Monday, September 12, 2011

The Beauty of Blue


The beauty of blooms are always fleeting. Often picked at the height of their essence, and thoroughly enjoyed before they begin to wane. Hydrangeas are no exception. Although drying them seems to preserve their beauty, the fresh-cut variety seems to win me over every single time.


I admit whenever I'm feeling a bit "blue," flowers never fail to put a smile onto my face {and yes, even if it's just a temporary fix}. A friend of mine has the MOST LOVELY hydrangeas in her garden, and was kind enough to let me have a few of her cuttings. This thoughtful little gift couldn't have come at a better time, considering how I was feeling lately.



I own a variety of vintage french pitchers, but this particular one here was purchased last June from Maria's online shop, Dreamy Whites. It was a bit of an indulgence for me, but I really adored the shade of blue on this vintage enamelware, so I could not resist. I think I justified the purchase by telling myself that it was a "housewarming gift" to myself after we moved into our home a few months ago. ;)


The shade of blue on this pitcher seems lighter or darker in some pictures, because I took these photos throughout different times during the day. When you have a little one to tend to {as most of you can relate}, it's almost impossible to get a post done in just one sitting...especially the "picture taking" portion of it. In general, I think photos look best when a good amount of natural light is filtering through the windows. But that doesn't always happen, as you can see from this post. ;)


Anyway, when I received these blue & green hydrangeas, I knew exactly where I wanted to put them. I think the contrasting shades of the blooms & pitcher pair well together. And did I mention how much I love the chipped handle on this piece?




Currently my dining table is out of commission...in other words, it's still in our garage while my hubby and I square away some of the last finishing touches to our dining room baseboards & trim. Plus it's become a haven for power tools & extra pieces of wood. So aside from our over-sized mantle {another area that needs to be redone}, the only other place that I could place my pitcher on, was onto my chippy old, french bistro chair. It has the perfect patina, and I just adore it so!





And if I haven't already bored you enough, here are a few more pictures of these blue {and green} beauties!







So that just about concludes the floral aspect of the "beauty of blue." But next I'd also like to share a few photos of a set of anthropologie bowls that I received 6 years ago as one of our wedding gifts. I'm not even sure if they still sell these style of bowls, but they are quite lovely.


I own a fair share of anthro cafe au lait bowls, including the plain white ones & the plain colored ones. But the golden trim & white base on these bowls gives it a unique air of elegance. I also have these in pink & purple too.



I put some grapes in here just for fun, plus that's all I had on hand. ;)


Grapes always remind me of late summer and early fall, depending on the variety. I grew up in Central California in the heart of all things agriculture, so table grapes played a HUGE part in my upbringing. More on that subject on another post. ;)


Well I hope you enjoyed my little tribute to the "Beauty of Blue." Until next time, I hope everyone has a marvelous week!

XO's,
Jessie


Sharing with:
Making the World Cuter Monday @Making the World Cuter
Life Made Lovely Monday @Life Made Lovely
Blue Monday @Smiling Sally
Turquoise Lovin Party @Sweet Little Gals
Wow Us Wednesday @Saavy Southern Style
Time Travel Thursday @The Brambleberry Cottage
French Inspiration Thursday @The French Cupboard
Home Sweet Home @The Charm of Home
Vintage Inspiration Friday @Common Ground

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh Jessie,
Your photos take my breath away!! You have 3 of my favorite things photographed, hydrangeas, vintage enamelware and bistro chairs. I have a chair just like yours. I got my for $25.00 and its vintage and in amazing condition. I know, it was a steal!
They had two of them and I could kick myself for not getting the other one.
Hope you have a beautiful Sunday.
Sincerely,
Melinda

Shanon at Vintage Sparkle Chic said...

Beautiful photos! I just love hydrangeas and they just don't seem to do well or grow at all here in Colorado. I love your bistro chair, it's perfect! How fun to have a purchase from Maria's shop! I do look but I always think "maybe next week I will get this or that".
Thank you for your sweet comments on my blog, and happy birthday to you!
~Shanon

little macaroon. said...

Linking through from Life Made Lovely - what a simple and beautiful thing your jug and flowers are. x

Anonymous said...

Such beauty in the simplest things. You have captured their freshness and serene elegance just perfectly. Hope you are feeling better x

Red Rose Alley said...

I've always liked the color blue, and that pitcher is lovely.
~Sheri at Red Rose Alley

SmilingSally said...

Thanks for sharing your beautiful blues.

Happy Blue Monday, Jessie.

joyh82 said...

What pretty photos of the pitcher and flowers. Love those bowls, they look really vintage. Have a great week!

Town and Country Gals said...

Jessie,
Your photos are so lovly! The blue in the hydrangeas and the blue of the pitcher is gorgeous! These are some of my favorite things! The bowls are fab also, love the colors and the trim. Hope you are doing better!
Rebecca

jessica said...

Beautiful!!! I love all of it! I wouldn't mind those bowls either...Love!!!
Have a wonderful week!

Sara said...

SO pretty!! Would LOVE it if you would share this project at my turquoise lovin' party going on right now!! http://www.sweetlittlegals.com/2011/09/turquoise-lovin-4.html

The Old Dairy said...

I love the hydrangeas, the blue jug just make them pop..here in Australia our enamel ware is a little differant to yours more robust in shape and usally in white or this horrible baby poo yellow. Your enamel ware is much nicer.
Mandy

Tricia said...

Oh, those hydrangeas are beautiful. I wish I had some in that variety. Your flowers look perfect with that pretty pitcher and chippy chair :)

Christen said...

Hydrangeas are my FAVORITE. My mom has huge hydrangeas in her yard and cuts them all summer long and it makes her house so beautiful.

A Cozy Cottage in the City said...

Thank you everyone for the lovely comments - I truly appreciate it! ;)

Chrissy...The Apothecary Shop said...

Hello from Canada!! Love your blog and your photos!!! Will be back often! All the best,Chrissy

the poor sophisticate said...

Thanks so much for sharing these fabulous ideas with us! I just love your blog!! Have a fabulous day!

Pastila said...

So pretty flowers! Thank you for sharing!

Alaina said...

Your hydrangeas are beautiful and I just love the blue pitcher. I wish that I had enough shade to grow beautiful ones like that.

The Charm of Home said...

Love your enamelware pitcher. gorgeous with the flowers!
Thank you for linking with Home Sweet Home!
Sherry

The Tablescaper said...

So pretty. Oh, how I love blue and you've shared it beautifully.

- The Tablescaper

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