Swooning for Spring

I have to say I'm in love...with flowers...last spring as everything was blooming I felt like I was waking up and opening my eyes after a very long snooze, looking around in amazement at all the beautiful things around me.

And the flower market is bursting with flowers for Valentine's Day this week.

So many amazing colors and textures, I'm dying!

Wouldn't you love to receive these from your sweetie for Valentine's (or just any) day?

Ranunculus are gorgeous, but very delicate, just about paper thin.

Such soft, blushing colors, sigh....

And some that are more bold.

 Piles and piles everywhere at G. Page!

A friend asked me today about purple flowers, and I got to show him the pic I just took of some purple roses.

Sweet peas are oh so fragrant.

And so many kinds of tulips, look at these frilly edges.

Lilac is out already in white and purple, but not yet with the full, amazing scent they'll have later in the season.

I think this is flowering kale?

And I learned today that this is helleborus.

So here's today's haul: peach Juliet roses from David Austin, green and pink parrot tulips, white hydrangea, calla lilies and ranunculus.

I'm hoping for spring to come soon, but in the meantime, check out G. Page's Facebook page to see a new flower every day!

NYC in Bloom

"When proud-pied April, dress’d in all his trim hath put a spirit of youth in every thing" 
-- from Sonnet 98 by William Shakespeare, 1609

Spring Ahead Arrangement

Crazy daylight savings time...it was cool coming home before dark, but now I don't want to go to sleep yet!  Had a great work day today and picked up some hyacinths for spring (just a few more days until this Saturday, the 20th, the 1st day!, which will also be Macaron Day NYC as I mentioned here). 

These blooms are quite pale and not fully open yet, so I put them by this pink pillow to make them pop a bit.  The stalks were even paler, like white asparagus, a little too blanched, so I wrapped the vase with fresh green leaves from the inside.  I'm looking forward to longer days and the promise of spring breezes soon...

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb

Sitting in the office today at 5:34 p.m. we excitedly realized that the sun had not yet gone down.  The days are finally getting longer and brighter!  I think I've mentioned that I'm ready for spring.  I've decided that a) I'm going to do a flower arrangement each week, so this week's is made from freesia: the citrusy, almost peppery fragrance is my friend at work right now.  The florist told me to keep the stems long and I'm glad he did; they worked in this long beaker vase.

And b) I'm going to tackle my sewing machine this month for sure.  I've pre-ordered Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts from Amazon and it comes out at the end of the month so I want to be ready. 

I'm looking forward to March!

Damn Groundhog...

Really, Punxsutawney Phil, you had to see your shadow and run away for weeks and weeks?  I was loving this amigurumi groundhog from Planet June, so cute and innocent, and then you doomed us to 6 more weeks of winter?  You may be the most famous ever, but the other groundhogs don't even agree with you!

It's raining in NYC today and supposed to change to sleet, ice, snow... and then a NOR'EASTER by Thursday??  Well, I'm thinking about spring anyway and these flowers were crafted out of sugar by the amazing Sylvia Weinstock.  Here are some closeups (don't mind the traces of icing from the cake they adorned).  I'm SO into these...

My Valentine's Eve arrangement reminded me to surround myself with flowers until spring comes (ok, well, *always* would be nice too), so this is my desk at work right now: a white phalaenopsis orchid and orange ranunculus:

I wasn't familiar with the ranunculus until I saw this beautiful arrangement on A Little Sussy and now I'm definitely obsessed with them.  On my way home last night I got some tulips because I agree with Suburban Zen about buying some for yourself instead of waiting for someone else to send you some.

I also walked by Carlo's Bakeshop, the bakery from the show Cake Boss on TLC.  I wrote about the long lines that are now outside on the weekends, making it impossible to get in there for a cannoli, but the cakes sure are pretty.

P.S. the animal-directed sarcasm at the top of this post is done waaay better by the author of FU Penguin: Telling Cute Animals What's What.  I'd go into further detail, but my Mom is reading this, so expletives will be left out for now.

Here's hoping that spring gets here soon, it will definitely improve my mood, but for now, flowers will have to do.