Winter Mantel

 After the holidays I could not wait to get all the clutter cleared away.  I craved clear surfaces and minimalist decorating.  Now that nearly a month has passed since Christmas, I am getting over that desire.  Let the decorating begin again.

When we lived in the Monterey area, we became friendly with a couple who owned a home decorating shop.  This shop was so much fun to go into.  The wife was the most talented floral arranger, and the shop had the most outstanding assortment of silk flowers and containers for arrangements.  My husband and I went to the shop so frequently, we soon became fast friends with the owners.  We purchased so many really beautiful home decor items from them over years we lived in the area.  As a matter of fact, I still have a closet I call "The Marty Cupboard" where I store all the out of season arrangements she made for me and decor items I acquired from the shop.  Marty had such creative vision and could imagine my space and come up with the most amazing ideas for decor.

Before long, our friendship progressed beyond shopping and home dec consultations.  I have such fond memories of this couple and the evenings we spent together over good wine and gourmet dinners.  Now that we have moved away, we see each other only occasionally, but when we get together it is always a treat.

They have recently sold the shop to new owners, and have retired.  I was so sad to hear that because I feared that an end had come to me getting any more of Marty's fabulous arrangements.  Nobody put things together with the artistry she did. 

My husband was down in the Monterey area not too long ago on business, and out of curiosity, stopped by the shop to see how the new owners were doing and if the "tone" of the shop had changed.  Things were quite pared down in terms of the amount of merchandise on the floor, but it seemed the new owners were making an effort to keep things relatively similar.  I had my husband on a mission to see if he could purchase some particular silk flowers I wanted for an arrangement, but he found that, though the new employees wanted to be helpful, they just didn't have the vision of our old friends.  He had gone to the shop prepared to spend some money, but just wasn't getting the assistance and creativity he needed to make a purchase.

He was about to leave empty handed, when he looked up on a high armoire and saw the orchid arrangement pictured above.   I am so glad he is a tall man.  He brought down the arrangement, and knew it would be perfect.  When he got to the wrap desk, he mentioned to the employees that he had been friends with the previous owners of the shop.  "Oh, my goodness!  Well, did you know that Marty still designs for us occasionally, and this is one of her arrangements?"

I cannot tell you how much more special this beautiful piece is, knowing that my friend's hands were the ones that put it together.  Some things are just meant to be.