Nature's "It Color" for Spring

 

Sometimes a simple bloom or color can inspire a blog post. That is what happened today with this sweet-smelling pink hyacinth bloom that I placed in a re-used soap bottle after it drooped over in its pot outside.

 

 

 

Our wonderful gardener and friend Dan (aka Dan the Man!) gave Sofia this darling pot of hyacinths for Valentine's Day. They were just mystery bulbs in dirt back in February. But by Easter they were in full pink bloom! How perfect!

 

I looked up hyacinths in The Meaning of Flowers and it says: "The Koran praises the hyacinth. If you have just two loaves left ... sell one and buy hyacinths, 'to feed the soul.'" Again, how perfect!

 

When I was on my walk this morning, I noticed pink everywhere in our neighborhood. So I've dubbed pink nature's "it color" for spring!

One of my favorite quotes from my "color guru" Leatrice Eiseman is "nature doesn't lie" when it comes to color combinations. Look at this hot pink and yellow primrose - so pretty. I never would have thought to put these colors together... But Sofia did! She wore hot pink patent leather ballet flats with a light yellow dress on Easter.

Again, hot pink and yellow in this beautiful camellia in my frontyard.

 

In my backyard, the bleeding hearts are always one of the first to bloom. This combo of hot pink and chartreuse is perfect too!

 

 

But the sweetest of all is daphne! The lightest pink of the bunch but definitely the most fragrant.

And last but not least, the first pink blossoms we see each spring in Seattle are cherry blossoms!

And next month the rhodies and azaleas will be in bloom. I can't wait!

 

Guess what? I am wearing pink today, with gray and orange. I'm not sure if that combo exists in nature, but it works for me!

 

How do you feel about pink? Light pink? Dark pink? No pink?!

It's a Good Friday!

We were in Jerusalem last year during Christian Holy Week and Jewish Passover. To say this holy city felt "holy" is an understatement. Actually, intense is probably a better description. And tense too. Seeing some of the holiest people in the world from different religions cross each other's paths in the Old City during this sacred time was so interesting and still so vivid in my mind. 

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic today as I remember our trip and wanted to share a few pictures from Jerusalem with you so you can get a sense of what I am talking about. Some are very sacred holy sites and others are just for fun! Although being there is really the only way to truly feel the holiness and intensity of this amazing place. Instead of ordering and captioning the pictures I'm presenting them randomly to give you a feeling of what if felt like to be in the Old City mingling with the most religious Christians, Muslims and Jewish people in the world. It was, well, intense....

Regardless of your religion, I hope you enjoy these pictures and this Good Friday.

It's a bit dizzying, isn't it? Thanks for letting me take you on a walk through the Old City.

Happy Easter and Happy Passover friends.

xoxo.

Speaking of Paris

To continue my posts about Paris, I wanted to share a fun idea with you. 

My favorite tea is Paris from Harney & Sons. Pretty fitting since I have a huge crush on its namesake city. I fell in love with Paris tea a couple of years ago on a visit to Hood River and I've been addicted ever since. Truly. I can't get enough of it. Unfortunately the only grocery store in town (Metropolitan Market) that carries it runs out of it often. When I go out of my way to go to said grocery store, I usually buy their entire stock. I have a hunch there is another addict in town and he or she buys out the entire stock too. So it's become kind of a game for me. Unfortunately when I went to Met Market last weekend, specifically to get my stash of Paris tea, they were completely out. And they are still out. 

Anyway, I digress. One of the things that I love so much about Harney & Sons is their beautiful packaging. Until recently I felt kind of sad when I finished a tin because I know how hard it is to come by. But I also felt a twinge of guilt when I threw away the beautiful tin. I recently went through a major effort to organize my daughter's art supplies and our life in general!  And the Paris tea tin played a major role in this effort. I realized they are a great and nice-looking way to store pens, and anything else for that matter!

Of course I thought this was an original idea until I did a search for "tea tins" on Pinterest. Here are a few of my favorites.

And they might just be the perfect flower vase! Especially if you're giving flowers as a gift.

Oh and by the way, in case you are wondering what Paris tea tastes like, according to their website, "This blend is reminiscent of one of the most popular blends in Paris. It is a fruity black tea with vanilla and caramel flavors, and a hint of lemony Bergamot." Now, don't go out and buy my stash at Met Market! Promise?!

My Paris in Color

My Paris in Color post yesterday inspired me to look through the pictures from our two visits to Paris. While my photos and presentation aren't nearly as eloquent as the ones in Paris in Color, I wanted to share my version with you. I found they tended to fall into four categories: doors, flowers, cars and art ... some of my favorite things! I threw in a few miscellaneous ones, too, that made our trips unforgettable. Enjoy!

On our second visit, we took Sofia at just 16 months old, and stayed in a charming apartment in the wonderful and quirky Montmarte neighborhood. 

Home to the famed Moulin Rouge which literally means "red mill." So, not coincidentally there was a lot of red in Montmarte. 

 

 And some green...

The natural beauty in Paris is astounding....flowers are everywhere!

They even put flower boxes on the rooftops? So charming...

 

 

On our first visit in 2003, we were there during Bastille Day, which was a huge treat, and very colorful.  The colors of the French flag covered the bleachers.

 

Bastille Day fireworks at midnight - that is the Eiffel Tower lit up on the left. 

And the cars, aah, the funny and colorful cars.

Look at all those tickets - and the "boot." Classic!

 

Geoff's shirt matched this tiny Fiat perfectly!

I'm not sure what this little mint green number is but it's pretty cute!

Seeing Monet's famous water lilies at the Musée de l'Orangerie was very exciting for me. 

And this ceiling in the Paris Opera House is one of my favorites. 

Seeing Degas' ballerinas in person was such a treat!

If I could, I would have packed up this beautiful lavender love seat from the Paris flea market and shipped it home. Isn't she darling?

Isn't this giant indigo hat fabulous?

I leave you with a few artsy shots of Paris at her best....

Even the street signs are colorful, and well, charming....

Thanks for coming along. Next up, Provence in Color. Ooh la la!!