No Smoking!

February 27, 2014 mithra ballesteros

Some collections come together in a very abstract way.

Not this one. It is an homage to the art of smoking. The accessories on their own are interesting but the poster with its smoke-obscured face is what gives the whole set its edge.

I found the poster at an estate sale of a deceased hippie who was also a hoarder. Those hoarder houses are always the best but they're very exhausting because you can't relax your radar for a second or you'll miss something amazing. (Really, hoarders are modern day archivists. They just lack the credentials and the proper facilities.)

Dream Deferred

February 25, 2014 mithra ballesteros

Dream of skateboard flight fueled by oxycodone and a lecturing subconscious. Collage by Nicholas Ballesteros. — Dream of skateboard flight fueled by oxycodone and a lecturing subconscious. *Collage by* *Nicholas Ballesteros.*

I have been working on Finder Not Keeper for quite some time, hammering through the enormous checklist inevitable with opening an online store. The task felt insurmountable at times, but every month yielded results that gave me a sense of progress. Last spring, I decided the perfect time to launch was that fall of 2013, when the kids had returned to school and my daytime hours were my own again.

Northernaire Ski Resort

February 17, 2014 mithra ballesteros

It was a resort called Northernaire, and it was frozen in time in the 1950s. Our family went every winter to ski, sled, and skate in woodsy Three Lakes, Wisconsin. The owner, Carl Marty, loved animals. He trained his beautiful Saint Bernard dog, Bernice, to be a nursemaid to the many orphaned creatures living there.

Go West Old Girl

February 8, 2014 mithra ballesteros

Collection inspired by my love for the Little House on the Prairie books. Photo by Renn Kuhnen. — Collection inspired by my love for the Little House on the Prairie books. *Photo by Renn Kuhnen*.

Pa Ingalls would have been an internet early adopter. He packed up Laura, Mary, Baby Carrie, Jack the bulldog, and poor patient Ma into that covered wagon more times than Steve Jobs asked us to update our iTunes account.

The Backstory of My Adorable Toothless Italian

February 4, 2014 mithra ballesteros

Oil portrait by Enrico Frattini (1890-1968). Also known as Frattini del Case.

The second I saw this painting, I was smitten.

I asked the shopkeeper for more information about the artist. The signature on the canvas was E. Frattin. An internet search revealed nothing. So I walked away from the painting.

But that adorable man stayed with me in my mind, which is a sign that walking away was a mistake. A few weeks later, I checked back in to the shop. The painting was still there and the shopkeeper wanted to sell it. She offered a deal. And I took it.

Domain Name Mistake

January 27, 2014 mithra ballesteros

This is an image I rushed to create for a blog titled "Still Life No. 3". That '3' was a beast to tape onto the stone wall.

It can be a joyous exercise to brainstorm names for a new business -- almost as much fun as naming a baby or a pet. But before purchasing that domain at Go Daddy.com, consider this mistake I made. The first of many.

How a Cartier Watch Morphed into a Prada Bag and a Grumman Canoe

January 22, 2014 mithra ballesteros

Collage by Nicholas Ballesteros. — *Collage by* *Nicholas Ballesteros*.

It was a contest sponsored by Saks Fifth Avenue. The challenge was to write a 50-word essay that used the words from their ad campaign, "Live a Little".

Inspiration from the Garden Store

January 22, 2014 mithra ballesteros

I was wandering the aisles of my favorite garden store when it hit me. I noticed that each year, the garden store created more and more mixed planters. These are the planters with a variety of flowers and greenery, beautifully scaled, paired for sun or shade, each plant's blooms complementing the other. And every cart had them. People love the mixed look but they don't have the skill or the time to put them together.

It's the same with accessorizing a home! No one is offering a finished look that is more personal, unique, authentic. Why not?

10 Honest Reasons Why I Opened a Shop

January 20, 2014 mithra ballesteros

**Our Christmas card, 2013. No one in my family will be donning antlers again for some time.**

My business is finding wonderful vintage and antique items that are unusual and matching them up into collections that are chic and fun. These collections are an easy way for people who struggle with decorating to add instant soul to a space. But deciding to go out on a limb with this idea was not easy. Here are ten truly honest reasons:

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