To thank you for all your warm wishes with the house, I thought I'd splurge on Valentine's flowers, especially for you! Now usually, I much prefer shopping the grocery store or corner deli for flowers; carnations, as you know, are my favorites. Grouped together, they're beautiful and affordable. But sometimes, for the best selection of seasonal fresh flowers, a florist is the only way to go. (Last week, just after we arrived, I popped into Kamilla's, the local flower shop here in Millerton, where I was given a beautiful bouquet of tulips, welcoming us to town. Thank you, Kamilla!) And for your arrangement this Valentine's Day, I chose a sweet mix of flowers, all in a palette of pinks, including (clockwise from the top) peonies, anemones, Star of Bethlehem, a small variety of amaryllis, rananuculus, and narcissus.

JasperwareFlowersBefore

Now back in the fall, I did a little project where I etched a Roman bust onto my favorite everyday drinking glasses from CB2. The design, you might remember, had actually been inspired from a black Jasperware Wedgwood dish I'd found at the flea market in New York. Jaithan and I both adore black Jasperware! There's something so classic yet modern about all that white relief on matte black pottery. These are two of my favorite pieces. The first is a small vase with an angel motif I thought would be perfect for a small Valentine's arrangement. It's almost like a modern-day Cupid! The other is the lid to a dish I found on ebay

Jasperware

As beautiful as it is, black Jasperware can be expensive. In fact, I've seen larger pieces at good antique stores selling for hundreds of dollars! That's when a good day at the flea market feels great! Still, though, it's those larger pieces in a collection that really make a statement, especially for flowers. Enter Designer DIY! Paint, especially the spray kind, is such my friend when it comes to sprucing up an old flea market find, and for flowers, antique urns are my favorite! I love their neoclassical shape, but sometimes, the ones I find on the cheap have glazes or finishes that are just plain ugly. I still remember the putrid brown of an urn I found junking in Maine last summer. I loved its shape, but the faux marble glaze made my eyes bleed! I wish I'd taken a before shot, just to show you, but I was too anxious to get rid of it. So with a can of matte black spray paint, presto-chango bye-bye faux! Now the urn looks almost like Basalt, another beautiful black stoneware from Wedgwood that blends in perfectly with all that Jasperware. Just don't tell anyone I painted it, okay?

BlackUrn

And now for the flowers! Who says you have to spend a lot of money to create a pretty Valentine's arrangement? The smaller one cost just 15 bucks. I say set yourself a budget, keep the vessel small, and buy only a few good stems. That way you can save money and still have fresh flowers in your home. Speaking of, how great would this little arrangement look on your beside table or in your powder room on the vanity counter?

JasperwareFlowers

Of course, the larger one I splurged on, but you're worth it, I promise! This arrangement would be beautiful on your foyer or dining room table. It's sweet, thickly fragrant, and in that Jasperware-like urn, chic and expensive-looking. Enjoy your flowers, everyone, and Happy Valentine's Day from us to you!