quaint quirkiness

so, i realized that i may be giving a bit of the wrong impression through my "so florida" posts.  yes, i do crack up when the tropical stereotypes are confirmed, but really, truly, there is so much more.  aside from the access to the ocean on of the things that drew me to this place is its hidden quirkiness - especially in more "youth"-centered areas such as downtown sarasota and st. pete.  let me show you some of what i'm talking about (and yes, columbia, these wacky spots make me miss you and 9th street very much).

these are quick snaps from a fantastic mural off of central avenue in downtown st. pete done as a tribute to pets.  there is also another great dog mural in dunedin.

the artist, anna hamilton, creates these to raise money for animal welfare.

be sure to check out muralsformutts.com for more information on these awesome murals.

four coins family restaurant in clearwater - fabulous food and awesome vintage signage (a combo you can't beat for sure) 

detail of chalk graffiti discovered walking in downtown sarasota one day

a much better message than a regular tag, don't you think?

window display of a graphic design/branding firm in downtown st. pete - 600 block of central area.  many quirky shops and galleries to explore here.

this one goes out to my sister mallory - we must check this out when you get a chance to visit.

adorable car at the station next to the flower shop.  victoria said the driver is a real hoot as well. 

i have to throw out there that this is the same station i saw jerry springer at.  not kidding.

okay, really, how cute would i be driving this?

evidently both myself and florida have a thing for little vehicles - look at this teeny ambulance!  refers to the gator (on right) for scale.  too cute - but not if you are a tall person with a medical emergency.

i am quite attracted to sticker bombing and anything cleverly subversive... (downtown st. pete)

awesome license plate and great bumper sticker message - "wag more.  bark less."

banyan tree motel in st. pete (picture from flickr)

what is that off in the distance?  a pbr mural?!!  why yes, yes it is!  (600 block downtown st. pete)

victoria blooms - now open!

i'm so excited to be a designer at the newest and most fabulous floral shop in sarasota - VICTORIA BLOOMS!  we are located in gorgeous downtown sarasota, on 1818 main, in the cutest little grey bungalow.  here is a sneak peek of the shop as we prepare for our grand opening friday... yay!

the kind of place mike and frank would love

an avid collector of what some might refer to as "old junk" or "rusted crap" myself you can imagine how absolutely elated i was to discover that sarasota has an architectural salvage store.  walking into its doors was nothing short of a "junk-gasm" (pardon my crudeness).  take a look at some of the treasures to be found within...

damn i can't wait to have my own place again.

collection of old frames and many circus-themed stuff (sarasota is the home of the ringling bros if you didn't know)

rusty mermaid = love

miscellaneous outdoor fantasticalness

incredible options for restoring or "decor"-ing an old (or old-at-heart) home

that's right, its an voting booth - and it was part of the "hanging chad" debacle

AHHHHHH!!!!  guess which section elicited the most screams from me?

my heart continued to race...

i will take them all thank you very much :)

and these too!

look at this incredible door!  and the patina!  you can't fake this funk.

assemblage of old woodwork

brackets, all kinds of brackets!  take that anthropology and restoration hardware!

vintage lighting throughout

if someone would have given me $100 to burn this would have been mine on the spot

cool old lecture hall chairs

many ceramic sculptures with missing heads - i found this amusing

... especially when they were holding their own heads.

beautiful ironwork - how cool would this be to have in your home?

lobster or crab traps? 

and last but not least... my purchase!  its a good thing my cousin is so tolerable and wonderful :)