Much to do about Nothing

a touch of pink roses

 French flower market

               tulip buds
              
                    

French antique door in Paris

                                      French flower market

Tulip ruffles

I was going to show you my "paint technique" but after four days of painting (I am slow and not consistent.) I just couldn't bring myself to add another "Grey" post.

Color color a touch of color! The paint blotches of grey on my hands, the smell of paint throughout the house, the chance of rain, grey skies and two sicky guys at home… I need color, I need a break. I want a brocante. Sacha wants pancakes.

I'll post my haphazard painting technique later and hopefully soon the end results. 

Do you know I am going to redo the kitchen next?

Yesterday afternoon I found a mirror at my favorite "hit or miss" shop. Last night I painted it, (the gild was a coppery paint and yuk, it had to go.) Gild no more, paint galore.. of course it is not painted pink.

What is your favorite flower? Flowers are usually colorful I do like white flowers best but no, no, no, today I need color. My second favorite flower: Violet.

Note:

I will be responding to the comments in the comment section. Not to everyone, and not everyday but often. I often respond a day later. Thanks for your comments, I feel I know you by them.



Comments

68 responses to “Much to do about Nothing”

  1. We blog about much the same thoughts today. With the icy white world outside I am craving for indoors spring colours. And while my husband will be out cross country skiing I will be on an exhibition safari with a friend 🙂

  2. Hard to beat roses-in any color.

  3. I am just about to go to bed and I had to check… is it your birthday today? I slightly remember that your birthday is in February (I think) –
    the roses are gorgeous. I am re-doing my kitchen at the moment but am having a dreadful time deciding on what colours.. cannot wait to hear what your ideas are – you may just inspire me! Have a wonderful February 1st !
    _____________________
    Hi Miss R
    You have great ideas! Creative soul that you are. i am certain your kitchen will be lovely.
    My birthday is this month. It has been a long eventful year, one I will never forget.
    C

  4. English roses, with lots of petals…and gardenias.
    ____________
    Oh Hasmin
    Those are my favorites too! Violets well, oh no I cannot decide. I could smell the perfume of those flowers just reading your list!
    C

  5. Tulips ARE my favorite flower and I am going right out today and buy the bunch i passed up yesterday–don’t you just hate it when one becomes so practical?? It’ll be the best $12.oo i’ve spent since Christmas!
    Thank you for this color-full post!!
    ______
    Hi Maria
    Throw out practical when it comes to flowers.
    Keep practical for taxes, invoices, cleaning the garage, throwing away garbage, yearly check-ups at the doctor and dentist….
    Flowers benefit body mind and soul.
    C

  6. leslie garcia

    Dear Corey,
    What lovely flowers! The colors and the beauty of them bring a smile to my face. I hope they are all in honor of your birthday…Happy Birthday to You dear Corey! It is your birthday right? I hope it is as special a day as you are!
    Love,
    Leslie
    ——————–
    Hi Leslie
    No not today, but very soon. It will be funny not to say fifty anymore. Fifty -one has a different ring to it.
    C

  7. My favorite flower would have to be hydrangeas. I especially love the green tones.
    Can’t wait to see your finishes bathroom.
    Nancy

  8. oops- finished bathroom.

  9. Gladiolas, tall and stately.
    When you are done painting your grey bathroom, you should fill it with pink tulips. That would be stunning.
    ————-
    Hi Karin
    If I can find pink tulips I will fill the vase full in honor of you.
    C

  10. What gorgeous flower photos – now wonder Victoria Magazine wants your photographs! Lobbing virtual chicken soup to the two sick men and a rainbow for you 😉
    It would be easier to say I am not fond of orange and lime green than to name all my favorite colors.

  11. Oh thank you so much for those flowers
    How I needed that
    It has been a long long long cold winter
    Come on Spring.
    Rabbit Rabbit
    Love you
    Jeanne

  12. With all our snow and cold….what a pleasant surprise to see gorgeous flowers!!!
    I was expecting grey paint (which I would have adored) but the flowers reminded me spring will come again!!! I thank you for a “breath of spring” Corey!!!! My favorites are lilacs, roses & hydrangeas. Hope everyone soon feels better!!!

  13. Thank you for the reminder that spring is coming! I love the flower photos. Everything is white and grey here and we are snowed in again today.
    My favorite flower is the violet! When I was little, I would spend hours in the yard picking little bunches. My second favorite is lilacs, so fragrant.

  14. My favorite flower is a pink peony. Sarah Berhardt peony is a beautiful pink with large blossoms. Nothing like it in all the world.
    – Suzanne, the Farmer’s Wife

  15. Yay for a splash of color! I’ve been depressed and just bought six bouquets of colorful tulips. Normally I go for white, but this time I got pink and orange and purple and my house is filled with cheerfulness.
    A favorite flower is so hard to choose–I do love the cheerfulness of daisies and tulips but also love Calla lilies and Lilly of the Valley and well, most any flower. Even a bouquet of dandelions are okay in my book!

  16. Your flower photo’s are lovely. I love so many flowers its hard to pick just one.

  17. p.s. i forgot hydrangeas. I love hydrangeas!

  18. oh, and lilacs! Oh how I love lilacs. It’s impossible to choose a favorite flower!

  19. Cheryl in California

    I love roses. All the pink ones are my favorites with all the others being a close second.

  20. I’ve been following your painting stories…but oh my! These colorful flowers were a nice suprise!
    My favorite flowers are the magnolias that grow in our yard. I wish they grew in red, as that has always been my favorite color!

  21. Peonies – you will have seen my Wedding bouquet in the pic I sent you. I also love English roses, tulips & daffs in the spring. Thanks you for the wonderful blast of colour, pitched exactly right. We have heavy snow here today Jx

  22. Thanks for the burst of spring- it is badly needed! I love all types of flowers but my favorites are hydrangeas….then tulips……then irises!
    Your bathroom and manicure are looking good!

  23. Roses are lovely. And I always carry a small bottle of rose-water around with me.
    Oh will you celebrate La Chandeleur tomorrow?? (miam miam!)
    nancyxx
    ——————–
    Hi NancyXX
    Crepe day is what I call La Chandeleur. I usually make crepes for dinner on that night. It is the one day out of the year I don’t have to think about dinner!
    Rose water, what a sensual habit. I like that idea.
    C

  24. love these colorful photos and flowers.
    1.amarilys
    2. Violets
    3. Anturium`
    4. peonies
    I love flowers .
    Right now I’m in lovr wih mimosa.
    P.S : I don’t know the name of flowers and english so I tried to translate the best that I could

  25. Tulips, tulips, tulips in the Spring!
    Lilacs in the late Spring.
    Peonies in early Summer.
    Floxgloves in late Summer.
    Roses cause my love LOVES them!
    I guess I haven’t met a flower I didn’t like!

  26. Sheala Feeney

    I LOVE flowers!!! They are one of my great pleasures in life. My all time fav is pink roses. I also really like peonies, dahlias (cause they are so different)cala lilies and daffobils beacuse they remind me of my first born Amee!
    I love all your flower photos… keep em coming.

  27. My favorite flowers are forget-me-nots. My grandmother grew them in profusion and I’m also reminded of her when I see them, in real life or print.

  28. A mix of white flowers is classic and elegant. The most beautiful flowers I’ve ever seen are Sterling Silver Roses. Roses are my favorite flower and violet colored roses are the icing on the cake.
    _______________
    Hello Alina
    I think we should call you rose! Sterling Silver Roses and Violet roses too! Oh Yum! I hope someone is reading!
    C

  29. Hi Corey,
    I had to laugh that white flowers are your favorite. White flowers are my favorite too!
    They look classy and no color stands out as much in the landscape outside. That said, I get a fair amount of grief at home over this preference. 🙂 “Flowers are supposed to have color!” they say.
    Anyway, my favorite flower is the Bearded Iris (preferably white).
    ______________
    Hello Diogenes
    I think we are two peas in a pod. Do you like white sweet peas too?
    C

  30. Ellen Cassilly

    Gardenias, Daphne, Lilac, Tubor rose. All four have fabulous smells – and are lovey.
    _____________________
    Hi Ellen
    What type of garden will you plant around your new home? I remember that master garden class you took me to… you amaze me with your many talents.
    C

  31. Peonies in every stage are the most beautiful…I never constain them so they gracefully drape over my fence like a hundred ballet dancers. They are from a very old garden, blush pink and voluptuous…but fragile so that even a gentle rain weighs them down.
    ..and at 51, I am still younger than those peonies.
    __________________
    Hi Feathers
    Beautiful image. The day feels brighter because of it.
    C

  32. My favorite flower would have to be a lily, but I love violets, too. Annick Goutal’s Violettes is my all-time favorite perfume.

  33. Tulips are my favorite flower Corey. The ones pictured in your post remind me of the many my husband and I saw on a trip to New York City a few years ago. My dear, sweet husband surprised me with a week-long trip to the city for my birthday (which also happens to be in February). One the morning of my birthday, he woke early, while I slept, to run a quick errand. When he arrived back at the brownstone, he woke me with the sweetest kiss and four dozen of the most beautiful tulips I have ever seen!

  34. Sweet Peas! My mom grew them. I have pots of the little ones and three sections of fence devoted to them this year. I can plant/start in the Fall. Your flower photographs are lovely Corey. The rose at the top looks like one of mine, called Eden. Roses and Pansies are my love too.

  35. I was going to say I don’t know if I have a favorite flower, they are all so beautiful. But as I look around my studio this morning I see mostly roses and violets … on various tea cups, vintage plates and vases, and pretty things I collect. Of course I am partial to violets on just about anything … as it is also my name : )
    Beautiful colorful post today, what a burst of color on this greyish morning! Refreshing! – Violet

  36. Corey, lovely photos!
    I *love* magnolia flowers and daisys!
    Hugs*

  37. Hi Corey!
    Happy Birthday to you when it comes! 51 will happen for me this Friday! Thanks for the flower photos…gorgeous! I agree with everyone in their choices, it really is difficult to pick a favourite; but I tend towards the fluffy ones.
    Peonies, parrot tulips, ranunculus, sweet peas, stock, hybiscus, water lily..oh I could go on and on.
    I used to wait for Thor to bring me bundles of fresh flowers, no more! I just treat myself when the mood hits, so much better! Fresh flowers in the house = yummy mood for all!
    Have a great day!

  38. I love all flowers except gladiolas-they remind me of funerals. Last year we had white moonflowers in the garden and they are so white they are almost fluorescent. Any color flower is appreciated here.

  39. These photos are breathtakingly beautiful!!

  40. WHAT BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS! KITCHEN YOU SAY. YIPPEE, I SAY. LOVE THE HEART OF THE HOME. HOPE YOUR PEEPS FEEL WELL SOON. PANCAKES CAN BE GOOD COMFORT FOOD. HUGS FROM MAINE.
    http://sophie4me.blogspot.com/

  41. Corey,
    Love white sweet peas too, but can’t get them to grow in the Arizona heat, though I’ve certainly tried.
    —————-
    Hi Diogenes
    What temp. is it today in Arizona? I bet you are swimming.
    C

  42. Hydrangeas are my dearest flower loves. Big ones the size of a baby’s head (I do relate most things to babies these days). That grey green that takes your breath away. They are lovely punctuatetd with a few crimson roses on occasion, but when the roses wilt and petals fall, the hydrangeas are taking on a new lovely character, entering middle age (or maybe their 50s), and they can stay with you in their mature state for a very long, long time. I never knew I was fond of grey until you. So beautiful!!

  43. Thank you for these flowers today. It is warm here today – over 50 – and it all reminds me that spring will come! These are just beautiful. Hope all your men folk are well soon.
    My favorite flowers are little tiny ones that grow in bunches – I think they are called verbena. They come in a couple of color combinations – orange and red and yellow, and purple and yellow and white, I think. I love them.

  44. Yeah!! I love to see pics of your kitchen. Flowers….ooooo…how to choose a favorite? I always have loved sweet peas (they grew wild on the fence around my childhood home),dandelions and violets,strawberry fields gomphrenia (a new love)goblin flowers,lavender,chives, marjoram flowers, sunflowers,of course, and morning glories….and many more.

  45. and lilies of the valley….

  46. Your pics are gorgeous, the most beautiful flowers! My absolute favorite type of flower is the Daylily..being down in Georgia(southern U.S.) they are easy to come by, easy to grow and multiply like bunnies! All the colors of the rainbow can be had and I just love them all!!!

  47. My favorite flowers are multi-colored roses.
    The pictures you posted of the flowers makes me feel so calm. Ohmmmmmmmmmmm
    ~elaine~

  48. YEAH! SPRING!
    I am a nonconformist as far as loving roses goes… my favorite flowers are CARNATIONS (I LOVE their scent!!!!), and POPPIES, and PEONIES.

  49. As I prepare myself for weeks of grey, your flowers really perked me up!

  50. ps….oh corey…i actually carry the rose-water in a small squirt bottle…and every once and a while i just “shhh” myself…and feel refreshed…rose water…also soothes the skin…and smells wonderful! a lovely little secret/treat for yourself…do try it…and find a lovely bottle to carry with you. i am sure you will find one…in one of those lovely shops you go to or at la brocante ….
    oh and re: La Chandeleur….i have a few french friends here who will be making some crêpes tomorrow…i might go….and enjoy…
    nancyxx
    ___________________
    Hi Nancyxx
    I am so doing that. Finding a cute bottle then buying rosewater.
    Crepes with lemon and sugar, or crepes with chestnut cream or crepes with grand marnier? Nutella doesn’t count.
    C

  51. Flower shots are gorgeous!!! That’s the beauty serene grey – any color against or near really pops:)
    I invite you to hop over to my site for a brief look at my “Grey Day” poem…..if you have a sec. It was posted 1/31.

  52. Bluebells. If I could afford it I’d buy the Bluebell perfume from Penhaligons too.
    ____________________
    Hi Duchess,
    Oh my I haven’t thought of bluebells, aren’t they the sweetest of flowers. I have never heard of this perfume… Where do you find it?
    C

  53. I love purple tulips and daisies. I think daisies are such a friendly flower although I have to confess I got that idea from a Meg Ryan movie. I am a purple lady. I just love it and find it very calming. I am so purple that my friend refer to me as the Purple Queen. I thank you for your pictures…they gave me a much needed smile since I am fighting a bit of cold and feeling rather gray.
    love and blessings my friend
    ______________
    Hi Tammy
    You could come to our house, you would fit right in with FH and Sacha.
    I hope you feel better soon.
    xx

  54. Hi Corey!
    What gorgeous flowers! The pictures lifted my spirits as lately my mood has been as grey as our Northwest skies! I definitely needed this little boost of Spring!
    Marge 🙂

  55. I love all flowers but like to keep it seasonal as each month has its own special beauties, I have a inherited an old fashioned garden planted by a lady who tended it until she was in her 80’s and Ican’t wait to find out what is sleeping below the cold soil..I also work for someone who will only have white flowers in her house….its so limiting when there is so many beauiful colours too brighten the days..love your pictures Corey…

  56. on this winter day, those bright flowers made my day!
    you are doing my 2 favorite rooms of a home…can’t wait to see the kitchen progress

  57. I’ll give you THREE guesses at what my favorite flower is. (You may use my chatname as a HINT!)
    I love Sweetpeas, I’m planning on having hundreds of them on my balcony this summer. Night blooming jasmine would be my second fave, which I DO get to have this summer too, since I have no dogs. I’ll be doing some moonflowers too. I’ll make sure I get some pictures of all of this once it’s started going.
    ___________
    HI SWEETPEA
    I should have guessed your favorite flower would have been sweetpeas!
    C

  58. These photos are just wonderful! I live in Southern California, were compared to Europe we enjoy a very mild winter for the most part. I just finished planting a bunch of bulbs and watch with absolute glee what will await the garden in a couple of months!

  59. Those images are stunning! Just beautiful 🙂 My favorite, it’s so hard to choose, I think I have to say Peonies. Beautiful post!
    “xoxo” (LOL)
    Judith~

  60. Oh, Corey! I clicked to your page expecting the grey color and the bathroom,(which I am loving watching as it all comes together!), and gasped when I saw all the beautiful flowers and bright colors! Thank you for posting such beauty!
    My favorite flowers are TULIPS! I like hydrangeas, too. I agree about putting pink tulips in the grey bathroom! 🙂

  61. HI Corey,
    I love flowers- their smells, their colors and all the different sizes and shapes. I even love things that are not flowers( poinsettia plants as they were my wedding flowers.
    I would say that Sunflowers are my favorite but I have many others that make me smile- I love tulips and Irises in the spring and fields of meadow flowers in summer (irises and roses in summer too) and sunflowers and lilies in the fall… I think of my father and my grandmother when I see flowers- they both are passionate about them or in my gran’s case she was passionate about them.
    I love the flowers in todays post – it brightened my day.. Hope it did the same for yours…
    Regards,
    Anna

  62. My favorite flower with out a doubt, don’t have to ponder it. ZINNIA
    When I was a young girl (probably 5 o6 6) I spent a lot of time at my grandmother’s house….as many kids do. My grandmother’s sofa was against a wall with a huge window. One could hang over the back of the sofa and gaze out the window. In the flower bed just below that window was the most amazing planting of Zinnias. I loved them then and I love them now.
    Don’t have to worry about colors or size with Zinnias…all the bases are covered.
    ——————————
    Hello Paula,
    My mother grows zinnias. The each have their own personality don’t they. Zinnias make me long for home.
    C

  63. Can’t wait to see the bathroom finished! And talking about grey….it’s snowing here!

  64. I loved clicking on and seeing COLOR instead of gray here!!! (not that your bathroom isn’t going to be gorgeous)
    My favorite flower is ranunculus, which I seem to prefer in orange, which isn’t normal. Otherwise I prefer most flowers in rich pinks and am still a sucker for tulips.
    _____________
    Hi Kim
    Oh just a few more photos of the bathroom I promise. And then COLOR GALORE okay?
    C

  65. Hi C,
    I beleive you can get the perfume here……
    http://www.penhaligons.co.uk/shop/fragrance/fragrance-collections/bluebell.html
    Penhaligons has been around for many, many years and makes classical fragrances of flowers etc. I think you might like the site!
    ___________
    Hi Duchess!
    I know what I want for my birthday. What a lovely site. I have never heard of this product. Thanks for the link.
    C

  66. Right now, in the dead of winter, those flowers look so good. Especially the tulips. Really enjoying your bathroom reno Corey. You’re doing the kitchen next? Oh, I look forward to that!
    I don’t have a favourite flower. I love them all. I only buy flowers in the winter, I guess because by January I’m yearning for colour. Our summers are so short here in northern Canada that I fill our yard with as many flowers as I can.
    Whenever I do buy flowers I chose something different every time and different colours depending on how I feel that day.
    Hope the guys are feeling better soon.
    __________________
    Hi Cindy
    For those of you living where it is white with snow I imagine that a burst of color would be a welcoming sight.
    As I live in Provence, though it is far from warm in Jan. it still has a variety of color. I guess that is why in the south of France grey doesn’t seem depressing. Outside my bedroom window light pink roses are still in bloom!
    C

  67. Oh Corey, as a flower-of-every-kind-but-wattles freak, I have to say these photos are just divine. Did you take them? If only I had the money I would buy them from you and have them printed on canvas to hang as a group together… they are so fabulous. This is where I realise the limitations of my point and shoot – 🙁
    Thank you for sharing the photos.
    Courtney
    ________________
    Thank you Courtney. If you would like to print out one of these flower photos and print it for your own personal use please feel free to do so. As long as you keep it and do not use it for profitable gain. I am okay with that. (You could always mark my name on the back as the photographer of the photo.)
    ps I think I took these with a point and shoot.
    C

  68. Peonies!!! Big, bold, bright and beautifully perfumed…

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