{two lovely things: secret gardens & on the terrace}

. . . late-spring rain and blustery breezes, and lately there are fallen petals everywhere -- between the cobblestones, and winter-worn fountains, on boxwood hedges and in secret gardens -- and the scent of freshly picked roses in etched glass vases and beautiful bouquets of lilies of the valley are enough to make one wish for every morning on the terrace . . .

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{p.s.} recent two lovely things:
* green & white
* open shelves & elegant black
* bar carts & blossoms
* books & bouquets
* a paris apartment & hermès


{images: one, two}

{hello & early morning musings}

. . . while it may be infinitely easier to slow things down {just a little} on weekends, during a busy work week, there is the wonderful opportunity to find a perfect balance, and while there is always time for cups of coffee and spring bouquets, after reading this earlier in the week, have come to the realization that, now more than ever, there might be more time set aside for breakfast and the morning paper, for afternoon tea away from the office and more late lunches on terraces, and time spent in the sun, especially with summer soon on its way . . .


{images: getty images; *peanut (lauren) on flickr}

{hope you had a beautiful weekend + links}

. . . hello! was a {most luxurious} weekend for slowing things down, for strong coffee in gold-dipped french presses and the financial times on saturday morning, for late-night films sitting close and buttery croissants on sunday morning, for walks in the rain and waffle cones with scoops of mango and pralines & cream, and for time to breathe in every last beautiful moment, as if it would never end . . .

hope you had an astonishingly lovely weekend & that it's beautiful where you are, roséline xo

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a f e w l o v e l y l i n k s
* inspiration: la danse {via ill seen, ill said}
* letterhead: stephen king & paul newman
* at home: sleek & serene
* recipe: s'more cakelettes {via the sweetest occasion}
* at the shops: little vintage things
* like a fairytale: château de moissac
* spring things: floral clutch
* at home with: iris apfel
* inspiration: dip-dyed {via snippet & ink}
* spring shopping: this pink twill blazer & these shoes
* book: soft & dreamy by mark borthwick
* on the side: sequins & gold shoes
* inspiration: infinity

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{as always, a few things you may have missed}
* monday, monday & daydreams
* style inspiration: perfect platforms
* two lovely things: gilded chalkboards & garden sheds
* style inspiration: pretty florals
* favourite five: food editor & author, donna hay
* peonies & hello


{image: dirty blonde}

{beautiful bouquets & late-spring musings}

. . . yesterday was one of those perfect spring days with all the windows and doors thrown extravagantly open, and one could step out in open-toed sandals and a trench, the sleeves thrown up in casual elegance à la nine de la fressange, the air filled with the scent of daffodils and magnolia blossoms and the sun warming shoulders and thoughts . . .


{image: photography by tartelette}

{late spring + a new month}

"The world's favorite season is the spring.
All things seem possible in May."

~ edwin may teale

. . . bright mornings and starlit nights, shades of green and lily of the valley, breakfast on the terrace and afternoons in lacy dresses . . . the month of may is filled with promise and drifts closer each day to summertime . . .

happy may! wishing you a month lost in happiness & beautiful things,
~ roséline xo

{p.s.} more spring greens: here & here

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{images: country home via greige; mocking bird; martha stewart via snippet & ink; valentina zelyaeva and andreea diaconu by david burton for elle russia, may 2011 via oh fashion models}

{spring things: may flowers}

. . . while often most drawn to elegant roses at the flower markets, must confess, can never resist the full, ruffly blooms of peonies, especially the pink ones . . . what is your favourite flower?


{images: sinceriti via t-i-g & marcinéma via t-i-g}

{weekend inspiration: bar carts & blossoms}

. . . for the weekend, a perfect bar cart with cut crystal decanters, gilt frames and fuchsia roses, champagne and cobalt stemware . . . and flowers in your hair . . .


{images: 1 - from atlanta homes & lifestyles, jennifer boles' bar cart, photography by david christensen; 2 - the bottom of the ironing basket}

{hello & thursday musings}

". . . il n'est jamais trop tard pour être ce que tu veux être | it is never too late to be what you want to be . . ."

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. . . somewhere, a diary holds all of these things -- the secrets of happiness, and of love, of dreams and plans and the awaiting adventures of far-off places . . .

{image: photography by alicia bock, quote from here}

{happy st. patrick's day & spring things}

May you have warm words
on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And the road downhill
all the way to your door.

~ irish blessing

. . . a little wish for this stunningly beautiful, warm and sunny day, and whether you're traipsing about in quaint and charming pubs or have plans for a quiet and cozy night, wishing you a happy st. patrick's day, and hope you're having a lovely week so far xo

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{images: 1 - country living via french by design; 2 - saipua for sunday suppers; 3 - scan by this is glamorous, ad campaign: claudia schiffer for jones new york from vogue; 4 - photography by katie quinn davies; 5 - lopp; 6 - mixr; 7 - a glamorous little side project; 8 - bloom magazine via pinterest; 9 - lappen; 10 - zara; 11 - house & garden may 2006 via habitually chic; 12 - a glamorous little side project}

{always elegant: classic camellias}

. . . have always thought that cake and champagne are perfect anytime, especially for unexpected occasions -- the near arrival of spring, saint patrick's day, or a sunny thursday in mid-march -- and especially if the champagne is vintage and the cake is tiers of pink fondant trimmed with royal icing, beautifully topped, of course, with wonderfully vibrant and beathtakingly lovely camellias . . .

{image: wedding cake with gum-paste camellias via martha stewart weddings}

{favourite five: denise porcaro}

"I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."

~Claude Monet

. . . to enter the world of denise porcaro is to be swept away into an enchanting realm you only thought possible in the secret garden . . .

denise, the founder and owner of the alluring flower girl in nyc, has taken floral design to new heights with her exquisite eye for beauty and ethereal arrangements -- a delicate bundle she creates with dainty garden roses, ravishing wild flowers, or lavish peonies wrapped with the prettiest of ribbons will whisk you away into the romance of a bygone era

with a client list that includes stella mccartney, chanel and the illustrious plaza hotel of manhattan {and a blooming career that has graced the pages of vogue, instyle and elle} we will definitely be paying close attention to denise's:

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{five favourite pieces of advice for running a business}

1. dedication is key: know that if you're going to go for something, it should envelope your whole life; you're married to your business in a way, and you should know that going into it

2. have a business plan: you don't need a big business plan -- it can even be written on the back of a bar napkin -- you just need to write down your goals and visualize them happening

3. do what you love: if you're doing what you love, it is that much easier; it cuts all the work in half when it is your passion

4. read your client: cater to your client's unique taste; listen to them, their budget, their likes and dislikes -- that's what we do at flower girl -- we don't give our clients “package a” or “package b”, but really sit with them and figure out exactly what they want and do our best to give them exactly that

5. don’t sweat the small stuff: this is much easier said than done; when you're a perfectionist and you're doing this sort of work, it's hard not to sweat the small stuff, but you have to keep perspective and remember the big picture

~ laily



{images: vogue, february 2010, dress by jason wu, boots by dolce & gabbana; inset, vogue, may 2008}

{how to: lovely ombré napkins}

. . . while it may still be a little too soon for mid-afternoon picnics, have always loved to plan ahead {just a little}, and what could be lovelier on an early spring day than the prettiest pastel-coloured napkins alongside pink champagne and crème brûlée?

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{you will need:}

* white fabric napkins (it’s nice to have a few extra for testing)
* several glass cups / jars (tall enough to dip the napkins in, one for each color)
* wooden paint stirrers or pencils
* paint brushes
* scrap paper strips (if you have scrap white fabric, even better)
* clothespins
* rubber gloves
* paper towels
* rit fabric dye {you will need very little dye, so boxes are preferable to the bottle size; choose whatever colours look pretty to you and a range of similar colors if you wish to mix shades}

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{steps:}

1. fold napkin into the shape you want it to be in when it’s finished; clip the top with two clothespins (so you can pick it up later without getting any stray dye on it) then put it aside

2. line kitchen counter with paper towels or other protective gear; fabric dye will stain things like wood and hands, so be certain to wear gloves

3. fill a jar with hot water (roughly to the height you want it on the napkin), then add a pinch of fabric dye; the dye is potent, so use just a few crumbs; stir until the dye is well mixed, then dip a piece of scrap paper to test how dark the dye is; keep mixing dyes until you get a shade you like, testing with paper as you go

4. dip the napkin quickly several times, first with the lightest shade, then mixing the dye darker and dipping again, a little lower on the napkin each time; rest the napkin on paper towels in the sink in between dye sessions; as an alternative, you can also dip a paintbrush into the dye and paint the napkin for a bolder look; the dye is really quite forgiving, so have fun experimenting

5. when all the napkins are finished, air dry flat on the counter

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{p.s.} previous how-to's:
* a classic english hand-tied bouquet
* a driftwood table lamp
* a side chignon
* a guide to champagne

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{also new today:}
* runway inspiration: valentino, paris
* table for two: meringue-encased lemon cakes


{all images via once wed; instructions via emily at once wed}

{pink azaleas on a wednesday afternoon}

. . . a brisk walk first thing this morning and four cups of coffee later, and there's a perfect tangle of beautiful things floating around in thoughts today, after playing with notions of wildly adventurous plans that could change everything, and there is an unmistakable feeling of being on the brink of something spectacular . . . but for now, it's back to work, and perhaps, finding a way to channel all the excitement into inspiration . . .

happy wednesday! hope you're having a wonderful week so far xo

{images: photography by carolyne roehm, scan by this is glamorous from a passion for interiors by carolyn roehm}

{a beautiful new week & the winner is . . .}

. . . hello again! . . . after a luxuriously relaxing weekend, it's a beautiful new week, and you may have remembered, a million years ago, shortly before the holidays, there was a lovely give-away for a glittering and impossibly elegant crystal necklace, and in the flurry of fairy lights and falling snow, hadn't a chance to find out who the winner is until now . . . and so, utterly delighted to announce that the winner is . . . rachel in rome, italy . . .

*** congratulations, rachel! ***

a warm thank you to everyone who entered & hope your week is off to a perfect start, xo

{images: flower magazine via mary ruffle; photography by patrick cline for lonny; domino magazine}

{how to: a pretty peony bouquet}

. . . with floral patterns and magnolia wreaths in thoughts this week, and last evening's trip to the flower markets for six luxurious bouquets of roses, could not resist this lovely tutorial for a pretty peony bouquet wrapped in ribbons for a cloudy winter's day . . .




{you will need:} 5 yards of ribbon, flower clippers, string & peonies (10 stems, 5 in two colors)



{steps:}
1. condition flowers: re-cut stems, and place in a bucket of cold water overnight; keep away from food, fruit & drafts
2. remove most of the leaves, keeping only the ones that are towards the top of the stem, near the flower
3. take a few peonies and place in your hand (ex. left hand if you are right-handed)
4. as you add groups of flowers (about 3 stems each), turn the bouquet to the left
5. you will start to see the stems spiral



6. tie securely with string
7. wrap the ribbons over the string and stems to complete the bouquet




{p.s.} previous how-tos:
* a classic english hand-tied bouquet
* a driftwood table lamp
* a side chignon
* a guide to champagne

{images: photography/instructions by chelsea of frolic! via delightfully engaged}