Flowers, books and architecture ...a few of my favorite things

Blossoms at the Beebe ...

Held the weekend of March 28th, 2009
to benefit the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library
and the Wakefield Chamber of Commerce
Wakefield, Massachusetts

If you have been following my blog for awhile, it is no surprise that I have a thing for botanicals. Naturally inspiring, flowers add that finishing touch that make a room come alive. Just check out the glossy pages of any great design magazine and you’ll see floral arrangements used to complement most of the interior shots (and exteriors, too). And the best part? Their exquisite beauty is accessible to all. Here is just a handful of the arrangements that were on display. Each composition honors a literary work of art.



Black Beauty written by Anna Sewell

Arrangement by Cynthia Reardon
Donated by The Wakefield Garden Club




The Lace Reader by Brunomia Barry

Arranged and Donated by The Read ... Eat ... Talk Bookclub:
Becky Rohr, Marianne Snow, Mary Taggart, Cathy Gyurina, Donna Loews, Catherine McDonald, Marty Vatalaro and Kathy Foley

Meet the author, Brunomia Barry, who inspired this collaboration at the Wenham Museum on May 9th, 2009 at 1 pm. She will be reading and signing books, plus there will be an exhibition on lace making. And be sure to come back to the museum on the weekend of May 16th – 17th between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm for the North Shore Design Show: TableScapes.

**I will be one of the featured designers!**


Here is an arrangement that I collaborated
on for the show at the Beebe...



Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
and David Oliver Relin

Donated by Gathering Change, Inc.
Arranged by Dorothy Goodwin and Yvonne Blacker


Photo courtesy of Dorothy Goodwin


As board members of Gathering Change, Inc., a non-profit organization that collects spare change from local communities to support our neighbors with their basic needs, we could relate to this humanitarian best seller. Greg Mortenson’s mission to promote peace by building schools and providing education has led to improved conditions for so many, and is a testament that even small changes can make a big difference in the world. Likewise, Gathering Change has donated over $10,000 to date of collected funds to help stock local food pantries in our communities. And to think it all started less than one year ago with “a bowl of spare change.”


Photo courtesy of Dorothy Goodwin


This unique arrangement also
pays tribute to change ...




The Inauguration: Based on Michelle Obama’s
Inaugural Gown designed by Jason Wu

Arrangement by Karen Keough


Love it! What a great way to personify the confidence and style of our newest First Lady. And quite fitting, too, in the ballroom-like setting of the Beebe library ...

While I was taking these photos, I was captivated by the beautiful backdrop of this 1922 architectural gem in the heart of Wakefield. With a little research on the Beebe website, I discovered that this Classical Revival structure was designed by the acclaimed Gothic architect Ralph Adams Cram. Other projects of his include several buildings at Princeton University, including the chapel, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, and more than one hundred churches and chapels across the country.




More recently, the Boston architectural firm of Childs Bertman Tseckares was hired to redesign a 1969 addition to the library and to restore the original 1922 structure. Cheryl Webb Scott, a local interior designer, is credited with designing much of the interiors selection of furniture, fabrics, carpets, and color schemes. I was enamored with the ornamental swags that are a recurring motif throughout ...



“Mrs. Jack: A Biography of
Isabella Stewart Gardner”
by Louise Hall Tharpe

Donated by The Beebe Library and
The Wakefield Chamber of Commerce
Arranged by Beth Hylan


If you live in Boston and haven’t visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum yet, now is a great time to go. Their annual Hanging Nasturiums courtyard installation, which features 20-foot long bright orange nasturtium vines cascading from balconies above is now on exhibit through mid-April. You will also discover paintings, sculpture, tapestries, furniture, and decorative arts from cultures spanning thirty centuries. Definitely worth a field trip!


More from the Beebe ... and floral designer Beth Hylan

(She is such a talented artist – she has helped me many times to add the finishing touch to my own design projects. She also creates custom jewelry Petals to Keep out of pressed flowers.)

The Sibley Guide to Birds by David Allen Sibley

Donated and arranged by Beth Hylan

Love this one for the eggs, love the next one for so many reasons (I am a big fan of chartreuse and have always been smitten with Bells of Ireland)

Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy
Donated by The Gaffney Family
Arrangement by Beth Hylan




A dramatic display of blossoms float
effortlessly in tall cylinders.

The Invitation by Oriah

Donated by Tania, A Unique Salon + Spa
Arrangement by Beth Hylan


I had never read the poem that weaves throughout this book, but it is now on my list of favorites! An excerpt ...

“It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.

I want to know what you ache for,

and if you dare to dream of meeting your hearts longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.

I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,

for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.”

And finally for the kids ... and the young at heart.



The Tale of Beatrix Potter:
A Biography by Margaret Lane

Donated and arranged by Parker Florist


And another Potter ...


Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Donated by The Beebe Library and
The Wakefield Chamber of Commerce
Arrangement by Beth Hylan

Check out these stunning Black Velvet roses
that Beth Hylan used to interpret this haunting story
of young love, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

(I admit it ... I read the book and watched the movie, too!)

Bee-motif furnishings enchant the youth room
along with guests reminiscent of another time ...



thx 4 stopiN by...
xoxo
flwr grl