There’s never a more welcome time to enjoy a lush arrangement of flowers than in the dead of winter, and with Valentine’s Day around the corner, why not indulge yourself? I’ve been loving the evolution of flower arranging in the last couple of years – flower arrangements are looser, with old-fashioned and exotic blooms (or more prosaic and therefore unexpected), and things are joyously natural and free flowing. This arrangement has many different types of flowers, but only a few […]
There’s something so appealing about a tiny plant, and I must not be the only person who thinks so; every nursery or florist shop seems to be selling these adorable little greens in all their minimalist glory. Maybe it’s a reaction to the post-holiday excess of material goods, maybe it’s because they’re inexpensive, or maybe it’s because it’s an innocent indulgence to enjoy for ourselves. You can put a little plant on your desk or bedside table, near the kitchen […]
What a feast for the senses the flowers and evergreens of Christmas are! This year I’ve been unusually short on time and didn’t have the option of a leisurely comb through the cold rooms of the floral wholesalers. Much of my Christmas flower shopping was done at the grocery store – the apples, cinnamon, and astilbes came from Safeway and Whole Foods! The rosemary wreath was a very thoughtful hostess gift from one of my daughter’s friends. With a little doctoring, these basic ingredients became homey and […]
One of my friends is expecting a baby next month, so a group of us got together to give her a shower. It’s her first child, and they know that it’s going to be a boy, so we went with a classic blue-and-white theme. We invited guests for 4 PM, and served tea and a baby blue cocktail, along with tea sandwiches, a hearty salad, and lots and lots of sweets – cake, cupcakes, cookies. There are so many clever […]
For many years, I collected pieces of silver with monograms and messages on them. Cups, spoons, little silver boxes – the hand engraving and the messages were expressions of love and gratitude that spanned generations. I stopped collecting them years ago, because accumulating things is not so important to me anymore. I think the real value of money is in how you use it to help other people. In the meantime, I still have this nice collection of silver cups. […]
