Pleasure Notes » flora & fauna

Blooming Mondays: Pop Art

emmajames — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:00:07 +0000

Do you ever have those moments when you feel suddenly transported into Alice in Wonderland or a Dr. Seuss rhyming masterpiece? The size and vibrancy of this single poppy, which is the size of a toddler’s head, sent me down the rabbit hole!

Blooming Mondays: Pop Art (poppy in variations, 05.21.12)

What has nature shown you lately that had you gasping in awe?

Blooming Mondays: Painter’s Delight

emmajames — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:00:59 +0000

Blooming Monday has always been about fresh cut flowers in the home because I feel so strongly that everyone should surround themselves with bouquets of pleasure. However, I cannot ignore the abundance of blooms over which I keep stumbling on various saunters around various towns lately so I’ve decided to celebrate blooming gardens for the summer months.

Blooming Mondays: Painter's Delight (iris, 05.14.12)

Van Gogh would be in seventh heaven, don’t you think?

Blooming Mondays: Never Boring

emmajames — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:00:57 +0000

I never used to be a tulips girl. I thought they were boring. I had these expectations around what constituted an exciting flower, for hell’s sake.

Blooming Mondays: Never Boring (tulips, 4.23.12)

Isn’t it funny, the stories we hold in our head about what’s exciting, how things should be, the way the world is supposed to look. I’m discovering that I really dig this process of discovering the fictions I used to hold as fact and the opportunity to create new stories, better developed ones.

What stories are you rewriting, whether inconsequential or profound?

Blooming Mondays: Wild Flowers

emmajames — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:00:42 +0000

Spring had fully taken root.

Blooming Mondays: Wild Flowers (04.16.12)

Bare feet and flouncy short skirts are the weekend uniform. And the hillsides are crowded in wild flowers. No need to wait for May.

What’s your favorite harbinger of spring?

Blooming Mondays: Spring Has Sprung

emmajames — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:00:07 +0000

Joy. Unbridled joy. That’s what this time of year bring, regardless of the day.

Blooming Mondays: Spring Has Sprung (daffodil, 04.09.12)

I feel a giggle coming on… will you join me with a grin?

Wishes In The Wind

emmajames — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 21:43:46 +0000

Pick a dandelion.

dandelions

Make a wish.

Blow a long, forceful kiss.

And wonder whether the seeds of your dreams will grow into sun-mimicking flowers, to weave into crowns, or just weeds, to be violently ripped from dusty cracks of abandoned pavement.

Blooming Mondays: Unexpected Greenery

emmajames — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:00:28 +0000

Blooming Mondays: Unexpected Greenery (green mums & cattails, 10.24.11)

I simply couldn’t resist this surprising bit of greenery at the market this weekend.

Don’t you just love the unexpected?

Blooming Mondays: Old Is New Again

emmajames — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:00:50 +0000

Blooming Mondays: Old Is New Again (rose, 10.10.11)

Roses. They just never grow old, do they?

These are strange days in my life. I’m in a current of change – experiencing moments I never thought I’d have, appreciating anew qualities I used to find mundane and actually enjoying my time smelling the proverbial roses. It’s a very strange current but I’m loving being in it. I simply hope that if there are rapids ahead, I ride them well.

Take a minute to be in the moment… just a friendly suggestion.

Blooming Mondays: Ready For Fall

emmajames — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:00:50 +0000

Blooming Mondays: Ready For Fall (sunflowers & mini-pumpkins, 10.03.11)

This past weekend was a hot one – beautiful, but hot. And I suddenly found myself craving a change of season. I’m ready for an excuse to wear boots, for the feel of a steaming cup of coffee in my hands and its warmth seeping into my bones, for the scent of a wood-burning fire.

Since I’m not leaving Southern California any time soon, I’ll have to find an inventive way to satisfy my cravings while those in colder climes enjoy a true autumn.

In my case, flowers will have to do.

What are you craving today?

Bouquets That Never Die

emmajames — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:00:48 +0000

Do you remember when I stumbled upon those amazing wedding bouquets made out of vintage jewelry? (I actually inspired a friend to choose gems over blossoms for her wedding because of that post – how cool is that?!)

Well, I’ve found another alternative to the easily wilted and eventual decaying floral arrangement brides and first communion lambs must carry down the aisle…

camellia bouquet created by The Green Vase

Beautiful bouquets made from paper by Livia and Joanne at The Green Vase. Slightly less expensive than the afore-mentioned vintage bauble option, I find these creations tobe both delightfully delicate and reassuringly permanent.

pastel paper camellia bouquet by The Green Vase

And no, this does not mean I am planning any walk down the aisle.

What do you think?