Now that it’s been arranged that we will be showing our new glass tile jewelry and Flowers books a the NW Flower & Garden Show in February, I am all excited to review some of the images I’ve taken over the past few years. You sure can see some great flowers at that show! And today, on New Year’s Day, here’s a gift bouquet for you. May your year be filled with exotic blooms and comforting old standards.

Stunning bouquet of orchids, roses, ranunculus, camelias and others at NW Flower & Garden Show

Participating in Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, and Ruby Tuesday 2. Please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see the rest of the images here. Thanks for visiting and Happy New Year to you and those you love.

As this year comes to a close, this photo of two kayakers on Bowman Bay, right off of Deception Pass in western Washington State, really “floats my boat.” It symbolizes the feeling I have of moving out into life, alone but with a companion, on water which is dangerous but gives so much pleasure. The blue sky and water, the calm day, the companionable silence, and the feeling of freedom, make this a picture of my wishes for you in 2013. May you have these blessings and more.

In the ancient system of I Ching, water is the symbol in two of the eight basic parts of the hexagram. One is the symbol for Danger, and one is the symbol for Lake, or Pleasure. I love that.

Two kayaks on scenic Bowman Bay, WA

Participating this week at Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, Water World Wednesday, Nature’s Footsteps Waters, Ruby Tuesday 2, and Mellow Yellow Monday. Thanks for visiting, and come back soon! If there’s only the one photo here, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above for the rest of the pretty pictures. Thanks!

Here’s a view at Seattle’s Woodland Park Rose Garden, from a June solstice a few years ago. It’s been raining here, or completely overcast, since the second week in October and I, for one, want to look at sunshine and flowers. Hope you do, too.

Joining up this week in Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, and Ruby Tuesday 2. To see all the latest images, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above. Thanks for stopping by, and hope to see you again soon!

I love this kind of bromeliad flower. My mom used to live in South Florida (today she would have been 96 years old!) and she grew them in her yard. This pretty specimen was grown by the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle, and it was blooming in May. Since this is one of the flowers in my book about the flowers there, I know the name is Silver Vase Bromeliad, Aechmea fasciata.

Visit Macro Monday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, Wordless Wednesday and Pink Saturday. You might try an odd search like “spiky” or a tag like Volunteer Park Conservatory on the right to see some new photos here. Thank you for stopping by.

I feel like we need to see a burst of color. This rainbow orchid cactus or Epiphyllum was blooming its heart out at the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle last May. In the background on the left is a red anthurium, and see the pretty coleus leaves edged with yellow scallops. What a color blast!

You might pay a visit to Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Wordless Wednesday, Mellow Yellow Monday, and Ruby Tuesday 2. Enjoy!

No, this rose is not still blooming now, but I miss my roses so much. Here is a pretty one that was in the garden in September, a red Snowfire rose, with the outside of each petal in white. The little pocket Canon camera I use (Powershot S95) tends to saturate the colors quite a bit, but it’s still very close to real life. And don’t forget to download the Seven Secrets to Better Photos at right for some simple, no-fuss techniques.

Participating in Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, Outdoor Wednesday, Macro Monday, My Romantic Home, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Pink Saturday, and Ruby Tuesday 2. Please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above if you’d like to see all the recent pretty pictures. Thanks for stopping by, and come back soon!

It’s a long way to May, but I’m missing the pretty weather already. This photo is similar to one I posted before, but thought you wouldn’t mind another look into a Sonoma County, California vineyard, with both orange California poppies and the more European-looking red ones, in among the grapevines. This was taken by Lila Greenfield in May, and thank you, Lila!

Linking up with Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, Outdoor Wednesday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2 and Ruby Tuesday 2. Please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see all the recent posts. Thanks for stopping by, and come back soon!

Only a few short weeks ago, it began to rain, and in Seattle, that’s the last we might see of real sunshine until next summer. It doesn’t rain too much in inches, but it sure stays wet. Here is a Peace rose that got drenched, before I cut it to bring inside.

You might enjoy a visit to Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Macro Monday, Weekend Flowers, My Romantic Home, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Water World Wednesday and Nature’s Footsteps Waters. If you see only one photo below, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see all the recent posts. Thank you so much for visiting!

I don’t know why I haven’t posted much about it, but I’ve been a busy bee with my new business, Love That Image glass tile jewelry. It’s made from the actual pages of my book, Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory. How it came about is that last year when I was at a craft fair with my daughter Lila, selling the Flowers book as a holiday gift, she saw all the crowds at neighboring booths selling jewelry and said, “Mom, why don’t we make jewelry from your book? I saw on Pinterest how to do that.” I was amazed at the whole idea and had no clue what she might be talking about.

Next thing I knew, we were in the jewelry business. Pinterest changed my life!

It’s a year later and we’ve learned a lot, experimented, and come up with so many pretty designs that the only problem is choosing. For now, we are selling to stores and in craft fairs only. We just had a spectacular success at the Kent WA Holiday Craft Market and we certainly will do that again next year. Check out the new Jewelry page on the navigation bar above to see other locations where the jewelry is available. Do let us know if there’s a store near you that you think would be a good fit to carry them.

The next time you can see all the pieces in person will be at the Normandy Park, WA Cove Holiday Bazaar on Dec. 1. If you are in the area, we hope you will drop by and say hi. Of course I’ll be signing books there, too!

I’m linking up at My Romantic Home, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Macro Monday, Weekend Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Thursday Challenge (Orange), Wordless Wednesday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Pink Saturday, and Mellow Yellow Monday. I really like this photo, set up by Lila, and I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week. Thanks for stopping by!

It’s too wet right now to go outside and find something blooming that looks nice enough to show you here. Only my fave photos get posted! Thought you’d like to see these pretty blue/purple flowers, a very sturdy grower and great cut flower. This perennial bachelor buttons or Centaurea montana (also called Mountain Bluet) was growing in my garden in May. I think they might be in the thistle family, and related to artichoke plants.

Participating in: My Romantic Home, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Macro Monday, Weekend Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. If you only see one photo below, you might click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above or a tag at right to see many other pretty flowers. Thanks for stopping by!