Fields of Lavender

I recently drove up to the beautiful lavender fields in Ojai, California...

It was an extra special day because I met up with lovely Jermaine of  French-Kissed...



A path of dark purple lavender greeted us when we arrived to this beautiful

countryside...

The fields were radiant...

There were so many sizes and shades of the beautiful flower.  Webster defines

lavender as a fragrant European mint, with spikes of pale purplish flowers...

The sun was hot but a beautiful breeze was blowing.  Everything seemed so

peaceful and perfect...

The fields were full of bees but they were very friendly.  Hmm, I wonder if the lavender

calms them...

So many varieties.  These are just a few...

The scenery and weather were perfect for spending lots of relaxing time in the fields

picking fresh bouquets of lavender and taking pictures.  It really was a very special

place to spend time with a friend.  It is always so wonderful to have some time with

Jermaine from French-Kissed.  She is delightful and her posts are always so creative

and so very beautiful.

After bringing my bouquets home I decided to use the lavender in a few different

ways. 

I had a house guest coming for an overnight stay so I filled a french wire basket

with fresh towels and added a small bouquet of lavender, some lavender soap and

lavender candles...

I also added some roses from my garden and some rose petals...

And because I was in a lavender mood and had quite a bit of it, I decided to add some

of the culinary lavender to some rose and lavender macarons and assorted cupcakes...

And...I froze some of the culinary lavender in ice cubes to add to lemonade...

Today I also made a lemon loaf cake infused with lavender but it was gone before I

could take a picture.

I also want to take a minute to thank those of you who knew about my cousin's passing

and sent lovely emails to me.  Your words meant the world to me and I thank you so much.

If you ever have a chance to walk in a lavender field be sure to do so.  It is a lovely

experience. 

La Pouyette has a stunning post on old lavender and linen here. Enjoy!

Have a wonderful week.

I am joining Rose Vignettes for her Fresh Cut Friday party here.

Happy Fourth Of July!

WISHING YOU....

A VERY HAPPY...

4TH OF JULY!

I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday!

Santa Monica Antique Offerings...

I recently stopped in at the Santa Monica Antique Mart.  They had such a wide variety

of offerings.  There was definitely something for everyone. 

I think we are all aware of my love of silver...

And alabaster...

As I said, so many things to see...

I love this piece...

So much to look at...

It's always fun to return to an antique place because there is always something new to

find and enjoy.

What have you been  up to lately?

I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Please Meet Metal Sculptor Dick Lanne

I recently introduced you to artist Jennifer Lanne in a post here. In that post I mentioned
her talented husband artist Dick Lanne and promised I would soon be showing you some
of his wonderful and unique work. Dick Lanne is a metal sculptor...

Dick is a blacksmith and each metal sculpture is molded, melded and contorted out of old
stock, iron, strapping, pitchforks and farm found tools. Here are a few more of his unique
and handsome pieces...

Dick Lanne forges each iron piece using vintage tools...

High heat and anvils in a proper primitive manner without the use of electricity...
(here you can almost feel the heat)...

His blacksmith shop is located in an old barn attached to the pig-pen and house which is
inhabited by a pair of 700 pound English Saddleback hogs!

Dick Lanne is mainly a self-taught blacksmith with some knowledge passed down from
an old family friend, as well as numerous books and personal study.

In the near future I am also hoping to show you more of their wonderful farm.  You can
visit Jennifer's delightful blog here to see more of both Dick's and Jennifer's work.

It is always such a pleasure to meet new and creative people. This time it's been fun
showing art work that is very masculine and primitive and yet very current.

I want to thank my friend Stephanie Lloyd for introducing me to the wonderful work of
Jennifer and Dick Lanne. Stephanie is back to blogging again (thank goodness because
she is so talented) and you can find her lovely blog here.  Just click on her "My Blog" tab.

Have a wonderful week.

(All photos courtesy of Jennifer Lanne)

I Just Couldn't Help Myself!

The Peony is such a beautiful flower.  It also seems like such a graceful and romantic
flower.

The peonies in my garden  have several buds but only a few have opened so today
while I was at the farmers market and saw bunches of peonies for sale...well, I just
couldn't help myself!

For some reason the colors this year seem more vibrant than usual.  Even the buds on
my plants in the garden seem more vivid.  Growing up on the east coast we had peony
plants in our yard for as long as I can remember and they were always light pink or
dark pink or white.  This year the pinks(even the light pinks)are much more vibrant and
I have even seen a couple of orange and dark maroon peonies!  I will be sticking with
the pinks and whites this year but who knows about next year.

When I first cut or buy peonies I put them in my sap bucket with ice cold water and let
them rest outside for a little while.

When the flowers have rested I bring them inside...

Hmm, these romantic beauties are perfect with old silver...especially not polished...

Have a lovely week!