Wednesday, June 16, 2010

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?!

20 comments:

  1. Wow! Where do I begin? Love the lilies. The dollar store. Really? That dish is fabulous and did I mention that I love the zebra rug? LOL.

    Hope you had a great day today.

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  2. You and me alike with the flower photos, my friend! I have been snapping them left and right as I plant and as they bloom and I always have to have flowers on my table. It just makes me smile.

    I love your pretty turquoise planter pot too- I've never been in a Tuesday Morning before. We only have 1 in the state that I know of and it's about 40 minutes away. Is it totally worth the drive?!

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  3. What wonderful flowers and what wonderful books! You really found some wonderful things!

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  4. I love all the flowers!! They just pop :) It makes me want to go out and get some and put them in the house. I really need to plant some :) The turquoise planeter pot is adoreable! Have a great evening Sweetie! ~ Laura

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  5. I can see that I'm going to have to investigate Tuesday Morning - I wonder if it exists in WA.

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  6. Beautiful flowers, Kat! And I'm inspired by all of the above!

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  7. A sweet hello from Frog Hollow Farm! You are certainly finding some wonderful treasures - those pics in the flower books must be gorgeous - even if you just get one idea from each book it's worth the cost, that's the way I think anyway. I smiled when I saw your green cabbage dish - we have the same one and I actually used it for dinner tonight! Keep up the great treasure hunting - I agree with you - those kinds of errands are the absolute best! Wonderful friends by the way - breakfast and flowers - lucky you! Ciao, bella!

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  8. How funny. Our rotties always have to stick their snouts in any bags I carry into the house to approve of what is inside. Love dogs! Your flowers... all of them, are lovely around the house. Green with envy over your countertops.

    Di
    The Blue Ridge Gal

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  9. Stunning picture of the flowers, will definitely make my day. Keep posting.

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  10. I had a fabulous morning too with breakfast, and should have gone with you shopping instead of grocery shopping, so boring and mundane. Enjoy the rest of the week.

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  11. Oh those books...well done. You might enjoy knowing I have one hydragena plant but it is so large it is bigger than my car...a Mini Cooper...hehe. I love your flower photos...I could never see enough.

    ~olive~

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  12. O.k. I am going back to Tuesday Morning to look at their books. I was just there and bought a lamp shade, but I need to see what books they have, too I see. Love your fresh flower displays throughout the house.

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  13. and I can see you have an eye for turquoise, too. Its my current favorite color .... love your flowers everywhere. I get lots of inspiration from magazines. Funny, that sychronicity thing ... I just posted a blog on inspiration yesterday!!

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  14. One of my favorite images is the one of Mr. Quinn and the turquoise pot. I too love flowers inside the house and I love love love to browse photo books, magazines and blogs (such as yours) for inspiration! Your place is so elegant Kat, I always love to see what you show us! ~Lili

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  15. What great finds Kat! I love garden books too - actually ALL books really - and magazines - I NEED a bigger house :)!

    Your flowers are gorgeous - they add such a wonderful touch to any room. My garden here in Ottawa is a little behind yours. My peonies just finished and the clematis is spectacular at the moment. Coming up are my shasta daisies and hydrangeas, followed by the black eyed susans. I can't wait to be filling the house with blooms.

    I'll be over to check out your giveaway - but wanted to mention my very first giveaway - head on over to my blog to check it out!

    www.dh-designs.blogspot.com

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  16. I'd say all of the above! love flowers in the house....smiles.

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  17. I love flipping though flower books in the dead of winter and summer too. Just looking at flowers seems to make you just feel happier.
    Wish we had a Tuesday Morning in WA. state.

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  18. Morning Kat....!!

    Don't you just LOVE how a few sweet blooms can TOTALLY transform a space....??! Your posies are GORGEOUS....THANKS for introducing me to a couple of books I hadn't seen before....!!

    Cheers,
    Tamarah :o)

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  19. I definately find inspiration from all of the above! Very pretty flowers and I love the info on the books, they look very inspirational! Just had to let you how much I like you new pot! I have it in lime green on my blog today! I was very attracted to the design on the pot very also! I bought mine last year at Tuesday Morning. Great store!

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