flowerful friday

My husband gave me the most beautiful ivory roses for our anniversary earlier in the week. They've opened up with a gorgeous petal after petal after petal effect and their fragrance is sublime! I wish you could take a deep breath and inhale their lovely scent.

seemingly never ending petals! 

Happy Friday!
ps. How is it the last day of August already?!

travel: yoga from the road

Yoga is my go-to mode of exercise when I'm traveling. It's invigorating in the morning and relaxing at night. I bring along my travel yoga mat and some tunes on my iPad, and voila, I have my own little yoga zone. Here are a few of my favorite yoga asanas, all of these images were found on Pinterest.

 

Stretch and breathe!

minneapolis: cityscape

I'm traveling for work and arrived in my hotel room this evening to find sunshine bouncing in from reflections off of the neighboring buildings here in downtown Minneapolis. This city has some beautiful architecture, and when contrasted against a deep blue sky and punctuated with bright bursts of sunshine, it makes for a stunning cityscape.

3 years ago today!

Today is my husband and my 3 year wedding anniversary. What a happy day that was! Family, friends, and lots and lots of love.

I'm incredibly fortunate to call such a wonderful man my husband. 

my bouquet - wasn't it gorgeous?

music for a monday morning: arcade fire's "rebellion"

Arcade Fire is one of those bands that I think I'll be listening to for years to come. They're thinkers, artists, and man do they know how to put on a great live show! I hope they come back to the area sometime soon!  

Here's their video for "Rebellion". Enjoy!

ps. this video makes me ok with fall being just around the corner  :-)

classic color combination: blue and white

Blue and white is such a classic color combination. It's completely timeless. Personally, I love when things we consider very classic get jazzed up with bold patterns. Here are a few shots of blue and white textiles - images that I think are beautiful and are great examples of "more is more". No minimalism here. :-)

Nankeen cloth - stencil and paste resist

beautifully mixed patterns for
a layered look

gorgeous!

words to live by: gandhi

This needs no introduction or explanation:

flowerful friday: remembering tuscany

Today's post combines a few of my favorite things: flowers, travel, and photography. I adore flowers for their beauty - colorful and oftentimes fragrant. I love travel because it opens my eyes and mind to new places and ideas. And, I am so very fond of photography for its ability to capture what the mind's eye can sometimes forget. Here are a few shots from a trip to Tuscany a few months back. 

wildflowers in Tuscany

a close up

me, taking all of the beauty in...ahh!

Happy Friday!

dancing in black and white

Since I've gotten some good feedback about the crisp black and white photos from the last two days, I thought we'd continue with the black and white theme for another day. Today's black and white's all showcase the beauty and grace of dance. Some of these photos must have a little age on them, but they still look remarkably timeless. 

looks like fun!

rather sweet and magical!

I adore this one

photo credits unknown

black, white & beautiful

I found these three photos on Pinterest - an endless source of inspiration - and love the way each captures the stunning lines of curves. The bend of petals, the flow of cloth, and the movement of a wave are all beautifully caught in a moment of time. 

photo credits unknown

nino in black and white

Black and white photography almost always seems to capture a moment in such a timeless manner. Here are a few of our dear Nino - our little gingersnap - in black and white. 

mon bebe

looking regal

snuggle bunny

Isn't he a handsome little fellow?  ;-)

music for a monday morning: the head and the heart's "down in the valley"

Here's another from the band I'm enjoying the most this summer, The Head and the Heart. This one is called "Down in the Valley." Enjoy!

words to live by: rumi

The great Sufi mystic, Rumi's poetry and writings seem to transcend time. This is one of my favorite Rumi quotes. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Image credit: unknown.

inspired: japanese proverb

For any and all of us who want to stay motivated, here's a Japanese proverb that sums it all up. 

flowerful friday

We spent part of last Sunday at Olbrich Gardens, here in Madison. It's one of my favorite places in town, and is a phenomenal botanical gardens. Here are just a few photos I snapped while at Olbrich's Thai Pavilion display.

close-up - isn't this flower stunning?

myriad of colors 

Olbrich's Thai Pavilion -
a little piece of Thailand right here in Madison!

Happy Friday!

color therapy: yellow

Yellow, to me, is one of the happiest of colors. I like yellows with a good amount of saturation to them, nothing too pastel that screams of Eastertime. Here are a few photos I shot recently where a good dose of yellow brings about a lot of brightness. 

yellow & green

at the UW Union,
 along Lake Mendota

at Olbrich Gardens,
looking at the Thai Pavilion

bright yellow

(image credit for "Look on the Bright Side", unknown)

happy 100th julia child!

I opened up Google this morning and saw that today would have been the fabulous Julia Child's 100th birthday. As someone who grew up watching her cooking show and who owns several of her cookbooks, I think Julia Child is wonderful. I loved her witty back and forth with another master chef, Jacques Pepin. I adore Julia's attitude, her determination. I found this lovely graphic from the Etsy shop, Unraveled Design. Isn't the message something worth taking to heart? Happy birthday Julia!

If you'd like to see more from Unraveled Design, check out this shop at: 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/unraveleddesign?ref=shop_sugg

You'll find all sorts of beautifully designed graphics with wonderful quotes. 

classic color combinations: green and pink

I really think that green should be considered a neutral color since nearly every color "goes" with it. Think of all of the flower, tree, and outdoor color combinations that are anchored by various shades of green. Here are a few pics I took while at Olbrich Botanical Gardens on Sunday. These deep greens highlight more saturated shades of pink. 

music for a monday morning: ballake sissoko & vincent segal's "chamber music"

This Monday morning, I'm in the mood for some tranquil tunes. Ballake Sissoko is my go-to for peaceful music. The world famous kora player from Mali unites with French cellist, Vincent Segal to make a lovely fusion of sounds and cultures. Enjoy!

summer afternoon at olbrich gardens

Olbrich Gardens is without a doubt a gorgeous setting for a summer afternoon, or really any time of day for that matter. My parents came to town today and we made a trip over to Olbrich, with our cameras in tow. Here's one I snapped of the herb garden. With eucalyptus in the air, the scent was lovely.

summer afternoon

I'm back home after being away for work, and it's been one of those days when I need a good dose of r & r. This Henry James quote is how I feel about today.

sunrise in the desert #2

Another beautiful sunrise here in Las Vegas...

sunrise in the desert #1

I'm spending this week in Las Vegas for work. With open vistas and an ombré sky, sunrises here in the desert are beautiful.