Into the Rose Garden

It's that time of year again. The Rose Garden is in full bloom. Just have a look at some of these beauties.

There was no pruning done this year before the rose bushes started to get going. So the bushes were allowed to grow at their whim and put out a wonderful display. Although this created a mess of branches and runners going every-which-way, it made the garden more natural and honestly, just a lovely riot of untamed colour. 

The bushes will be cut back once they have finished their initial blooming, which will most likely cause them to put forth another growth spurt and more blooms later in the summer. Which is not a bad thing. 
 

First up is our Peace Rose. It's a gorgeous salmon or peach colour that becomes more yellow in the center as it opens up. 

This one starts out dark and then fades to a more delicate pink as it fully opens. It has the most wonderful scent as well.

This is one of the yearly favourites, called "Rio Samba". It has been in the garden for a number of years and each year it puts forth a beautiful display. It doesn't have much of a scent, but it makes up for it in striking patterns and strong stems. And large thorns.

Here is the same "Rio Samba" once it has fully opened. 

This beautifully full rose is a David Austin variety. David Austin roses are known for their fullness, or "double rose" as they often have twice the petal count as other rose types. 

Another David Austin rose; this time in peach (and it the rain). 

This pink stipes-and-speckles rose has the sweetest, almost innocent scent. It has been in the garden for as long as I can remember (which is a fairly long time). We have dubbed it the Candy Cane rose because of it's stripes. It blooms twice; once in late May and then again towards the end of August. It has clusters of flowers that don't last as long as the other roses in the garden, but it makes up for in the number of blooms it puts forth. It's probably one of my favourites in the garden. 

This dark rose is a new addition to the Rose Garden this year. I took Dad to the garden center to pick out a Father's Day gift. He saw this and immediately put it in our shopping cart. It's called "Purple Tiger". It took to it's new home just fine and put out a beautiful display of blooms despite being replanted in mid-June.

This is just a small sample of the roses in bloom this year in the Rose Garden. The weather has been so warm the past week that most of time I am just focusing on staying cool and keeping hydrated. Hope you enjoyed this short trip into the Rose Garden.

Lazy Rainy Day

Today is a rainy Tuesday.
I can hear the rain coming down outside.
I have warm hand knitted socks.
I have a hot cup of tea.
Today was meant to stay inside
Warm, in a bed like this.

A Year of Pretty - February 28, 2014

Today's Pretty Post is this delicate pink canvas painting. I don't know who the artist is, which is a shame. The photo is from Pinterest, with the source being simply a defunct flickr account. Sad.

But the painting itself is lovely. It reminds me of ballerinas somehow. Or maybe pink champagne.

My home doesn't have a pink room, but if it did, I would want something like this hanging in it.

A Year of Pretty - February 20, 2014

Check out this little beauty for Today's Pretty Post. Pink Champagne. Love me some pink champagne. 

A Year of Pretty - January 18, 2014

Today's Pretty Post is this stunning pink floral watch by Chopard.

The watch band contains 140 briolette cut pink sapphires of various sizes in the flowers. The watch face contains 208 brilliant cut pink sapphires, while 208 brilliant cut diamonds surround the face. Total pink sapphire weight is 88 carats; total diamond weight is 2 carats.

Valentine's Day is coming up, right?

A Year of Pretty - January 12, 2014

Hmmm, if only I could wake up looking like this . . . .

Design Inspiration - part 3

 . . . . a good book, a cool drink . ..what a fantastic way to spend the afternoon under these trees.

Can't find who took the photo originally, so I can't give credit where it's due. I know, not very nice of me. If you know, please leave a note so that I can edit the post with the credit.

Sweet and Pretty . . . take 3

Today’s helping of Sweet and Pretty is actually a collection or treasury of items discovered by Bella of Allami. While the grouping is definitely inspired by Russian matryoshka dolls (you know, the nesting ones you played with as a child), the items would be perfect for a nursery or little girl’s room. All well priced, these are sure to bring whimsy and delight to any princess, no matter the age.

One of the items that really got my attention was this painted horse box by GoodWoodDogs. Other than being pink and girly and a great place to store special trinkets, the hand crafted, hand painted pine and basswood treasure is made by a father - daughter team. The father is a retired chemist-turned-artist.  Dad does the carving, daughter does the painting. Which I think is just great, and adds a bit of back story to the item.

In a time where more and more children’s toys are mass produced, it’s so nice to see hand-made items with care and attention to detail . . .and no batteries required.

.. . . for the Love of Buttons . .. .

How gorgeous are these vintage inspired rhinestone buttons, offered up by Hennytj ? Gorgeous. Very gorgeous. Perfect down the front of a tailored suit jacket or to replace those boring white buttons on a button down blouse.

Mother's Day Ideas . .by etsy

Looking for some last minute Mother's Day ideas? Here is a Mother's Day inspired collection of gifts sure to make mom smile.

More Shoes 2

Like a pair of figure flattering corsets, these Rene Caovilla shoes were made to gently hug and caress your feet. Mmmmmm, shoe porn anyone?

tickled pink . . .

In honour of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, here are a few things pink that have caught my eye. All these items are available for purchase on Etsy; and some feature partial proceeds being donated to Canadian Breast Cancer Society.
Shown left is a brooch of beautiful frothy pink blooms titled LETITIA. They are made to order by RiRiFisch. This brooch is very soft and romantic, and can be worn as shown on the shoulder, or at the waist of a sweater dress or on the brim of a hat.
To the right is a vibrant and sassy pleated hot pink clutch by letsglamup. The textured pleats add glamour while the color adds a bit of zing to your wardrobe. Perfect on a drab day.
It's no secret that I love shoes. These vintage Calvin Klein pale pink pumps available from TwirlVintageCo are gorgeous and reconfirm why classic Calvin Klein is well, in a word . . .classic. If you do purchase these (or any item with ribbons such as these), I suggest lightly searing the ends with a flame to prevent fraying.
I also have an affinity for pretty beads. This set of seemingly random hand made beads titled 31Pink Experiments by paulinabeads do in fact look gorgeous when strung as a group. Space them out with some pale pink Austrian or Swarovski crystals for a super elegant look.
And with all your pink garb in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness, what better was to show your support than by hosting a Breast Cancer Awareness Party. A party where women (and men) come together and through donations and pink-themed beverages, nibbles and decor, raise money to help fight this terrible disease. These pompoms by (who else) PartyPom are a great decorating idea for such a party. Like big balls of cotton candy hanging from the ceiling, they are sure to bring delight and are also available in other colours and a variety of sizes. Afterwards, they would be perfect for a little girl's room to to reuse for a gender reveal or baby shower.
To women everywhere fighting the battle against breast cancer each and every day . . .keep fighting. We support you.