In Full Bloom - Building A Table Arrangement

As a flower lover, spring is naturally one of my favorite seasons.  And one of the most lovely things about living on the West Coast is the array of flowers so readily available at the local markets and grocery stores.  It's a bit dangerous for me actually. Just ask my husband...I'm totally the girl that swoons over the buckets of freshly cut flowers - sometimes he has to drag me away and remind me what we're actually shopping for.  Bad, I know.

Anyhow, I worked at a flower shop for a bit in high school and took a few floral arranging classes, and have also worked with a few brides to create their one-of-a-kind bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages.   So I admit, my floral knowledge and experience may be greater than that of the average homemaker, but building an arrangement doesn't have to be difficult or intimidating.

So I thought I'd share a few tips for building a simple, but stunning table arrangement.

1. Choose a vase appropriate for your table. 
• If your arrangement is for a dining table, try to keep your arrangement low so your guests can see above it.  
• If for a night stand or bathroom sink, I like to use mason jars.
• And for my coffee table, I tend to like short vases with wide openings {I actually use a short drinking glass I found at a thrift store}.  
• Keep in mind, the wider the opening of your vase, the more buds you will need to fill it.
2. Pick a flower and stick with that one type of flower.  Be sure to buy enough to fill your vase. 
• I love garden roses, anemones, or peonies to name a few.  
• Gerber Dasies and Hydrangeas are great at making a statement as well.
3. Arrange.  Run a stream of cold water in your kitchen sink and with sharp scissors or garden shears, cut your flowers at a slight slant to the desired length.  Be sure to remove any extra leaves that would be sitting in the water.  {These leaves tend to sop up water and breed bacteria, harming your precious blooms.} The blooms that rest on the outside of the arrangement should be slightly shorter than the ones that stand in the middle - arrange the outside blooms first and work your way in.  
4. Voila!  You have a beautiful arrangement ready to proudly display. 
• Lastly - Be sure to check your water levels daily, freshly cut blooms will drink up quickly.

Here are a few of my recent floral arrangements...

{Garden Roses}

{Garden Roses}

{Peonies}

{Hydrangeas}

{....and of course, more Peonies}

I would love to know!  What are your favorite fresh cuts to have arranged in your home??  

Let me know in the comments below.

XOXO


- images via Danya Collyer

Decor : Layering

I don't know about you, but I'm totally loving natural blonde/grey colored woods - especially in the dining room.  These neutral woods make for such a perfect background to display multiple textures and colors.

Layering a room is so important - curtains, rugs, chairs, wall colors, accent pieces, lighting - when all of these elements are well thought through and nicely assembled, a room can fully come to life.

These dining rooms are a perfect example of layering.  The largest pieces {the dining table} and the walls are neutral, while the fabrics and accessories are colorful and the lighting eye-catching.

1 | 2 | 3

What do you think?  Are you a fan of layering, or do the rooms in your home just "happen"?  

I have a great line up of posts to share next week and a beautiful guest post from Arcadian Home, so be sure to check back soon.

Also, I would like to introduce you to my newest partner Amy from Amy Grace.  She likes to blog about her favorite makeup products and life events.

Happy Memorial Weekend Friends!  

Enjoy your time off ~

XOXO

Home : The DIY Patio

It's almost midnight and hubby's been asleep next to me for roughly 2 hours - I'm a late night internet junkie.  I love the quiet, the glow of the computer screen against the dark of the night, the silence between subtle mouse clicks and key pecking, and the never-ending inspiration that lies only hyperlinks away from my fingertips.  I sound like someone with a serious problem, right?  {In my defense, I did down a massive cup of coffee around 8:00 pm. We had company and they were drinking it...what's a host to do?}

One of my favorite things about our tiny apartment is the adorable {and incredibly stark} patio space. It counts for about 1/3 of our living space and somehow, 5 months later, we haven't done a thing to it. *sigh*  I've been on the hunt for quaint and budget-friendly patio furniture for quite some time now, but have yet to find anything.  Not without trying though...I bartered with a Target manager for 25 minutes today, hoping she would let me walk out of the store with a super cute bistro set for $125 that had been on sale forever and hadn't budged....it's seriously overpriced.  I lost. {But I'm not so sad anymore.}

During this evening's midnight internet binge, I found some super cute sites of DIY patio inspiration and I couldn't be more excited to get my hunt on!  Forget the store bought sets...I'm going DIY all the way, and I'll be happy to share the end result asap.  Until then, I have some shopping, brainstorming, creating and sewing to do!  Take a look at my inspiration....

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Do you have a cute outdoor space??  I'd love to see!  Hope you're having a lovely week.

Rustic + Modern Mix {Guest Post from Design Shuffle}

Hi, all! It's Mari here from Design Shuffle, a fabulous online place for interior designers and design enthusiasts to upload their work and receive lots of exposure. One of the best things about writing guest posts for Design Shuffle is getting to visit great design and decorating blogs like The Pink Peony (love the name and the gorgeous flower) to share some of my favorite decorating ideas. Today, our topic at hand is blending modern style with rustic elements to create a lovely mix. There's something so appealing about the contrast between the clean sleek lines of modern style and rustic architecture or furnishings. We're excited to bring you these eight "modern + rustic" rooms. Enjoy!

   

 What a great blend of modern and rustic in this contemporary living room. I love the contrast of wire, reclaimed wood cubes and comfy upholstered pieces.

   

 This rustic bathroom setting seems to be the perfect environment for a large sleek soaking tub. How amazing are the tub's plumbing fixtures? 

   

 The architecture is rustic, the furnishings distinctly modernóthis is indeed a lovely mix. I am fascinated by the sculptural chairsóform, color and material. Are you getting any living room design ideas?

   

 Who would guess this rustic and modern interior design is the stunning result of a Manhattan brownstone renovation? Rustic beams, Panton chairs, reclaimed wood dining table, modern sculpture above the ornate fireplaceóall contribute to this lovely mix.

   

 Reclaimed wide wood boards are used to create this rustic table surrounded by slim modern seating. The lighted cabinets are beautiful against pale green tileóthe perfect backdrop for an informal dinner.

   

 Modern chairs, contemporary lighting and rustic table are a lovely mix in this inviting eat-in kitchen. I adore the unexpected cotton boll decorative element.

   

 In a nursery or child's bedroom design modern and rustic can create a happy space for sleeping and playing. Rustic woods and modern furnishings seem to be made for each other.

   

 Lastly, here's a lovely mix of modern neutrals with rustic wooden elements. This one might be described as understated eleganceóso appealing. Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 Don't you just love rustic and modern designs? Visit Design Shuffle where you can explore both! While you are there, you can learn about the history of interior design and browse through the portfolios of Boston interior designers and more!

Table Setting : My take on classic white & gold

So considering my husbands family is just so large and my dining table is just so big, I sadly, am not hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year. That, however, has not stopped me from browsing all of the beautiful table decor in my latest holiday catalogues and favorite .com's. Metallics are radiating from the pages of Crate&Barrel, Z Gallerie, CB2, West Elm, the list goes on...

If I were to be hosting, I imagine I'd do a crisp clean table of white and gold with painted branches in glass vases as my centerpieces and mini pine cones to hold name cards, but since I am not, I thought I'd pull together a few of my favorite pieces to share with you. Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year?  If so, what will your table look like?  I'd love to hear!

1. Michael C. Fina Platter

2. Diane Von Furstenburg Flatware

3. Crocodile Chargers

4. Brass Urchin

5. Napkin Ring by Lunares

6. Paillette Gold Stemware

Rustic Tables

Dining tables have recently consumed my decor thoughts, as we don't have one (and so desperately need one).  But I won't settle for just any old dining room table via craigslist (I'm all about a good deal, but when it comes to my dining room table, it needs to make a statement).  I'm certainly a romantic - I love soft pinks and pretty teals, I adore delicate chandeliers, and I am easily comforted by the flicker of a candlelit room, but I also feel that all of those details need to be anchored by something solid, something clean, yet something a little rough around the edges.  I came across this table at West Elm the other day, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since.  What do you think?

It's simple, it's clean, it's a little industrial and a little rustic.  

I've been a fan of Antonio Ballatore (from HGTV's "The Antonio Treatment") since he was on Design Star, and when I caught the makeover he did in his own home, I absolutely fell in love with the table he chose for his own dining room.  It's so rich and rustic, it certainly makes a statement.

I don't know that my dining room would be able to hold such a chunky piece of furniture, but I love what he did with it here.  

Here are a few more tables I discovered.  I just love them all.  Enjoy!