Monday, May 30, 2011

LOVING "FAUX" FLOWERS

 


You know I love flowers.


Real, live flowers: all kinds and colors.


But how about fake...sorry, "faux", flowers. How do you feel? Do you glance at the massive selection at JoAnn or Michaels and shudder? Do you see them in the doctor's office and think, "How CAN they do that?". 


A few years ago I came upon some faux flowers while we were on vacation in Appalachicola, Florida. BTW: it is a wonderful town!  Here they are:


 


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They're getting just a tad down and out these days and I've been looking for a replacement. Very hard to find. And, of course, just where you least expect it, you find something...right? We were walking down the main drag out in Carmel, California and yes, I spotted them! The store is Whitakers. Note: the site is very, very limited at this time...check back in the near future to see more of these flowers. But believe me, these are THE BEST! 


I ordered two bunches and this is what arrived:


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Here's the first, larger bunch. Note, all the stems are attached at the bottom to a huge, bulky plastic-wrapped wire stem. 


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We cut each stem off the main one: regular wire cutters did the job nicely.


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The leaves on each stem move up and down, which really helps in arranging them!


 


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Now I'm wondering what to do about/with the glass vase. Paint on a faux water line? Buy some clear or tinted glass stones to put in the bottom? Green tissue paper? 


What do you think?



 
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And now, for the second bunch. These are definitely a red/yellow look, so I put them in the now-famous Eddie Ross pitcher:


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So now, are you convinced? Faux can look just as great as real!



Saturday, May 28, 2011

Come Join the Party

 


It's Saturday, May 28 and today is a slightly different kind of post: I'm linking up to the party over at Castles Crown and Cottages! Anita has invited us all to show our own images of Paris to "get a TOTALLY DIFFERENT view of this 
MAGNIFICENT CITY". Go on over to Anita's blog, scroll down, and see the list of guests. Then look around for their very individual take on Paris!


Here's the invitation:


Anitas Drawing sized

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Just a few of the hundreds of images I have taken of Paris. You can see more here and here and here.


Thank you Anita, and thanks to everyone for coming on over...



Thursday, May 26, 2011

FRIDAY FLOWERS: MAGNOLIA GRANDIFLORA





Grand indeed!

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These gems are blooming everywhere down here and  they are so  different from the magnolias up North.  I pass so many of them each morning on my walks (when I am without a camera!), so went back yesterday to take these pictures. I didn't get any good shots of the leaves, but I love them too...huge, brown on the underside and then that wonderful shiny green on top. I would love to plant one of the trees in our garden but, alas, they get too big for our space. I will have to be content with viewing them on my walks!



Happy holiday weekend everyone...

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

SCORE AT THE ANTIQUES MALL...

 


Is this the perfect find or what?


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You just may be seeing this "prop" more often! 


From The Hillsborough Antiques Mall. 





Thursday, May 19, 2011

FRIDAY FLOWERS

 


I thought I would end the week with some pretty pink flowers.


It's been gray and rainy over a lot of the country...and we're all so ready for sunshine. The flowers, of course, are just loving this rain. But then again, they just might like to see the sun too! These are just some of the flowers in my garden this week:




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Here's to a sunny weekend!



 



Wednesday, May 18, 2011

I Won the Giveaway!

THIS IS FUN.......!


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I won the Giveaway over at Pewter & Sage!


A $25 certificate from Valley Lighting.


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Seriously, there are so many I'm going to have a very hard time here...


Thanks Sarah!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

CONVERSE AND MARIMEKKO

 


Now here is a great collaboration: Finnish design house Marimekko and Converse women's sneakers!  Have you seen these yet?


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How cute are these? You can find them here.


And here's a short video from the Marimekko studio:


 


Now, don't you just want to go to Helsinki and visit??? Actually, I think I do know someone who is going there this summer! Enjoy...



Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Shop FISH AND LOTUS on Etsy

 


How incredible are these?


Origami flowers from fishandlotus


 


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Aren't they just charming? How beautiful for table settings, favors, or to top a gift..


Once again, it's the DETAILS that make all the difference!



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