Flowers | Nicole Jane Home

April 14, 2010

yowsa yellow…

Filed under: Design Innovations,Flowers,Travel — Tags: Hotel on the Park, Nibs My Point of View, Room for Romance, Soul Mama, Southern Accents, yellow — jennifer @ 1:21 pm

Have you noticed that when it’s sunny, I blog about happy colors? Just so happens it’s sunny here today, and I’m profiling “yellow”…the happiest color on the planet. And yes, I know I’ve talked about it before, but let’s do it again!

If you want to know a great color scheme to decorate with, this is it! Love it. Ranunculus rule (hey…I’m copyrighting that and having t-shirts printed up)!

photo by Burcu Avsar via Santa Barbara Chic

This is from an exquisite hotel in the UK. I want to sit in that lobby ’cause that would mean I’m in London!!!! Was it wishful thinking that I thought the lamps were champagne bottles?

photo of Hotel on the Park via Room for Romance

Love the ghost chairs with buttery yellow chairpads! I find the juxtaposition of antique hardwood and ultra-modern acrylic a scintillating combination (big words, eh?).

photo courtesy Southern Accents

Such a pretty dress, such a pretty girl, but ding dangit she needs to smile because she’s in a yellow dress and she’s cute as a button!

photo courtesy Nibs My Point of View

These are the happiest shoes on the planet.

photo courtesy Soul Mama's photostream via Flikr

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April 6, 2010

blushing pink…

Filed under: Flowers,Kitchen Design,Things of Beauty — Tags: April Cornell, Barbie, La Rochere, Lily & Co, Pop Tart, Twitter — jennifer @ 12:37 pm

Ahhh…pink…what’s not to love. Last week somebody on Twitter told me that not all people love pink–incredible! I know, I know…I’ve gushed about pink before, but this time, I need your advice (more on that later). The clematis vines covering a trellis and our garage roof are just about to burst. In about two weeks, it will be a sea of blush pink blossoms, and I’ll be able to happily stare out the kitchen window and take in the beautiful site while doing the dishes (ugh). Until then, I’ll just have to entertain myself with these gorgeous images!!!

SIDE BAR: I get the Bad Mother award for just sneaking in to my daughter’s Easter egg stash and swiping a bunny! Don’t judge me…writing takes energy! I swore I’d only eat the ear, but I’m halfway down the face now! I must be stopped.

If you want to buy flowers in Jackson Hole Wyoming, I think you should call Lily & Co. If these bouquets are any indication of their designs, I’m sold!! I wonder if they deliver to l’il ol’ Surrey, B.C.?

photo courtesy Lily & Co.

Wouldn’t your morning be so much more exciting if you were greeted by this in the kitchen? Even better if it had a sparkly iced Pop Tart in it!!! Amazon sells them for $172.

SIDE BAR: Feeling sick from all the chocolate. Shouldn’t have typed in “Pop Tart“…oh boy!

photo by Amazon

This sweetheart mixing bowl would look just perfect on my counter filled with cookie dough.

SIDE BAR: What is wrong with me? I can’t stop writing about sweet stuff. Could it be karma? (shudder)

photo via Torrie Jayne

This is where you come in with heaps of help.

Just spoke to one of my sales reps and I’m thinking about bringing in these french glasses by La Rochere. What do you think? Bet they’d look stunning with some of our Apri Cornell linens…or even a brown paper bag! Love ‘em, but need your advice…should I carry them? Do you love ‘em or would you leave ‘em? Which size do you prefer? I don’t know what they retail for but I don’t think they’re terribly cher.

This is me at my house getting ready for my wedding 21 years ago. Take that Barbie!

SIDE NOTE: Do you think somebody can go to heck if they steal their children’s Easter bunny and lie about what they look like?

photo via Wedding Inspirasi

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March 9, 2010

pussy willow chic…

Filed under: Art,Design,Easter,Flowers,Things of Beauty — Tags: Bethtastic, Cocoknits, Etsy, Felted Wool, Jessica Doyle, Kthurm, pillows, Pussy Willow Scarf, Pussy Willows, SRG Art & Interiors, Ukrainian Easter eggs, Woolyfabulous — jennifer @ 11:34 am

This lovely felted wool pussy willow branch bouquet was featured on Happiness Is. The pussywillow buds were replaced by felted wool beads made from old sweaters (available through Woolyfabulous on Etsy).

photo via Happiness Is

I can see a bowl full of these little felt wool gems sitting on my front hall table. I think they’re exquisite.

photo via Happiness Is

What a gorgeous scarf…and it doesn’t look difficult to make! It’s the Pussy Willow Scarf featured on Cocoknits. The instructions are available on the site as well, and it looks like the trick is to knit with two skeins of different wool at the same time. The site also features some gorgeous sweaters for sale.

photo courtesy Cocoknits

Aren’t these the sweetest little pussy willow cards? They’re actually miniature greeting cards designed by artist, Jessica Doyle.

courtesy of Jessica Doyle's Art & Musings

This darling necklace is available on Bethtastic’s Etsy page. I want, I want, I want!!!

photo courtesy Bethastic on Etsy

Some people are just so creative. This is a collection of felted wool pussy willow pillows by Kthurm on Etsy.

photo courtesy Kthurm on Etsy

This is a stunning example of the intricate artwork on Ukrainian easter eggs that I talked about in an earlier post. Fabulous. It’s by So Jeo.

photo courtesy So Jeo

The pussy willow giclee print by SRG is such a showstopper. I have got to get my paints out again. I’m suffering from a chronic case of procrastinationitis!

photo courtesy SRG Art & Interiors

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February 24, 2010

Easter fever…

Filed under: Cooking,Design,Easter,Flowers,Products — Tags: April Cornell, Asparagus with Hollandaise, Barefoot Contessa, Easter, Ina Garten, Martha Stewart, The Artisan Woman, Ukrainian Easter eggs — jennifer @ 2:37 pm

Now that Valentine’s Day is behind us, it’s time to prepare for the next chocolate extravaganza–Easter! Get out your bonnets, think about decorating those eggs (especially the stunning Ukranian ones), and start planning your big dinner party now. Let’s get going girls…

courtesy Penny Richard's Flickr photostream

I came across an excellent Ukrainian easter egg decoration demo on The Artisan Woman. A very dear family friend taught me how to do these eggs when I was a teenager, and I absolutely loved it. Once you have the right materials (e.g., bees wax, wax pen, etc.), it’s really quite straightforward, but it takes a lot of time, so get going.

courtesy of photographer Andy Cripe of Cheap Shots

These are such darling table centerpieces from Martha Stewart Living.

courtesy Martha Stewart Living

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February 21, 2010

Olympic field trip…

Filed under: Entertainment,Flowers,Travel — Tags: Cardero's Restaurant, Celsia Flowers, Holt Renfrew, Ivivva, Jo Malone, Lululemon, Olympic Flame, Olympics, Vancouver Convention Centre — jennifer @ 6:27 pm

Shhhh…don’t tell anyone…but we played hooky on Friday and took our children to feel the Olympic vibe in Vancouver! We jumped in the Volvo and rocketed downtown for some super-size fun. At first we thought about parking at the River Rock Casino in Richmond (a suburb) and taking the Skytrain in to town, but when I caught a glimpse of the massive line-up, I pulled a teensy, weensy hissy fit and demanded…er…asked to be driven right to up to the Olympic flame.

The kids and I sat pinned in our seats wild-eyed as Mark, who is normally a mild-mannered businessy-type guy (although I’m starting to wonder about how super-duper “calm” he is at the office), turned into some kind of road warrrior (watch out darling little old ladies and bike couriers) and managed to park two blocks from the flame–he’s my Olympic hero!

We started out by feasting on fabulous oysters and beer at one of our favourite restaurants, Cardero’s, which sits right out over the water in Coal Harbour.

Then we strolled along the boardwalk to the Vancouver Convention Centre, which has the largest “living” roof in Canada, covered in grass. It’s also where the Olympic flame is staying until the end of the Games. I have to say that seeing the flame(s) was exhilirating, but it’s flanked by fencing to keep the throngs of onlookers from burning themselves. Bummer, ’cause I had to tell the kids to put away their marshmallows!

The streets were packed with people enjoying the Olympic spirit. It reminded me of walking through Times Square–awesome. However, the line ups were insane. People were lining up for an hour just to get an “unobstructed” view of the flame, from the roof of the Convention Centre (although, judging from my photo, maybe it’s time well spent). They were lining up for 5 hours just to ride the Olympic zipline over Robson Square for a few seconds. Wow! The line ups for all the pavilions were hours-long. Ugh.

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February 2, 2010

fieldtrip bliss…

Filed under: Art,Design,Entertainment,Flowers,Things of Beauty — Tags: Art, Michael Lin, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver Olympics, Vanoc — jennifer @ 9:37 pm

Today Kim (Remember her? My back-stabbing-Haiti-relief-pink-toy-car-auction-out-bidding assistant?) and I jumped into the Volvo and raced into Vancouver for an injection of fun! We started off by looking for signs of the Olympics coming to town. The award for most inspired display goes to the Vancouver Art Gallery, which is wrapped, from head to toe, in the most beautiful floral mural (handpainted by artist, Michael Lin on metal).

Michael Lin mural (handpainted on metal) photograph by Trevor Mills and Rachel Topham

Michael Lin's VAG installation Photo by Rachel Topham

The highlight of the morning was our visit to The Cross–a magical mecca of pretty decor in Yaletown. Wow! You might wonder why I am promoting a competitor, but I really believe in “the more the merrier”. If one business does well, we all do. So here are a few of the things that caught my eye.

Next, we hit one of my favorite little flower shops near Granville Island, called Fran’s Flowers on 1st Ave. Yes…I indulged and the result is sitting happily in a big vase on the kitchen table.

Then Sandra Bullock called and invited us to meet her in Paris, so we got on a jet and whisked off for the rest of the day…tres magnifique! Er…make that…we popped into the Salade de Fruits cafe on 6th Ave. It’s the next best thing to being at a wonderful little French cafe. Oooh la la. If you go, and I highly recommend you do, make sure to take cash–they don’t accept anything else.

The huge serving of mussels were swimming in a buttery broth with wine, shallots and green onions…yum. The frites with fresh aioli were decadent

What a great day!

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January 25, 2010

spring will come…but until then…

Filed under: Dining Room Design,Flowers — jennifer @ 5:50 pm

Even though January is pretty bland in my neck of the woods, it does give me a chance to focus on cleaning out my closets and getting rid of a lot of accumulated junk. But best of all, this dreary month makes me dream of warmer weather, longer days and eating supper outside!

I think this amazing photograph by Michael Graydon will serve as a sort of Spring talisman for me. Although I’m not brave enough for this palette in my own home, I’m envious of people who have the courage to use it. It’s ethereal and very appealing. If it were my house though, I couldn’t resist adding colourful artwork and splashy table linens! It inspires me to get out the pruning shears and clip some cherry branches for an arrangement.

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January 22, 2010

Friday assignment…

Filed under: Flowers,Friday Assignment — jennifer @ 8:37 am

So here’s your Friday assignment: Do not let this day go by without hunting down some fresh flowers.

Here’s a little inspiration from Design Sponge–it’s a gorgeous blog worthy of a daily visit! If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere with citrus trees and sunshine, add some branches with small lemons or oranges to a simple arrangement and watch the magic happen. As for me…I’ll have to settle for some branches off my sleeping cedar and maples trees–our northern version of beautiful!

By the way, Mark, if you think there’s something strangely familiar about my new vases, don’t bother looking for your favorite old sweater!

photo courtesy of Design Sponge

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