Friday's Flowers and Gratitude

Happy Friday.  Friday for me is always about flowers and spiffing up the joint for wknd festivities.  Momma always gets fresh flowers from the market for her home for the weekend and it is a ritual that I have happily carried on at my home – whether it is picking up fresh cut flowers, cutting something from the yard, or grabbing an orchid when my fancy strikes.

Thanks for the One Room Challenge™ love yesterday.  There is some serious talent and inspiration in the bunch.  Your comments truly make my day.  Truly.  As in I walk around most of the day chuckling about email convos with all my interwebs friends - which can prove to be a little awkward at times.  I find myself referring to so and so during a conversation with my mister or my sister about such and such, and they are usually like, ‘who the hell is xxxx and how do you know her/him?’  Um.  

‘My friend from the internet/instagram/blog/blahblahblah…she/he absolutely adores booze/chinoiserie/art/gold/glitter/brass animals/green/vintage/animal print/tiny weird cat lols and would LOVE this, I must take a picture immediately.’  

This is often followed by a very awkward pause and serious side eye. ‘I’d really rather like to get on with the actual act of enjoying my food/wine or getting to our actual destination already as opposed to you always taking damn pictures of it.’  Rude.

But so’s anyway, I love y’all and mean it.  Just know I appreciate you appreciating my jam.

Have a great one.  I’ll be out searching for ORC shit today with visions of wine plums dancing in my head.

All design, photos, and styling by Emily Vanderputten

kisses,  mrs. V

A Colorful Spin on the Classic Blue and White

This is the part where I don’t talk about the weather, no matter that we are under yet another winter storm warning and school is likely being cancelled for the umpteenth million time as I type this, in the wee post-Oscar hours of the morning.  But, I am most definitely NOT going to talk about the damn weather.  The only thing I see fit to restore my sanity and banish these winter blues is a bright dash of color – so that is just what I did for this month’s Blue and White Bash over at The Pink Pagoda.

I put together a table chock full of color to go along with my vintage blue willow dishes – proof positive that blue and white goes with anything.  I shopped my local Kroger flower selection to put together the floral arrangement – proof positive that even simple flowers like carnations, spray roses, and alstroemerias can be quite gorgeous – in a striking 40s Westmoreland milk glass pedestal dish with shell and dolphin motif.  And I used a vintage Mexican serape blanket to anchor the tablescape.  The result is my usual kaleidoscope of color and mixed patterns.  What can I say?  I am a more is more kinda gal.

Come join me over at The Pink Pagoda for some more blue and white goodness.

Now all I need are some merry-making guests!

All photos and styling by Emily Vanderputten

kisses,  mrs. V

An Autumn Table

Ever one to embrace tradition, the flirtation, for me, is always brief.  While I acknowledge the foundational dalliance, I promptly dump tradition on its fusty head.  My autumn table is no exception to my fickle whims.  This gal does not do ‘red’ and ‘orange.’  If I see another orange mum or pumpkin wrapped in bittersweet, I swear I will scream.  And then I will laugh at you for your complete lack of imagination.  Sorry, no one ever accused me of being nice.

Getcha some spirits.  It's Friday.

All images and layouts by me.

kisses,  mrs. V

I'm Not Talking About the Weather Again, Except That I Am

I swore to myself that I absolutely would not mention this pitiful weather again.  I mean, only old people constantly talk about the weather, right?  But that is the only topic of conversation at Chez V right now.  The mr. knows how affected I am by the winter blues, so he has taken to consulting his weather app hourly in an effort to convince me that the sun will indeed come out some day soon and that temps will actually rise above 40 degrees.  Yesterday greeted me with even more snow.  And I discovered that the rabbits and deer have made a veritable feast of my emerging tulips.  Not surprising, given the Ice Age is upon us.  I went off the rails.  So much so that he kindly suggested I get the hell out of Dodge.  A quick trip is not in the cards so I went for the next best mood enhancer – color, in the form of flowers.  These orange tulips seemed a fitting replacement for my decimated bulbs.  Immediately my mood was improved after placing bursts of color around the house.  The photo bombs didn't hurt either.

Hey, hey, remember me, jazz hands? Check me out over here

Pensive, you say, I can do pensive

I can never quite steer completely away from my blue, but the orange is a nice change from my standard white

In complete irreverent defiance, rather than my occasional yoga, today I am making some insanely good cherry bars.  No matter about my hips, cuz Spring ain't coming.

All photos and layouts by mrs. V

kisses,  mrs. V

My Blue and White needs some Coral and Mint

I am off in search of inspiration today.  While this classic blue and white is my go to combo, I am in need of some serious color right now.  With all the white on the ground, my blues need a lift.  Gonna get some Easter vibe up in this joint.  Back at ya tomorrow after I take care of my flower sitch and perhaps some baking.  Might as well add insult to injury.

Ahem, STILL Groundhog’s Day around here.

All photos and layouts by mrs. V

kisses,  mrs. V

mrs. V's Luxe List - Flowers

Luxe List - Item #1

TGIF my friends!!  Visions of margaritas and carne asada are already dancing in my head at the crack o’ this morning.  Also bouncing around my head is the persistent delusion that I am utterly famous and visionary (see yesterday’s post), and as such, that I am constantly bombarded by interviewers, klingons, and superfans seeking my sought after opinion on all things great and small.  When I dream, I dream BIG.  Stick with me, this is going somewhere.  The point being, an oft asked question of leading tastemakers is some variation of ‘what luxury do you splurge on?’ or ‘what extravagance could you not live without?’ or ‘if you had extra money, what you buy?’

 

image via

Without hesitation, fresh flowers rank #1 for me.  Not only do I consider fresh flowers a luxury but I find that I cannot function without them.  I have to have fresh flowers in my life at all times – which is why I buy and arrange fresh flowers for my house almost every week.  Flowers inject such life and consideration into a room.  I have found that more is more when it comes to flowers – masses of the same flower make such an impact – but even a small bunch on a bed side table or a single stem can create a moment.  The act of dashing off early to the farmer’s market armed with coffee to see what flowers are on hand for the week is luxurious in and of itself.  A few quiet moments away from the circus that is Chez V is a gift!  But I can also do just fine with grocery store flowers which is what I made due with this week… 

 

 

Even Pieti wanted in on the flower action.  That genetics is some strong stuff.  I almost always fill the large white bowl on the sideboard with fruit  which can make as much of an impact as flowers.  Pieti loves to inform guests that it is ‘NOT for eating!  It is decoration, duh.’  I love that girl o’ mine.

All photos and layouts by mrs. V unless otherwise noted

kisses, mrs. V