Treasure Hunting

Sunday was "treasure hunting" day, so Mr. A and I headed to San Francisco to visit our favorite haunts in hopes of maybe finding a pair of bacs à oranger, or Anduze pots for the front porch.

Yes, it was a long shot, but if anybody would have it, it would be Big Daddy's Antiques!

There were plenty of antlers and lamps....

...and baskets galore.

Even tons of inspiration, like this magnificent fireplace, staged with orchids.

Their courtyard always has a treasure waiting. This is where we might find large French pots.

Not so.

Just succulents and a plethora of cement pots.

I may have to ask Big Daddy himself to keep an eye open for me on his next buying trip.

It's fun to have something you're searching for.

Half the fun is in the hunt! Right?

Les Bacs à Oranger

I'm in love with the pottery from Anduze, France.

Particularly the orange bins, or bacs à oranger.

Essentially, they are iron framed boxes with terracotta panels that hold citrus trees and topiaries. These date back to the 17th century, original to Versailles!

The purpose of these planters is so the trees can easily be removed for the winter.

I love the ones made in La Madeleine with the crest on the fronts, especially in this majolica green color.

Although, this plain sided one would work too.

They are hard to find. And very expensive, so I'll just have to admire them online.

Before Pierre Deux went out of business, they carried bacs à oranger in three sizes and several colors. I waited for them to go on sale, but that never happened!

Wouldn't they be gorgeous flanking the front door?

For sources and more information, visit Authentic Provence, or Poterie de la Madeleine.

Home Sweet Home

"Cartref" is Welsh for Home.

And Home is on my mind today as I wait to board the airplane.

"Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home"

Guest Post: Floral Decoration Trends For 2012

photo credit

The most significant floral decoration trend for 2012 is likely to be a continuing increase in the number of people that regularly feature fresh flowers in their home and decor. Savvy home decorators know the value of including natural elements in interior design. Elements of nature not only have visual appeal, but emotional appeal as well. They evoke the dynamism and beauty of the great outdoors. In 2012, the hottest floral decorative trends will be those that take advantage of the natural look that flowers convey and that use the color of flowers to best effect.

Using Flowers as a Natural Design Element

Flowers can be presented to reflect a variety of aspects of nature, from the calm and serene feeling of an Asian-inspired lily pond, to the dynamic energy of a forest wilderness. A growing decorative trend is to use flowers to enhance the mood and atmosphere of interiors. Understanding the type of environment that best suits an individual life style helps people decide which floral selections are right for them.

One of the most novel trends in floral decoration are designs that feature leaves, branches and another natural elements as well as flowers. Arrangements may have an unstructured feeling, as if they were gathered randomly from an overgrown garden. Designs not only include arrangements for tables but for wreaths, garlands and floor arrangements as well. Arrangements with a look of the wild about them complement a variety of decorative styles, from eclectic and casual, to country and rustic.

Floral decorations that feature the beauty of the whole flower are popular, too. Glass vases showcase the stem of the flower as well as the bloom. Flowers with a thick stalk, such at calla lilies and many types of blooms grown from bulbs, such as tulips and hyacinth, look particularly charming when arranged in clear vases. The arrangement takes on an architectural quality that complements both modern and traditional decorative styles.

Another architectural floral style that is currently trending is the Japanese art of Ikebana. The five-century-old art of Ikebana focuses on the shape and color of each floral element, presenting them in a minimal design that is intended to convey a meditative sense of calm. Achieving harmony is the intent of Ikebana, and floral decorations styled in the Ikebana tradition work best in rooms balanced in form, line and color.

Adding Color with Flowers

The ongoing trend of massing together a single type of flower in a single shade is expanding to include blocks of color within one arrangement. The arrangements are typically used to highlight and unify the color scheme of a room. In arrangements where the focus is on color, the specific details of each flower become less important than the overall effect. Color a strong design element, one that easily arrests the eye, and colorful floral decorations are an easy and affordable way to add dynamic visual interest to a homeís dÈcor.

Massing vases of flowers is another ongoing trend in floral decoration. Presenting a single type of flower in a collection of bud vases or in several larger vases creates ìtablescapesî that get their charm from the way they are grouped as much as from the flowers themselves. Staging groups of floral decoration promises to be a big trend in 2012.

People are creating new trends in they way that they purchase flowers as well. Many routinely send flowers to themselves, to ensure that the floral decorations in their home are fashionably fresh. People are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their approach to floral decorations, and regularly sending flowers by post is acknowledged as a convenient way to keep homes and the decor looking fresh and up-to-date.

About the Author

Patricia Hall works part-time for a florist and flower delivery but loves to surround herself with flowers at any given point of time. Even in her free time she loves to involve herself with everything flora and fauna.

'To me there is nothing more beautiful and global as the language of flowers - it is the easiest to understand all around the world in the same way. That is one reason why I truly admire flowers for what they represent in some ways - unity of all mankind!'

Paisley Love

Does paisley remind you of the 60's and the "Summer of Love?"

It certainly was when the paisley pattern was revived. Remember the Beatles had been to India and there was an interest in Indian spirituality?

Actually, the paisley pattern was used in the manufacture of shawls in the Scottish town of Paisley way back in the 19th century.

But wait. The Scots borrowed the pattern from the cashmere shawls which were made in Kashmir, India and imported in the early 1800's.

Whatever, it's these 19th century shawls that I have been lusting after and collecting for the past two or three years.

It's very hard to find one in perfect shape. Most are ripped, torn and just plain smell bad, as is the case with this one that I picked up for $40!

I don't care. I just folded it a certain way and am letting it live out its days thrown over our leather chair.

This one hangs on the back of the loveseat. It is all handmade.

I love the turquoise color, as well as the intricate fringed border.

I found this one at the Hillsborough Antique Show last week.

It is a perfect square, with a black/brown center. I bought it to use as a table topper.

I found this paisley on One King's Lane. I'll admit it, it was a splurge.

It is 120 inches long and 60 inches wide. I bought it to use as a tablecloth.

It is is mint condition!

Not all paisleys are super expensive. This one is machine made, so it was more reasonable.

Since it's not so delicate, it can actually be used as a throw.

Traditionally, these were used as piano shawls.

Kind of a Victorian thing. My piano shawl is a knock-off from Marshall's!

It's fun to use the reproduction throws as tablecloths.

This one was purchased several years ago on a trip to France.

It has an apple green center! I used it for an Indian inspired tablescape that I did here.

Paisley seems to be very popular right now.

Even Pottery Barn got on the bandwagon with their wool paisley pillows, runners and tablecloths of recent seasons, all influenced by the Victorian and Kashmir shawls of the 19th century.

Designers have been using them forever though, creating that layered, European look that I love so much.

I'll never forget visiting a friend who had been transferred to London over 15 years ago.

She always had amazing taste, so I was excited to see her apartment. The first thing I noticed was a huge red Victorian paisley on her table, skirted to the floor that she had recently purchased at a flea market.

I was in love!

And of course, I'll never forget falling in love with this room. I saw it in a book featuring Bonnie Broten's home in Minnesota. She was using paisleys in her decor way back when too!

What is it about this amoeba like shape that appeals to me, I ask?

What does it mean or represent? Some say it is a symbol of fertility.

The Persians call it a boteh. Also called Persian Pickles and even Welsh Pears, it is a pattern that I'm continually drawn to!

Romantic Table For Two

vignette design

I created this Valentine's Day tablescape two years ago, here.

This Valentine's Day, I'm not with my Valentine....

That's ok, we celebrated the night before!

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day with your loved ones.

Gone Fishing

Mr. A is "gone fishing," yet again! This is the time of year that I am a fishing widow!

He will be back in time to say hello and goodbye, as I'm headed to Oregon for a week to visit my Mom.

So....I'm going to be reposting some old favorites.

This one is called "A River Runs Through It," circa January, 2010.

It is my favorite post, and Mr. A's too.

I hope you enjoy it:

"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.

I am haunted by waters."

-Norman Mclean, "A River Runs Through It"

Photo of Umpqua River, circa 1976 by Gary Arabian

Rivers run through our family: I spent the first half of my childhood on the Siuslaw River in Oregon; the granddaughter of a legendary river guide. My husband is an avid fisherman, as is his twin brother, our sons, and nephew. It's in our blood, rivers and fishing.

It makes sense that we would be drawn to vintage paintings of rivers like the one above. It is a lovely European oil of a pastoral scene with cows in the river.

What is it about rivers that inspires artists, writers, poets and the like to create a work of art?

Thornton Wilder said: "It is only in appearance that time is a river. It is rather a vast landscape and it is the eye of the beholder that moves." The above river is the Trinity, a legendary steelhead stream in Northern California.

This little painting is probably by a "Sunday Artist" as there is no signature, but I love the muted colors and the bend in the river.

A beautiful fly fishing stretch on the McCloud River in Northern California.

"What makes a river so restful to people is that it doesn't have any doubt - it is sure to get where it is going, and it doesn't want to go anywhere else." -Hal Boyle

Another European river scene with cows. I love the reflection on the water.

The Mattole River is near Eureka and one of Mr. A's favorite rivers to fish.

He loves it so much, and I was lucky to find this little impressionist painting of the Mattole by California Artist Carl Sammons.

The Trinity River again. Notice the fisherman in the distance and the steelhead on a fly in the foreground. Pure poetry. What artist wouldn't want to paint this scene!

This was our very first painting! It is of the Eel River, and we found it at our favorite antique store in Healdsburg years ago. Circa 1923 by local amateur artist.

Mr. A's beloved handmade wooden river boat. It has been down virtually every major trout and steelhead stream in California and Oregon. It is in it's own way a "work of art."

This little naive painting is another example of an inspired hobbyist painter. I love the deer crossing the stream.

The McCloud River looking quite majestic. This is serious fly water.

I had my friend Diana paint this from a photograph. It's of Mr. A's friend Frank fishing the Yuba River.

Twin brothers, circa 1999 on some river, somewhere.....

This is a print of a lovely bucolic stream with cows. I picked it up at a second hand store!

A chip off the old block!

A European oil we recently added to the collection. I love the castle!

And yet another scenic river photograph.......

........And so "Life imitates art far more than art imitates life." --Oscar Wilde

Are you "haunted by waters" also?