 |
| Crystals, flowers and bells |
 |
| Peacock Chair |
 |
| Sage |
This weeks 'readers home' is Ally From etsy Shop
Aquarian Soul . Read more about Ally's home style below
1) Where do you live and what do you do for a living?
I am from San Diego, and I live right by a lake, mountain and lots of hiking trails. I was living in San Francisco with my best friend, but I moved back in with my mom to finish school and save money. I am a student in my last year finishing up my degree in psychology.. I also have a vintage shop with my best friend who now lives in new york called sorcery. (
sorcery.etsy.com). We shop for clothes on both sides of the coast! But my primary job is jewelry. I have a shop on etsy (
aquariansoul.etsy.com) where I sell healing crystal jewelry. I sell to local psychic/new age shops here in San Diego, and I make pendulums, tarot card bags, and jewelry also. My blog also which I started a few years ago, but only more recently started working on all the time (
aquariansouldesigns.blogspot.com) has all the things I am working on in my shops, and other good stuff.
2) What attracted you to your particular home?
I still live with my mom, so I can't say I was really attracted to it, haha, but I did help my mom repaint the whole inside of the house this whole past year!
3) What is your favourite item?
My favorite items in my room would be my books and crystals. Crystals are very special to me, and I use them in my jewelery also. I have been obsessed with rockhounding, and finding my own crystals for years. I try to go to the desert as much as possible and I just I got quartz, chalcedony and fire agate near blythe, ca on a trip with the gem and mineral society. I went to quartzite for the first time this year in feburary and there were SO many crystals, I was in heaven. (its like a huge gemstone bazzar out in the desert in arizona) I bought most of the geodes, amethyst, and sparkly crystals that you see in the pictures on top of my dresser. It was amazing.
I also love collecting books. Its my only vice. Its like a kid in a candy store anytime I go to a used bookstore, or an estate sale, or a library book sale, its like treasure hunting. Just the other day the library was selling books 50% off at their bookstore, and I had a giant stack, and I was so excited! I always splurge on books. I love sharing and borrowing other peoples books also, its important to pass on knowledge.
4) Where do you buy most of your furnishings and accessories for the home?
Since part of my job entails thrift store shopping, and going to lots of estate sales, garage sales, this is also where I get a lot of my home furnishings. Some of the furniture I have is from my grandma. The antlers I got in quartzite, az, but a lot of the natural elements like the branches on my wall and small tumble weeds, or dried flowers I picked up on a trip to the desert. I made all the dreamcatchers on the wall except for one I got at the shop I sell to. Other than these items mentioned I get pretty much everything at estate sales, or garage sales. It is one of the biggest thrills finding good stuff at estate sales. I love everything from the 60/70s. . The peacock chair I saw on an ad for an estate sale, and I raced to get to the sale right when it opened, I had to have it. The funny thing was no one seemed to be looking at the chair. I immediately bought it!
5) What has inspired your home/personal style?
Growing up my parents traveled all over the world, so my house always had exotic decorations from Egypt, Morocco, Mexico, China, Thailand, all kinds of places. Everyone always said our house looked like a museum. So partially I think it was because of my own travels with my parents as a kid to all those places. My whole life I have always liked other peoples things. I liked when a friend gave me something that was theirs because it wasnt new and shiny, it was loved, and it had special meaning to me. I think thats why I grew up loving thrift shops, and estate sales. It had been worn already, and there is nothing like that now. I was always attacted to the late 60s/early 70s era. I love those "ugly" mustard, barf green, brown colors. Anytime I get to a sale and I see psychedelic fabric, or sewing patterns for bell sleeve mini dress, or anything zodiac related I get so excited. I think my room is a combination of my travels, crystals, and little 70s vibe.
6) What would be your dream home?
I think about this all the time. I have always said I wanted a house covered in plants. I even tried to make my room into a jungle when I was a kid. I think my dream home would be somewhere outside of the city but close enough to drive into occasionally. I would want to live somewhere foresty, in a cottage house surrounded by lots of flowers and a garden where I can grow all my own fruits and vegetables. I want to have enough space be able to have all the animals I want, and to wander through the forest. I have always wanted a tree house but I am kind of scared of heights. Maybe I can have a tree house in the yard to use to meditate, or just go and read. Or maybe I can use it as my jewelry studio!
7)What was the last item you brought for your home?
I am always collecting stuff from sales for when I move out. I have a whole closet full. The last thing I bought was a macrame plant holder which came with a yellow/brown pot inside with a fake plant in it. I of course took out the fake plant and put in a really interesting looking moss that grows down the sides.
8) Any wish list items for your home?
Right now my walls are really bare which I kind of like but it would be nice to have some kind of tapestry or macrame wall hanging to put up on the huge bare wall next to my bed. I just got a book on macrame maybe I should make it myself!
Ally
