn’t think that she was nosy or anything like that, bit if he was going up to give her a vase of his own personal collection, he didn’t want her to find out and feel even more intrusive that she already did. 

He was a huge giver, and upon hearing her say that she broke her flower pot, his mind was already thinking about the perfect one to replace it. It just so happened to be sitting on his shelf with a bundle of dying lavender. Climbing up the stairs (the ache in his thighs was a mere twinge compared to what it was when he first moved here), Harry huffed and thought to himself all the ways he could ask for her name and number. 

Listen, I really like y’and would like to have y’number?”

Do y’wanna have my number so we can go out sometime if y’feel like it?”

“Is it alright if I get y’number so we can go out sometime?”

“Hey, love. What’s y’name?”

Nothing’s making sense to him. The pick up lines he had stored in his head for the rare times he would flirt with a girl were slipping from him. None of them seemed worded right to use with her. Too abrupt or too brisk. Not sweet enough. He wanted to treat her gently and to be worthwhile of her time. Plus, it also had to be smooth enough that it made her forget she was paying him for flowers or it would be awkward. He was a twenty-six man for crying out loud, not a twenty-one year old smile at the bar looking for a good time. This wasn’t a ‘good time’. This was… a courting. An inquiry to a relationship. A rose rose in a candlelit room. 

Harry opened his front door and moved in a quick jog to a table besides his hi-fi that held a translucent pale pink glass, fat at the base before twirling and widening a few inches at the lip. An image of a nude mermaid puffing out at the front like an engraving. Cuddling it into his breast, he grabbed the lavender, speed walked back to his kitchen where his toe banged against the metal of the trashcan as he pressed on the lever to open it. He hissed fuck under his breath and shucked the dead lavender into the bag before turning back to his door, closing it behind him, but not locking it because he didn’t want to keep her waiting. His feet moved quickly down the stairs, the one hand not holding onto the vase cupping a hand over the side of his hips that held his keys so they didn’t make much noise. 

The button on the chain slipped from his fingers a few times from their repeated clamminess, and when he was ready to finally twist the knob, he paused to take a breath and collect himself. Harry ran a hand through his hair, fixed his collar, and dusted off his pants legs. He wanted to look perfect for her. 

“Don’t be stupid,” he murmured to himself. He had a good feeling about this. About her. And if he messed this up because he looked bad or said something weird he would kick himself into a muddy ditch. 

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and calmly walked back, “I’ve got the last one,” he said, tapping the tip of the vase with his pointer finger. It was a lie, right through his teeth, but he was happy to tell it in return for the way she was looking at him in that moment. His eyes rounded out as he approached her, like the curves of hearts that made up the heart-eye emoji, or the puppy-dog face. Just another physical display of his growing affinity towards her. 

“Oh my god!” She said,  “It's so pretty!” The trapped crystals in her irises twinkled with bewilderment at the treasure Harry’s presented her with.  She’s got a smile on her face, and he can’t help but think, ‘wow, she looks like a freshly bloomed white lily’. 

There’s a vintage print hanging in his corridor, a ‘flower language chart’ with different types of flowers and a sentence beneath them describing the messages they send. For example, red carnations= my heart aches for you. The description beneath white lilies reads ‘my love is pure’. 

She asked him if it wasn’t too pricey, and he made up some fake sale he had going on about a hybrid BOGO in which if she bought an arrangement she would get a vase included in her purchase (he added “I’ve got a shipment of new ones coming in an I need the space cleared out before they get here” just to make sure his fib is believable.) And he explains this so shyly. Harry can’t keep his eyes locked on hers because she’s staring at him with an intensity that lets him know she's really listening, and it makes him squirm.  The tips of his fingers tap against the vase, and he’s tripping over his tongue, which is ridiculous because he already talks so slow. 

“I guess I was right in waiting then,” she said casually, waiting for Harry to finish ringing her up. 

His finger froze over the touch screen of the sleek, modern device (he wanted nothing but the best for his store) and listened to the exciting roar of blood through his eardrums at her words. I guess I was right in waiting then? What did that mean? That she was planning on coming back to see him and didn’t? Of course, it could also mean that she was going to buy something else somewhere else, but he couldn’t stop the vine of ripe hope that swelled around his chest. And she looked so apprehensive while saying it. As if she was walking on glass and was looking for cracks as she stepped. As if she was waiting on him to catch on to something.

Harry cleared his throat and looked at her through the corner of his eye, trying to be as discreet as possible as his fingers continued their deliberate work on the screen, “What d’you mean, love?”

“I was going to stop by sooner, but I just got in my head about it,” the girl shrugged, and adjusted the ends of her cardigan so they wrapped around her torso. She had a different bag this time, one of those reusable market bags that was made up of holes, and it was filled with two books and a can of green tea from the vegan store down the street. Harry thinks he can make out one of the titles on one of the spines, which looks suspiciously similar to something that he has on his own shelf. 

“Why would y’get in y’own head about coming to m’flower shop, hmm? It’s hardly that intimidating,” he chuckles to play off the dashes of pink and red that are painting themselves across the bridge of his twitching nose, “I don’t bite, either.” 

And he hopes that his wistfulness isn’t meddling with his vision because he swears that he can see a matching reaction on her own doll face. “I know! I know, it’s just that I can’t help it sometimes. Talking to other people makes me nervous.” 

Harry could coo at her right now. He doesn’t, though. He nods and smiles at her before reading her total out to her, “That I get, too. But y’doing just fine with me, love.” 

Waiting patiently as she digs through her bag for cash, he tries to not stare. However, it’s impossible. His eyes had a mind of their own dragging against the forces of his will to feast on her image again. Her hands and the tip of her nose. The base of her neck and gentle swell of her clavicles. The swoops of hair that hung in a curtain from her shoulder as her head tilted in search, and the how her teeth bit down into her lip in concentration. Harry counted the amount of times her eyelashes met her waterline in those few seconds of comfortable silence. Three. 

“I thought I had cash on me today,” something in her bag clicks, and she pulls out the rectangular card Harry’s become familiar with, holding it out to him between two deft fingers, painted with red hearts on a white base. “I guess I used my last twenty at the organic food store down the street,” she said. 

“It is pretty easy to get lost in there, isn’t it?” He took her card from her, and tried not to make it obvious that he was eager to read her name off of it as he inserted it into the machine. The embossed letters into the plastic read y/n y/l/n, and when he turns back to look at her, he can’t help the smile that spreads across his boyish features.

Y/n. 

Y/n, y/n, y/n.

This is what it must feel to be let in on a secret that’s worth millions of dollars. It must, because Harry’s heart is soaring with a closure he didn’t know he needed. Y/n, y/n. Her name tickled him. Stroked him. Lathered him with the honey smoothness of the beeswax shampoo he bought at that fateful organic store. It was a fitting name. Sometimes, one could tell a person ‘you know, I actually thought you were a Amy or a Jessica’, because their looks and style just didn’t match the strength or modesty of their name. But not y/n. It fit her like a glove. There was no other way to make sense of the way Harry’s brain was thinking. The name was her. 

“What?” Her lips quirk up into a smile and her eyebrows dip in confusion. Why was he looking at her like that? Did she have something on her face? Here she was, opening up to a cute stranger and she had something on her face? This, she thought to herself, is humiliating. Her finger dusted off non-existent crumbs from the corners of her mouth, “do I have something on my face?”

“No! No, no.” Harry’s careful beam simmered down from it’s previous brightness, and his hand nervously filed through the swoop of chocolate curls sitting on his head like a cinnamon roll. “I just think y’name is pretty thas’ all.” 

He murmured the last part so that it was practically incoherent, and lowered his gaze as a searing heat stretching like saran wrap around his head and the divot on the nape of his neck.  Oh, God. He was fucking blushing. Great Harry. A normally favorite among the ladies had been reduced to murmurs and thick, uncoordinated movements. 

Like dropping her card when she piped up again. 

Voice as small and quaint as his had been, "you think my name is pretty?” Her fingers are wrapped around the frail straps of her bag, tight enough that her knuckles were white and Harry was scared that she’d bury her fingernails into her palm. 

“I think y’very pretty.” He whispered back. He can’t even bear to look at her in fear that he’s totally fucked himself over once and for all. His logic was this: what girl wants to be told by the guy they’re buying flowers that they’re pretty after he reads her name from her debit card? Especially one who (if outside female sources are to be believed) dresses “the way my mother did when she was a girl in the seventies”? Jesus, fuck. He must’ve looked ridiculous. 

Harry opened his mouth to backtrack and apologize for being so unorthodox in his workspace, a breath sitting on his tongue with words ready to spew out, but the bell began to chime and it yanks his head from the register to the front and instead he said, “welcome! I’ll be with you in a moment.” 

Flustered and full of regret, the flower connoisseur returned his wired gaze back to y/n, who… was smiling at him? The kind of smile that said ‘oh my god, I can’t believe you just said that. Now please say it again’? Was he… dreaming? Did he have to pinch himself in order to verify that he wasn-

“Thank you... what’s your name?” Y/n looked at the card from his hands and sunk her hand- carefully, as to not get her fingers stuck in any of the tiny holes- and there was another clicking noise before she took her hand back out. That angel-like smear of girlish happiness was still on her, decadently radiating positivity and secret affection. Goodness leaked from the seams of her bones; through the cracks of her breastplate, radiating from her chest to Harry’s. He could feel it now. He could feel that his previous assumptions about her nature were true. She was altruistic and tender, like the inside of a bird’s wing. 

“Harry. M’name’s Harry.” This time, he didn’t hide his happiness. Even his eyes shone with a heightened, clear and sparkly shade of liquid evergreen. The joy that bounced inside of him like ricocheting metal balls in a pin game machine. His slender hand, fawn-skinned and graceful like the legs of a deer, stretched out between them. His mother had taught him that along with the first introduction of his name, a handshake must be present, always. Dipping his head slightly, and his words spongy with love-ditz, Harry rumbled, “Nice to meet you, y/n.”  

She placed her hand in his, and was practically swallowed by only his palm. He curled his fingers around her, thumb and middle finger overlapping around the clammy center of hers. So she was nervous, just as he was. Y/n was trained on their embracing limbs, and he could feel a spot on his neck where the skin palpated from the rush of blood as she observed their entwined digits. Their hands moved up and down, up and down between them for longer than necessary until her chin twitched back up to meet his, and she blinked mawkishly, slowly, like the videos of rehabilitated barn owls Harry sees on his Instagram. 

Then, suddenly, as if she remembered she was not the only one present, y/n jolts upright and shakes her head dazedly. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Harry. I like your nail color,” she added. 

He’s cheesing. A shit-eating grin too big for his face and it carves dimples into the flesh of his cheeks. His name on her tongue had never sounded so appealing, like it was made for her and only her to say. Not even the turtle-doves that cooed outside his window in the mornings sounded as beautiful as she did saying his name. And she complimented her nails! She hadn’t scrutinized him like others had, instead, she displayed her admiration for them. No one- well, actually he can’t say that without offending Mitch- no female of his age had ever received him with such open-mindedness as hers. If he didn’t have any self-restraint, he would giggle. Instead, Harry pulled his hand back so that their perfect moment wasn’t sullied with bouts of bad timing, “thank y’love. I like yours, too. You’ll have t’come over sometime and paint mine, yeah?” 

Y/n laughed, and he breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn’t been too bold, “I’d love too!” With glee frozen on her, she turned to look over her shoulder at the customer who was browsing the flowers Harry had in buckets, “I don’t want to hold you back from a customer for so long. I’ll stop by again soon, Harry. Thank you so much for your help.” 

The moment her hands reached for the wrapped bundle of sunflowers and the mermaid vase, a metaphorical grey cloud of rain and thunder manifested in the space above his head, and blocked all of the sunshine from spanning across his toned, lithe body. Did she really have to go? He wanted to whine. Maybe even wrap himself around her ankles like a child that refused to leave the park. They were only just getting to a mutual spot of comfort! Forget the other customer, he wanted to shout. Harry would kick them out and flip the sign to ‘closed’ if it meant only a few more minutes in the presence of her candy-coated charisma. 

But he knows that’s unrealistic, and settles with, “it was my pleasure, y/n,” a flirty wink (at least he hopes it is), “I’ll be waiting f’your next visit.” His taffy lips wrapping effortlessly around his smooth words, fueled by her welcoming receptiveness to his advances. It would be easy to be himself in the future, a little smoother and eloquent in his language and feeling. He was usually clear with what he wanted from anyone, and made it a pleasurable experience in all aspects for both parties involved (once it was three). Harry wanted to sweep her off her feet, and he wanted it to be an enjoyable experience for the both of them. Revel in that feeling of blooming emotions in a new relationship. A healthy one, in which he wasn’t receiving back-handed compliments all the time. 

He wasn’t superficial enough to push anyone off the table based on looks alone, but it did help that y/n had the disposition of an angel. An ethereal voice, supple lips that looked so silky and soft they had to feel that way, too, and hands that felt so tender in his. Perfect for holding on a late night stroll, or over the center console of his car when -if they go out on dates. 

What really hooked, reeled, and sinked him, though, was the fact that she was so nice to him. From the start, she’d been nothing but polite and sweet with him. Don’t even get him started on the way he swooned at the tone of her voice when he said that her name was pretty! So quiet and velvety, careful and calculated like she wanted him to know that it was okay. That she wasn’t thrown off by his comment. He nearly toppled over, clutching his heart with his legs jutting straight up into the air like a frightened goat. 

It wasn’t until the bells stopped ringing the sad notice of her exit that Harry realized he passed up the perfect opportunity to ask for her number, and as he kicked himself over it, he walked with the perfect customer service face he could muster to help the other person in his store. 

***

Harry was having a shitty morning. 

Not the kind of morning where every aspect of his routine is a terrible mishap, but like the water being too cold and the stove not working or the bottle of oat milk in the fridge being empty so he couldn’t make coffee. No, everything was fine and rolling smoothly, as it should. 

His water was the perfect temperature and ran down the toned bumps and divots of his muscles like the relaxing thrums of a lover’s caress in the midst of prowling heat. As soon as it hit his back, he released a sigh of contentment, his shoulders hunching and head rolling back and his hands roamed his shoulders and the back of his neck, rubbing away any aches that existed. The branch of eucalyptus that hung from the golden pipe of his showerhead fused a thick minty scent into the steam that fogged the glass wall, and the calming aroma helped the tendons loosen like the deflating limpness of untied shoelaces. He spent a few minutes just standing there, inhaling and exhaling deeply and feeling his lungs open and stretch beneath his rib cage. 

It almost made him wish that he’d opted to use his tub for a hot bath instead. 

He was able to cook an egg just fine on his stove, with dashes of Everything Bagel Seasoning with a side of avocado and a slice of toasted cranberry walnut bread, the same thing he had every morning. The carton of oat milk was brand new from his trip to the market the day before, and his coffee tasted the same as it always did. But… he was just... sad. An melancholy soreness that eroded against the insides of his body, consuming him slowly but surely and leaving him with a lost feeling of emptiness and unimportance. 

He thinks he might know why he’s feeling this way. 

While he’s stirring his scrambled eggs, he’s wondering how y/n likes hers. Over easy? Sunny-side up? Scrambled, like him? Did she even like eggs in the morning? What did she eat in the morning? He knows that some people ‘aren’t hungry’ in the mornings, though that’s only because they’ve gone hungry in the mornings before for an extended time period, and after so long of not feeding their growling stomachs, their brain discontinues the signals of hunger. Harry hopes that isn’t the case with y/n, and that she’s eating the proper three meals a day every day. 

And while he dipped a mini vegan chocolate croissant that he got at Whole Foods, he also wonders what she likes to dip chocolate croissants into, or if she even likes chocolate croissants. If she was a person who likes sweet treats, like strawberry tarts with powdered sugar over them or something lighter, like fruit cut into small squares in a bowl. When Harry was younger and would visit his nan on the weekends, she would pick fresh strawberries from her garden and cut them up for him when he’d woken from his nap. Sometimes, she would even sprinkle half a tablespoon of sugar over them. He wonders if she’d ever eaten strawberries like that. 

It’s been a week and a half, he still hasn’t seen her, and his heart is yearning. 

Harry knows he’s not in the correct headspace to assist other people with a cheery disposition about an hour before opening time, and decides it’s best if he writes a note on the door about how the shop wouldn’t open that day because he didn’t want to taint the reputation of his business by snapping at a customer for the only bundle of sunflowers he had, or dissolve into a puddle of love-sick tears in the middle of ringing someone up. Though really the notice just says ‘H’s Garden will not be opening today. Sorry for the inconvenience!’ followed by a frowning face and a lopsided, filled-in heart. 

Harry drags his feet back up the stairs, his lower lip jutting out in a discreet but depressing pout, and grabs Owen from his tank so that the chameleon could curl into the shoulder of Harry’s hoodie while he moped on the couch to sappy rom-coms that would only make him think about her more. At least there was someone there with him, even if his small green friend only used him for mangoes and papaya. They sit together for the entirety of Romeo + Juliet, and when it’s over, Harry’s sniffly and standing up to return Owen to his enclosure and to clean because the riotous emotions that whirl within him are too much to process while sitting down. 

Cleaning wouldn’t help him solve his problems, but it would help him cram all of his worries into a tight corner at the back of his mind- sort of like when dirty laundry began to overflow in the hamper and it requires extra force to shove it all in, only to come all back out like a memory sponge. His tormented thoughts on y/n could be compared to a dramatic inner monologue, very similar to how Romeo feels about his Juliet. But, soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and y/n is the sun. Harry has the play on his book shelf (the one with the side-to-side modern English translation because he was never quite gifted in the English department) and as he reaches for a bandana to tie his hair back, he finds himself resonating with a particular line: parting is such a sweet sorrow.

There was no need to change any of his clothing, since he was already dressed in one of his more impromptu outfits; grey sweats and a white t-shirt that read ‘women are smarter’ in black across his chest. He tied the red bandana into a knot at the back of his head, and lifted it over his chin so that it settled on his forehead, sweeping his hair back with a final push back. It doesn’t get in his way when he crouches to clean his various tables, spraying cleaning products with his shirt pulled over his nose, another organic product that’s supposed to be less harmful and smells like cinnamon and sandalwood. His shoulder blades begin to ache because he’s being a little more aggressive than he has to be, but the green tiles were sparkling so he was content. 

He washes the dishes, mops the kitchen floor, vacuums the carpets, cleans Owen’s habitat, and tidies the mail that piled up on the table when he finally calls it quits. Scouring his brain for something to do, to keep him busy- his brain busy, Harry settles on the floor with his back to the edge of his bed. He’s shirtless now, and is in need of another shower but he’d rather not because he knows he might end up crying over the possibility that he’s scared y/n off. There’s a book in his hands and a Frank Ocean record playing softly in the background that mentions something about ‘I've been thinkin' 'bout you, do you think about me still?’ and it’s not helping his case at all.    

It’s no use. 

There’s a plague of darkness buzzing like cicadas in his ears. He fears rejection and criticism. That maybe, she was only pretending in order to make the situation more pleasant so it ended sooner. Most of all, he feared that it would always be this way. That he would never find someone who embraces who he is as a person. Always met with mean side-eye glances or second looks of displeasure and confusion. It isn’t always that way, though, because then that would mean he gets absolutely no action, and that isn’t true. 

Harry is very… well-educated in matters that concerned sexual intercourse, but it was always a one-night stand ordeal. It was never ‘I really like you we should go out sometime’. In fact, he noticed that only time his approaches were well received were those in which he was dressed in a calmer manner. Simple, solid colors with sneakers or a t-shirt. Girls would flirt back, make good conversation, allow him to buy them a few drinks, and when he’d take them to his apartment they’d ask why he lived on top of a flower-shop, and if it was his sister or female-friend’s palace that he was crashing. Sex would ensue, but his heart wouldn’t be as present and engaged as he wanted it to be. 

Wrong. It was always so fucking wrong, and God, if he didn’t get out of this apartment he’s going to breakdown and cry and there’s no one to call to come over because Mitch is on a trip with his girlfriend, Sarah, and his other friend Jeff is on his honeymoon in Sweden. They were the only two on his mental speed dial list during the rare occasions he had a crisis, as they were the two that Harry had ever really opened up to. Mitch was a bit closer to his heart. They’ve known each other since their school days and practically grew up together (at one point they had small crushes on each other, which were confessed years down the line). Jeff was the owner of Winsome where… where y/n had mentioned spending her last twenty dollar bill. He didn’t have an issue opening up to them. He liked opening up to them, but he didn’t understand why they were the only two that ever truly opened their arms to him. 

A walk, he decided, would help him… air out his brain. Calm down. Breathe a little deeper, a little easier. 

He threw his white shirt back on, and a forest green sweatshirt that donned the emblem of the school he went to earn his business degree that fit him wide around the shoulders and felt like a marshmallow. Putting on a pair of beat up shoes, he shoved his keys into his pocket, hobbling and nearly losing his balance because he was moving way too fast. The door closed behind him with a slam, and even though he was still wearing the bandana around his head, wispy stray curls framing his face in a wild mane, his distress palpable through his appearance, but he doesn’t care. He just needs to get out and feel the cool air against his skin. 

There’s a backdoor behind the stairs that will take him to a small alleyway that leads to a back parking lot where other shop owners that live at the top of their stores on the same side of his street parked their cars. He unlocks it from the inside, and throws his shoulder into it, desperate to her out. When it shuts behind him, he doesn’t turn back because it’s the kind to lock from the outside when closed. His fingers curl into the ends of his sleeve so that the tips of his fingers (nails now changed to a sparkling silver color) are the only parts of his hands visible. 

Rounding the corner, he whistled the cheeriest tune he can muster. His lips are puckered and his cheekbones high with the extension of his mouth. He’s not very happy on the inside, though he remembers reading something somewhere that if you pretend to be something long enough, you’ll eventually become it. If he pretends to be happy, then he’ll actually be happy. 

Right?

Harry rounds the corner of the parking lot and turns on to the main street. It’s only two in the afternoon, so there's people crawling in and out of shops anywhere. He even sees a man and a woman peeking into the window of his store, and he would feel bad if he wasn’t in a shitty mood already. He’s so out of it, that he nearly yells ‘get your hands off my windows!’. He doesn’t though, because for a moment the woman becomes y/n and the man becomes him, wrapping a ringed hand around her waist and whispering in her downy ear ‘they’re closed, darling, let’s go somewhere else’ and she straightens dejectedly, pouting playfully and standing up and her tippy toes so that she could press a quick kiss to his lips. 

That image fades though, and the couple continues with their stroll, hand in hand, and his heart is wrenching, writhing and trying to yank itself free from it’s place in his chest because it hurts too much to stay. 

Cars whizz past, and he skirts in and out of people on the sidewalk, keeping his pace fast and focused. There’s no intended destination, he’s just moving with the intent to forget the pretty girl who haunts him. Her voice is all he can hear. Her smile is all she can picture. And the rest of her is all he can imagine, which is exactly what hurts the most. Imagination only goes so far, fulfils so much with uncertainty of what the truth was and what wasn’t. Harry could imagine her with her feet up on the lip of a bubble filled tub, a glass of wine in her hands, but then…what kind of wine did she like? Or did she even like wine? And did she even have a bathtub to stretch out in after a long day? 

He curses the crimes he may have committed in past lives to deserve this torture. This unbearable pain that felt like he was being dunked in a slow-acting acid. He can do nothing about it but keep walking with labored will power. He passed his shop, and a bakery and a small thrift store that sells used clothing for way too much money. At the propped open double-doors of Jeff’s Winsome, he decides to talk in and browse. There’s so many items that smell good and taste good, that it was fun to just walk in and look. 

“Back again so soon, H?” 

Spinning on his heel, Harry comes face to face with Niall, a brunette, fit, Irish bloke with a chummy smile and a killer sense of humor. The two have brokered a sort of friendship, considering the amount of time (and money) that Harry spends there. Niall has even started calling him ‘H’ in silent homage to his flower shop. 

“Y’know I can’t stay away,” Harry attempted to joke, his lips pulling up in a weak smile, “plus, I think I needed s’more of the peppermint essential oils f’my diffuser.” 

“‘Course ya do! You're worse than the bloody vegan mums that come in asking for gluten free baby powder!” Niall cups a hand over his mouth and loudly whispers to so that only Harry catches his verbiage. There was a woman in the back of the store, looking through soaps in the limited kid’s section, the same exact kind that Niall was speaking about. “Go on and look around then, I’ll be here when you’re finished.” He said. 

Harry only nodded his acknowledgement, and moved in between wooden walnut shelves. The entire store had a caramel brown color scheme, with only the inventory adding color to it. Macramé potted succulents and plants added to the natural, outdoorsy feel. Winsome had an interesting mix of smells from all of the aromatherapy based products it housed, but it only added to the appeal. 

Currently, he held a packet of four lip balms that advertised to be ‘100% all naturally derived ingredients with no artificial additives' infused with ‘healing power of crystals’, two of them ‘citrine cherry' flavored, and the remaining ‘garnet guava’. The brand name is something in Italian that he can’t read, packaging thick and a triangle made of arrows in the corner signaling it can be decomposed and/or recycled. He had the same exact ones at home, only they were all misplaced and- 

“Harry?”

A small, timid voice called his name from behind him, and he froze. He knew that voice. It was the same one he had repeated over and over in his head for the past week, waiting for her promised arrival with a hopeful heart. 

His eyes go wide with recognition, body still and stiff like a deer caught in headlights. His heart begins to rump at a furious speed, loud in his ears like a million stampeding hooves. The packaged products in his hands shake, and then she speaks again, “Harry, is that you?” 

Is this really happening right now? He’s embarrassed at having been caught with lipstick in his hands of all things, but he can’t put them back now. It was too late for that. He lets them hang at his side, and turns around. He hopes there isn’t perspiration dripping from his temples because all of a sudden he wants to yank his sweater off. 

Harry turned, slowly. He feared that if he moved too fast she would fly away like a startled dove. 

“Y/n…” He’s breathless, but he manages a pitiful quirk of the corner of his mouth, which he licks over right after, “hi.” 

She’s wearing a dress this time, frilly at the hem which fell just above her knees. It’s pink and covered and lined with blood red trim at her forearms. A string of pearls glistens at the base of her throat, and her lips are covered in a sheen of lipstick. Her hair, however, is a tousled mess, pieces of it framing her face and untucked from her bun as if she had been jostling around. Her cheeks are flushed with the cold, and clearly that thin beige cardigan hanging off her elbows is doing nothing to keep her warm.

Y/n smiles at him, with the same shakiness, “f-for a second I thought I was talking to the wrong p-person.” 

 It’s quiet again, and they’re both fidgeting. Y/n’s knees knock together as she shifts her weight from foot to food, and Harry idly rubs his finger under his nose and sniffs boogies that aren’t there. She’s staring at the ground and rocking back and forth on her heels and he can’t think of anything to say because he’s so paralyzed by the fact that she’s actually standing in front of him, and looks as gorgeous as ever. Had he somehow manifested her presence? 

While she’s hiking up the ends of her sweater so that they’re situated properly on her shoulders, he says the first thing that comes to his mind. “Aren’t y’cold?”

Her head snaps up and she peeks at him from under her lashes while flattening a hand at her thigh, “a little bit.” 

Harry watches her tuck her hair behind her ears and wonders if she came walking from her apartment again. In the cold. Dress as she was. Not that he had a problem with the way that she was dressed! He understood that sometimes when people grew bored they used the smallest occasions to dress up and have some fun and get out of their homes. He did it too, sometimes. To clear his head. Hell, isn’t that what he was doing now?

“D’you need a ride home?” He stumbled over his tongue to backtrack, not wanting her to think that he was a wierdo or anything like that, “t-that is if y’walking, I wouldn’t want you to get sick or anything like that. S’bit chilly out today.” 

Y/n smiles shyly at him, a blush on the highest points of her cheeks, and rubs the side of her face against the fabric of her cardigan, “thank you, for the offer, but uhm… it’s my friend’s baby-shower-gender-reveal thing today and I came with my other friend to some last minute gifts and some flowers. I was going to buy some stuff from here because she’s crazy about the whole ‘no preservatives’ and all but, and I was also going to stop by your shop to buy some flowers, but I saw you were closed so I…I’m rambling again.” She sputtered out the last bit, and pressed the tips of her three middle fingers to her lips to stop the words from coming out. 

Harry smirked at her antics, but it’s more of a repressed smile, and the rest of his humor gleamed in the sea-glass of his eyes like a message in a bottle. 

“S’alright, love.” He’s still holding the lip balms in his hand, and he can feel the moisture that’s collecting on his palms dampening the Kraft like material as he gestured to her dress with the tip of his chin. “Y’wearing pink. I take it y’want the baby to be a girl?”

“Actually, I know it’s a girl. She told me,” y/n pips, shrugging smugly. 

Harry laughs at her this time, “Did you finish with all your purchases here? I can make an exception and open up f’you.”

“Oh, Harry, I don’t wanna bother you! Because if this was your day off then-”

He lifts a hand to get her to stop, and uses the opportunity to twist around and put back what he had in his hands. The conversation is flowing so smoothly now, that all of his previous worries are gone. He can only focus on her and the way her eyelashes fluttered and the crystalline sparkly in her voice. 

“Y/n, it’s fine. D’ya finish here? We can head over to the shop now if you’d like.” Harry points a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the door. 

“Uh, no. I just got here so I still have to go grab some things,” she said, pushing her hair past her ears again. He thinks that she can probably tell the disheveled state her hair was in, because she begins to pop off a pin in her hair to readjust it. He doesn’t mind it, though. He thinks she looks cute. Angel-like. 

He nods, rolling his hands into fists within his sleeves so that the cuffs hang over his knuckles, and tries not to trip over his legs as he backs away. “A’right. I’ll wait f’you in the front, then. Take y’time, love.” 

“‘Kay,” she gleams at him, biting down on her bottom lip, and Harry turns away fully before he starts whining about how cute she is or before there’s a dent in the heather grey fabric of his sweatpants.  

At the front, Niall has his chin at the palm of his hand, and as he gets closer, Harry lifts his head to see that the brunette is wiggling his eyebrows mischievously. There's a shit-eating grin on his face that clearly points to a mountain of teasing in the near distance. 

“A little love-struck, mate?” He said, as soon as Harry was within hearing distance. At least he had the decency to keep his voice down, he thought. 

Harry flips him off, “oh, bug off.” 

Silver glitter sparkling on his nails, and his gaze strays to the floor, bashful of how clear his affection was. He turns to rest his bum against the counter and pulls out his phone to appear busy as he waits for y/n, mindlessly opening Instagram to have something to do (and to stop him from glancing at her ever two seconds).    

“Yup. I knew it. Have y’asked her out yet?” Niall doesn’t stop to let Harry refute his question, “y’know she comes in sometimes, after stopping by your place? And she just will not stop talking about how nice yeh were to her.”

Harry’s head snaps up from his screen so fast, something at the back of his neck creaks with the force. Instagram is long forgotten.

“What? Are you fuckin’ with me right now?” He doesn’t mean for his words to come as aggressive as they do, but the thought of her speaking to someone else about him is… well, it’s thrilling. 

Alarmed, Niall’s hands come up near his face in the motion of surrender, “no, man! Dead serious. Think she likes yeh, honestly.”

He can only say: “Fuck me.”

Niall is about to respond when a quiet voice breaks their stares, “I’m all finished.” 

“Already, babe? I’ll rig ya up, then!” 

He’s quick to slide the few products over the scanning square, and y/n and Harry stand beside each other silently, their height difference laughable. Niall’s gaze flickered between them with no commentary, and his lips pucker with a wiggling smile when he finally announces her total. A bit too much for a small changing blanket, oatmeal-based baby lotion, pacifiers with a lavender infused towel attached to ‘aid with goodnight night’s sleep’, and a bamboo hairbrush with a tuft of soft bristles. 

Nonetheless, she provides the money with a pleasant smile. Harry can see a bit of tightness around her eyes that suggests discomfort, but he doesn’t say anything. Niall hands her a paper bag with her purchase, “there yeh go! Have a good day now, y/n! And be good, to Harry!” 

Harry’s eyes widen at Niall’s last comment, and it takes every bit of self-restraint in him to not reach the other counter and whack him in the back of the head. Instead, he shakes and ducks his head in near shame.

Y/n, however, quips back with “I’ll be nice only if you’re nice,” and bumps her shoulder against his before walking towards the door, looking over her shoulder at Harry who’s smiling wide now, and trailing after her with no regard to Niall at all. 

He shouts something after them about being rude lovebirds, but Harry doesn’t care. He’s floating after this heaven-sent like cartoon characters being led to a freshly baked pie with their nose on the scent. His rump high in the air like the Lorax disappearing into the light in the clouds, utterly ignorant to everything else. 

When they’ve both stepped outside, they speak at the same time, 

“Let me just-”

“Do y’wanna put-” 

Harry and y/n giggle at each other, 

“You go first.” 

“Y’speak first.” 

And then they laugh again. Harry pretends to zip his lips and throws away the key, and she says radiantly, “I’ll drop this off in my friend’s car really fast and we can walk to your flower shop.” 

Watching her approach a car parked two spots away, a girl with blue, pink, and brown hair leans over to the passenger side, seat belt straining against her throat and when she sees Harry, she waves and it makes y/n push her back to her spot behind the driver’s  side. Whoever this girl is, she and Niall have to meet, seeing as they can’t mind their own business. He chuckled and waved back, that girl laughing along with him and it made y/n cover her face with her cardigan covered hands. 

“I’m sorry about Charlotte,” she said when she got back, “she doesn’t know how to mind her own.”

“A bit like Niall, it seems.” Harry said. He waits for her to catch up before beginning to walk down the street. Side to side, shoulder to shoulder. They’re so close, Harry can feel the warmth of her body heat through the fleece of his sweatshirt. It’s cold, and she’s still this warm? 

“Maybe,” her eyebrows raise, and her head tilts towards him, “they should meet.” 

“Tha’s exactly what I was thinkin’!” His voice rises with his excited agreement, and the tip of his nose wiggles as he scrunches his nose. 

As they get closer, to H’s Garden, Harry reaches into his pocket for his keys, fingering through them so that they wouldn’t have to stand in the cold for so long. He didn’t want her to get sick. 

“I’m sorry, Harry. I feel really bad about this,” she whispered beside him, looking up at him with doe eyes as she worried her lip between her teeth, the sheen of gloss adding an extra allure to her image at that moment. “It’s your day off, and I’m bugging you.” 

They stood in front of the door now, underneath the green umbrella cover that extended from the top of the door and down the side of the window. Harry waited for her to step into the little alcove created by the indent of the door before stepping in after her and jiggling the key into the lock. He resisted the urge to pull his lips down into a cooing frown at the look on her face. She really was worried about disturbing him. If only she knew that he spent the entire day moping (and nearly crying) over her. 

He sucked on his teeth, “oh, love, please worryin’ about it. Don’t wanna see that frown on y’pretty face anymore okay?” His confidence was slowly coming back, “s’not my day off, I just didn’t feel like speaking to customers today.” 

Shrugging, he opened the door, and took a step back to allow her to step through first. Y/n ducked her head as she passed him with a murmured ‘oh, okay’, and he followed right after her, wanting to get away from the cold too because he knew that his nose was probably pink at that moment, but what he didn’t anticipate was for y/n to stop right after breaching the threshold, and bend over at the waist to pick something up from the floor, causing Harry to bump into her at such an awkwardly sexual angle with all of his momentum. 

Considering he was half twisted away from her and in the middle of pulling out the key from it’s slot, the amount of force in Harry’s push from behind was enough to cause her to nearly fall forward, a surprised whimper slipping from her lips. Harry, determined not to see her fall, lets go of the key and reaches out just in time to grasp her hips on either side, pulling her back towards him mid-fall so that she doesn't collapse on her face. 

However, in the midst of all of this Harry forgets himself and uses a bit too much force. Not to mention, the implications of their position makes him hyper aware of every single place their bodies touched, her small frame against his lithe, tattooed body. 

This moment only lasts for a few seconds, but he can feel everything. 

He can feel the easy give of the skin of her hips underneath each finger that touched her, the softness of the flesh on her thighs against his sturdy knees. The fabric of his sweatpants is suddenly non-existent, and it’s almost as if he felt every taught tendon of her legs, frozen with efforts of helping catch or brace herself. The heat of her groin is flush against his, and it makes him want to scream with a sudden sensitivity. Her ass is practically seated on him, full and malleable against the points of his laurel covered hip bones. Harry’s semi-hunched, as her weight also pushed him back, and the position is doing nothing to help his frenzied mind settle. He feels like shit because he’s being a horny, pubescent kid instead of asking her if she’s okay, but then y/n moves back into him to straighten fully and their centers grind. Her dress is semi-bunched at the halfway point of her bum, and he can feel heat emanating from her, radiating back on his bloating cock. He has to stifle a moan when she pushes herself up with the tips of her fingers. 

Just as quickly as it started, it’s over. Y/n is dusting her bum off so that her dress falls and covers her modesty, and she’s beet red in the face, not looking at him. Which was fine by him, he was too ashamed to look into her eyes. 

He clears his throat (something he’s doing a lot around her) and asks if she’s okay. 

“Yes. Yes, I’m okay. This was on the floor,” she squeaked, holding up a neon yellow notice sheet in her hand. That damned thing was what caused all of this?

It’s a notice from the delivery men that said, ‘sorry! We missed you!’ with a time and date messily scrawled on the dotted lines. Harry had forgotten that he was getting a shipment of several plants that morning. 

Cursing, he takes it from her, “t-thank you. Now how ‘bout those flowers?”

It’s awkward, obviously, but y/n is severely silent. Harry’s still stuffy in his pants, but he ignores it and doesn’t add any fuel to the fire because there’s more pressing matters at hand than a boner. Y/n is the most quiet she’s ever been around him, considering all of her word vomits and ramblings, and he’s suffering. Definitely beating himself up in his head for having ruined the moment. He held onto her for a second too long, frozen. She must feel so embarrassed, and he was self-endulging like a fucking asshole. 

Harry asks her questions on what flowers she’d like, and she answers by pointing or bringing a stem to him, laying it on the counter without a word. A mixture of dahlias and baby’s breath with a handful of feverfew to make the pink in the dahlia’s stand out. He lays them out on his work table, cutting the ends at an angle where they need to be cutted and laying them out on a sheet of clear, dusty rose paper. Three packets of flower food are strewn at the corner, and y/n busies herself by fidgeting with them. He grows concerned when he makes a comment on the kinds of ribbons he had stored and she doesn’t say anything. Not even a nod or a hum. 

Eventually, he decides he’s had enough of her neglect, and pauses his work to devote her some attention.  

“Love, I’m sorry about what happened,” he said softly, trying to catch her eyes, “I know it probably made y’uncomfortable, and I didn’t do much to make the situation better, but I just didn’t wanna see y’fall.”

Y/n’s head is already dipped, so he can’t see her face, but when her shoulders begin to shake, he knows he’s utterly fucked. She starts to sniffle, and his eyes go wide. The paper crinkled as he set down the baby’s breath he’s holding in his hands. He hates seeing people cry, not because he didn’t know how to deal with it, but because he often ended up crying along with them. Also, he just didn’t want to see her cry. Harry wanted her to be happy, glowing, and smiling. Not dull with dollops of woeful distress in liquid form.

He rounds the corner and spares a look out to the street, wanting to make sure that there is no strange onlooker eavesdropping on their interaction. His hand reaches out to stroke her back or shoulder comfortingly, but he thinks better of it and drops his arm. She most likely would not like to be touched, considering what just happened between them. He drops his head, seeking face-to-face interaction, and speaks as gently as he can, “y/n, what’s wrong?” 

She avoids his search, and turns the other way while sniffling, “you probably think I’m weird now or something after that.” 

“No!” Harry exclaimed, jerking his head back as if he’d been struck, and her words practically had. He can’t believe that she would think that and even go as far as verbalizing her thoughts when he worshipped the ground she walked on and didn’t even know her that well, yet. “No, no. I don’t think that. Y’tripped, that’s all. Happens to everyone. If anythin’ I’m the weirdo for grabbin’ y’the way I did, and I’m really sorry about it.”

Y/n dig the heels of her hands into her eye sockets, “that was so embarrassing, I should’ve told you I was gonna stop or something. I always embarrass myself in front of cute boys and I never know what to do. I just-” 

Harry interrupts before she can dig herself further another hole. He highlights a segment of her words, dropping everything else in hopes of changing the conversation and taking her discomfort away, and mostly because he was bursting with relief and happiness. She had said that she thought he was cute, just how he thought that she was adorable, and nice, and everything good. They were on the same level, their minds in sync. Did that mean…

His voice is airy and light because of what she had just admitted, “y’think I’m cute?”

She stills with awareness of what she’s just said, and a puppy-like noise seeps from the back of the throat before her hands sink further into her eyes, embarrassed. Harry tenderly wraps his fingers around her small wrists and pulls her hands away from her face, murmuring about ‘don’t rub y’eyes anymore, love, y’gonna hurt’ with nothing but kindness. A millisecond of distraction speeds through his mind at the softness on the inside of her wrists. 

There’s a trickle of blubbering in her part, her bitten lips bumping against each other as she attempts to backtrack, “I mean- I- I-”

Harry decides that it’s now or never. It was a bit inconvenient, perhaps, but with her revelation his confidence soared and he was more prepared now to ask than he ever had been. So, he goes for it, “can I have y’number?” 

A moment of semi-uncomfortable silence as the unknown tips the scale. Would she say yes? Would she say no? His head was spinning and he hoped his nose didn’t start bleeding or something because y/n nods slowly, smiling, and then, “okay.” 

He’s elated. He was the polar opposite of what he had been that morning. If only Owen could see him then. He doesn’t waste any time reaching into his back pocket and handing her his unlocked phone. They don’t share any words, only coy glances and flirty quirks of the lips as the tips of her fingers move on his screen. Harry can’t believe that he’s finally getting her number, after nearly a month of pinning. 

When she’s finished, she clicks it off and sets it next to him with an added pat to the back of his suspiciously clean white phone case while he’s tying the flowers together with a loose rubber band at the ends to attach the food packets. He’s fine with working in silence now that she's not crying anymore. He throws occasional glances in her direction, and catches her watching his hands while fiddling with her own. Her brows were furrowed and her mouth was twitching. 

“Will you text me?” She asked him. 

He’s careful not to bruise any of the petals as he sets them down again, pausing with his ministrations to pick up his phone. He wiggles his eyebrows at her and types a quick ‘Hi. It’s Harry :)’. He hits send, “until you’re sick of me.”

“I don’t think that’s possible.” She shakes her head, and Harry’s reminded Rachel McAdams in The Notebook while she’s in complete denial of her feelings for Noah. The comparison makes his heart flutter, considering the romance of the onscreen couple. “How much do I owe you?” 

Harry waves her off, “it’s on the house.” She begins to argue, but Harry stops her before she starts rambling again, “y’better go or you’ll be late, love.” He holds out the arrangement to her, tufts of baby’s breath poking out from between the vibrant dahlias like fluffy clouds, the feverfew looking like miniature white daisies in the center. 

She looks at it, and back at him before huffing, “fine, but you’ll have to let me return the favor.”

“Of course,” he smirks, “with dinner, maybe?” 

They’re both gleaming at each other now, “okay.” Y/n takes a step back, her body half twisted as she walks away, but it remains like that for a moment as her eyes rake him up and down, a murmur following, “bye, Harry.” 

His veins charge with electricity, and his dark taffy lips part at her actions. Had she just checked him out? He doesn’t recover quick enough to return her goodbye because the previous swirl of arousal in his navel was bristling back to life at the implications of that look. Calm, slow, steady, and her eyes remained doe-like and innocent. 

She had to have known exactly what she was doing, whispering his name the way she had, looking over her shoulder and under her eyelashes the way she did. Deviously provoking his thoughts to begin a new with a reinspired fervor. The space in his underwear was growing tighter by the second, a blissful ache swelling. 

Before any other customer stepped in after her, Harry locked the door, and jogged up the stairs to prepare himself a nice, hot bath, simultaneously cursing and thanking the stupid fucking delivery men.  

********

Harry can’t stop thinking. 

Obviously, this is a huge issue for him. He was constantly thinking, and well, who wasn’t? The process of thoughts wisping around in his brain was one that he often put an unnecessary amount of energy into because he had no one to filter these thoughts onto, releasing them through a conversation to prevent the exhaustion of his brain and heart. A prime example of these mishaps being the depressing slump that occupied his demeanor that very morning. 

This?

This was different.

As soon as the apartment door was shut behind him, Harry pulled the suffocating sweatshirt off of his upper body, fingers hooking in at the collar and yanking it off with a swift tug. It landed somewhere on his kitchen floor, and he didn’t stop to take note of its final destination. Instead, his legs instinctively took him to his bathroom. 

Chest heaving, Harry walked to the small window leaking sunlight and rolled the stick between his fingers to close the blinds. His thumb dipped into the waistband of his boxes and dragged them down lopsidedly, the tiger tattoo roaring as it became exposed. When the blinds are fully closed, the white extension clangs against the shutters from his aggressive release. His body was slowly being consumed by a raging fire stoked by the illicit images his brain conjured of the innocent, unsuspecting y/n.

His inner turmoil consisted of guilt for using her image that way and justification from the conspiring rake of her eyes along the upper half of him that was visible behind the counter. He was so fixated by her, that her look alone felt like a tempting caress along his skin. And it all happened in a matter of fucking seconds. That’s how gone he was. That’s how fucking gone he was. Harry guesses that the easy excitement also had to do with the fact that he hadn’t gotten laid in a while (he only ever gets lucky when he goes out to the bars with Mitch or Jeff, and they’d been gone for a significant amount of time) and the strong affinity he had for the girl who bought flowers from him.  

Explanation or not, he had to do something about the problem in his pants. He was painfully hard, and when he shucked his pants off fully, his underwear dragged with the movement and pressed against the tip of his swollen prick. A darkened patch of moisture bloomed where the head was, and he saw stars at the short pressure. He wouldn’t take his pants off just then, though. He liked to stall his pleasure as much as he could so that when he finally did cum, his stomach muscles contracted and his toes remained curled for more than ten seconds. 

He twisted the golden knobs of his tub so that the water would come rushing out at a borderline scalding temperature, and opened the small cabinet above the toilet for a bottle of almond and coconut shea butter bubbles. He uncapped it and bent over the edge of the tip, the cool, porcelain lip touching his crotch and provoking a choked whimper to leave him. Jerking his hips back, he poured the soapy liquid into the spot where the water cascaded, and retracted his hand when the beginning of froth formed along the surface. 

The heady sweet smell permeated the air with the rising levels of bubbles, and Harry couldn’t wait any longer. Because he liked to torture himself, he closed his eyes and slowly dragged the hell of his hand over the outline of his cock, a groan ripping though the silence. It’s so painfully good, that he does it one more time, and he jolts forward. He removes his hand, slips his thumbs underneath the waistband of his boxers, and lugs the fabric down his hips at an excruciatingly slow pace. The head of his member smearing precum all along as he moves and when he gets caught in the ripples of his boxers the muscles in his thighs flex at the ripple of pleasure that zips into his nerves. 

“Fuck,” he hissed under his breath. His mind was a spinning vintage reel of slideshow images of y/n. Y/n on bruised knees, her mouth wide open and her own drool on her tits, the tip of his cock flat on her tongue as she pleads with weepy eyes for him to cum down her throat. When he finally springs free of his underwear, a hefty slap rings out as his dick collides against his abdomen, right on the space underneath his belly button. 

There’s a stripe of liquid on the trail left by the mushroom head of his prick, and Harry’s eyes roll to the back of his head, throat straining as he hovers over the bathtub. He doesn’t remember the last time he’s ever been this hard over a girl before, and it’s driving him crazy. He doesn’t know if he’ll be able to last as long as he usually does. As he swings a leg over the edge of the tub, the hot water encasing his calf, he’s thinking about how soft she is. The inside of her wrist and the palm of her hand. If she’s that soft on an external part of her body that’s used everyday, he can only wither away at the idea of what the inside of her thighs feel like. 

Bubbles are swarming up now, swathing his thighs and buttocks as he sinks into the sloshing water. When he’s completely seated and satisfied with the belly-button level of water, he clumsily throws a hand in the direction of the knobs to shut them off, and reclined his head against the curved end of the tub with his eyes shut. 

He hikes up his knees so that they’re resting against the porcelain walls, and mindlessly ruts up into the water at the filthy images he’s picturing, white foam collecting in sparse clouds over the math on his chest. He doesn’t know what’s gotten into him. It’s as if his body is being transported back to the moment his hips clashed with y/n’s. At the recollection, his mouth drops and his eyebrows pinch in a silent moan. The feel of her flesh underneath his fingertips has him bobbing in the water, and the next ideation has him gripping the base of his cock. 

Vividly, he pictured her on all fours, keening back onto him as her pussy enveloped him in warmth, a warmth that is almost replicated by the temperature of the water, dripping and making a mess of him but what’s turning him on most of all is the easy flushness of their bodies. He had felt the way her bum gave way under his hold, and he imagined the bounce of her flesh as he thrusted into her. 

He moaned a broken call of her name with his eyes still shut, and heard the trickling of water as his fist rolled up his stiff prick, squeezing at the tip so that a few more droplets of precum dribbled out. With his thumb, he rubbed over the red mushroom head and lathered it in slow, leisurely circles, a throb pulsating with the beat of his heart as he returned to flicking his wrist over himself. 

The way that he looked at him and the sound of his name on her lips seared into his memory. Airy and willowy, similar to it resonated in his brain with the fantasy of sinking into her for the first time, stretching her and having her preen and arch with desperate whimpers of his name for more. Harry considered himself to be ‘well-endowed’ and his size was a factor of what sent him careening over the edge as girls mewled over his size after he’d bottomed out. He wanted y/n to mewl under him, both of them falling apart at the seams at the mutual pleasures because if Harry’s this broken over just the thought of her, then he’s sure he’s going to lose himself beyond recognition after he’s buried himself into her velvety walls, slick with her arousal and so fucking warm. 

Just as she had been earlier that day. There had been two layers between them- the fabric of Harry’s pants and her panties- yet, he was still able to feel an immense heat from the apex of her thighs against his cock. He needed more than this. He needed her, not just his hand driving him closer to the edge. 

His jaw clenched as he bit back on a particularly loud moan, for no reason other than he enjoyed self-sabotage from time to time, and the speed of his jerking hand increased. His other hand gripped the side of the tub, and his legs flexed as he began to thrust up into his own fist, a trail of bubbles sticking to the tanned muscles. The cut rectangles of muscles of his abdomen glistened like freshly chopped cubes of apricot with the droplets of water that remained clinging to him. His breath came in labored, strained puffs as the palm of his hand twisted, tightening at the tip and loosening at the base. 

For a moment, he paused and cupped his balls, massaging them as the fantasy in his head continued. His mouth wrapping around y/n’s nipples, her eyes glazed over from previous orgasm that he wanted so badly to give her. She’d whine something soft and quiet to match her personality, ‘please, Harry, please I want more. Need another Harry, please’, and he’d speed up the movement of his hips, driving deep into her and cooing into her ear about, ‘c’mon, darling. Give m’another then. Y’want it so bad, yeah? Give me a’fucking ‘nother’, and she’d release a peircing moan that explodes in his eardrums while arching into him. She’d squeeze impossible tight around him, gushing with her own cum. 

The water in Harry’s tub sloshes around his ankles, and the muscles of his abdomen clench so that he’s closing in on himself, sputtering on an outrageously loud cry that he can’t contain and his hand increases the speed of his filthy ministrations because he’s right on the edge. He’s about to fucking cum and the back of his eyelids burns with the possible variances of y/n’s face in ecstasy provided by him with his nose deep in her cunt, lapping at the sweet honey that spills with every whimper of, ‘please let me cum, Harry. I’ll do anything, I’ll be good, please let me cum. 

He tensed violently, his face contorted painfully as white ropes spurt from the tip of his cock over his fist and onto his chest, blending with the white almond foam. His feet are braced against the edge of the tub and his head falls back and his stomach tenses even further, the final leaks of his cum dribbling out. 

With the fuzziness that comes after an orgasm, his body melts back into the water that’s still warm, and his jerks with a pant as he allows his softening prick to sink into the water. The head on his hair is matted in a chocolate smear across his forehead, and his lips are a raging heart of cherry blossoms, parted with arduous gasps of recovery breath. His hands fall into the water at his sides, and with the lapping movement of the liquid against his sensitive member, he ruts into nothing again. 

Reclined with his eyes closed and heartbeat slowing, Harry murmurs a final, “fuck me,” at the extreme sensations that had raked through his body. 

Somewhere in the muffled distance, his phone dings with the notification of a text message, and with a tired noise of resentment, he sits up and reaches for his sweatpants that lay in a messy puddle besides the tub. His fingers drip darkening spots onto the grey material as he rummages for his phone, and then he finally clicks it on...

It’s her name, lighting up his screen, and the text reads: 

y/n <3 : so… dinner? 

Harry doesn’t think he’s ever crushed on a girl this hard before because even though he’s just completely physically spent himself, there’s something stirring in the depths of his tummy just at seeing the heart she put next to her name. 

He couldn’t be happier. 

*    *    *    *    *    *

and here he is!! what do you guys think?? pls pls pls leave your feedback in my askbox! i’d love to hear your thoughts! and if you really really loved it, don’t be afraid to press that reblog button <3333

[teddiesays]

My Time at Portia’s Gifts Ideas

Here’s a clean, printable cheat list of gifts you can give to the characters of My Time at Portia. The bigger the number is, means that it will give you more Friendship Points. Invest in Skills that will boost those points, as you level up and you’ll max out everyone very fast. You can also check the Wiki version of this list online. I also listed what they tend to prefer when you dine with them as a date. If I missed anything, feel free to mention it in the comments. Reminder that every characters get more Relationship Points when you give them gifts on holidays and whenever they have a Desired Item request.

AADIT Nova Sword (20), Fisherman's Axe (20), Soldier with Axe (20), Soldier with Blade (20), Iron Axe (18), Iron Sword (15), King Salmon Fillet (15), Performance Center Model (15), Cauldron (15), Roasted Turkey (10), Succulent Plant (10), Talisman (10), French Horn (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Hardwood Plank (6), Starlight Coral (5), Sapphire (5), Rainbow Lemonade (4), Topaz (4), Resin (3), Cactus Fruit (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Hardwood (2) Likes Sour Food, Dislikes Bitter Food

ALBERT Soldier with Scepter (20), Red Tie (20), Triangle Sunglasses (20), Pot of Asteria (15), Galloping Horse (15), Golden Necklace (15), Fish Sub (12), Old Talker (12), Spicy Fish Soup (10), Roses (10), Talisman (8), Flowery Soap (8), Ruby (8), Wild Roses (6), Rainbow Flower Pot (6), Yellow Bow Tie (6), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Stone Brick (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3) Likes Spicy Food. Dislikes Salty Food and Ice Cream.

ANTOINE White Armchair (20), Owl Clock (20), Catmaid Statue (15), Fortune Cat (15), Small Satchel (15), Sapphire Ring (15), Fan Model (12), Fruit Salad (10), Vegetable Salad (10), Spring Doll (10), Roses (10), Yellow Bow Tie (8), Ruby (8), Crystal (6), Painting: Girl (6), Brooch (6), Flowery Soap (5), Sapphire (5), Asteria Bouqyet (3), Power Stone (3), Shell (2), Milk (2) Likes Vegetables, Salads, Juice. Dislikes Sweet Food.

ARLO Nova Sword (20), Soldier with Lance (20), Iron Sword (15), Bronze Sword (12), Seafood Noodles (12), Rocket Model (12), Sailboat Model (12), Arm Stretcher (12), Multi-Function Knife (12), Waist Pack (12), Spicy Fish Soup (8), Ruby (8), Classic Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (6), Spaghetti with Hot Sauce (5), Sapphire (5), Topaz (5), Practice Sword (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3) Likes Spaghetti and Spicy Food. Dislikes Sweet Food.

DJANGO Soldier with Scepter (20), Soldier with Axe (20), Soldier with Blade (20), Soldier with Lance (20), Craft Candle (15), Bronze Sword (12), Cooking Master (12), Crystal Chandelier (12), Pot of Asteria (10), Joystick (10), Paper Flower (10), Roses (10), Armor of a Knight (9), Knight's Shield (9), Seafood Paella (8), Ruby (8), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Cheap Soda (3), Delicious Roasted Ribs (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3) Likes Bowl of Rice and Spaghetti. Dislikes Sour Food.

ERWA AI Model (20), Secret Fish King Soup (15), Dark Coffee Table (15), Work Desk (15), 'Monument Model (15), Performance Model Center (15), Twisted Window Origami (15), Exquisite Fountain Pen (15), Clay Figure: Female (12), Typewriter (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Clothing Basket (5), Sapphire (5), Magnifying Glass (4), Strange Mirror (4), Coconut (4), Topaz (4), Red Tea (3), Milk Tea (3), Orange (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3) Likes Tea. Dislikes Juice and Spaghetti.

GUST Double Drawer (30), Layered Bookshelf (30), Fireplace (25), Owl Clock (20), Hanging Flower Basket (18), Bacon Fish Roll (15), Blade Fish Mushroom Soup (15), Plaid Rug (15), The Thinking Can (15), Plane Model (15), Structural Dimension Theory (15), Five Hundred Creative Designs (15), Structural Aesthetics (15), Sailboat Model (12), Umbrella (10), Roses (10), Painting: Carp and Lotus (9), Ruby (8), Tall Glass (7), Salty Grilled Catfish (6), Salty Stew Mix (6), Aroma Apple (6), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Apple (2), Pine Cone (2). Likes Salty Food. Dislikes Ice Cream.

LIUWA Goddess Statue (20), Soldier with Axe (20), War Drum (18), Colorful Hat (12), Rocket Model (12), Panbat Mask (12), Fluffy Pendant (12), Sunglasses (12), Joystick (12), Peach's Amulet (10), Welding Helmet (10), Roses (10), Work Pants (8), Ruby (8), Sapphire (5), Animal Skeleton (4), Topaz (4), Sulfate (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Apricot (2), Animal Bones (2). Likes Bitter Food. Dislikes Sour Food and Salty Food.

MINT Massage Chair (30), Painting: A City on the Sea (30), Small Flower Rack (25), Hardwood Couch (20), AI Model (20), Dream Lamp (18), Secret Fish King Soup (15), Incense Burner (15), Sphere Trophy (15), Golden Radish Soup (12), Blade Fish Mushroom Soup (12), Diving Helmet (12), Monster Toy (10), Roses (10), Flower Carpet (8), Ruby (8), Creamy Salmon Stew (7), Succulent Plant (7), Sapphire (5), Blade Fish (4), Golden Salmon (4), Topaz (4), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Lobster Meat (2), Strawberry (2) Likes Fish and Sea Food. Dislikes Salty Food.

OAKS Trunk Bench (18), Paw Mat (15), Little Bear Sofa (15), Monument Model (15), Catmaid Statue (15), Sculpted Lion (15), Busy Farm (15), Crafter's Toolbox (15), Smoked Fish Roll (12), Clay Figure: Male (12), Clay Figure: Female (12), Carving Knife (12), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Apple Juice (6), Deep Fried Ribs (6), Roasted Meat (6), Apricot Juice (6), Wooden Photo Frame (6), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Meat and Mushrooms Stew (3), Tasteless Stew Mix (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Meat (2), Snake Berry (2), Pine Cone (2) Likes Meat and Juice. Dislikes Bitter Food.

PAULIE Llama Sculpture (25), Bonsai (15), Sculpted Lion (15), Wooden Horse (15), Wall Light (12), Clay Figure: Female (12), Sailboat Model (12), Spicy Tea (10), Simple Desk (10), French Horn (10), Roses (10), Fan (8), Ruby (8), Small Chair (6), Flowery Soap (5), Sapphire (5), Purple Resin (4), Topaz (4), Wooden Storage (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Eye Patch (2), Beef (2), Hardwood (2). Likes Spicy Food. Dislikes Salty Food and Tea.

QIWA Emperor Wise Fish (20), Deluxe Fish Kit (18), Classic Fishing Rod (15), Catmaid Statue (15), Emperor Lantern Fish (15), Seafood Stew Mix (12), Sweet Caviar (12), Fish Sub (12), Duck on a King (12), Diving Helmet (12), Porcelain Waterholder (10), Lantern Fish (10), Wise Fish (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Salty Grilled Catfish (6), Eye Glass (6), Sapphire (5), Beginner's Fishing Rod (4), Golden Salmon (4), Catfish (4), Emperor's Golden Salmon (4), Emperor Catfish (4), Topaz (4), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3) Likes Fish and Sea Food. Dislikes Salty Food.

REMINGTON Plane Model (15), Llama Memorabilia Blanket (15), Kungfu Sack (15), Fish Sub (12), Rocket Model (12), Waist Pack (12), Leather Belt (12),Supremely Spicy Spaghetti (10), Roses (10), Work Clothes (8), Work Pants (8), Ruby (8), Yellow Leaf (6), Sapphire (5), Rainbow Lemonade (4), Topaz (4), Spicy Tea (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Beef (2). Likes Sour Food and Spicy Food. Dislikes Sweet Food.

SANWA Soldier with Scepter (20), Soldier with Blade (20), Cushioned Couch (18), Sunny Side (15), Plane Model (15), Ocean Blue Carpet (15), Fan Model (12), Fruit Salad (10), Vegetable Salad (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Bamboo Papaya with Egg-on-Top (6), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Pumpkin Steamed Rice (3), Plunger (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3). Likes Vegetable. Dislikes Spicy Food and Spaghetti.

SIWA Grapevines (25), Irrigation Tower (25), Poppycock's Glasses (20), Old Talker (12), Rocket Model (12), Vinyl Record Player (12), Roasted Pork with Honey (10), Power Lamp (10), Logic Cube (10), Roses (10), Work Clothes (8), Banner Fish Sushi (8), Ruby (8), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Sashimi (3), Meat and Mushrooms Stew (3), Cactus Fruit (3), Palm Jujube (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Mustard (2) Likes Meat and Spicy Food. Dislikes Tea.

TODY Crystal Fish Tank (30), Classic Fishing Rod (15), Sweet Caviar (15), Bubblefish Stew (15), Cauldron (15), Emperor Bubblefish (15), Emperor Wise Fish (15), Old Talker (12), Cooking Master (12), Monster Toy (10), Bubblefish (10), Wise Fish (10), Joystick (10), Roses (10), Banner Fish Sushi (8), Coarse Rug (8), Leather Chair (7), Beginners's Fishing Rod (4), Banner Fish (4), Emperor Banner Fish (4), Topaz (4), Power Stone (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Dough (2), Mustard (2) Likes Fish and Sea Food. Dislikes Bitter Food and Spicy Food.

WUWA Crystal Fish Tank (30), Soldier with Lance (20), Galloping Horse (15), Crystal Statue (15), Yellow Duck Surfboard (15), Sailboat Model (12), Delicious Roasted Ribs (10), Old Thermos (10), Rubber Tire (10), Roses (10), Vegetable Salad (8), Ruby (8), Red Lamp (7), Ship in a Bottle (5), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Resin (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Apricot (2), Rubber Fruit (2), Wild Cocoon (2) Likes Meat and Bitter Food. Dislikes Fish and Sea Food.

XU Soldier with Blade (20), Pinecock's Crown (18), Orange Sofa (15), The Thinking Can (15), Balloons in a Bottle (15), Journey from the East (15), Flower Scooper (15), Magic Lamp (12), Weird Glass Jar (12), Crispy Salmon with Sauce (10), Steak with Coconut Juice (10), Wall Lamp (10), Roses (10), Talisman (8), Ruby (8), Herbal Juice (6), Herbal Mixture (6), Simple Ointment (6), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Apple Juice (3), Meat and Mushrooms Stew (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Herbs (2), Chrysanthemum (2), White Hibiscus Flower (2) Likes Meat and Juice. Dislikes Tea.

ALICE Bonsai (15), Busy Farm (15), Weird Glass Jar (12), Vegetable Salad (10), Stewed Mushrooms (10), Autumn Doll (10), Winter Doll (10), Crystal Necklace (10), Roses (10), Bamboo Papaya with Egg-on-Top (8), Ruby (8), Fried Rice with Radish (6), Honey (6), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Bamboo Papaya (3), Rainbow Flower (3), Flower Pot (3), Layered Carrot (3), Cultivated Soil (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Fertilizer (2), Pumpkin (2) Likes Vegetarian and Salad. Dislikes Sweet Food.

EMILY Performance Center Model (15), Fortune Cat (15), Boundary Carpet (15), Journey from the East (15), Busy Farm (15), Fan Model (12), Stringed Peppers (12), Stringed Corn (12), Scarcrow (12), Chicken Earrings (12), Fruit Salad (12), Pumpkin Pie (10), Spring Doll (10), Autumn Doll (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Pumpkin Steamed Rice (6), Sapphire (5), Topaz (5), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Fertilizer (2), Egg (2), Pumpkin (2), Milk (2), Strawberry (2) Likes Bowl of Rice, Salad and Vegetable. Dislikes Bitter Food, Fish and Sea Food.

GINGER Goddess Statue (4), Owl Clock (4), Fortune Cat (3), Plum Blossom Lantern (3), Journey from the East (3), Butterfly Hairpin (3), Sapphire Photo Frame (3), Bubble Wand (2), Dunk on a King (2), Weird Glass Jar (2), Rainbow Lemonade (2), Umbrella (2), Coral Necklace (2), Roses (2), Shell (1), Shell Necklace (1), Ruby (1), Power Stone (1), Topaz (1), Sapphire (1), Asteria Bouquet (1) Likes Sour Food. Dislikes Ice Cream, Spicy Food, Fish and Sea Food.

LUCY Owl Clock (20), Double Door Wooden Cabinet (18), Concave Mirror (15), Convex Mirrow (15), Sphere Trophy (15), Old Basin (12), Photo Album (12), Small Dagger (12), Porcelain Waterholder (10), Spring Doll (10), Summer Doll (10), Crystal Necklace (10), Roses (10), Balloon (8), Ruby (8), Crystal (6), Starlight Coral (5), Sapphire (5), Rainbow Lemonade (4), Topaz (4), Apricot Juice (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Coral (2) Likes Sour Food and Bitter Food. Dislikes Meat.

MEI Owl Clock (20), Man-eater  Sofa (20), Golden Hairclip (20), Camera (18), The Thinking Can (15), Monument Model (15), Leopard Hairclip (15), Photo Album (12), Monster Toy (10), Summer Doll (10), Typewriter (10), Jewelry Box (10), Merlin's Camera (10), Roses (10), Pink Cat's Ears (8), Ruby (8), Crystal (6), Bell Collar (6), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Honey (3), Racket (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3) Likes Ice Cream. Dislikes Salad.

NORA The Waiting Girl Music Box (25), Goddess Statue (20), Crystal Hourglass (18), Taishi Chair (18), Sunny Side (15), Wooden Music Box (15), Seafood Noodles (12), Clay Figure: Male (12), Fan Model (12), Damour Roly-Poly (12), Colorful Swimsuit (12), Supremely Spicy Spaghetti (10), Fluffy Rabbit (10), Roses (10), Snowman with a Red Scarf (9), Strange Soup (8), Piano Bench (8), Ruby (8), Brooch (6), Spaghetti with Hot Sauce (5), Bunny Wishing Lantern (5), Sapphire (5), Rainbow Lemonade (4), Topaz (4), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Meatballs and Vegetable Soup (2) Likes Spaghetti and Sour Food. Dislikes Bitter Food and Salty Food.

PETRA Toy Robot (20), AI Chipset (18), Starry Collar (18), Journey from the East (15), Fish Sub (12), Creamy Salmon Stew (10), Monster Toy (10), Power Lamp (10), Ancient Computer (10), Condensed Power Stone (10), Roses (10), Blood Stone (8), Leather Sofa (6), Crystal (6), Cassette Box (6), Painting: The Lonely Windmill (6), Rainbow Lemonade (4), Data Disc (4), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3) Likes Sour Food. Dislikes Salty Food and Salad.

PHYLLIS Soldier with Axe (20), Wall Light of Love (20), Hospital Bed (18), Rabbit Snowman (15), Fortune Cat (15), Yellow Sapphire Necklace (15), Journey from the West (15), Magnetic Bracelet (15), Seafood Noodles (12), Weird Glass Jar (12), Fan Model (12), Pumpkin Shrimp Soup (10), Winter Doll (10), Talisman (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Simple Ointment (6), Sapphire (5), Elegant Fur (4), Topaz (4), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Herbal Juice (2), Herbal Mixture (2), Chrysanthemum (2), Bandage (2), Strawberry (2) Likes Spaghetti and Sweet Food. Dislikes Bowl of Rice.

SAM Red Hawk (25), AI Model (20), Triple Barrel Snakebite (15), Race Horse Memorabilia Blanket (15), Lotus Lamp (15), Bamboo Incense (12), Cushioned Stool (12), Clay Figure: Female (12), Rocket Model (12), Clear Sky Doll (12), Waist Pack (12), Shrimp and Cheese on Rice (10), Special Salmon Fried Rice (10), Summer Doll (10), Roses (10), Seafood Paella (8), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Venom Dart (2), Ammo (2), Asteria (2), Mustard (2) Likes Bowl of Rice. Dislikes Bitter Food.

SONIA Cat Ears Umbrella Hat (20), Catmaid Statue (15), Sphere Trophy (15), Small Satchel (15), Yellow Sapphire Necklace (15), Magic Lamp (12), Fish Sub (12), Vegetable Salad (10), Autumn Doll (10), Roses (10), Shell Necklace (8), Ruby (8), Purple Hydrangea (6), Small Potted Purple Hydrangea (5), Sapphire (5), Coconut (4), Topaz (4), Porcelain Plate (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Lettuce (2) Likes Vegetable. Dislikes Bowl of Rice and Tea.

ABU King Salmon Fillet (15), Sashimi (12), Aroma Apple (12), Royal Honey (12), Roasted Meat (4), Honey (4), Bird Nest (4), Meat (2), Apple (2)

ACK Military Engine (18), Precision Parts (18), Industrial Engine (15), Silicon Chipset (15), Advanced Engine (15), Decocting Pot (15), Copper Coil (10), Iron Pan (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Small Silicon Chip (7), Aluminium Wires (5), Sapphire (5), Lubricant (4), Simple Circuits (4), Copper Wires (4), Topaz (4), Old Parts (3), Cooking Pot (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Milk (2)

CAROL Basic Sewing Machine (18), Magic Lamp (12), Old Talker (12), Clay Figure: Male (12), Cooking Master (12), Vegetable Salad (10), Summer Doll (10), Pigments (10), Carbon Fiber (10), Jewelry Box (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Quality Leather (6), Cloth (5), Perfect Fur (5), Sapphire (5), Washing Machine (4), Leather (4), Thread (4), Topaz (4), Delicate Fur (3), Colorful Fur (3), Blue Leather (3), Cinnamon (3), Broom (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Cotton (2), Fiber Cloth (2), Wild Cocoon (2), Linen (2) Likes Salad and Juice. Dislikes Bitter Food.

DANA Golden Radish Soup (12), Privacy Screen (12), Short Stool (12), Wooden Drawers (12), Nori Burrito (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Wooden Table (6), Striped Carpet (6), Sapphire (5), Baked Bread (4), Nori (4), Topaz (4), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3)

DAWA Chainsaw (30), Fisherman's Axe (20), Sculpted Lion (15), Yellow Sapphire Necklace (15), Busy Farm (15), Clay Figure: Male (12), Special Salmon Fried Rice (10), Fish Porridge (10), Old Thermos (10), Crystal Necklace (10), Roses (10), Shell Necklace (8), Ruby (8), Hardwood Plank (6), Iron Wooden Plank (6), Large Iron Bucket (6), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Red Mushroom (3), Shaggy Mane (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3) Likes Rice and Spaghetti. Dislikes Salad.

DOLLY Solstice Wreath (15), Red Heart Knot (15), Damour Roly-Poly (12), Clear Sky Doll (12), Cooking Master (12), Fruit Salad (10), Dried Apricot (10), Stuffed Bear (10), Spring Doll (10), Autumn Doll (10), Winter Doll (10), Roses (10), Balloon (8), Ruby (8), Painting: Street (6), Smiley Face Wishing Lantern (5), Bear Wishing Lantern (5), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Cheap Soda (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3) Likes Salad and Ice Cream. Dislikes Bitter Food and Tea.

GALE Soldier with Scepter (20), Painting: Kitty (18), King Salmon Fillet (15), Galloping Horse (15), Multi-purpose Tea Table (15), Golden Ginseng (15), Special Salmon Fried Rice (10), Tea Table (10), Old Thermos (10), Porcelain Waterholder (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Red Tea (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Tea (2) Likes Tea, Bowl of Rice, Salty Food. Dislikes Spaghetti and Salad. Neutral about Classic Spaghetti with Meat Sauce.

ISAAC Bonsai (15), Solstice Lantern (15), Multi-purpose Tea Table (15), Golden Ginseng (15), Magic Lamp (12), Sailboat Model (12), Tea Table (10), Porcelain Waterholder (10), Bookmark (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Stone Table (6), Bookshelf (5), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Red Tea (3), (Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Stone Stool (2), Lettuce (2), Tea (2)

JACK Soldier with Blade (20), Soldier with Lance (20), Pinecock's Glasses (18), Cardboard Box (15), Celebration Flowers (15), Pinecock Costume (15), Magic Lamp (12), Weird Glass Jar (12), Aroma Apple (10), Roses (10), Balloon (8), Ruby (8), Sapphire (5), Rainbow Lemonade (4), Topaz (4), Cheap Soda (3), Palm Jujube (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3) Likes Sour Food and Tea. Dislikes Vegetarian.

LEE Goddess Statue (20), Monument (15), Sunny Side (15), Performance Center Model (15), Wall Light (12), Teapot (12), Mushroom Crepe with Fruit Sauce (10), Porcelain Waterhlder (10), Painting: Redstone (10), Painting: Distant Mountains (10), Oil Brush (10), Roses (10), First Aid Kit (6), Small Waste Bin (6), Wall Candle (6), Rainbow Lemonade (6), Data Disc (4), Potato Fruit (2), Asteria (2) Likes Vegetarian. Dislikes Salty Food and Juice.

MARS Fisherman's Pickaxe (20), Iron Pickaxe (18), Square Table (18), Catmaid Statue (15), Sculpted Lion (15), Crafter's Toolbox (15), Bubblefish Stew (12), Old Thermos (10), Typewriter (10), Joystick (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Industrial Core (7), Salty Grilled Catfish (6), Sapphire (5), Catfish (4), Emperor Catfish (4), Bronze Bar (4), Topaz (4), Copper Bar (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Grinding Stone (2) Likes Fish and Sea Food. Dislikes Spicy Food. Will eat Spicy Fish Soup.

MARTHA Goddess Statue (20), Decocting Pot (15), Shrimp and Cheese on Rice (12), Clay Figure: Male (12), Cooking Master (12), Seafood Paella (10), Power Lamp (10), Winter Doll (10), Feather Duster (10), Vacuum Cleaner (10), Roses (10), Baked Bread (10), Ruby (10), Rock Salt (6), Honey (6), Cloth (5), Sapphire (5), Washing Machine (4), Topaz (4), Cinnamon (3), Mop (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Flour (2), Wheat (2), Salt (2) Likes Fish and Sea Food, Bowl of Rice. Dislikes Tea.

MCDONALD Gold Trophy (18), Galloping Horse (15), Sculpted Lion (15), Horse Head Floor Lamp (15), Pony Table Lamp (15), Duck on a King (12), Vinyl Record Player (12), Chicken Risotto with Coconut (10), Water Bucket (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Linen Rug (6), Hurdle (6), Trap Box (6), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Layered Carrot (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Fertilizer (2), Wooden Basket (2) Likes Bowl of Rice. Dislikes Sour Food and Juice.

MERLIN Golden Clock (25), AI Model (20), AI Chipset (18), Lucky Sack (15), The Thinking Can (15), Sphere Trophy (15), Portian Rug (15), Silicon Chipset (15), Strange Soup (10), Power Lamp (10), Ancient Computer (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Small Engine (7), Small Chair (6), Keypad (6), Steel Ball (6), Sapphire (5), Data Disc (4), Topaz (4), Milk Tea (3), Cactus Fruit (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3) Likes Salty Food and Spaghetti. Dislikes Bowl of Rice. Will eat Stewed Rice Meat Supreme.

MOLLY Feather Scarf (18), Sunny Side (15), Blond Doll (15), Furry Scarf (12), Fruit Tart (10), Seasonal Dolls (10), Silk Scarf (10), Roses (10), Bubblefish Stew(8), Fish Porridge (8), Bubblefish Soup (8), Ruby (8), Sapphire (5), Blue Scarf (4), Topaz (4), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Shell (2) Likes Sweet Food. Dislkes Bitter Food and Meat.

PINKY Any Raw Fish and Sashimi. Hates everything else.

POLLY Sunny Side (15), Fortune Cat (15), Sphere Trophy (15), Harmonica (15),12: Fish Sub (12), Casual Hoodie (12), Journey from the East (12), Dried Apricot (10), Monster Toy (10), Silk Scarf (10), Roses (10), Pointy Nosed Snowman (9), Desk Lamp (8), Ruby (8), Painting: Girl (6), Ship in a Bottle (5), Sapphire (5), Lucky Cover (4), Topaz (4), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Asteria (2) Likes Juice and Ice Cream. Dislikes Seafood.

PRESLEY +20: Rattan chair (20), Jockey Statue (18), Seafood Srew Mix (15), Galloping Horse (15), The Thinking Can (15), Bonsai (15), Tea Set (15), Sculpted Lion (15), Plane Model (15), Old Talker (12), Golden Toad (12), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Red Lamp (7), Sashimi (6), Salty Grilled Catfish (6), Sapphire (5), Nori (4), Lucky Cover (4), Topaz (4), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3) Likes Fish and Sea Food, Tea. Dislikes Meat.

QQ Roasted Pork with Honey (12), Aroma Apple (12), Steak with Coconut Juice (10), Tasteless Broth (6), Deep Fried Ribs (6), Roasted Meat (6), Delicious Roasted Ribs (6), Meat and Mushrooms Stew (6), Spiced Steak (6), Smoked Ham (6), Fried Rice with Radish (6), Roasted Turkey (6), Milk (6), Milk (3)

RUSSO Soldier with Scepter (20), Soldier with Axe (20), Striped Lounge Chair (18), Painting: Boy (18), Dark Coffee Table (15), Bonsai (15), Plane Model (15), Roasted Turkey (10), Steak with Coconut Juice (10), Welding Helmet (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Smoked Ham (6), Strange Mirror (6), Fan (6), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Delicious Roasted Ribs (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Eye Glass (2) Likes Meat. Dislikes Vegetable.

SCRAPS Bubblefish Stew (15), King Salmon Fillet (15), Secret Fish King Soup (12), (Dried Blade Fish (12), Bacon Fish Roll (12), Smoked Fish Roll (12), Special Salmon Fried Rice (12), Fish Porridge (12), Fishhead Stewed in Soy Sauce (12), Bubblefish Soup (12), Roasted Turkey (10), Steal with Coconut Juice (10), Apple Juice (6), Steamed Potato Fruit (6), Smoked Meat (6), Dried Apple Slice (6), Salty Grilled Catfish (6), Nori Burrito (6), Tasteless Broth (6), Deep Fried Ribs (6), Mushroom Crepe with Fruit Sauce (6), Roasted Pork with Honey (6), Crispy Salmon with Sauce (6), Roasted Meat (6), Meatballs and Vegetable Soup (6), Delicious Roasted Ribs (6), Meat and Mushrooms Stew (6), Bamboo Papaya with Egg-on-Top (6), Classic Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (6), Stewed Mushrooms (6), Spiced Steak (6), Smoked Ham (6), Fried Rice with Radish (6), Dog Food (6), Animal Skeleton (6), Chicken (6), Meat (2), Apple (2), Animal Bone (2), Animal Feces (2)

SOPHIE Solid Wood Clock (18), Monument Model (15), Performance Center Model (15), Busy Farm (15), Duck on a King (12), Clay Figure: Female (12), Bamboo Papaya with Egg-on-Top (10), Old Thermos (10), Water Bucket (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Pumpkin Steamed Rice (6), Pumpkin (6), Sapphire (5), Cornball (4), Topaz (4), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3), Egg (2), Potato Fruit (2), Wheat (2), Wooden Basket (2) Likes Vegetable. Dislikes Tea.

TOBY Soldier with Axe (20), Soldier with Lance (20), Toy Robot (20), Fossil Replica (20), AI Model (20), Pinecock Costume (15), Journey from the East (15), Aroma Apple (10), Panbat Mask (10), Sunglasses (10), Joystick (10), Slingshot (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Applejuice (6), Dried Apple Slice (6), First Aid Kit (6), Ghost Wishing Lantern (5), Sapphire (5), Magnifying Glass (4), Topaz (4), Cheap Soda (3), Rogue's Headband (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (2), Apple (2) Likes Sweet Food, Spicy Food and Ice Cream. Dislikes Sour Food.

YEYE Taishi Chair (18), Wooden Hassock (12), Damour Roly-Poly (12), Clear Sky Doll (12), Coral Tree (12), Pumkin Shrimp Soup (10), Chicken Risotto with Coconut (10), French Horn (10), Roses (10), Ruby (8), Fried Rice with Radish (6), Hardwood Sofa (6), Dining Table (6), Starlight Coral (5), Sapphire (5), Topaz (4), Broom (3), Mop (3), Asteria Bouquet (3), Power Stone (3) Likes Vegetarian. Dislikes Tea.

YOYO (Kickstarter exclusive pet) Steamed Potato Fruit (12), Pumpkin Pie (12), Honey (3), Milk (2), Caterpillar (2)

[athulyaaindia]

Importance of Diwali Gifts & Candle Holders

This is the complete Diwali Gifts page where you can buy a wide range of Diwali gifts for your loved ones. Diwali (dee-WAH-lee) is the Hindu celebration of light. Diya, or clay lamps, represent the core of this festival. The light symbolizes the soul. Hindus consider that the light of goodwill will remove the darkness or evil during Diwali. This festival brings friends and family together on days of celebration. This holiday celebrates the triumph of the light over darkness, good against evil and hope over despair. This is an ancient celebration that is a time to celebrate affection and fellowship. It is loved by Hindus worldwide and is also the beginning of the new year.

 At this festival, you can bring a Diwali Candle Holder that will hold the candle firmly. It brings a lovely ambiance of celebration to your home. Decorate your offices and homes by using our quality candle holders that appear elegant and stylish. The fantastic candle holders come in gorgeous designs and shapes that give an original and classic look to your living spaces, puja rooms, offices, and other spaces.

 Unique & Latest Variety of Diwali Gifts

Please make sure you are a star at the party at work by selecting the perfect gift for your loved ones. There are gifts for any budget and taste. If you’re looking for Diwali dry fruit, Desi sweets made of ghee, Diya’s potted plants, hamper gifts, God Idols or any other sacred and Diwali-related gift, you can look online stores such as Athulyaa. Browsing an online store will help you to discover everything you need in one place and all at a budget-friendly price. When you buy a gift from a reputable store, you’ll be confident that it will be of the highest quality and at the most affordable price. In addition to each gift, you can select exclusive extras, such as Diwali desserts and cakes, flowers, chocolates, personalized gifts, and so on.

 What is the reason we exchange presents at Diwali?

The exchange of Diwali gift, cards bring joy and love throughout the world. Giving gifts during the festival of Diwali is a long-standing tradition. The size of the present or small is not a factor. The gifts given or received on Diwali is a joy. This is an ancient tradition that has been continuing for a very long time.

 Closing Lines

Diwali is a festival of light and a time when our families get together. It is the time for each of us to get closer to our Family & Friends.

[neworiginshop]

New Origin Shop 2019 Small Business Gift Giving Guide

Y'all know what time it is. It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And with the season of giving upon us, there’s no better time to start crossing off the names on your Christmas list. But here at New Origin Shop, we’re all about shopping small & local—even for the holidays.

So we’ve put together this Holiday Gift Giving Guide made up of small business vendors, artists, and entrepreneurs across the country (Yes, including yours truly). So if you’re looking for Snuggies or Chia Pets, this is the wrong list. Handcrafted, one-of-a-kind goods? You’re in the right place.

Before we get into it, we’ve provided a full list of all vendors that are mentioned below. You can find the list at the bottom of this post. There’s a LOT of great folks to check out!

Alright, we know you’ve got a lot of shopping to do, so we’ve broken the list down into categories:

Stocking Stuffers

Gifts under $25

Gifts under $50

Gifts for Her

Gifts for Him

Gifts for the Little Ones

Gifts for the Home

Unique Gifts

Where you can Shop Small

STOCKING STUFFERS:

Hibiscus Steam - Our Village

Everyone gets stressed—especially towards the end of the year. This steam brings relief from stress and promotes relaxation and calmness for our mind but also our skin.

$14.00 Link to Store Page

Aromatherapy Oil Roller - New Origin Shop x Our Village

With these travel-sized oil rollers, you’ll always have the perfect excuse to soothe, clarify, and rebalance yourself.

$12.00 Link to Store Page

GIFTS UNDER $25:

Crocheted Cinched Bow Ear Warmer/Headband - Knot in Texas Fiber Arts

Everyone needs a cute little headband to throw on as you walk out the door. And we don’t know about you, but winter feels a little nippier this year.

$15.00 Link to Store Page

Abstract Art Prints - New Origin Shop

Add a little color to your desk, wall, or bookshelf with a 5x7 or 8x10 print.

$9.00 - $14.00 Link to Store Page

Mini Bronze and Black Wallet - Fringe & Flair

With its slim, gold button closure, this mini wallet slips easily into even the most compact carryalls. Hand-painted!

$20.00 Link to Store Page

Half Moon Clay Earrings - Wax and Wane Handmade

These earrings are great statement pieces yet incredibly lightweight and easy to wear. You will forget you have them on!

$20.00 Link to Store Page

Macrame Feather Keychain - New Origin Shop

Macrame feather on keychain hook, the perfect size to add to your purses, bags, and accessories.

$20.00 Link to Store Page

GIFTS UNDER $50:

Esi Fiber Brass Earrings - New Origin Shop

Fiber and brass merge to create this statement silhouette while remaining super lightweight.

$40.00 Link to Store Page

Sodalite Pendant Necklace - Milk Moon

A high vibrational stone that carries calm and focused energy, Sodalite helps ease anxiety and balance your emotions.

$42.00 Link to Store Page

Salvatore Ferragamo Loafers - Sugar Woods Studio

Nothing beats an elegant flat. Salvatore Ferragamo brown leather loafers with fringe and bow detail.

$40.00 Link to Store Page

French Market Basket with Shoulder Strap - New Origin Shop

Handwoven palm leaves and double hand features make this style essential for your beach trips, market visits, and picnics.

$49.00 Link to Store Page

Cozumel Earrings - Bloom Studio

A small, minimalist piece inspired by adobe-style homes seen in Cozumel, Mexico. (Speckled White is pictured).

$28.00 Link to Store Page

GIFTS FOR HER:

Mountain Ring - Nina Berenato

Part of the Mother Collection—this ring represents Mother Nature and the female body. Various cultures around the world maintain the importance of mountain worship and sacredness.

$70.00 Link to Store Page

Sterling Heart Bracelet - Morgan Mars Vintage

Show a little love this season with this vintage sterling silver bracelet adorned with interlocking hearts.

$20.00 Link to Store Page

Capri Errand Dress

You ever just want to throw something on and feel comfy and cute all day long? Meet the Errand Dress.

$40.00 $85.00 Link to Store Page

Strengthen Leave In Conditioner Hair Care - Austin TX Hair Queen

Strengthening and conditioning leave in conditioner spray that creates shine without weight.

$15.60 Link to Store Page

GIFTS FOR HIM:

Blue Suede Slippers - New Origin Shop

A perfect comfy addition to your loungewear wardrobe.

$49.00 Link to Store Page

Matte Tiger’s Eye Bracelet - Shop Rebel Soul

This bracelet is made up of Tiger’s Eye beads. It’s a powerful stone that helps you to release fear and anxiety and stimulates taking action.

$50.00 Link to Store Page

Lush Lagoon Bandana - TawaTies

For the outdoorsy, fashionable, (or just plain sweaty) type in your life. Bonus: Part of the proceeds goes to funding Palmetto State Park in Texas.

$25.00 Link to Store Page

Pit Kit - Quiet Cricket Studio

The deodorant is all-natural and the spritzer fights bacteria rather than masking it, leaving no odor once the essential oils have dissipated. Perfect for gym bags, bathrooms, lockers, or emergency use.

$20.00 Link to Store Page

GIFTS FOR THE LITTLE ONES:

Sassy Knit Swaddle Blanket - Lemon Drop

The lightweight and breathable swaddle blankets come in a variety of fun styles (Sassy style is pictured).

$24.95 Link to Store Page

Pacifier Clips - Lola’s Classic Babies

These baby pacifier clips (some inspired by pop culture) are a fun solution to your teething baby.

$12.00 Link to Store Page

Children’s Bow Ties and Hair Bows - Lola’s Classic Babies

Lola's baby bow ties and hair bows are stylish accessories for your little model-in-the-making.

$5.00 Link to Store Page

Ice Cream Cone Teether - Lemon Drop

Made of food-grade silicone, this ice cream teether offers sweet relief for teething babies, with engaging textures on both sides.

$26.00 Link to Store Page

GIFTS FOR THE HOME:

Decorative Macrame Wall Feather - New Origin Shop

Add a little flair to your wall decor, framed-photo galleries, and nurseries. This macrame feather is handmade with cotton rope and a wooden bead.

$22.00 Link to Store Page

Botanical Dish - Herland Home

Organically shaped slab plates hand-formed from iron-rich Californian black clay. Each is pressed with botanicals (the Sage dish is pictured).

$24.00 Link to Store Page

Soy Candle - Flame Candle Company

Who doesn’t love a good candle—especially around the holidays? This Texas-based company has an expanding selection of 100% hand-poured, essential oil-infused soy candles. Bonus: A percentage of the proceeds is donated to YWCA of Austin, TX.    

$14.99 - $24.99 Link to Store Page

Hand-Painted Cement Planters - Awkward Auntie

Upgrade from that plain terracotta pot with these beautiful cement planters. Trays and candle holders also available!  

$15.00 - $18.00 Link to Store Page

Mixed-Media Pop Art - Oso Art

These acrylic, mixed-media prints are on wrapped canvas and depict “boss babes” like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Michelle Obama, Frida Kahlo, and Selena.

$115.00 - $145.00 Link to Store Page

Origami Map Paper Wall Clock - The Foxes Tail

Part of the National Park/Forest Series (Chaco Culture National Historic Park is pictured). This handmade origami wall clock is a unique light-weight timepiece that fits in with any decor.

$42.00 Link to Store Page

Mini White and Honey Planter - Plant + Vessel

No green thumb? This planter is perfect for small cacti and succulents that are low-maintenance. The pot also absorbs excess water so you don’t have to worry about drainage!

$22.00 Link to Store Page

UNIQUE GIFTS:

Sewing Lessons - Ronkita Design

Know someone who wants to get into sewing? These sewing classes and personalized lessons are scheduled when and where you want. For adults and kids, beginner to advanced skill levels.

$35.00/hr - $50.00/hr Link to Store Page

WHERE YOU CAN SHOP SMALL:

We’ve mentioned a bunch of really great artists and small businesses above for specific items (though you should check out their sites for more!). Here are some great places where you can shop small and support makers.

Caravan Co-Op  | Local Austin Retailer

This Co-Op is comprised entirely of independent women makers and shop owners. The selection includes: vintage, sustainable fashion, apothecary, handmade fiber accessories, fashion goods, Art & more.

Facebook | Instagram

Blue Elephant Boutique | Local Austin Retailer

Website | Instagram

Roots + Revival | Online Retailer of Makers and Artists

Website | Instagram

Thrifted Feels | Sustainable Fashion

Instagram

WYLDE Vintage | Vintage Boutique

Instagram

Here is the full list of vendors mentioned in this post:

Austin TX Hair Queen | Haircare Instagram

Awkward Auntie | Home Decor

Website | Instagram

Bloom Studio | Handmade Jewelry

Website | Instagram

Blue Elephant Boutique | Local Austin Retailer

Website | Instagram

Caravan Co-Op  | Local Austin Retailer

Facebook | Instagram

Flame Candle Company | Candle Maker

Instagram

Fringe & Flair | Turquoise Jewelry, Wandering Pop Up

Website | Instagram

Herland Home | Candle Maker

Website | Instagram

Knot in Texas | Fiber Artist

Website | Instagram

Lemon Drop | Children’s Shop

Website | Instagram

Lola’s Class Babies | Baby Wares

Website| Instagram

Milk Moon | Handcrafted Jewelry

Website | Instagram

Morgan Mars Vintage | Vintage Jewelry

Website | Instagram

New Origin Shop | Handcrafted Goods Retailer

Website | Instagram

Nina Berenato | Small Batch Sustainable Jewelry

Website | Instagram

Oso Art

Website | Instagram

Our Village | Plant-based Skincare

Website | Instagram

Plant + Vessel | Ceramics

Website | Instagram

Quiet Cricket Studio | Botanically Inspired Products

Website | Instagram

Ronkita Design | Sewing & Design Studio

Website | Instagram

Roots + Revival | Online Retailer of Makers and Artists

Website | Instagram

Shop Soul Rebel | Premium Handmade Jewelry

Website | Instagram

Sugarwoods Studio | Community Market, Vintage

Website | Instagram

Tawa Ties | Hand printed Bandanas

Website | Instagram

The Foxes Tail | Handmade Art & Goods

Website | Instagram

Thrifted Feels

Instagram

WaxandWaneHandmade | Handmade goods with a modern edge

Website | Instagram

WYLDE Vintage | Vintage Boutique

Instagram

[nurtureindia-blog]

Say Hello To Wooden Handicrafts From India

Handicraft is a piece of artistic excellence used for making household decorative items, furniture, clothes, jewelry or for that matter -anything! Handcrafters use special yet simple tools, to craft their art on to a piece of fabric, clay, wood, etc. Creativity, innovation, and skill are the key factors on which any handicraft depends.

Since time immemorial, handicraft has been seen as a very respectable and tough work. Handcrafting is a skill performed by those people who have art in their blood, a skill associated as being hereditary, carried down from generations. That is the prime reason for handicrafts to be regarded as a ‘traditional’ craft.

Why handicrafts

Handicrafts have both usable value and a visual appeal value. They turn out to be an excellent choice for gifting purposes due to their beautiful and traditional appearances. Today, the world has realized the importance of ethnic and tradition things and methods. The handicraft industry has been flourishing and Handicraft Export From India have seen steady growth too.

Wooden Handicraft Items are adored and used by people across the globe to decorate their homes, offices or any other place. They have a global appeal. The unique quality of handicrafts is that it is made by hands using simple tools making each piece unique, beautiful and creative. Crafting on wood demands a lot of time, effort, skill and imagination, and the resulting product is awesomely beautiful and loved by everyone. Another advantage of handicrafts is that it blends with all types of decors. Be it contemporary, rustic or even chic, these multi-utility pieces never fail to add charm to your décor.

Handicrafts for your home

Everyone wants to keep their home perfect. Be the safety, visual appearance, comfort level, and other such factors. One of the most vital things that can speak about your status and taste is the visual appearance of your home. A warm and tastefully decorated home makes it look highly attractive and appealing, both to you and to the visitors. It is up to your imagination and creativity how well you use your décor. To this effect, handicrafts are the best. They not only serve as decorative pieces but even double up as serve-ware when needed. Wooden handicraft exporters in India confirm that the huge international demand for these handcrafted beauties is attributed to several factors which include the fact that these are useful, beautiful, unique, durable, environment-friendly and each piece is probably passed down the generations with stories to tell.

How to own a handicraft

Being able to procure handicrafts is no more a tedious task these days, thanks to the availability of handicrafts manufacturers who provide their products extensively through retail outlets across the country and over the web as well. These gorgeous pieces are slowly finding their place in our homes, kitchen, dining tables, office, workplace and more. This has also helped the crafters who are now directly approaching the market. They have started creating tie-ups with various online stores to make their art accessible to all.To top it all, these are available at:

• affordable prices, • promise of good quality and • convenience of delivery at the comfort of your home.  

Wooden Handicraft Export From India

Some of the most popular wooden handicraft items include candle stands, engraved wooden boxes, coasters, pots, bowls, antique-looking animal sets, etc. They are available in various colors, designs, and sizes. Not only are they decorative, but they are also usable too.

Doubts about quality?

If a concern of handicraft export from Indianot being of good quality arises in your mind, due to • crafting being done by hand, • not much usage of specialized tools, • done by people from smaller villages and rural backgrounds, • your presumption of the access to good quality raw materials may not be possible,

Drop all your concerns. The Wooden Handicraft Exporters in India take the utmost care and ensure you get the best available goods at the most affordable prices, and goods that have not lost their handcrafted charm. People who have bought wooden items from Nurture India,a well-known Indian handicraft exporter, can vouch for its quality and affordable pricing.

Wooden Handicraft Export From India is often zero maintenance. They are available in different types of wood like rosewood, sheesham, teak wood, pine, and jungle wood.

Nurture India

Nurture India is an Indian handcrafted home accessories brand. They specialize in wooden and ceramic craft forms. With a kitty full of unique and handcrafted items they are your one-stop location if you are looking for wooden handicraft exporters in India.

Indian wooden handicrafts are renowned for their ethnic, intricate and traditional designs. The team at Nurture India works towards making such handicrafts accessible to everyone and anyone, across the globe.

So, if you are looking for Wooden Handicraft Exporters in India come, shop at Nurture India.

To get in touch with one of the most authentic Wooden handicraft exporters in India drop an email at contact@nurtureindia.in.

Click at https://www.nurtureindia.in to visit our website.

https://www.nurtureindia.in/wholesale/

[whittlebaggett8]

31 gifts that remind us why Nordstrom is a great place to shop for Mother’s Day, Defence Online

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider, Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

source

Maggie Louise Confections/Instagram

Nordstrom is one of our favorite places to shop quality brands all year long, so it’s no surprise we specifically do our Mother’s Day shopping there as well.

These 31 thoughtful gifts span across clothing, shoes, jewelry, tech, beauty, and home departments, so you’ll be able to find something that fits her needs and interests.

If you asked us why we love shopping at Nordstrom, we wouldn’t even know where to begin.

Maybe it’s the curated selection of top brands across clothing, home, and beauty, or the unique, limited-time collaborations with celebrities, influencers, and top designers. Perhaps we really enjoy the great customer service, on top of perks like free shipping all year round, in-store tailoring, and its free rewards program.

For all these reasons, we go to Nordstrom first when it’s time to shop for Mother’s Day gifts. It only carries the best brands, so it’s hard to mess up while shopping here, but if we had to narrow down the selection to only a few dozen, these are the gifts we would choose.

Find more Mother’s Day gift ideas below, including store- and budget-specific guides:

A premium neoprene carryall

source

Dagne Dover/Instagram

Gift the Dagne Dover Large Landon Neoprene Carryall Duffel Bag, $185

It’s the weekend and gym duffel bag that can also comfortably hold a large laptop, two water bottles (tucked into their own perfectly sized pockets, of course), and other everyday essentials – while straddling the delicate balance between casual and sleek. It comes in 11 eye-catching colors.

A pretty travel set

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Nordstrom

Gift the Ban.do Flower Shop Eye Mask & Neck Pillow Travel Set, $42

Being stuck on a long flight or bus ride is a little less torturous with this soft eye mask and supportive neck pillow on hand.

A luxury candle

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Nordstrom

Gift the Byredo Bibliotheque Candle, $85

If there’s any time to splurge on and treat your mom, it’s Mother’s Day. This sophisticated, clean-burning Byredo candle fills the room with a simultaneously fruity and woodsy scent.

A cork that keeps and measures the pressure inside her bottle of bubbly

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Nordstrom

Gift the L’Atelier du Vin Bubble Indicator, $49.99

Never let her favorite bottle of sparkling wine go to waste again. This cool cork helps keep the pressure inside the bottle so she can continue enjoying fresh bubbles. When the colored ring starts to disappear, she’ll know that it’s time to finish off the bottle.

A small fridge to store beauty products (or snacks)

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Nordstrom

Gift the Cooluli 4L Mini Beauty Fridge & Warmer, $45

Though the name indicates it’s intended for beauty products, she can really store anything she wants to keep cool or warm in this personal storage accessory. Measuring 8″ x 10.25″ x 11,” it won’t take up much space on her dresser or desk.

A high-quality water bottle that comes in distinctive colors

source

Nordstrom

Gift the Hydro Flask 24-Ounce Standard Mouth Bottle, $34.95

Everyone who owns a Hydro Flask clutches it like an overprotective mom holds onto her child. That’s because of its effective insulation, durability, and comfortable feel. To ensure she’s always hydrated, get her this universally approved bottle.

Charming measuring cups

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Nordstrom

Gift the Anthropologie Whale Measuring Cups (Set of 4), $32

These adorable, hand-painted measuring cups add a fun and nautical touch to her collection of kitchen tools. She won’t want to hide these away in her drawer.

A mud mask you can do together

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Nordstrom

Gift the Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment Mask, $59

It’s packed with powerful ingredients, like activated charcoal, AHA and BHA acids, eucalyptol, and clay, to deliver a fast-acting and purifying experience.

Organizational travel accessories

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Nordstrom

Gift the Calpak 5-Piece Packing Cube Set, $48

Many suitcases have their own organizational compartments, but packing cubes make traveling with clothing even more organized and efficient. The mesh front and exterior ID labels tell her exactly what’s what, allowing her to pack by outfit, type of clothing, or person.

Wireless earbuds to help her sleep

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Nordstrom

Gift the Bose Noise Masking Sleepbuds, $249

These earbuds, specially designed to block out outside noise and fill her ears with soothing melodies, are the solution to nights of tossing and turning. Though she won’t be able to play her own music on it, they’re programmed with a wide selection of sounds, which can be played all night long or according to a set timer.

A trendy leather bag that’s perfect for the summer

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Nordstrom

Gift the Madewell Basketweave Leather Crossbody Bag, $138

The basketweave reminiscent of picnic baskets reminds her that there are plenty of sunny, breezy days ahead. She can wear it cross-body or clutch it in her hand.

A gentle, refreshing toner

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Nordstrom

Gift the Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner, $25-$45

This toner is infused with real rose petals and softens her skin while reducing the appearance of pores. Used twice daily, it’s a refreshing addition to her skin-care routine.

A furball-adorned phone case

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Nordstrom

Gift the Casetify Excuse my Frenchie iPhone X/Xs/XR Case, $36

The shock-resistant, drop-test-certified phone case will delight any dog lover, and it’s thin enough to work on wireless chargers.

A delicate chain ring

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Nordstrom

Gift the Zoe Chicco Diamond Ring, $275

This beautiful ring can join her stack of other delicate rings or star as the singular sparkling star on her finger. It’s made from solid 14-karat gold.

Ultra-comfortable lounge pants

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Nordstrom

Gift the Tommy John Jogger Pants, $78

Take it from us – she’ll live in these joggers after work and on the weekends. They’re super soft and stretchy, with a drawstring waist, front pockets, and slightly tapered legs.

A box of chocolates that invites her out to the real event of the weekend

source

Maggie Louise Confections/Instagram

Gift the Maggie Louise Confections Let’s Do Brunch 8-Piece Chocolate Set, $48

Kick off Mother’s Day weekend with these gourmet chocolates shaped like brunch essentials. Dig into them as you wait for your brunch reservation, or skip the restaurant entirely and eat them alongside a homemade brunch spread.

A piece of cookware painted with sea creatures

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Nordstrom

Gift the Golden Rabbit Blue Crab 18-Quart Stock Pot, $129.99

The beautiful stock pot is crafted and hand-dipped using traditional 18th-century techniques. It’s not just pretty to look at. It’s oven- and stovetop-safe up to 600°F and can stand the test of time.

Satin slippers she can wear out of the house

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Birdies/Instagram

Gift the Birdies Phoebe Slipper, $140

Unlike the pretty but shapeless slippers that would never survive past the front porch, Birdies slippers are structured and cushioned to allow for practical activities. They feature seven-layer responsive cushioned footbeds with elevating arch support.

A retro espresso machine

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Nordstrom

Gift the Smeg ’50s Retro Style Espresso Coffee Machine, $459.95

If she hates the look of modern espresso machines, but can’t survive without her daily cup of espresso. this beautiful system should make her happy. It’s elegant, but also boasts modern, powerful performance.

A compact flat iron

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Nordstrom

Gift the T3 SinglePass Compact Travel Styling Flat Iron, $89

This small and light styling tool ensures her hair looks great even if she’s at the gym or traveling. T3’s signature coated plates reduce frizz and enhance shine, and the rose-gold details make the iron look less industrial.

A sleek digital camera

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Leica

Gift the Leica C-Lux Compact Digital Camera, $1,050

Sure, we have smartphones to take pretty great pictures for us, but they still can’t compare to the quality of a real digital camera. The 20 megapixel-camera can shoot 10 frames per second and 4k video.

A low-maintenance indoor garden

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Nordstrom

Gift the Click and Grow Smart Garden 3 Self Watering Indoor Garden, $99.95

This smart garden lets her grow her own herbs and vegetables with little effort. The timed LED light, proprietary soil mix, and large water reservoir work together to quickly produce delicious results.

Fast-acting eye gels

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Patchology

Gift the Patchology Moodpatch Eye Gel Mask, $15

The soothing, tea-infused eye gels are designed to calm, then re-energize the under-eye area in just 10 minutes.

A light-up phone case

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Nordstrom

A set of crisp sheets

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Nordstrom

Gift the Casper Supima 400 Thread Count Sheet Set, $140-$170

Crisp and airy new sheets are a dream to sleep in, and with Casper’s premium Supima cotton construction, these ones will feel that way even after multiple washes. They’re soft and breathable, with thoughtful design details to speed up the process of making her bed.

A necklace to show off her star sign

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Nordstrom

Gift the Argento Vivo Zodiac Pendant Necklace, $78

Whether she’s a fiery Scorpio or patient Taurus, she’ll love this subtly personalized gift. The 18-karat gold vermeil is affordable but still durable.

Socks famous in the startup world

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Bombas/Instagram

Gift the Bombas Shadow Stripe Socks, $12

Bombas makes the most comfortable socks we’ve tried yet. She’ll feel that arch-hugging support from first wear, plus she’ll appreciate that the company donates a pair of socks to someone in need for every pair sold.

A colorful silk scarf with a sweet message

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Nordstrom

Gift the Rebecca Minkoff Be Kind Silk Bandana Scarf, $38

The 100% silk scarf is adorned with a message she has probably imparted on you in the past: “Be Kind.”

A Sonos wireless speaker

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Nordstrom

Gift the Sonos PLAY:1 Compact Wireless Speaker, $149

By itself, the Sonos PLAY:1 fills the room with a rich, full sound that you wouldn’t expect from a speaker of its size. Doubled up with another Sonos speaker, the sound boasts even better range and volume, making her favorite songs sound amazing.

A pale yellow leather strap watch

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Nordstrom

Gift the MVMT Bloom Leather Strap Watch, 36mm, $140

She doesn’t need yet another brown or black leather watch. Mix it up with a more colorful option from stylish watch startup MVMT.

A porcelain diffuser

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Nordstrom

Gift the Vitruvi Porcelain Essential Oil Diffuser, $119

The gorgeous diffuser quietly fills the room with fragrant, relaxing essential oils and can run for up to seven hours at a time.

The post 31 gifts that remind us why Nordstrom is a great place to shop for Mother’s Day, Defence Online appeared first on Defence Online.

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[jamiebriana11]

Have you been to Lindfield?

Have you been to Lindfield? If you haven’t, we hope this will persuade you to pop it on your list of places to visit! After reading this you may even go one step further and be tempted to move to the village — it really is a wonderful place to live.

Not only is there a collection of fantastic independent shops, but it such a beautiful place to take a leisurely walk, watch the world go by with a delicious coffee from Lindfield Coffee Works and a newspaper. (Many of you who are reading this will have children, and ‘the picture’ of your days out won’t be quite the same… but with a fabulous coffee in hand, an amazing park, a pond with loud splashing fountains … and perhaps a football, you are still in for a treat of a day out! And actually, hold that thought, we have an idea further down, for those with slightly older children, to get you that solitude you crave!)

Just a few of our favourite places in Lindfield:

Lindfield Coffee Works — unbelievable coffee, roasted on site.

S.W.A.L.K — gorgeous gifts and cards, perfect for any occasion!

The Stand Up Inn — We love The Stand Up it has a great choice of ales (if that floats your boat) and their Thai food is delicious.

The Bent Arms — Excellent food and a fantastic beer garden which is perfect in the summer.

Tufnells — an ideal place to buy a gift for yourself! Or for friends and family. Our own Mathew bought his wife some lovely French candle stick holders from there recently, and they were very well received!

Humphrey’s — The Bakers on the High Street — Check out their reviews on Trip Advisor! This really is a throwback to a traditional bakers. The food is brilliant and very well priced. You can pick up a delicious sausage roll, stroll down to the park, or enjoy on one of the park benches on the high street!

So that idea we had for a bit of lovely indulgent peace and quiet for grown ups is to utilise Lindfield Art Studio. If you can imagine a cabin, but not just an ordinary cabin…one that is packed with art equipment, pots upon pots of paint brushes, incredible art displayed on the wall, clay creations and gorgeous displays of still life in every which way that you look. During school holidays you could book your children in for an art day which will be action packed with different skills — from 5 minute art to longer more time consuming clay leaf sculptures. While they explore all the different mediums, you can kick back and relax with a coffee and a wander around the shops! Now that has to be worth a thought…

Take a read of Mathew’s current article in Lindfield Life Magazine to get a real feel of this lovely village…

Mathew and his team have been very busy in Lindfield. So much so that we received this note on Facebook a few weeks ago!

We have also had brilliant reviews via RaterAgent of our work in Lindfield, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill (the area covers by Mathew and his team)

“Matthew knocked on our door and won us over straight away. He had noticed our property had been on sale for a long time and that our current estate agents had not used very good photos. His approach to selling our house was much more friendly, direct and action focused. The whole team made us feel important and that our house sale was as important to them as to us. If we move again, we will definitely be using Move Revolution!”

“Matthew and Mark did a superb job selling our property in Lindfield. We had 13 viewings in the first week, and an asking price within a fortnight! The professional photos they took of our home were simply fantastic — much better than anything else we’d seen from other agents. We just wanted our lovely home to be viewed in the best way possible. We were really pleased with our online listing. We also had a number of viewings (which they always undertook) which made full use of their 7 days a week service. ”

“Viewing to Exchange was first class. We were able to second view on the Sunday which most estate agents don’t do — it made a huge difference as we are re-locating. Throughout the process thereafter Mat was in touch and went the extra mile to help us through to exchange — which is not easy! I can’t recommend move revolution enough — their service and commitment to working with you every step of the way to exchange was something I can say I have never experienced before. Thanks so much we couldn’t have got there without their commitment and professionalism at the highest level. ”

The reviews speak for themselves. If you are are thinking of moving or renting your home, Mathew and his team would love to hear from you. Please call them on 01444 657657. or visit our Burgess Hill estate agency page, or our Haywards Heath estate agency page.

from http://www.moverevolution.com/blog/have-you-been-to-lindfield/

from jamiebriana https://medium.com/@moverevolution1/have-you-been-to-lindfield-968e897d40dd?source=rss-6769039f6f55------2

[karacarly]

Have you been to Lindfield?

Have you been to Lindfield? If you haven’t, we hope this will persuade you to pop it on your list of places to visit! After reading this you may even go one step further and be tempted to move to the village — it really is a wonderful place to live.

Not only is there a collection of fantastic independent shops, but it such a beautiful place to take a leisurely walk, watch the world go by with a delicious coffee from Lindfield Coffee Works and a newspaper. (Many of you who are reading this will have children, and ‘the picture’ of your days out won’t be quite the same… but with a fabulous coffee in hand, an amazing park, a pond with loud splashing fountains … and perhaps a football, you are still in for a treat of a day out! And actually, hold that thought, we have an idea further down, for those with slightly older children, to get you that solitude you crave!)

Just a few of our favourite places in Lindfield:

Lindfield Coffee Works — unbelievable coffee, roasted on site.

S.W.A.L.K — gorgeous gifts and cards, perfect for any occasion!

The Stand Up Inn — We love The Stand Up it has a great choice of ales (if that floats your boat) and their Thai food is delicious.

The Bent Arms — Excellent food and a fantastic beer garden which is perfect in the summer.

Tufnells — an ideal place to buy a gift for yourself! Or for friends and family. Our own Mathew bought his wife some lovely French candle stick holders from there recently, and they were very well received!

Humphrey’s — The Bakers on the High Street — Check out their reviews on Trip Advisor! This really is a throwback to a traditional bakers. The food is brilliant and very well priced. You can pick up a delicious sausage roll, stroll down to the park, or enjoy on one of the park benches on the high street!

So that idea we had for a bit of lovely indulgent peace and quiet for grown ups is to utilise Lindfield Art Studio. If you can imagine a cabin, but not just an ordinary cabin…one that is packed with art equipment, pots upon pots of paint brushes, incredible art displayed on the wall, clay creations and gorgeous displays of still life in every which way that you look. During school holidays you could book your children in for an art day which will be action packed with different skills — from 5 minute art to longer more time consuming clay leaf sculptures. While they explore all the different mediums, you can kick back and relax with a coffee and a wander around the shops! Now that has to be worth a thought…

Take a read of Mathew’s current article in Lindfield Life Magazine to get a real feel of this lovely village…

Mathew and his team have been very busy in Lindfield. So much so that we received this note on Facebook a few weeks ago!

We have also had brilliant reviews via RaterAgent of our work in Lindfield, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill (the area covers by Mathew and his team)

“Matthew knocked on our door and won us over straight away. He had noticed our property had been on sale for a long time and that our current estate agents had not used very good photos. His approach to selling our house was much more friendly, direct and action focused. The whole team made us feel important and that our house sale was as important to them as to us. If we move again, we will definitely be using Move Revolution!”

“Matthew and Mark did a superb job selling our property in Lindfield. We had 13 viewings in the first week, and an asking price within a fortnight! The professional photos they took of our home were simply fantastic — much better than anything else we’d seen from other agents. We just wanted our lovely home to be viewed in the best way possible. We were really pleased with our online listing. We also had a number of viewings (which they always undertook) which made full use of their 7 days a week service. ”

“Viewing to Exchange was first class. We were able to second view on the Sunday which most estate agents don’t do — it made a huge difference as we are re-locating. Throughout the process thereafter Mat was in touch and went the extra mile to help us through to exchange — which is not easy! I can’t recommend move revolution enough — their service and commitment to working with you every step of the way to exchange was something I can say I have never experienced before. Thanks so much we couldn’t have got there without their commitment and professionalism at the highest level. ”

The reviews speak for themselves. If you are are thinking of moving or renting your home, Mathew and his team would love to hear from you. Please call them on 01444 657657. or visit our Burgess Hill estate agency page, or our Haywards Heath estate agency page.

from http://www.moverevolution.com/blog/have-you-been-to-lindfield/

from karacarly https://medium.com/@moverevolution1/have-you-been-to-lindfield-968e897d40dd?source=rss-6769039f6f55------2

[theyearofnoclothes]

day four hundred and sixty-four - things I bought in transit

It’s the second week of the second April of the pandemic, and how close we are to the end depends on where you’re standing. Almost 20% of adults in the US have been vaccinated, but cases are rising and over 554,000 have died. While no country comes close to the US death toll, countries around the world are setting their own records, and citizens of Western countries make up a disproportionate percentage of the vaccinated. All to say, the pandemic won’t be truly over anytime soon. And for anyone who lost a job, or a business, or a loved one, even today is too late.

Obviously that list of things carries varying degrees of loss, but any loss is incomparable to the one holding it, which I thought about while reading today that my favorite yoga studio in Madison was closing. Wisconsin is one of the better vaccinated states, and reopening is within sight, but the funding ran out, the landlord grew impatient, and the place I learned to chill the fuck out is no more. And I didn’t do enough to stop it.

In the early days of the pandemic I was singlehandedly trying to save Austin’s restaurants and justified buying a ring because I wanted the jeweler to stay in business. I did some online drop-in yoga classes at this faraway but treasured studio, but didn’t sign up for a membership, both because I wasn’t doing a ton of yoga and because I wanted to do a little bit for all my favorite studios instead of a lot for one I could only visit once or twice a year. I don’t think that just me buying a membership would’ve made a difference, but if everyone who loved the studio and could afford it had, perhaps it would be a different story.

Alas I didn’t, and they didn’t, and another small business went under. I will carry the closing as a reminder to spend in line with my values, and try to pivot to lightheartedness with the rest of this post, where I tell you how my values manifested into physical items I hauled around the country...or not. So after much ado, I bring you: things I bought in transit, because consumerism is hard to shake.

art

You know what someone with no walls needs? Two paintings and a screen print! All from different female artists of different ages in different states and bought at different times, I actually only carried the screen print with me and had lovely friends in California hold onto the paintings. I’ve only retrieved one of them - we’ll see when I get around to hanging it!

ceramics

Ceramics may also be considered art, but the two vases and three pots I bought demanded their own section. All handmade, one vase I had to pounce during an online shop drop for, the other I bought at Mojave Flea, two pots I purchased from Kachina House in Sedona, and the other pot I impulse purchased from Santa Fe Vintage Outpost with the notorious jacket. Because clearly I make rational decisions.

plant pots

Not made of clay! I started my drive west with four new planters in the car and ended it with three new planters and six new plants. The one old plant in one old planter miraculously also survived the drive. Now to get plants that actually fit the planters...

candles

I do not in fact know how many candles I purchased because I gifted some, but the Black-owned candle shops I found had just too great of scents (looking at you, Torch and Bright Black). Two candles made their way from Wisconsin with me, nestled into the spare wheel well in my trunk.

books

Another must have for a person on the go! Fiction books, nonfiction books, cookbooks, I bought a few of each, all from Semicolon in Chicago (except a book on RBG I bought at Women and Children First, and that knitting book/kit from Pom Pom...sigh). I also gifted some, but wound up packing at least six tomes into my trunk. Books are important!

rug

I think I wrote about this, but I bought a vintage Moroccan rug from my friend, who happens to be a Moroccan rug seller - go figure. I did not open the package for six months or take it out of my trunk until I got to my new apartment. I now know what it looks like but still have nowhere to put it. Probably don’t buy a rug you don’t have a room for.

electronics

I bought a new pair of wireless headphones because my existing pair was in a box in a storage unit in another state. This was not a necessary purchase and didn’t help any businesses I care about, but it felt like I would need it to survive working at my dad’s. I also bought a Theragun when I got to my corporate housing because I do things like spend hours writing blog posts hunched on the couch. I haven’t used it in the two weeks I’ve been in my own place. It definitely didn’t help a small business.

slippers

I bought house slippers in Chicago I never really wore, not to support a specific business but to save my feet from Airbnbs. When I got to San Francisco I doubled down on this and bough shearling-lined sandals I also haven’t really worn, but prided myself on going to the woman-owned store to try on before buying. I should definitely wear them tomorrow.

toiletries

Already documented (post 1 and 2), I replaced pretty much my entire routine with Black-owned skincare and beauty products and in the end only overdid it with the lip balm. Everything else I used up or am currently using! Will hopefully never again be a traveling self care aisle though.

kitchen things

I’m ending with this category because a) I told myself I wasn’t going to include consumable items but also drove around with jam and caramel and hot sauce, and b) the two knives and one measuring cup I bought felt like actual necessities for four months of mystery kitchens, unlike every single other thing in this roundup. Thank god I returned those roller skates though!

[arabianfloristde]

EASY FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS IDEAS FOR HOME DECORATION

Everybody loves flowers and flower arrangements! Since summer has arrived officially, let’s take some of the time to make our house beautiful with this cuteness- overloaded and super-quick floral arrangements.

FLOWERS OF SPRING 

Take six glass bottles of the same size and put a single bud stem or two in each of them. You have to tie a ribbon on the top of each bottle to make it more beautiful. It is one awesome and super-easy flower vase DIY that will surely enhance the look of your dining space or living room.  If you can’t find bottles of the same size, you can switch to another DIY where you need to glue the twine or jute, starting from the bottom. You can also hang bottles by the neck with the help of jute rope, with little flower buds in them. You can order flowers online Abu Dhabi and get desired flowers home delivered. 

FLOWERS IN A COLANDER

You can use cans, tins and old teapots, whatever you could think of as long as you can figure out a way to drain water. Poke a hole or two with the help of a drill machine and you are good to go! If you are using a colander to plant flowers, you may need to put landscape fabric before you put soil. While watering the plant the fabric which you have used will prevent the soil to wash out. You can hang containers with ‘S’ hook or jute twine.

FLOWERS DRIED AND LIT!

Flowers DIYHave dried flowers or flowers without stems handy? Take a clay pot filled with water and put flowers and floating candles in it. You can also add essential oil for a more fragrant effect. This flower arrangement will give a spa appeal to your home and transform your living room within minutes. Keep the lights off, or just let the center light turned on to create a dramatic effect. This flower arrangement is very easy, we can use candles in this arrangement and place the dried petals on the candles. You can make the flowers dry by putting them in between the mattress or between books. Keep checking on them while they are taking their time to dry, as there might be some flowers that won’t be flattened easily and hence, not suitable for this project. You can buy flowers online UAE.

Now, heat the rear part of the spoon on a gas stove or candle and press the petal on to the candle where you want to apply it.  You can also flatten leaves on the candle with the help of a hot spoon.  Burning off some part of flowers and leaves is inevitable with the heat but even that comes out naturally and looks beautiful.  Just remember not to blister heat the spoon. It should be warm enough to press the petal on to the surface and melt some of the wax as it lets the petal embossed on the candle.

FLOWERS SEED FAVORS

Move over boxed items and gift hampers. Gift these beautiful gift bags filled with flower seeds or potpourri. Add a personal touch with a handwritten message.

FLOWER IN A STRING

Since ages, you have been looping marigolds in a thread and tying the garland on the main entrance. It is believed to bring luck and prosperity to the homeowner. The best part is that it is super easy to make. All you need is one strong thread and a needle. Take any flower of your choice or you can take marigold flowers and make a garland using flowers and adding leaves to them. When the circle is complete, you can tie the garland to the main door or staircase. Enjoy the fresh scent! Get your desired flowers to your home using flower delivery in Dubai. 

[dlightscandle]

Decorative GelWax Candles Online | Buy Scented Candles Online | Dlights.in

Candles for Corporate Gifts

Candle light has been used to illuminate festivals for many centuries. There are candles everywhere, representing light, strength, and happiness. They include candles for birthday parties, scented candles, floating candles, and remembrance candles. 

To illuminate a party in the home, use special decorative gel wax candles online in a lovely brass vase with flowers. Typically, these candles are enclosed in a glass with dry flowers. Each household may feel more festive by employing candle in clay pot. If you're preparing a romantic supper for two, you may also buy fragrance candles for gift them to set a tranquil and inviting mood.

Buy Glass Candles Online

Birthday festivities Since the time of Ancient time, birthday candles have been used to decorate cakes. Several cultures have the view that after candles are extinguished, the prayers are sent up to the heavens through the smoke. Some people also think that the custom of placing birthday candles on cakes to represent the "light of life" was originated by the Germans. Everyone experiences some joy when blowing out their birthday candles, and this custom has come a long way and is here to stay.

Buy Clay Pot Candles Online

Aromatize your home Candlesticks have traditionally been used to create light with buy scented aroma candles online. With coloured, designer, and scented candles, they are used as a home décor accent while still providing light. A scented candle gives a lovely fragrance to your home, fostering a tranquil atmosphere.

A fantastic piece of advice for utilising buy scented candles online is to keep them away from anything combustible by setting them on a table or in a cupboard. Moreover, it would be wise to keep these candles out of children's reach. By purchasing buy fragrance candles online, you may create a cosy atmosphere in your house. Depending on your preferences, there are many different fragrances available. They range from apple cinnamon to sandalwood, lemongrass, and lavender. Candlesticks are unquestionably a significant element of a household, whether they serve to commemorate a birthday or freshen up a space. Candles have changed very little over history despite being a very old source of light.

With a decorative gel wax candles online, you may brighten your life or give your home a touch of glitz. Choose a clay pot candle gift online from our enormous selection of scented, unscented, and designed candles to brighten your evenings for every mood, exclusively at Divine Lights Candle!

To Place Your Order, Reach Divine Lights Candles Rameswaram Online Web : www.dlights.in Call to Order : 9655184096 candles for corporate gifts | custom candles for corporate gifts | buy corporate candles online | corporate gift candle | custom corporate candles gift

[uncleyarn2-blog]

Our 2018 all-Chicago holiday gift guide

Sustenance

1/ Local coffee subscription: Back of the Yards, Dark Matter, or Metric Coffee

Coffee is the social lubricant that wakes you up, keeps you awake—or maybe puts you to sleep. You can drink it hot in winter to stay warm! But drink good, fresh coffee. Chicago is home to many fine craft coffee roasters, and may offer subscriptions for a steady supply. Metric Coffee offers espresso ($20) and blend ($20) subscriptions as well as a Roasters Choice Subscription ($22) and Single Origin Subscription ($24) each with two different eight-ounce bags in every weekly or monthly delivery. Dark Matter Coffee offers three, six, and twelve-month subscriptions to their monthly limited blends for $20 per month—with discounts for longer subscriptions. Back of the Yards Coffee Co.'s Coffee Club subscriptions page is currently under construction. Hopefully that will be available again soon. In the meantime, they do sell their espresso and 47th Street Blend medium-dark roast coffee in twelve-ounce bags ($15.99), with one dollar from every 47th Street Blend going to their Social Impact fund to benefit the neighborhood.—John Dunlevy Prices vary at backoftheyardscoffee.com, darkmattercoffee.com, and metriccoffee.com.

2/ Coffee maker Nº3 by Manual.is

Manual's newest coffee maker is four usages in one: pour over, French press, cold brew, and a pitcher. It can keep its liquids hot for about an hour in the double-wall insulated design. With this elegant, hand-blown borosilicate glass vessel, even a person who doesn't drink coffee regularly (me) will savor the ritual of making, and serving coffee. —Sue Kwong $140 at Manual Shop & Studio, 3251½ W. Bryn Mawr, 312-870-0799, manual.is.

3/ Mushroom tree ornaments by Facture Goods

The handcrafted mushroom Christmas ornaments come in earthy brown clay glazed in gray and flecked with 22-karat gold. They typically sell out in minutes when creator Aron Fischer puts a fresh batch in his online shop. But on November 24 you can find them at Martha Mae in Andersonville during Small Business Saturday. The mushrooms come in enoki, morel, shiitake, and straw varietals. Plus, while you're there, you can snag plenty more gifts for loved ones in Jean Cate's magical shop. —Maya Dukmasova $18 each or $60 for a set of four at facturegoods.com and on November 24 only at Martha Mae, 5407 N. Clark, 872-806-0988, marthamae.info.

4/ Malort soy candle

Everyone's favorite drink in candle form. —Vince Cerasani $30 at reuse-first.com.

5/ Tellicherry Black Whole Peppercorns from Reluctant Trading Experiment

Pretty amazing pepper from an outfit started by Scott Eirinberg, the entrepreneur who founded, and later sold, The Land of Nod. —Suggested by Kate Schmidt, written by Reader staff Starting at $6.50 at reluctanttrading.com.

Self Care

1/ Houseplant from Foyer

This little plant and stationary store opened in Andersonville a few months ago. It's run by a tremendously helpful and non-judgmental Alma Vescovi, who wants you to get past your fear of killing houseplants. The stock is refreshed weekly and she carries hard-to-find varietals like pilea, monstera, and satin pothos alongside all kinds of succulents and cacti. There are also vintage planters and pots as well as ones made by local artists. If things don't go well with your new plant friend, you can always bring it back for a check-up with Vescovi. She once helped me resuscitate a delicate plumosa fern. It's doing great. Plants are the gift that keeps on giving.—Maya Dukmasova Starting at $8 at 1480 W. Berwyn, 713-994-0302, foyer.shop.

2/ Sound wave art, Soundwaves by Mordecai

Kathleen Mordecai turns sound waves from parts of songs or special moments (for example Pat Hughes saying "Chicago Cubs win the World Series" or children's laughter, as pictured) into sculptures she handcrafts using reclaimed wood. Whether you're shopping for someone who lives in a tiny studio, or in a mansion with plenty of wall space to fill, there's likely an option that will fit; the current selection of sculptures in her online shop runs from 12 inches to 4 feet. Mordecai also takes custom orders, and for those who want to be able to hear the sound while enjoying the visuals, she offers an option for audio playback. —Jamie Ludwig Starting at $76 at etsy.com/soundwavesbyMordecai.

3/ Soap Distillery

The brand tagline for Soap Distillery may promise "Small batches. No hangovers," but no such claim can be made about whether these boozy body care miracles are addictive. Because they are, friends. A bottle of the Beer + Cigarettes hand and body wash disappeared so quickly from my bathroom that I'm not entirely convinced my partner wasn't drinking it. Perfect for the person on your list who always smells so damn good. —Karen Hawkins Prices vary at soapdistillery.com. Catch up with founder Danielle Martin at a holiday shopping event or click here for a list of retailers.

4/ King Spa & Sauna

King Spa & Sauna, the Korean spa in Niles, does not fulfil the glossy magazine ideal of the spa day. There are no fluffy white robes, no soothing music or nice-smelling oils and lotions. Instead, there's a series of saunas, each filled with a different substance that will relieve you of a different source of stress, each more baroque than the last: amethyst geodes, living crystals, 350-million-year-old salt rocks, a 23-karat gold pyramid. The admission fee gets a person access to all of them, plus the soaking pools, food court, and movie theater. (Massages and other spa treatments are extra.) The spa's open 24 hours, so guests can stay as long as they like. In Korea, entire families go to spas for an easy weekend getaway. Maybe they're onto something? —Aimee Levitt $40 admission at King Spa & Sauna, 809 Civic Center Drive, Niles, 847-972-2540, kingspa.com/chicago. Gift cards available.

5/ Mochimochi Land knitting kits

Forget sweaters and scarves, Mochimochi Land gives you the tools to show off your needle skills by knitting something truly unique: cute miniature characters like tiny burgers or tiny walruses or tiny robots and really any other tiny thing you can dream up. The kits go for $12-$15 and include yarn, stuffing, notions, and patterns—all you need are knitting needles, available separately on the website. Mochimochi Land creator Anna Hrachovec features her knitted friends in stop-motion animated videos and GIFs of everyday life in the mystical, yarn-covered land of her own creation. Hrachovec also used the style in her book, Adventures in Mochimochi Land, which follows the adventures of a talking doughnut and a lovelorn balloon, of course. The online shop offers patterns for larger, equally adorable knitting projects ranging from $5-$8 and, for the less crafty among us, pre-knit gnomes, hedgehogs, zombies, and unicorns for $25 each. —Brianna Wellen Prices vary at mochimochiland.com.

6/ Mano y Metal handmade accessories

These aren't your basic accessories. Mano y Metal offers handmade metal jewelry that spices up any look. Owner Desiree T. Guzman features hand stamped metal rings, cuff bracelets, earrings, necklaces, dog tags and more with empowering sayings engraved on them like "be badass" ("chingona" in Spanish) or "me vale madre" which translates to "I don't give a damn." The online shop even offers options available for customization and a Chicago collection. —Marissa De La Cerda $10 for keychains, $16 for rings, $20-$22 for double finger rings, $16-$28 for bracelets, $17-$58 for necklaces at manoymetal.com.

7/ The WasteShed Art Supplies

Help fuel your loved one's winter craft addiction and help rescue markers, knitting needles and paints from the landfill. Cultivating a more sustainable culture, The WasteShed accepts donations of art supplies and repurposes art, craft and school supplies. Pull together a gift basket for a DIY project from their low cost offerings, or grab a gift certificate for the creatives and teachers on your list. While you're there, drop off the crocheting you gave up on. The WasteShed is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) so your donations are tax deductible! See their web site for complete list of acceptable donations. — Jamie Ramsay Prices vary at 2842 W. Chicago, 773-666-5997, thewasteshed.com.

8/ Mermaid lessons at AquaMermaid

Who doesn't know someone who once dreamed of being a mermaid? (If your answer is "me," feel free to skip this item.) Fortunately, AquaMermaid exists for the sole purpose of helping people fulfill this glorious dream. Weekly lessons are available on Sunday afternoons at the UIC Sports and Fitness Center pool for both kids and adults; parties can also be arranged. You'll learn basic mermaid maneuvers, like how to glide gracefully underwater, flip your fins, and wave gracefully with your tail. And yes, tails are provided—though you'll have to wear your own bathing suit, or a seashell bra if you want to go full Ariel. Be warned: being a mermaid is a lot harder than it looks, but you'll get a great core workout. —Aimee Levitt Starting at $60 at UIC Sports and Fitness Center, 901 W. Roosevelt Road, 866-279-2767, aquamermaid.com.

Community Care

1/ Chicago Community Bond Fund donation

What better way to spread holiday cheer than to help someone in jail get home to their family? CCBF accepts donations large and small to pay bail for those awaiting trial in Cook County Jail. —Maya Dukmasova Visit chicagobond.org to see the criteria they use to select whose bail to pay.

2/ Women & Children First gift certificate

This post-#MeToo moment is a really good time to give all the sexist jerks in your life a gift certificate to one of the oldest and most significant women-owned bookstores in the US. Making people support women-owned businesses and select from an array of books including a higher-than-average spate by women and nonbinary folks is truly a gift that will benefit generations to come. —Anne Elizabeth Moore Prices vary at 5233 N. Clark, 773-769-9299, womenandchildrenfirst.com.

3/ My Block, My Hood, My City gear

Founded by Jamal Cole, MBMHMC is a connectivity-encouraging, mentoring nonprofit that focuses on providing underserved teenagers exposure to opportunities beyond their familiar neighborhoods. Through excursions in STEM, art, entrepreneurism, and community development, called the Explorers Program, as well as service projects like shoveling snow for seniors, MBMHMC fosters experiences to nurture and empower Chicago youth. Twenty percent of all apparel sales go toward the Explorers Program. On December 1 and 8, volunteer to help hang holiday lights from 51st to 87th Streets along historic Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Like their Facebook page or check https://www.formyblock.org/events/ for updates on projects, calls to action, and to learn about volunteering. —Jamie Ramsay from $50 for hoodies (available in English, Spanish and Mandarin), $25 for skullies, at formyblock.org.

4/ Haymarket Books Book Club

If there's a radical or revolutionary on your shopping list, or, at the very least, someone who cares about social and economic justice, odds are they already know about Haymarket Books, the Buena Park-based publisher of Angela Davis, Rebecca Solnit, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, and Eve Ewing, among many, many others. Membership in Haymarket's book club provides regular monthly shipments of all the publisher's new titles, in either print or e-book format, plus discounts on everything on the backlist. Not only will you provide someone with the foundation of a great personal library, you'll also be supporting a local business. It's a win for everybody. —Aimee Levitt $20-$30/month at haymarketbooks.org.

5/ T-Shirt from the Silver Room

I discovered Silver Room when I first saw Eve Ewing wearing a "Make Chicago Great Again" Harold Washington T-shirt at Pitchfork last year. But the store has a lot more to offer, with shirts by local artists ranging from a profile of Colin Kaepernick made out of tiny red fists to one that looks like a hand-painted bodega advertisement for Hyde Park. The store is full of hand-crafted leather goods, jewelry, and home decor, many by black makers. —Maya Dukmasova $20-$30 at Silver Room, 1506 E. 53rd St., 773-947-0024, thesilverroom.com.

6/ Rebel Betty Arte prints and zines

Support a Latinx artist this holiday season by buying zines, prints, buttons and other artwork by Rebel Betty, an Afro-Latina artist, DJ, and educator. Her work focuses on raising awareness and creating discussions about gentrification and issues affecting black and brown communities. —Marissa De La Cerda $5-$35 for prints, $5-$15 for zines, $10-$15 for buttons and other items at rebelbettyarte.com.

Good Times

1/ Hollow Leg cocktail class

Contrary to popular belief, Hollow Leg is not a store where you can buy a leg lamp a la A Christmas Story, it's a company that offers mixology classes at various venues around the city. Founded by Devin Kidner, Hollow Leg aims to share the art and science behind crafting cocktails so that anyone who attends their events leaves with the knowledge, taste, and skill to finally make a decent drink—and since they offer plenty of non-alcoholic options, everyone can join in on the fun. You can purchase individual tickets or gift certificates to workshops such as Liquid Confidence: Mixology 101, or book them for a holiday shindig so you can give a whole bunch of your friends the gift that keeps on giving (and giving, and giving . . . depending on who you hang out with). Though most classes are hands-on, they also offer tastings, so you and your guests can just sit back, sip, and learn. The best part might be that they'll play "cocktail whisperer," and tailor the menu for their audience, so if, for example, you hate sugary sweet drinks, you won't have to waste your time—or your booze—mixing one. —Jamie Ludwig $60-$95 for gift certificates at hollowleg.com.

2/ Fat Tiger Workshop hat

Streetwear boutique Fat Tiger Workshop first set up in a small Congress Theater storefront four years ago. Founding designers Vic Lloyd, Desmond Owusu, Terrell Jones, and Joe "Freshgoods" Robinson quickly made the space a home for friends, aspiring artists, and established musicians. One day I wandered in to find Chuck Inglish and Sulaiman filming a music video behind the storefront; on another I bought a Save Money shirt during a pop-up helmed by Joey Purp. Fat Tiger has changed locations twice since then, and the owners still make sure its large West Town headquarters is an open-door community space, even as their individual profiles have risen. Robinson has become a streetwear celebrity since he made a one-off clothing line in homage to our previous president, "Thank U Obama" (Chance the Rapper wore one such hoodie while collecting his first Grammy), and he's since been enlisted to make clothes for the Chicago Bears, McDonald's, and the MCA. All four designers make gear for their individual brands, but they also have a run of Fat Tiger clothes. The simple, bold Fat Tiger hat is a great way to show love for all four of these independent, community-driven designers. —Leor Galil $30 for a signature hat at 836 N. Milwaukee, fattigerworkshop.com.

3/ Custom handmade guitar strap from Souldier

In 2004, Chicago musician Jen Tabor started making instrument straps for her friends, and soon began selling them at shows. Nearly 15 years later, her company Souldier, which specializes in hand-cut leather guitar, bass, and banjo straps, has helped support the instruments of artists such as Jeff Tweedy, Tom Petty, and Kim Gordon, and has practically come to have rock-star status of its own. You can find Souldier straps at a number of instrument shops and other retailers throughout the city, or purchase directly through their website, where there's more fun to be had by customizing a strap of your own. Choose between dozens of color and fabric patterns to match anyone's personality and/or artistic aesthetic. And though Souldier is most known for their instrument accessories, their product line also includes camera straps, headbands, wrist cuffs, dog collars, and more, so there are plenty of gift options for your non-musician human and canine friends. —Jamie Ludwig Prices vary at souldier.us.

4/ Fine Prints cassettes

Chicago's rock scene–if you can say there is one single community–is a lot broader than it often gets credited. Local label Fine Prints gets it. Founded by Robby Haynes (who helps run Hermosa studio Strange Magic Recording) and Ziyad Asrar (of Baby Blue, formerly of Whitney), Fine Prints has put out only a handful of cassette releases, but the small catalog shows how weird and wonderful Chicago rock can get. The label launched in August by releasing tapes from prog misfits Mayor Daley, art punks Wage, and synthpop hypnotists Desert Liminal; in October, Haynes and Asrar dropped the second EP by bedroom-pop wizard Adam Schubert, aka Ruins. The acts Fine Prints have worked with don't overlap stylistically, and that's partly why these four cassettes work well as a single package; they're great individual documents, and all together they unintentionally function as a reminder that there's a lot of great music happening in the city beyond the sounds on these tapes. —Leor Galil $7 per cassette at fineprints.bandcamp.com.

5/ Sharkula T-shirt

Can you really claim to be a Chicagoan if you've never met Sharkula? For the past couple decades, the oddball rapper who also answers to Thigahmahjigggee and Dirty Gilligan has roamed around the city's streets, selling his wares hand-to-hand: usually that means CD-Rs of his unpredictable raps housed in a photocopied sheet of paper littered with his drawings. He recently started making his own T-shirts, and his detailed, gritty graffiti style gives his pieces a lived-in quality. Sharkula designs each shirt by hand and no two are identical, which means this is the most unique gift you can give the Chicago hip-hop fan in your life. And, since buying a shirt requires that you call Sharkula, this also gives anyone who has never met him before the opportunity to finally meet a local legend. —Leor Galil Starting at $30 at 773-647-4995.

6/ Experimental Sound Studio tickets

Experimental Sound Studio, founded in 1986 and based in Edgewater since 2006, is one of the city's great incubators of avant-garde and experimental music. The nonprofit's facility houses a full-service recording studio, of course, as well as a small public gallery that hosts exhibitions, workshops, and other events. ESS also provides a home for the Creative Audio Archive, which it describes as "an invaluable collection of recordings, print, and visual ephemera related to avant-garde and exploratory sound and music"—including a trove of Sun Ra material dating back to the 1950s and thousands of improvised and underground shows captured between 1981 and 2006 by Chicago sound recordist Malachi Ritscher. The concert series that ESS presents in its cozy live room, including Option and Oscillations, feature internationally celebrated Chicagoans—drummer Hamid Drake, sound artist Olivia Block, visionary multi-instrumentalists Ben Lamar Gay and Douglas Ewart—as well as renowned out-of-towners such as trumpeter Greg Kelley, saxophonist Don Dietrich, and pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn. —Philip Montoro $40 for a pack of five tickets good for any concerts, which usually cost $10 apiece—and if you e-mail info@ess.org in advance to make a reservation, they'll even get you into one of the handful each year that sell out, 5925 N. Ravenswood, 773-998-1069, ess.org.

7/ Ninja Zombie DVD

In 1992, aspiring writer-director Mark Bessenger and a small crew filmed a low-budget Super-8 horror comedy in Chicago, the exurbs, and Wisconsin. No distributor wanted to touch his movie, Ninja Zombie, though I have a little trouble understanding why; the sight of a green, shirtless zombie adeptly fighting off a small army of ninjas would've sold me in 1992, but I was also seven at the time. Bessenger made a few VHS copies for friends, but the film otherwise disappeared. More than two decades later a copy wound up in the hands of cinema fanatic Zack Carlson, who helps run Bleeding Skull, a site and film distributor that documents obscure horror pictures. In 2014, Carlson brought the VHS to his Bleeding Skull collaborators (writer Annie Choi and site founder Joseph Ziemba, an Illinois native) who were so charmed by the goofy, light-footed picture they decided to find a way to release it. Last month, Bleeding Skull and Austin-based nonprofit the American Genre Film Archive co-released Ninja Zombie on DVD. I just hope with this wide release it may soon become a midnight staple. —Leor Galil $13.99 at americangenrefilm.com/releases/ninja-zombie.

About the artists

To accompany our gift guide, we commissioned two local artists to create the gift wrap featured on our two variant covers. To take full advantage of the festivities, pick up a paper copy of this week's Reader.

Justin Clemons from Chicago Lawn is also the Production Manager at Magnolia Printing. His gift wrap features hands spelling "C-H-I-C-A-G-O" in American Sign Language. The piece started as a hand study he painted at age 17 in the program After School Matters, and his instructor noted that it evoked the feeling of people being deaf to the youth of Chicago and their issues. Years later, Justin completed the painting in acrylics. It was featured in Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition hosted at the Museum of Science+Industry Chicago 2014.

Laura Berger is an artist living in Chicago who paints, sculpts and also animates. Her beautifully minimalistic work often focuses on themes of nature, dreams, or travel. Sometimes, her images feature a host of culturally diverse naked bodies—as appear on one of our variant covers. She is interested in how people create meaning and a sense of belonging to a greater whole.

For more info on Justin's work: justinianart.com. For more info on Laura's work: lauraberger.com.   v

Source: https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/chicago-reader-2018-holiday-gift-guide/Content?oid=63481605

[myecraft-blog]

Best Handicraft Items. Online Store for Handicrafts, Decor, Furnishing, Paintings and Gifts.

India has a particularly made craft tradition, distinguished by nice aesthetics and mixed humanities. Troublesome styles, patterns, painfully crafted monuments, temples and sculptures, all are brilliant masterpieces of workmanship. All Indian crafts and patterns were largely representations of everyday living, socio-political conditions and palace and court scenes. Anthropology studies have unconcealed that the amount of manufacture, for a given handicraft item will be explained from its production technique, patterns and materials used. The tradition and culture of a selected place is mirrored by its handicrafts items. It carries tales of earlier period of the kings and queens, and tells stories of its heritage. Picket handicrafts like inscribed figures, painted figure, chess board, animal figure and alternative Indian Handicraft things of wood are designed aesthetically by the skillful craftsman. If you're taking a more in-depth explore these picket handicraft things, they represent the spirit of Indian attainment in true spirits beside vogue and wonder. They're wide used as gift articles because of their engaging appearance. Today, handicraft is flourishing within the Indian business due to its made cultural heritage and variety. Indian handicraft items ranges from picket stone, metal, glass, bamboo, cane, clay, terracotta ceramics, and textiles. Majority of its production is exported to completely different countries; the foremost standard things in Indian handicrafts are brass ware, pen holder, vases, candle stand, Christmas things, ceramic pots, and alternative product of paper. Completely different states of Asian nation like north jap state, Tripura, Northern States of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir or the southern half, geographical region, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala are standard for its handicraft assortment. all States offer a good vary of handicrafts, with its own identity. These handicraft things represent quality attainment. Metal handicrafts metals like iron, silver, gold, bearing metal, sand stones and semi-precious stones that are brocaded and inscribed with lovely styles. From time to time handicraft trades and exhibitions are organized for handicraft lovers everywhere the globe. India is one in all the most important suppliers of handicrafts to the worldwide market. Extremely labour-intensive, and essentially bungalow primarily based, the business is a lot of widespread within the rural and concrete areas. The business provides a keep for over six million artisans together with a giant share of ladies artisans, and other people from the weaker sections of the country. Indian Arts and Crafts of every age replicate the culture, traditions and happenings of that exact era. Every age, each family line, each empire has its influence and essence within the craft's happiness to those times, so creating India's heritage various and culturally made. Indian ancient jewelry, Beaded jewelry, social group jewelry, Phulkari art, Madhubani Paintings, Miniature Paintings, Tanjore Paintings, Warli Paintings, Cotton materials, Jute product (Bags, Mats) Bamboo & Cane product (Furniture, Decorative), Glass Crafts, Stone & Marble Crafts, animal skin Crafts (Shoes, Bags) Shell Crafts (Jewellery, Decorative) are a number of the most important Indian Crafts product. except for these there are immense style of Crafts product are out there in each Indian and International market. There is immense demand for Indian Crafts product in each domestic and international market. Major a part of Crafts business is dominated by little & medium scale enterprises. To deliver quality product & match the demand & offer, there's would like of larger technological support & originality in business. Crafts are AN integral a part of Asian nation Culture and can still play a significant role within the Cultural and Economic well-being of India.

[tashkandi]

Celebrating Advent as a Family

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:  “Prayer is the life of the new heart. It ought to animate us at every moment… But we cannot pray ‘at all times’ if we do not pray at specific times, consciously willing it” (CCC 2697). We come before the Lord with a desire for ‘a new heart’ when we find time for prayer throughout our day. The Church invites us to pray in many different ways.  We can recite the Rosary, pray the liturgy of the hours, learn about the lives of the saints, celebrate the liturgical year through feast days, lift up our hearts in song or silence, and above all participate in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. If we take time to pray at ‘specific times’, our home will be filled with prayer at ‘all times’.

The season of Advent (from the Latin word “adventus”, meaning “coming”) is the time of preparation for the birth of Christ.  It is a time of longing and waiting for his ‘coming’.  It should be a time filled with joy when we ponder the gift of God’s love, open our hearts to receive and open our hands to give. Advent begins the liturgical year. It begins on the Sunday closest to the last day in November.

Advent traditions are numerous. We do not always know their exact origin, but they have been lived in the hearts of the faithful. If traditions are lived and understood, they can bring families closer to Christ and transform the hearts of those who participate in them.  How can we introduce some Advent traditions into our families this Advent season?

Advent Wreath – The wreath is circular and made of evergreens symbolizing  the eternity of God. Seeds and fruit we may place on the wreath represent life and resurrection. There are four candles on the wreath, each representing one week of Advent. The three purple candles stand for prayer and penance. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday (the “Gaudete Sunday”) and it symbolizes joy – “gaudium” in Latin – as we draw closer to the birth of Christ. The light that the wreath brings symbolizes Christ Himself – our Light. Take a family walk on the first Sunday of Advent and collect everything you will need for the Advent wreath. Make it together as a family and talk with your children about the rich symbolism. Have the wreath blessed by a priest, or read a family blessing of the wreath at home. Place it in a visible spot where your family gathers often. Light it during your evening prayer or at meal times.

Nativity Scene – Saint Francis of Assisi began the custom of the nativity scenes when he celebrated Christmas with his brothers at Greccio in 1223 with a Bethlehem scene which included live animals. This tradition quickly spread and people began to construct their own nativity scenes in their homes. Children take a great joy in helping to set up a nativity scene. The crèche may be made from various materials. Simplicity and beauty go often hand in hand. You may set up your entire scene at the beginning of Advent, leaving the crib empty for the Christ Child to arrive on Christmas Eve. Or you may set up the scene slowly, day by day. We like to hide one figure (an animal, or a branch…) each day of Advent, have our children search for it, and then place it around the manger. Joseph and Mary arrive to Bethlehem last.  On Christmas Eve, the youngest child finds a small golden package under the Christmas tree with the figure of the Baby Jesus.  We place it together in our crèche. Mary and Joseph can also ‘travel’ to Bethlehem, as they move slowly across your room every day until they reach the cave.

Advent Carols – The tradition of caroling is owed to Saint Francis as well. Children especially enjoy the beauty and joy expressed in Christmas Carols. However, Christmas carols should be sung at Christmas. During Advent, we are still waiting. Our music should express this waiting and longing for the Messiah. There are many beautiful Advent Hymns. Learn one new hymn every week of Advent with your family. Your waiting will be rewarded with a profound joy at Christmas time. [Editor’s note: Advent hymns can be found in your parish hymnal. For an online list of popular and lesser-known Advent hymns, see The Cyber Hymnal or Hymns of Advent.]

Jesse Tree – Jesse Tree is an old tradition depicting the relationship of Jesus with Jesse and other biblical figures who were the ancestors of Jesus. Jesse was the father of King David. He is often looked upon as the first person in the genealogy of Jesus. For your own Jesse Tree, a branch can be placed into a pot or a large vase at the beginning of Advent and every day a new ornament can be hung onto it.

An example of a Jesse tree

These ornaments represent the individual figures from the two Testaments. They can be made out of paper, felt, clay, wood, or other materials. As the children place the ornaments onto the branch, the father of the family can read an appropriate Scripture passage that talks about the given ancestor of Jesus. There are many passages that can be chosen and many symbols that can represent various figures.  Each family can create their own list of figures and their symbols. [Editor’s note: this webpage shows one example of Jesse tree ornaments; this webpage provides suggested readings and symbols for each of the Jesse tree ornaments.]

The Crib for the Christ Child – A small wooden crib can be displayed somewhere in your home. This empty crib can be filled with a new piece of straw every day for acts of kindness and small sacrifices. Encourage your children to notice goodness in others, instead of focusing on their own deeds and accomplishments. By the end of Advent, the crib should be filled with straw. On Christmas Eve, children can place a small figure of Baby Jesus in his soft bed of hay.

Advent Angels – At the beginning of Advent each family member can blindly pick a name of another member of the family and become his or her Advent angel. Prayers, sacrifices and acts of kindness can be offered and exercised daily. During the Christmas season small homemade gifts can be exchanged between the ‘angels’. This prolongs the joy of Christmas, encourages creativity and teaches children (and adults) to discover unique talents they can share with others.

Preparing our homes – Our homes should reflect our readiness for Christ’s birth. Clean your home together, simplify, share. Children can help to prepare a box for the poor and the lonely. You can donate extra clothing and household items, bake cookies together and share them or save them for the joyous time of Christmas.  Begin working on Christmas cards and gifts early in Advent so that you can ‘rest your heart’ during the final days of Advent.

Preparing our hearts – Just as we prepare our homes, we should prepare our hearts. This is the time for a frequent sacrament of reconciliation, for a longer family prayer, and for lots of Advent reading together.  This is the time when family can draw closer to the mystery of Christ’s Incarnation.

Celebrating the saints’ feast days – There are many beautiful feast days during Advent to celebrate. I will mention just a few. You can honor Saint Nicholas (December 6) by learning about his life. Prepare a play about him, or learn a hymn in his honor. Recalling the legend of the three daughters, place your shoes by the fireplace on the eve of the feast and wait for the saint’s ‘visit’. (In many European countries, Saint Nicholas visits families in person. He joins them for family prayers, blesses the children and leaves oranges, nuts and golden coins for each one of them. Children write letters to the Christ Child and deliver them through Saint Nicholas. These letters are filled with the children’s thanks for the past year and with their hopes for the year to come). You can make candles on the feast of Saint Ambrose (December 7), the patron saint of candle makers.  While remembering our Mother Mary, you can also prepare a small gift for an expectant mother you know on the feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8).

The author’s daughter dressed up as St. Lucia.

Decorate your house with lights on the Feast of Saint Lucy (December 13), whose name means ‘light’. According to an old Swedish custom, dress your oldest daughter in white and let her wake up the family with a candle-lit breakfast. Remember our Lady of Guadalupe with a Mexican meal, roses or poinsettias. Craft with your children, sing, celebrate, eat your meals together, find time… Prepare your homes and hearts for Christ!

An old German Advent Carol sings about the Christ Child carried under Mary’s heart as she wanders through the wood where nothing grew for seven years. As she walks through the forest, roses begin to bloom everywhere. May we carry Christ with Mary this Advent season. And may the roses bloom!

About the author

Maruška Healy, originally from the Czech Republic, is a graduate of the International Theological Institute in Gaming, Austria. She and her husband currently reside in Maryland where they homeschool their children.

from For Your Marriage http://ift.tt/1NlXpdp http://ift.tt/1NctfYb

[josephkitchen0]

Easy Soap Recipes for Beginners

A well-made, handcrafted bar of soap is a small luxury. But can you make soap without lye? And where do you find easy soap recipes for beginners and soap making resources?

If you’ve compared handcrafted soaps to commercially made detergent bars, you’ve probably noticed that the homemade versions smell better, soften your skin, and are creamier. They’re also less likely to cause allergic reactions since commercially made bars contain chemical detergents, petroleum-based products, and artificial fragrances that can irritate the senses. Detergent bars also have the natural glycerin removed, which is the most moisturizing part of soap.

Making soap at home is fun and easy!

Learn how to make laundry soap, dish soap and bar soap at home! YES! I want this Free Report »  

It makes sense why homemade soap is so popular. Have you researched how to make homemade soap? Easy procedures become more complicated once you involve lye. It’s so alkaline it’s highly caustic, and mishandling can cause burns or blindness. Scary, isn’t it?

But the truth is that you cannot make soap without lye.

Not from scratch, anyway. But while searching easy homemade soap recipes, beginners discover that you can melt down or rebatch previously made soap, producing a fantastic bar without ever coming in contact with lye because that step has already been done for you.

Melt and Pour

The easiest of easy soap recipes for beginners, this method is so easy you can do it with children. The only danger is overheating the soap. Simply melt the soap in the microwave, add fragrance and color, pour into molds, and let it harden again.

Melt and pour soap is not organic or even natural. The typical ingredients include propylene glycol, sorbitol, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium palmitate, sodium myristate, sodium starate, sodium cocoyl isethionate, glycerin, triethanolamine, and sodium laurate. Most of these chemicals are necessary to produce a base that can be melted and cooled again and again while retaining cleansing and conditioning properties. It is still milder and safer than most detergent bars because it comes unscented and often uncolored. Someone who is allergic to dyes and perfumes can often enjoy a melt and pour soap made with mineral colorants and essential oils.

For a quick, low-commitment gift idea or a group project, melt and pour soap is best. Friends can sit around a crock pot with liquefied soap, color individual soaps, and let them harden before the night is through. Children can handle the soap once it has cooled slightly but is still viscous. And you can work with cooking utensils, again using them for food once the soap has been washed away.

To make melt and pour soaps, first purchase a soap base. These are found in craft and hobby stores and online. Several versions are available, such as bases made with olive oil, coconut oil, or goat milk. Even clear glycerin soaps, perfect for suspending glitter and small toys, are sold in large blocks.

Do not use candle colorants or fragrances for any soaps. They are not cosmetic grade and could hurt you.

Find colorants made specifically for soapmaking or cosmetics. Choose artificial dyes or natural pigments and micas. Though the artificial colorants are much more vibrant, they can cause allergic reactions in some people. Micas, clays, and mineral powders are the safest colorants.

Fragrances can be anything that is cosmetic grade, though essential oils and soapmaking fragrances last longest. Do not attempt to use juice because it will upset the base’s balance. Flower petals are fine to make the soap pretty but it will not enhance fragrance.

Soap molds can be anything that doesn’t easily melt. Recycle rigid cold cut containers or butter tubs. Shop specifically for soap molds. Or purchase silicon cupcake pans which are available in many cute shapes. Be sure you can easily remove the soap once it’s hardened; because it’s not flexible, glass is a poor choice for a mold.

Within a microwave-safe container such as a glass measuring cup or a ceramic bowl, heat the soap just until it is melted, stirring frequently for larger batches. Remove the soap from the microwave and stir in colorants and fragrance, using one to two teaspoons of fragrance per pound of soap. If you’re making a variety of soaps, pour enough base for each soap into a separate bowl before customizing. Soap that hardens too soon can be microwaved again. Pour soap into molds and set in a cool area until it hardens. If you need the mold again soon, place the hot soap in your freezer just until it completely solidifies.

Photo by Shelley DeDauw

Melt and Pour Ideas

Botanical Soap: Choose either a clear or an opaque base, depending on which effect you want for your finished product. Scent soap with either fragrance oil or essential oils and use colorants matching your fragrance. Before you pour the soap into the molds, sprinkle in dried botanicals such as lavender pods, rose petals, or crushed mint leaves. Botanicals will be visible within clear soap and will be slowly revealed as opaque soap is used.

A Child’s Surprise: Select a clear base if you want the surprise to be visible or an opaque soap if you want your child to find the surprise as he uses the soap. Find small plastic toys which will fit completely into your soap mold. Melt the soap and mix in colors or fragrances which will not irritate the child’s senses. Place the toy within the mold and pour in soap to completely cover it. Let the soap harden. If you don’t want any of the toy to be visible, first pour a thin layer of soap into the mold and allow it to harden before placing the toy atop and covering it with melted base.

Parfait Soap: What’s pink plus white plus blue? A beautiful combination for a baby shower gift. Use the same soap base for all three layers. After melting the soap, color/fragrance a portion then pour it to fill about a third of the mold. Allow this to cool on the counter or in a refrigerator/freezer before beginning the next layer. Scratch the top of the hardened layer with a knife or fork to give it better adhesion. Color and pour the next layer, chill it, scratch the top, and color/pour the final layer. Let the soap cool completely before unmolding.

Crystal Gems: Choose either clear or opaque soap, though clear makes a better finished product. Colorants which will not turn your base cloudy are usually not natural but are much brighter hues. Select a good glitter: craft glitter is often scratchy because of the large particles. Instead look for a product that resembles a pearly dust or ground mica. Melt soap then mix in colorant, fragrance, and glitter. Pour into molds in the shape of gems, such as specialty soap or candy molds.

Rebatching

Rebatching is an easy soap recipe for beginners who want to avoid petroleum-based products. It uses previously made soap that has been ground down and melted. This is also called milling or hand milling. French-milled soap has been finely ground down then rebatched with color and fragrance added. Rebatching lets you retain the best qualities of another soapmaker’s product while avoiding lye and customizing the bar for your own needs.

To make homemade organic soap without lye, you must rebatch a previously made bar. Soap that was originally cold processed or hot processed can be the most natural. The process involves oils, water, and only the lye necessary to turn the oils into soap. If the amounts are correct, the lye will completely convert during saponification and will no longer be present. This means you can rebatch a bar made with organic olive oil and no colorants/fragrances then mill it into your own hypoallergenic castile soap.

You can rebatch without paying full price if you ask a soapmaker for her ends and trimmings. She may sell or give them to you to avoid taking time to rebatch them in her own studio. Ugly soap, which was made with the best intentions, can be rebatched as long as the initial ingredient ratio was correct. Never rebatch soap that failed because the soapmaker used the wrong ingredients or quantities because it may be dangerously lye-heavy. But if the soapmaker allowed a good recipe to overheat or if the color “morphed,” offer to give the ugly soap a good home. Or find a good bar of soap with minimal fragrance and color, allowing you to add your own.

While rebatching is appropriate for older children, it is not recommended for younger kids because it gets very hot and can be hard to handle. Consider wearing gloves and long sleeves. Be sure your molds can handle high heat.

Heat a crock pot to low. Grate down the soap, using a cheese grater or food processor. Place the shavings into the crock pot with just enough liquid to moisten it and allow it to melt. This can be water, milk, or even tea. Stir often to avoid burning as the soap slowly liquefies. This can take an hour or so, depending on batch size. Rebatched soap will never be smooth like melt and pour will; it’s thick, gloppy, and textured. Once the soap is soft enough, mix in desired fragrances, colorants, and additives. Scoop the hot soap into heat-safe molds, pressing down and tapping the molds against a counter to remove air bubbles. Allow the soap to cool completely before unmolding.

Rebatched Soap Ideas:

Green Tea Soap: Grate down a bar that is lightly colored and unfragranced. Add brewed green tea as your liquid. Once the soap has melted, add a spoonful or two of matcha powder and perhaps a “green tea” fragrance oil from a soapmaking supplier.

Goats milk Oatmeal Soap: Mill bars that are made with a simple lightly colored base or out of goat milk. Add goats milk to melt down. Once the soap is viscous enough to add ingredients, stir in oatmeal and, if desired, fragrance oil. Honey added at this stage will probably turn into sticky pockets within the soap so instead consider a honey-scented fragrance.

Cocoa Soap: Melt down a basic soap bar or one made with cocoa butter. Spoon in a little pure cocoa butter, though not too much or your finished product will be too oily. Add liquid such as water or milk. Once the soap is melted, stir in cocoa powder and a chocolate-scented fragrance.

Many options of easy soap recipes for beginners are available online or within print books. Experiment with additives. Unlike cold process soap, which may cause certain ingredients to burn or turn volatile, melt and pour and rebatched soaps allow you to add simple products safely.

Originally published in 2016 and regularly vetted for accuracy.

  Easy Soap Recipes for Beginners was originally posted by All About Chickens