Tulips

Sadi Gulistan said, “If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft, & from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left, sell one, & with the dole buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.”

pink tulips 1

I will freely admit that the beauty of a hyacinth combined with its heady scent is wonderful.  Yet after years of quietly repeating that quote to myself, I must say I’ve found that many different flowers feed my soul.

tulips 2

This week it was tulips.  They were a $5 splurge at the grocery store.

pink tulips 3

I love the way tulips are both bold and delicate at the same time.  Strong but fragile.  Graceful yet dramatic.

pink tulips 4

They’re so tall and straight and pretty when they’re all closed up, but then they begin to open…

pink tulips 5

and the drama and beauty merely increase.

pink tulips 6

People are like that.  Most of the time what’s on the inside is even better than what’s outside.

I like the way these two ended up leaning on each other.

pink tulips 7

This week my tulips reminded me to have an open heart, to accept each day for what it offered, to find beauty in what I have.  Sometimes we need beauty as much as food to remain truly alive.  Flowers really are food for my soul.

pink tulips 8

Which flowers feed your soul?  Please share!

Have a beautiful weekend!
Hopeful Homemaker Posted at The Inspired Room

Ranunculus, my favorite flower

Do you have a favorite flower?

ranunculus 1

I have several of them, actually (like these hydrangeas ).  But there is one that I love more than all the others.

ranunculus 2

Ranunculus.  My all-time favorite.  The flower that makes my heart skip a beat.

ranunculus 3

Earlier this week I ran into a florist shop looking for white flowers, and there, to my amazement, was a bucket of 6 white ranunculus, just arrived.  I was so excited!  The girl working in the shop had no clue what they were.  I purchased the prettiest ones and happily brought them home.

ranunculus 4

They’ve been making me happy all week, so I thought I’d share.

ranunculus 5

I love all the gorgeous fabric flowers floating around the fashion world, but when I see these, I just don’t think anything else comes close to the real thing.

ranunculus 6

I stand in awe of the beauty in our world, and feel grateful to have a little drop of it in my home.

ranunculus 7

No wonder so much has been written over the centuries about flowers…

ranunculus 8

They bring happiness on a winter’s day.

ranunculus 9

They bring happiness on any day!

ranunculus 10

What’s your favorite flower?  Do tell!
After you tell, hop over to The Inspired Room for more inspiration.
Have a great day!

Hopeful Homemaker

Vintage Blue Jars

Last week’s junk sale find…

vintage blue jars

has found a new home.  I washed the vintage blue canning jars and decided to give them some time to glisten in the family room.

vintage jars and vases

I always find that during the winter I favor the look of empty containers.  The shape itself becomes art to me, and I don’t feel the need to fill it with anything.  The potential of the vessel suggests such abundance.  Yes, empty containers in the winter speak to me.  They remind me to have an open heart, to be ready to receive the abundance that is just around the corner.

vintage blue atlas jar

I added some empty vases in shades of blue and white.  I’m sure that this vignette is temporary; I’ll want a simpler look eventually.  But that’s the beauty of decorating by simply moving things around.  You can always reinvent and there’s no obligation to keep things any certain way.  It took all of three minutes.

For now, however, I love the way the jars catch the light.   They seem to brighten the room on a dreary winter’s day, and for that, I am thankful!

vintage jars vignette

And I wonder:  will I ever get tired of blue and white?  It always makes me happy.  What colors make you happy?

1 16 17 18 19 20 23