pretty in pastels

Maybe it's because springtime is here, but I've been drawn to pastels lately. These softer hues fit the season of new growth and new blooms perfectly. 

a grove with springtime blooms...lovely!

I love this dress from Anthropologie -
perfectly suited for warmer days

aren't these beautiful?

cool powder blue -
reminds me of all things Jane Austen!

delicate maidenhair fern - spring green & one of my favorites

~unless noted, photo credits unknown~

blue hues

I snapped this photo when I was in Miami. I love the many blue hues - from the sky to the ocean - how many shades of blue do you see?

classic color combination: blue & white

Blue and white are such the classic combination for all things textile, ceramic, and tile. I love this color duo, and here are a few selections I came across which I particularly enjoy.

from Elle Decor

Delft tile

Ottoman, ornate, beautiful - at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul

Japanese Shibori

flowerful friday {shades of blue}

Blue flowers aren't that common, and they always add a nice element of surprise to a garden. In my garden, we can see purplish-blue pansies, baby blue morning glory, and sky blue borage.

these love the cooler temperatures

delicate blooms that last just 1 day

pretty little flowers and they're edible

Happy Friday!

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.

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!

morning glory - leaves and vines

Ever since I was a kid when my mom grew morning glory outside our living room window, they've always been one of my summertime favorites. I remember laying on the sofa gazing sleepily at the mass of green leaves and pale blue flowers. 

This year I started some morning glory from seed, and they are beginning to take off. Even before their flowers bloom - with the combination of their heart shaped leaves with their determined yet delicate vines - they offer so much visual interest to a garden.

inspired

After spending a few days in Miami, right on the beach, I think it's impossible not to be a little inspired by the pastel hues and Art Deco of the architecture. I was going through my photos - shots of the beach & ocean and photos of lots of buildings - and one thing jumped out to me that I didn't realize when I was in Miami Beach: the use of pastel blues that perfectly echo the colors of the ocean. How brilliant! The ocean clearly was the inspiration for so many of Miami's building colors. 

the view from our balcony - so many shades of blue!

a pastel blue

all colors of the ocean

 a turquoise blue

I'll post more shots of some of Miami's really great Art Deco architecture soon. 

nothing but blue skies

My drive back home to Madison late this afternoon was blissfully beautiful, which made the drive so very pleasant. The sky was a gorgeous blue, with puffy clouds from horizon to horizon dancing across the blue canvas. As the sun began to set the sky changed so much, so quickly. By the time the sun had set, I had to capture just one more photo because even as the sun was gone, the sky was still blue.  

early in my drive

a few hours later

nearing home

The entire time I was driving, I had the old tune, "Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin in my head. I only knew a few of the lyrics, so I looked them up when I got home. They are simple and so lovely. Here they are:

I was blue, just as blue as I could be
Ev'ry day was a cloudy day for me
Then good luck came a-knocking at my door
Skies were gray but they're not gray anymore

Blue skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see

Bluebirds
Singing a song
Nothing but bluebirds
All day long

Never saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things going so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you're in love, my how they fly

Blue days
All of them gone
Nothing but blue skies
From now on

ps. In case you were wondering, I always pull over and stop my car when I take photos from the road. :-)

color therapy - blue

My photographs of blue images are mostly of water and the sky. Perhaps it's blue's affiliation with these two endless bodies of being, that make blue considered such a calming color. Here are a few shots I took of mostly blue images. I hope they bring you a feeling of serenity as they do for me.

a close up of one of Monet's
huge waterlily depictions,
Paris

calming shades of blue seen in the
water, mountains, clouds -
a gradient of muted blueness

a close-up of Chagall's
"The American Window"
at the Art Institute of Chicago,
royal blues at their best

warm, light turquoise water -
calling me in for a swim...