Before Wishes

Soon, this little yellow dandelion will become a fluffy ball of seeds just waiting to be blown away.

Will you be making dandelion wishes? I always do. Here's hoping they all come true. ♥

Stopping To Smell The Flowers

I've been working morning, noon, and night in preparation for the National Stationery Show next month. I'm very excited, but since there's so much to do it would be all too easy to overwork myself. I don't want to get to the show totally worn down and sick, so I've been making sure to stop and (quite literally) smell the flowers pretty regularly. So, more flower photos to share today.

Tell me, have you been stopping to enjoy the springtime? It's so refreshing. 

Yellow Flowers On A Wall

Yeah, it's another flower picture. I just can help myself! It's springtime, so it's to be expected. (Right?)

I took this one on one of the walks we took over the weekend. 

I made some edits using a new online photo editor called PicMonkey. I usually use Photoshop, but I like that PicMonkey is online so you can use it from any computer. It also has some really nice effects. If you're looking for a quick way to edit pictures (a replacement for picnik, perhaps) you might want to give it a test run. It's free and you don't even need to register. Have fun!

You're Turning Violet

It was a gorgeous weekend, so we went for a few walks around the neighborhood. I've been noticing violets blooming for at least a week now, and every single time I see them I think of that scene from Willy Wonka. You know the one. 

The one where Violet Beauregarde turns into a blueberry and her father says "violet, you're turning violet, Violet!"

Seriously, I think it every. single. time. I see a patch of violets (even the white ones!). And every time, it makes me laugh.

Spring Is Happening Right Outside

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR! (Caps completely necessary.)

It's just so unbelievably gorgeous out. Crisp air, flowering trees, grass that's turning green. Everything's just coming alive, and I find it quite exhilarating. I'm so busy preparing for the National Stationery Show next month that I'm not spending as much time outdoors as I'd like, but I totally appreciate each and every second I'm out there. I savor my walks to the train and bus. I can't stop myself from smiling when the sunlight warms my cheeks. 

Really you guys, it's sort of amazing (every single day). I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am.

Paperwhites On The Floor

Last Thursday morning, at 4 am, we woke to the sound of a horrible crash. It was really scary, and we got up to have a look around. At first we thought that maybe a picture had fallen off the wall, but no. Then we checked the kitchen to see if a glass had fallen out of the dish rack. Again, no. But we finally found the source of the crash: our beautiful paperwhites had called it a day and had taken a nosedive for the floor. 

Yikes! Since their bowl was broken, I didn't really have anything else they could fit into. I cut the flowers off the bulbs, stuck them in a vase, and then cleaned up the rest of the mess (several days later).

  

Here's what they looked like when they were on the table:



Plus a bonus closeup of the pretty, pretty blooms:



It was hard to get back to sleep after all of the commotion, but at least we sorta saved the flowers!

Paperwhites

Eric's mom gave us paperwhite bulbs. I finally got around to taking them out of the bag last week, and they're thriving in our freezing cold dining room. I put four of them in some gravel, but the last one wouldn't fit in that little terrarium so I just thought I'd see if treating it like an avocado would work. Yep. It sure did! Look at those hearty roots!

I love watching things grow. Isn't it amazing.

Roses On A Thursday

Eric brought these home for me today.



He just wanted to let me know that he's proud of all that I've been doing. Yep, he's a keeper. xo

P.S. So 2011 happened. Hello 2012!

One Month Tulips

Tuesday, April 19th, was one month since our wedding! Holy moly, folks. We've already been married for a month.

And how super sweet was it to come home to a vase full of these pretty orange tulips to celebrate the happy occasion? Answer: SUPER super sweet.

Dollar Store Poppies

Hello! It's been a long time since I've written here, and I miss my blog so much. I'm getting a ride to work this morning, so I have a few minutes to spare. What great fortune!

I bought these flowers at the dollar store over the weekend. I got them for somebody in particular, but they don't know about it yet. It's a bit of a joke, and I hope they make her smile.

Anyway, they really did look quite lovely in the sunlight the other day. Goodness, orange is beautiful. That's all I'm sayin'.

Bouquet From Eric's Family

A week ago, this beautiful bouquet was delivered to our door with a note welcoming me to the Schwarz family. Pretty sweet, right? 

There's something so uplifting about having fresh flowers in the house. Especially orange and yellow ones. They brighten the whole room. There's also something super, duper uplifting about getting welcomed into a new family!  

I took these pictures yesterday, when the sun was streaming through the living room windows and making the bouquet glow.

*Don't forget to check out today's inspiration post over on the ELM blog!

End Of Summer

It's fall, but there are still signs of summer. They're fading, but not gone yet!  

I'm looking forward to watching New England turn red and gold. It's already starting, but right now I'm enjoying this period of seasonal overlap. It's been in the 80s the past few days, but I think it'll be cooling down next week. Then maybe we'll settle into autumn. 

Yellow + Sunny

More flowers from the photo walk I took yesterday morning. These were just so pretty bathed in sunlight.

I'm pretty sure these are Black Eyed Susans. They're like the nieces and nephews of Sunflowers.

Cosmos

I've always been a fan of cosmos. (The flowers, not the drinks.) My mom always had them in the garden on the edge of our yard, and whenever I see them I think of home. More specifically, I think of summer days spent running around with my friends and warm evenings catching lightning bugs.

This morning I went for a photo walk and I spotted these guys. You know I had to take pictures with memories like that rushing through my head!

How did you spend your summers as a kid?

*I posted some photos from my walk yesterday afternoon over on the ELM blog today, too. 

Glorious Lilies

It was so perfect outside when I woke up this morning that I grabbed my little camera and set out on a walk around the neighborhood.

These lilies were certainly worth the trip. Just wonderful, no?

*The latest edition of Lost in Thoughts is up on the ELM blog. I'd love it if you stopped by for a little visit!

Pink Orchids

Do you like orchids? I do! They're sort of mysterious, and there are sooo many varieties; it's fascinating. I learned about them (though I've forgotten most of it) when I read The Orchid Thief several years ago.

I got this three-stemmed bouquet at Areej + Uzair's wedding (second night). They were on the cocktail tables, and they were so beautiful. At the end of the night people were grabbing up the big rose arrangements from the dinner tables, but I made a beeline for one of these little vases.

*Need some inspiration for your Thursday? This week I'm daydreaming about the surprises I've been finding on my daily walk. Check it out on today's Lost in Thoughts. 

At The Flower Shop

On Saturday I went to a few florists with my friend, because I'm helping with the floral arrangements at her wedding reception on Friday. One shop we visited had the most beautiful flowers.

Unfortunately, the owner was rude and less than helpful. We ended up getting everything we needed elsewhere, and it was a much more pleasant experience. But I can't stop thinking about that other place; I want to spend all day there surrounded by gorgeousness (without the crabby lady, of course).

These photos (more on flickr) were all taken with my new used point-and-shoot. It's the same as the one I broke, but it's light blue. Let's hope this one doesn't suffer the same fate. I should probably mention that it was more affordable to get a used replacement than to get the other one fixed. Thank you ebay.

*New personalized contact cards in the shop today. Fun, fun, fun!

A Lovely Entryway

Most days, I take a 2 or 3 mile walk after work. I really need it after sitting at a computer for 8 hours. I have a few different routes, but I usually pass by this house at least once.

The gated fence and trellis are just too sweet! It looks like it leads to a magical home, and that makes me so happy. Look at those hot pink roses peeking through the fence on the left. Adorable.

I took this picture a few days ago, before it got all cloudy, rainy, and dreary.

Want more fun? Lost in Thoughts is full of playful inspiration today.

Minot Rose Garden

Eric and I have this 3 mile walk that we like to do. The best part is that there's a fantastic public rose garden right around the halfway point. We've been walking past it and inspecting the rose bushes for a few weeks now, in anticipation.

Obviously we were in luck this past weekend! There were many, many buds and we saw three roses that were a little bit ahead of the game. I wish you could smell these, because they were just heavenly.

On The Windowsill

These are from the bouquet Eric bought for me. We didn't have a vase big enough to fit all of the flowers, so I separated some out and put them into this old milk bottle.

They looked so pretty on the windowsill yesterday afternoon. I like the way the stems are all lit up while only a few of the blossoms are illuminated.

The little white teapot was one of the party favors at my friend's tea party bridal shower.

Have a happy weekend!