flowers and my old friend john

Would you just look at these beautiful paper flowers by Livia Cetti at The Green Vase? Two of my favorite stores, John Derian and Anthropologie, are her clients, and while I've seen "more realistic" faux blooms made of silk, I think these are fun and whimsical.

Images via The Green Vase

I especially love the poppies and can't wait to see some of these designs when I visit the John Derian store in Provincetown next week. I'll be heading there with my mother on Tuesday, and other than poking around the many haunts of this sweet, old Cape Cod town, the John Derian store is our main destination. A friend recently visited the shop and said it is teeny tiny, but if it's anything like I imagine, I'm sure I'll still be able to spend hours exploring its many treasures.

I am so accident-prone, I'll really have to be careful in here.

 Images via Architecht Design (TM)

The store is only a short bike ride form John's 18th century home, once owned by a ship captain. Talk about a dream home tour. I wonder if he'll be around when we are there next week. I dream of having another chance to meet one of my creative idols!

Image via The Boston Globe

Here are some interior photos of his home. So much pattern, texture and muted color. Wouldn't you just love to cozy up to that fireplace on a winter's night? It's doubtful that this relic of a home is winterized, however I've read that John uses it year-round.

I can't tell if this is a twin or full bed, but I don't think I'd have any trouble sleeping cozily in it. That is, if the creaking of the old walls and floors wouldn't keep me awake.

John lounging on his porch. What a genius. I'd love to live in his world for just a day.

 Images via shelterpop

As we all brace for Irene here in New England, I pray that everybody makes it safely through the weekend. I take heart thinking of how many storms John's home has weathered. 

Have a safe weekend, wherever you are.

bridal shower remembered in photos

reflecting

In less than a week, I'm moving away from my home of almost four years in Beacon Hill. Other than the house where I was raised, this the longest I've ever lived anywhere. As I sit surrounded by half-packed boxes, empty walls, glowing in a quiet light coming through my curtains, I'm reminded of dozens, maybe hundreds, of the reasons I love this neighborhood. Leaving it gives me so much sadness, but I hope some day my path will bring me back to this special place. These are the things I will miss most:

+ Rouvalis Flowers' sidewalk displays
+ Living steps away from the river
+ Light posts wrapped in garlands during Christmas
+ John and Paul at The Sevens Ale House
+ Entertaining on my roof against views of Boston and Cambridge
+ Springtime window boxes
+ Figs Oliver Pizza with extra sauce and arugula
+ My neighbors (even the unfriendly ones)
+ Riding Blanca along the Charles
+ Walking to the Kendall Square Cinema
+ My big, deep bath tub
+ Passing friends on the street
+ My favorite shops, Good and Koo de Kir
+ The mail slot on the bottom of my door
+ Dominic at Beacon Hill Wine & Spirits
+ Mike the homeless man who calls me "Mama" and always asks for a green tea outside Starbucks
+ The way my fireplace smells when it's warm outside
+ The sound of chopping from the kitchen at Lala Rokh
+ Sun filtering in through my bathroom window
+ Shopping for my niece and nephews at The Red Wagon
+ The staff at Cafe Vanille
+ Total calm in the middle of the city

vermont wildflowers

I felt a bit guilty picking these flowers on my hike in Vermont this weekend, but I just couldn't resist. Unfortunately, I lost a few of them on the ride home, but the rest are in a pretty jar on my windowsill in the bathroom. Just look at that sky! It was an absolutely perfect weekend.

My sister always says that she prefers irises when they haven't fully bloomed, and after seeing these in their natural environment, I have to agree. It's hard to make them out but there are a few still in their tight buds behind those that have bloomed. Yes, I know. This series of photos illustrates my need for a new camera.

Buttercups and orange dandelions in every direction.

Berries hid under ferns lining the path where we hiked. So tiny and sweet, they melted like jam in my mouth.

My perfect summer dessert
Serves 2

1 cup vanilla bean ice cream
1/2 cup Vermont strawberries
1 tablespoon minced basil

Scoop ice cream into dishes and sprinkle with strawberries and basil. It's okay if you want to mash it up a little.

flower boxes

My neighbor Diane is the official "flower lady" of our building. Each Christmas she gets a beautiful wreath for our door, piles bunches of pine into our flower boxes, and leaves a seasonal arrangement in our lobby. We've got it pretty good, thanks to her. Starting in the spring she plants lovely pansies in the nine (NINE) flower boxes lining our street, and when they get too long and stringy, she replaces them. When I got home from work and saw these flats sitting on our doorstep, I knew something good was in store.

cheeky spring colors

My mother snipped these beauties from her yard recently.  For a few short days they filled my apartment with such a lovely smell, confirming that spring really has arrived.

Then, as if I needed further proof of how smart the buyers at my favorite lingerie store are, I returned from a trip with these colorful undies.  Whether or not I was aware of the impact the lilacs had had on my subconscious, I would say that these reflect the colors of the season, wouldn't you?

I've got about 20 pairs of these (really), and while they may not last quite as long as their prototype, you really can't beat $20 for 4 pairs of comfy thongs. I can hardly tell the difference, and they come in really great colors and patterns.

Speaking of great finds, here are a few other things I picked up at Target recently that I think are pretty special.

These "greennotes" notebooks are slim and small with a pretty Greek key motif. They come in a pack of three for about $5, and I brought one to work and left another one in my car (where I always seem to be looking for something to write on).

Then, perhaps the best Target score of my life, the $9.99 Liberty of London Violet Fig Jar Candle.

Is this not a gorgeous candle? It only took me a second to recognize the scent, and I mean it when I say that it smells identical to the Jo Malone Wild Fig & Cassis Home Candle that retails for an unreachable $65.

I think I'll take my Target candle! I bought two at the store, then, in a move I must have inherited from my mother, ordered three more online. I now have a nice Violet Fig candle stockpile that should last me quite a while.

window box fever

Spring has sprung on Beacon Hill! Here are just a few of the lovely and creative window boxes on my block.

 

rainy saturday DIY..

One can find hundreds of tutorials online, so I won't bother instructing you on how to build your own terrarium. After all, I did this four days ago and just because they are alive right now does not mean they won't croak at any moment. I bought the bowl about a year ago, and then each of the tall cylindrical vessels at Target. They were all under $15 - such a steal. Once my terrariums die I'll find another use for the vessels. What, you ask? A layered sand jar, of course. Or I may fill them with holiday lights for my next roof deck party. Or maybe I'll use the big one (standing around 14" tall) to store my orphaned socks. There are many of them, unfortunately.

new life

I'm at work. It is miserable. However, new life blooms back at my apartment. Hooray for the weekend!

love and lilacs

Happy Mothers Day to all! I am so very lucky to have a beautiful, elegant and generous mother of my own, and was able to spend a lovely day with her and my niece and nephew today. My sister and her husband were traveling back from a wedding in New York, so my mother and I took the kids to the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain. Aside from boasting an endless variety of native and foreign trees and plants year-round, the Arboretum comes alive in May when they host Lilac Sunday. Never before have I seen more beautiful and fragrant lilacs, which are truly some of my favorite flowers. They have 400 lilac bushes and over 200 lilac varieties in bloom every spring. Today they highlighted 20 varieties, some of which I've shown here.










When we got home, I surprised my mother with a citrus almond cake that I decorated with some creeping myrtle I clipped from the front yard.


After I went to grab a few plates, I came back to the table to find this: My lovely rascal of a niece, Athena, could not resist the lemony scent of the cake, and stole a small bite when I wasn't looking. After gently scolding her for eating before her grandmother, and hearing her small voice say, "I'm sorry!", I couldn't help but forgive her.