Flower Arrangement of the Month: June

I raided Sarah's garden to make a flower arrangement for June. 

But the peonies begged me to make a second.

And the spray roses and lavender called for a third. Oh how I miss these sort of English Garden plants! They all have such a lovely fragrance that I find mostly absent in the tropical flowers of my adopted Hawaiian home.

Do you have a garden? What's blooming in your neighborhood?

Arrangement of the Month: April

Fresh flowers are one of life's great luxuries, but with a little practice, they don't have to be a great expense. During our time in Hawaii, I've missed fresh flowers because I'm just not as confident arranging tropicals. I've decided to make an arrangement every month to share here and force a little practice. (That also means I'll have to do some flower arranging this summer while I'm in Portland and New York. Darn!)

Here is my handiwork for April! I picked up some pincushion protea, greenery, pink ginger and anthurium (that pretty heart shaped flower) at the farmer's market and added some flowers snipped around our condo.  I filled a spare pot with oasis, which makes for easy arranging, and covered the bare patches with a bit of moss. I was quite pleased with the result.

Do you keep fresh flowers in the house? What are your favorites?

Valentine's Day Gifts She Isn't Expecting!

Rare is the dude who reads this blog. But this post is dedicated to dudes anyway. Valentine's Day is the most cliched holiday of all. Satin Heart Shaped Box of Chocolates, Flowers, Fondue Restaurant reservations and you're done. And your lady will be delighted. But why not go the extra mile and really surprise her with something frivolous and unexpected? After all, that's what Romance is all about; the passion that comes from veering off the beaten path. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Sparkly, neutral and ladylike all at once, these heels would be a killer addition to any wardrobe. Don't these remind you of Britney at the VMA's all those years ago?

I've heard that this is the best blush money can buy. (It better be at $30 a pop!) Are they charging extra for that cheeky name?


Lingerie gifts are tricky. They can easily end up feeling cheap and tawdry. These silk tap shorts from HoneyCoolerHandmade strike just the right note- luxurious, pretty and sexy too.

Love the way these Valentine's Day flowers avoid cliche by mixing hard and soft, modern and romantic. They are anything but the usual tired dozen red roses.

This Gil Elvgren Book is full of old fashioned paintings of pin up girls that have gone from racy to amusing in the last 50 years. I'd love to add it to my collection of beautifully printed Taschen coffee table books.

What is the most romantic surprise you've ever gotten? (In the unlikely case that you are a dude, what's the most romantic surprise you've ever executed?)