Pink Cottage Flowers and Pink Paint!

I want to paint something pink. This small bouquet is a nice mix of pink, mauve and carmine flowers. (The perfect color for an English Garden.) It all started when I decided I want to paint something (a piece of furniture) pink. I brought home four paint chips from Lowe's and they all look super against white. Hard choices. Not really but they are all pretty and wouldn't it look sweet with 4 chairs all different tints of pink? Or mix them all together and make a new paint color? More hard choices.

Can you believe it's in the 60's again during the day but down to 23 last night? We're all down on our hands and knees looking for the little signs of awakening shoots and swelling buds outside. Inside for now it's summer with fresh cottage flowers. The nurseries are starting to swell with a few varieties of shrubs and berries.Some nurseries even opened a week earlier because of the weather. That is the nurseries who close after Christmas and then reopen March first.

Back to the bouquet a moment; did you see they only added one rose to it? A very sweet pink one!! We are having a little pink storm inside.

Linking to:

House in Roses

Ivy and Elephants

Westie Dogs Dancing Illustration

I hear the wind howling because Spring is coming. (We still have remnants of a kite high up in a tree.) Yesterday and today it sounds as if we live near a huge noisy refrigerator. It's the wind. There's some dancing going on inside though that warms hearts. Paper dancing. My westie boy jumps and darts, swings and bows going round and round. Did you know westies make good dancing companions?

Linking to Pink Saturday.

Chartreuse Flowers

We fill the gas tank. We fill the grocery cart. And today I got these fresh flowers to fill my eyes with. Aren't the colors hot? I have always liked chartreuse. This one ornamental mum is heavenly. Paired with hot pink and a deeper rose color like the carmine carnations...over the top beautiful. Soon peonies will be blooming the same deep rose color and hot pink roses will climb the trellis. Hostas the same chartreuse color will fill the beds. Before then we might get some colder weather. Oh well, that will delight the delphiniums!

Decorating Tip for Indoor Potted Plants

Indoor plants and flowers keep me happy until

Spring arrives with baskets of bouncy flowers.

These gorgeous blooms are keeping me company

right now.

The white amaryllis bulb I got for 3.00 after the New Year.

It now has two stalks of flowers blooming.

That makes eight flowers!

I thought it looked good next to the orchid.

My dilemna to solve was the visible pot

after dropping the potted plants into

the vintage white soup tureens.

I tried a white sheer thin fabric like

a scarf, but it ended up looking like a sock

that fell to the plants ankles.

I looked around me for something else.

Problem solving without spending money

is always pleasant, and needful.

A few old books I picked up at a used

book store for art projects caught my eye

across the room.

Three pages for each pot were torn out

of the book and used as liners.

I think they look clean lined and crisp!

(The ribbon hides the title of the book.)

The hardbound book cost me a dollar

and still more projects are left with it.

It almost reminds me of getting nuts or

treats in a paper bag from a street food

vendor or country fair.

Don't be surprised if all of my plants will be

wrapped in old book pages now!

The flower petals on both plants shimmer like satin.

I've keep the white color theme and there is

such a ethereal beauty and calm in this room.

Connecting up with:

Inspiration Friday

Feathered Nest Friday

Farmgirl Friday

Color combinations

My favorite color combinations include

pink, red, orange and a purple or violet!

The above are so soft and sweet

on my sweater...

Take the same colors

a little bolder...

Aren't they still gorgeous?
These flowers look brilliant

in a white room.

I guarantee it!

Connecting with:

French Country Cottage

Green Smoothie Time

Throw some spinach in your morning smoothies.

You'll be suprised at how many of your daily vitamins

and minerals you will get in a tall glass.

It's always surprising for people who taste

these for the first time. "It tastes good."

Of course it does!

I looked up the nutrition facts.

Unbelievable. You can't beat

fresh raw fruits and vegetables.

Fresh spinach, one cup=

Protein, Calcium, Iron, Vitamin C,

Vitamin A (56 % of daily req.)

Vitamin E and K, B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron

Thiamin, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper

Fresh pineapple, one cup of cubes=

Vitamin A, C, B6, Copper, Thiamin,

Manganese, Calcium, and Iron

Who would have thought there was

iron in fresh pineapple?

Then there's bananas, mangoes and cranberries.

All loaded with goodies.

Did you know that cranberries,

mangoes and bananas

all have iron in them too?

You can find out all of

the goodness and the "badness"

of the foods you are eating

here

My White Interiors

The sun shines in bright on the south side

of the house and that is the side where we spend

most of our time.

I remember reading about the Scandinavian

homes being bright white,

a warm white

that is inviting, calming and comfortable.

Nothing stark or cold about it.

You do not have to live next to the beach

to have white interiors

whether it's the mountains, the prairies

or the woods, home is as bright and cherry

as you make it.

I slipped a tiny little nest up high among the

orchid flowers making them a little magical

especially to the little folk.

Paper Roses Take Heart

A Heart Made of Roses!

Paper roses since ours are hibernating

even though the groundhogs are out.

A Paper Parade on my work table

that has moved to all parts of the farmhouse.

(I made this today.)

A symbol of love.

Shabby farmhouse love.

I know Valentine's Day has passed

on the calender, but

Love is here to stay!

Connecting up with these friends:

French Country Cottage

Common Ground

Deborah Jeans Dandelion House

At The Picket Fence

Romantic Home

Love is Sweet...Food Illustration

Illustrating with food is a ball.

An apple ball.

Love is sweet

and tart.

Red Delicious

(so accurately named)

and Granny Smith

(which I will call Grand Smith)

is the perfect definition of true love

on this Valentine's Day.

The other feeling I wanted to portray

was that we carry our love around

with us in our heart

wherever we go.

Red and green have always been

beautiful color combinations.

I hope everyone is having a sweet

~Valentine's Day~

Remember the saying

a way to a man's heart

is through his stomach?

My husband is getting

alot of artistic, healthy food.

Valentine Tokens of Affection

Sweet Valentine candy hearts.

How lovely to arrange a heart on each spoon.

A little extra pretty at the table.

They have a vintage Victorian look.

Drop a candied heart into your tea cup!

Our sweet teacups from Anthropologie.

Connecting with:

French Country Cottage

Common Ground

The Charm of Home

The Romantic Home

The Picket Fence

Stuff and Nonsense

Valentine Hearts in the Kitchen

Don't you believe in putting love into your cooking?

I do! Red pepper hearts for the little valentines.

Sweet things don't always mean it's full of sugar.

We didn't eat on time

as you can see I had alot of fun
preparing dinner.

This just shows hearts can

be put back together with love.
I did eventually get my fajitas made.

Kids love visual shapes at the table.

Fresh vegetables are good for everyone.

Red fruits and vegetables are loaded with goodies.

And, of course, I had to save the red pepper seeds!

Connecting up with The Rose Garden in Maleviks Party

Westie Valentine Dog

Here's one of my Valentine boys.The hairest one.

I tried to put a red ribbon on his head. He shook it off and played with it instead. He sees the cat do that so you can't blame him.




We have a nice clean landscape right now. Snow freshens up and brightens up everything. Makes it right slippery too! Some of the Canada geese are still here. There are 6 who stayed behind this winter. Mr. Red Fox is out in the fields, but I never have my camera when I see him. I don't want him eating the geese eggs this spring.

Home Page

White and Rhubarb Raspberry Valentine Hearts

Any excuse to whip cream.

My favorite Lenox bowl to whip it in. Got out my heart cookie tin.

Played a bit. I spooned some whipped cream into the heart cookie cutter and lifted it up. So pretty. Would anyone like a little whipped cream on the side of their dessert?

Here is the treat! Rhubarb raspberry crisp. It's so good. It makes you pucker up your mouth and squint your eyes because of the tartness, then the sweetness kicks in and it's oh, so good.

A little mini heart on top.

The little whipped heart grew. Not only are the heart cut outs very Valentine like, they also make for smaller servings which is just what I need.

Connecting up with White Wednesday
A Beach Cottage

English Style Cottage Garden at My Fingertips

Pop up gardening book!

I feel like Cinderella when I open it.

From above they are just as pretty!

When you open the pages they spring to life

which is what we are waiting for outside.

Books like this were first made in the 1800's

but this one is fairly recent

I picked it up at Goodwill

It has provided lots of inspiration and dreaming

The soft colors of roses, delphiniums and other

cottage flowers make my heart pitter patter faster

Isn't this just dreamy?

Someone has already cut flowers for me!

No deer or groundhogs in this garden

Just flowers and sunshine.

I've collected a few of these books

from the outside you can't tell

what suprises will justle about when

you open the book.

I am still a kid at heart

With a drawer full of seeds to plant

and some in the refrigerator too!

Connecting with Pink Saturday

and Maleviks Rose Garden