Archive for April, 2011

Monday Mood

Monday, April 18th, 2011

It’s Monday – what mood are you in?

Lauren Liess - DC Designer Showhouse

Lauren Liess - DC Desig House

Indulged

Pronunciation: \in-ˈdəlj- ed\

Took unrestrained pleasure in

How will you indulge yourself this week?

Photo via Pure Style Home

Simply Irresistibles

Friday, April 15th, 2011
Botanical Beauties on Diane James Home

Botanical Beauties on Diane James Home

We’re often asked why we don’t open a retail store where we could sell our designs as well as beautiful botanically-inspired gifts… and we have to say, we’ve been tempted!  Now, with the beauty of e-commerce, we’re indulging our retail dreams by adding a few of our favorite gifts  (all under $80!) to Diane James Home, just in time for Mother’s Day…

Artichoke Linen Hand Towel

Artichoke Linen Hand Towel

Poppy Soap Set

Poppy Soap Set

Tea Forte Tea Chest

Tea Forte Tea Chest

Hydrangea Note Cards

Hydrangea Note Cards

Scrapbook Tray

Scrapbook Tray

 And our gift to you, free shipping through May 8th!

Photos via Diane James Home

Thursday Thank You

Thursday, April 14th, 2011
Verbena4

Verbena4

… to British painter Dan Bennettfor capturing the beauty of blossoms from bud to full bloom in his whimsical paintings.  A tree surgeon and gardener armed with a fine arts degree, Dan (now a full time artist) began creating these magical pieces in his free time and whenever it was too wet, cold or dark to work in the flower beds.

Digitalis3

Digitalis3

The vibrant floral forms have already captured the eye of gallery owners and collectors and the imagination of stationers and fabric designers worldwide…  We can’t wait to see where Dan’s work pops up next!

Helleborus3

Helleborus3

 Photos via Dan Bennett

Hey… Cut That Out!

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011
Stepping Out in Miu Miu

Stepping Out in Miu Miu

Holy Moly, we’ve been seeing a lot of cutouts, eyelets and lace these days and not all are on models walking down the runway…  From the looks of it, European designers can’t get enough of the play between texture and shape that results from using scissors (or a laser!) to create these floral forms.  Is this a trend that we’ll be seeing soon stateside?  Vera Wang thinks so… how about you?

Hanging with Louise Campbell

Hanging with Louise Campbell

Being Shady with Droog

Being Shady with Droog

Corresponding with Vera Wang

Corresponding with Vera Wang

Sitting Pretty on Gianluigi Landoni

Sitting Pretty on Gianluigi Landoni

Dressing Up in Collezione Dulcinea

Dressing Up in Collezione Dulcinea

Photos via Miu Miu, Hive, Droog, William Arthur, Flickr and Vogue Italia

Tuesday Treat

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
Sweet Yet Sophisticated

Sweet Yet Sophisticated

Stamp of Approval

Stamp of Approval

Delightful Desserts

Delightful Desserts

Pursuing a plethora of pretty purple pansies…

Photos via Albert Giordan, Champion Stamp and Martha Stewart

Monday Mood

Monday, April 11th, 2011
Delightful Dining

Delightful Dining

Sociable

Pronunciation: ˈsō-shə-bəl

Inclined to seek or enjoy companionship

P.S.  Pull up a chair and be our guest at Party Resources today!

Photo via House Beautiful

Fabulous Find: Anali

Friday, April 8th, 2011

Do you have a place in your home where you keep little gifts on hand just in case you need one?  We have a closet at home and every spring, we stock it with pretty hostess gifts that will certainly come in handy over the summer season.

Anali Exquisite Needlework

Anali Exquisite Needlework

One of our favorite “must haves” when we entertain is hand towels – and not the ones the kids use when drying the puppies’ muddy feet, mind you!  The towels we use are exquisitely embroidered with beautiful blossoms and come in all the colors of the rainbow.

Lovely Linen Guest Towels

Lovely Linen Guest Towels

Made in Redmond Washington by Anali (a mother/daughter business like ours!) these linens guest towels are truly works of art.  A design begins as a hand-drawn rendering created with a kaleidoscope of colored pencils and watercolors to accentuate detail and shadings.  The drawing is then scanned into a computer and a special embroidery software program is used to plan each stitch and color change to bring the design to life.

Festive Gerbera Towels

Festive Gerbera Towels

Blossoms for the Bath

Blossoms for the Bath

Sensational Salsa

Sensational Salsa

Like in nature, perfection can’t be rushed so each order can take three to four weeks to produce but the result is well worth the wait!  And for those of you who would love to add a little botanical beauty to your home, Anali guest towels will be available on Diane James Home next week…

Beautiful Belize Pillow

Beautiful Belize Pillow

Photos via Anali

Thursday Thank You

Thursday, April 7th, 2011
First Blush - Pink Narcissus Mix

First Blush - Pink Narcissus Mix

… to White Flower Farm in Litchfield, CT, for creating the most beautiful mixes of daffodils that even we, with our black thumbs, have been able to grow in our gardens.

Double Daffodil Quartet

Double Daffodil Quartet

Every fall, we plant a couple or fifty more bulbs and keep our fingers crossed, hoping that most will bloom come spring.  While we’re beginning to see green shoots, we’re praying that some of these darling daffodils will be ready for an Easter centerpiece!

Easter Extravaganza

Easter Extravaganza

Photos via White Flower Farm and Good Housekeeping

Nirvana: Designer Showhouse Before

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011
At Home in Nirvana

At Home in Nirvana

Along with helping Celerie Kemble with flowers for her room for the Kips Bay Decorator Show House, we’re busy designing our own space at the Designer Showhouse of Westchester in Bedford Corners, NY.  When Connecticut Cottages & Gardens asked us if we’d turn a basement “craft room” into something floral and fabulous, we immediately thought of a cutting room.

Nirvana from the Sky

Nirvana from the Sky

We could just imagine the owner of Nirvana (the $11 million 10,000 square foot home to be transformed by top local decorators) picking flowers in her garden and arranging them in her own private sanctuary.

Cutting Room - Before

Cutting Room - Before

Fortunately for us, the room is quite easy to work with since it has a black and white floor, white built-in counters and white walls.  We’ll be bringing in French flower buckets filled with stems, vases to line the shelves and counters and creating a display of our own bouquets for sale during the showhouse tour.

Fun Floral Buckets

Fun Floral Buckets

We’ve even come up with a creative way to cover the flat screen TV (a black eyesore on one of the walls!)… with a large picture window overlooking a peony garden mounted on foam core!

A Garden View

A Garden View

The showhouse benefits Cerebral Palsy of Westchester and will be open to the public from May 8th through June 12th.  We do hope you’ll come and visit!

Rendering Our Room

Rendering Our Room

P.S. For more information on the showhouse, please click here.

Photos from Southeby’s, Good Life of Design and yours truly

Tuesday Treat

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011
Ella Doran Loves Leaves

Ella Doran Loves Leaves

Darling Daisy Domes

Darling Daisy Domes

Wonderful William Morris

Wonderful William Morris

Just remember…  April showers bring May flowers!

Photos via Brollies Galore