Long Weekend

Williams Sonoma

 

I am looking forward to a long holiday weekend with Valentine's Day tomorrow and President's Day on Monday. If you get red roses this weekend, there is no prettier combination than red roses in a blue and white Chinese vase or ginger jar.

At CCC

CCC

 

Roses are BOGO this week at Publix, so this pretty arrangement of two dozen roses was just $12.99. A great deal!

Alum

Beaux Monde Designs

 

Did you know that you can buy something for a few dollars in the spice section of your grocery store to make your flower arranging more successful?

January Doldrums

Williams Sonoma

 

If your home is looking a little sad and empty with the Christmas decorations down and the cold and dreary days of January here, perhaps you need a little pick me up. 

Publix has roses on BOGO this week, so I decided to take advantage of this great deal. Buy one dozen for $12.99, get the second free. I got 4 dozen roses for $26.00! Aldi and Trader Joe's have great roses too.

A Little Shopping

Collection Sheer Bra Top

I had my yearly physical yesterday and everything was perfecto and I have made it another year with no prescription medications in my entire life. Not one! I even lost 5 pounds. I celebrated buying lots of gorgeous roses at Publix (they are buy one dozen get another dozen free) and went on a bit of an online shopping spree at J.Crew. There is an additional 70% off lots of sale items with code SHOPSALE. I love J.Crew, especially their J.Crew Collection which is their high end line.

The Palm Frond Christmas Tree @ CCC

CCC

 

Isn't this fun for a Florida Christmas? The tree was delivered yesterday morning and it was up and decorated before noon. And it is dog proof, cat proof, kid proof, and guest proof. All the decorations are unbreakable from the topper that is an Amanda Lindroth mini wicker Birkin basket down to the sheepskin tree skirt and everything in between.

Christmas Decorating Dilemma

Terrain

Surveys show that most people (65%) decorate their homes for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving. But this year Thanksgiving falls so late - on the 28th, leaving less time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The weekend after Thanksgiving is November 30th and December 1st!

Styling

CCC

I received the wicker silverware caddies yesterday that I posted about here and they are wonderful. So hard to believe the price! They are all ready for dining out on the lanai or casual buffet dinners. I ordered them on Tuesday and they were delivered yesterday with free shipping - pretty great. One I filled with hot pink wicker flatware and embroidered Kim Seybert napkins, the other one has bamboo flatware and SZ blockprint napkins and coasters.

Valentine's Day Flower Tips

Carolyne Roehm

Many of us will be getting roses for Valentine's Day whether as gifts from others or to ourselves. Most will come in those generic glass florist's vases or no vase. Do yourself a favor and put them in one of your blue and white Chinese vases or ginger jars. Such a beautiful combination. And carnations as shown above in this beautiful vignette by Carolyne Roehm are a gorgeous and very chic again alternative to roses.

The Tulipiere for Valentine's Day

Juliska Delft Tulipiere

 

I know that many of us have blue and white tulipieres. I am always looking for inspiration for flowers for them, especially for holidays.

Valentine's Day Candle

Red Roses Candle

 

I got this candle last year around Valentine's Day and absolutely loved it. It smells like a bouquet of roses and has wonderful throw. Actually, most roses from the grocery store or florist today have little to no scent. Over the last twenty five years, appearance and durability have been prized over scent. So this candle smells like the exquisitely scented roses of your childhood.

 I am thrilled that it is back and I will stock up again. It reminds me so much of Diptyque's Roses candle that sells for $74 for a 6.7 ounce candle.

The Red & Pink Chinoiserie Dining Room

House Beautiful

 

I was thinking yesterday about upcoming posts for Valentine's Day. I came across this chinoiserie dining room in pink and red that I posted on several years ago. The room was featured in the December/January 2014 issue of House Beautiful. Such pretty Valentine's Day inspiration.

The Scent of Spring

Urban Stems

 

Three of my favorite flowers are peonies, roses, and freesia. I found a lovely candle I have to share that combines these three wonderful floral scents. 

Everything's Coming Up Roses

Frances Valentine

Botanical prints are a big wardrobe trend for this Spring and Summer that I love. Today I am featuring some gorgeous rose prints that are so elegant - absolutely perfect for weddings, garden parties, vacations, and such. Pair them with statement jewelry and gold sandals.

Red Roses for Valentine's Day

Williams Sonoma

For Valentine's Day, I love my home filled with red roses in blue and white ginger jars. Such a classic. Publix had roses on BOGO this week, so I decided to take advantage of this great deal.

The Christmas Chinoiserie Dining Room

Alex Papachristidis

The Upper East Side of Manhattan apartment of interior designer Alex Papachristidis has always been a favorite of mine. Here is the plum dining room adorned for the holidays. The deep red roses and amaryllis are perfect examples of my taste in floral arrangements. First, I love using a lot of one type of flower in one color. I think it is far more elegant. And I love leaving flower stems long like this. Much more dramatic.

Holiday Flower Arranging

Bunny Williams

 

Looking for inspiration for floral arrangements for the holidays? Here are two great ideas with flowers easily found at the grocery store - white lilies and red roses.

White oriental lilies are a wonderful choice for holiday floral arrangements. They are readily available and are a very long lasting cut flower. Their fragrance and elegance makes them ideal. Did you know that lilies have been cultivated for 3,000 years, longer than any other ornamental flower?

Fabulous Finds - Valentine's Candles

Good Housekeeping

I love scented candles and burn them in my home every single day. For me, a truly beautiful home should smell as wonderful as it looks. I often buy expensive candles and love Nest, Diptyque, and Seda France, to name a few brands I especially like.

Christmas Flower Arranging

Charlotte Moss

 

This is such pretty inspiration for floral arranging for the holidays. You can use any blue and white porcelain container - I personally use ginger jars a lot since I have them in every size imaginable. Add red roses and fresh cut Christmas greens. These roses are old garden rose style - likely David Austin, but any red roses will of course work. Easy and so pretty for the holidays. And for a little Christmas humor....

Arranging Roses Successfully

CCC

 

For those of us who live in Publix territory, roses are on BOGO this week, buy one dozen for $10.99, the second dozen is free. Not sure if all Publix are the same. With my abundance of tropical plants outdoors, I tend to use cut palm fronds and philodendron leaves from my garden for free, but can't resist when Publix has roses on BOGO.