Pretty Posies

Wow, I can't believe how many comments I have on my Jellybean Rug Giveaway already!  I knew you wonderful folks would love those very cute rugs!  If you haven't entered yet, there is still plenty of time...simply click HERE!

It's no real secret that I love flowers!  I post them on here all the time, and I have more jpeg files of flowers on my computer than you can shake a stick at!

Nothing makes me happier than to have flowers in every room of my home, and this week I have lots of them scattered throughout the house!

In my kitchen I have a vase filled with red carnations and yellow stargazer lilies.  These were left over from an engagement party that my dear friend the florist, Ms. M, did last weekend.  She gave me some of her leftover flowers to use for my garden club meeting on Monday.  I have lots of pictures to show you later this week of the gorgeous arrangements that she and her close friend and fellow florist, Doug, created for the party...you won't want to miss it!

In my dining room is another arrangement of flowers Ms. M gave me.  It had more hydrangea blossoms in it a few days ago, and as each flower dies I pluck them out and just enjoy the rest until they go to that big flower garden in the sky!

On my tiger maple table in the living room I have a small crystal vase filled with more of the red carnations.  

And then in my hanging wall vase, which I got from Pottery Barn years ago, are just two shasta daisy blossoms which I picked from my front flower bed.

There is just something so wonderful about having cut flowers inside your home to bring a little of the outdoors in and to add a pop of color and some sweet fragrance!

Today, after being treated to a wonderful breakfast by my friend and fellow blogger, Annelise of Annie Wilcox Designs, I headed out to run some errands.  Not the important kind, but the fun kind, I was actually on the hunt for gumballs to fill up an old gumball machine I recently found.  Who knew finding gumballs these days would be so hard, and thankfully Annelise told me to try the local dollar store...Eureka!

Now it just so happens that the $1 store is right next door to a Tuesday Morning, so of course I had to pop inside and take a look.  And I found this great little turquoise pot for my back deck!  I love the pattern and the color and so does Mr. Quinn!  He has quite an eye for design and has to approve of all of my purchases!

While I was there, I decided to browse their book section to see if I could find some new design books to add to my ever growing library of magazines and books.  

I stumbled upon three wonderful books including this one called Splendid Flowers for Every Day by Cindy Smith.  It is full of beautiful photos and great ideas, and it's a how-to guide for creating eye catching arrangements.  Noted floral designer Cindy Smith, whose celebrity clientele includes Elizabeth Taylor and Oprah Winfrey, teaches you step by step how to create the most wonderful flower arrangements!

Then I found this one entitled A Roomful of Flowers by master floral designer Paul Bott.  And as you would expect from the title, it's jam-packed with photos of beautiful rooms filled with lovely flowers!  Broken down by rooms, this book gives you brilliant inspiration, and the vignette shots are out of this world!

The last book I brought home with me is called The House In Bloom by Judy Spours and the Editors of Victoria Magazine.  If you've ever purchased a copy of Victoria, then you know that their photography and content is to die for, and this book certainly doesn't disappoint with it's gorgeous pictures and wonderful writing!

All three of these books will get plenty of use in my house.  I'm a very visual person and I love to leaf through a spectacularly photographed book to find inspiration and relaxation!  

Where do you find your inspiration...magazines, books, online...or D. All of the Above?!