Category Archives: Flowers

What soothes your soul?

Posted on by
4

Always a good question to think about… What makes you stop, breath deep, and creates some inner peace for you?

For me it’s (in no particular order) friends, family, flowers, yoga, my dogs, and “creating” – like a new drawing or an art/craft “object,” sunshine, fresh air, and then maybe some more flowers…… or at least those things are some of list toppers!

Since Mable (or if you prefer you can call her Mabel – she likes to mix it up a bit)  is CEO of Emos, and Emos manufacture Smiles, it seemed fitting that she get to hold the giant flower and stand in one of my favorite flowers – a Poppy. You will have to use your imaginations to see all the other “soul soothing pieces”  here with Mabel, but I can assure you they are like water drops and are sitting on top of those flowers too!  Even better…. use your imagination and think about what ever your pieces are and insert them into your mind and reality. If you are really lucky, maybe Mabel can hold some of your too!

Mabel with Flowers

Helping hands….

Posted on by
1

Everyone needs some help at times of the day, the year, or even in a moment.

We all know it’s spring thank goodness it’s time for flowers and herbs and gardening again! Peaceful. Healthy. Beauty. Color. Meditative. Calming. Soothing – those all words I associate with gardens and gardening. Here in my little piece of the world I have a back deck that turns into a little piece of all those words for me each year. It is a deck that I surround with “window boxes” or in this case rail boxes, that I mostly fill with Herbs. I use the herbs for cooking, ice tea (yes I grow many mints,) and just because I love being able to go out there and have all these possible scents surround me. There are naturally flowers too…but enough about what I personally plant.  The real point of this story is helping hands…..so…. I was at my local garden center to buy the soil for the boxes. There was even a special deal price of my favorite soil in a 2 1/4 cubic feet bag.  Great! Now, you need to know that I am pretty strong and about 5 foot 8, so I am not a small weak wisp of grass…. these bags are HEAVY! I struggled to get the first on my cart. Then the helping hand came. A couple came walking by, the man asked if I was getting another bag. I said yes, and he (with some effort too I may add) put the second one on cart. FAB! Then to add to the goodness, they were right behind in line to pay, and he offered to put them in my car for me. A big win for Kindness and for me. Thanks you universe for that helping hand when I needed it.

Helping Hands image

Helping hands…holding hands… the two often mix. That’s a very good thing.

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for fun & what to do? We can help!

Posted on by
Reply

Not one but TWO chances to greet, meet, see, say hi, enjoy, buy cool art things, do good, and smile this weekend!

April 27 – Celebrate Earth day: See over 75 exhibitors including local artisans, green products, alternative energy, community groups, health+fitness, home improvement, food, music and more!    Click here for the full listing! ( You can even do some ‘big time’ recycling at the event! Check it out! ) 11 AM -3 PM Framingham Centre Village Green on the Common, Framingham MA.

April 28 -Art In The Garden is this Sunday! 11am-4pm at Weston Nurseries is Hopkinton. In its 6th year, Art In The Garden will host 50 local artisans exhibiting their handmade wares on the beautiful grounds of Weston Nurseries.
You will find stained glass, pottery, jewelry, etched slates, bath & body products, candles, handbags, tote bags, furniture, clothing, garden art, paintings, note cards, birdhouses, winds chimes, pillows, dog collars and leashes, pet clothing, blown glass infusion jars, beaded belt buckles, scarves, honey, pickles, chocolates, pizza and more! $3 admission will benefit One Fund Boston, Mazie Memorial Foundation and Project Just Because.
April 27&28 shows

Earth Day

Posted on by
Reply

That about says it all from us here at Botanical Beauties & Beasties.
Do Earth a favor, pick up a few extra pieces of litter today.

Earth Day

Spring?

Posted on by
7

I would like to be seeing flowers…instead I am seeing a blizzard!
I guess the only way to hurry it along is to draw it!

flower

Hold Your Space

Posted on by
Reply
Hold Your Space

Hold Your Space – palms up and out!

Another week and another sunday morning yoga class gave Birdelini and I food for thought. This times it’s about holding on to your own space, owning and nourishing  that space however expansive or tiny it may be. It refers not to marking out your territory but to truly  holding your own self/space with no harsh negative judgments, an acceptance of your space and peace with your space. In the winter “our space” sometimes feels tighter and more constricted. It’s not really.  It’s our innate human nature of “winterizing”- we tend to stand less tall, fold into ourselves more, rounded shoulders and slouching.  In the cold we bundle up, look down, and walk fast to our destinations. That’s pretty close to tight-fisted living. (see last weeks post). Holding your own space  goes hand in hand (all puns intended) with open palm living. You need to understand you can’t  micro manage your space, you need to let is be, to fill, expand, and contract as needed. You certainly don’t need to try to control anyones else’s space, for that is really fruitless. Your space is what it is- your space, don’t judge it or others and the sides of your space will be so much smoother.

I poked around on-line a bit and found this at Spiritual Awaking Process. I thought he did a nice job of talking about this issue.

“Holding Space: Some Key Attributes
Let me try to break this down a little bit. Here are a couple key characteristics to holding space, and I’ll give an example to help solidify what I’m talking about. Some components are:

    • Letting go of judgment
    • Opening your heart
    • Allowing another to have whatever experience they’re having
    • Giving your complete undivided attention to the situation/other person

Those are really the key elements of holding space. You’re not trying to influence the situation. You’re not trying to fix it, win at it, or affect any kind of outcome. You are simply being with it fully so that it can work itself out. This doesn’t mean becoming a victim to it. Quite the contrary actually, you’re very powerful in this space, and it certainly doesn’t mean being hurt physically by another. By when you’re deep into a space like this, you are far more immune to any “emotional” hurt than you might realize…” ( read more) 

Groundhog day…

Posted on by
1
Izzy and the Groundhog

Izzy and the Groundhog in the South. This is NOT  New England in February with those flowers! Or… we have a bigger climate change problem than we knew!

Izzy escaped the winter and went south to work on her art for a bit. However, she did her part for those us up North,  found the local Groundhog…and asked…  6 more weeks or not? 

Info from National Geographic- Groundhog…. click here

“The groundhog, or woodchuck, is one of 14 species of marmots. These rodents live a feast-or-famine lifestyle and gorge themselves all summer to build up plentiful reserves of fat. After the first frost, they retreat to their underground burrows and snooze until spring, drawing their sustenance from body fat. (Maybe they have it all figured out? Eat eat eat, hide, dissolve the fat and reappear! ) While hibernating, the animal’s heart rate plunges, and its body temperature is not much warmer than the temperature inside its burrow.

Groundhog hibernation gave rise to the popular American custom of Groundhog Day, held on the second of February every year. Tradition dictates that if a groundhog sees its shadow that day, there will be six more weeks of winter, though such a prediction seems a sure bet over much of the groundhog’s North American range.

In the spring, females welcome a litter of perhaps a half-dozen newborns, which stay with their mother for several months.

Groundhogs are the largest members of the squirrel family. Though they are usually seen on the ground, they can climb trees and are also capable swimmers. These rodents frequent the areas where woodlands meet open spaces, like fields, roads, or streams. Here they eat grasses and plants as well as fruits and tree bark. Groundhogs are the bane of many a gardener. They can decimate a plot while voraciously feeding during the summer and fall seasons.” -Info from National Geographic- Groundhog…. click here

 

The Wisdom of an open palm, in Yoga and life.

Posted on by
2

Sunday mornings I often have a small argument with myself, there are three parts to this “conversations.” The first part is: I am most likely lying in bed, snug and comfortable, and since it’s winter the outside is cold and my bed is warm. Leaving it seems silly.  The second part is from my body:  It is often just plain old tired and going back to sleep is pretty much always tempting. The third part is my mind: You see, the ideal, and the goal is, to get up, get moving, and go to Sunday morning yoga class. The mind says: Go- you will be glad you did…Go-it is always a good idea to go to yoga …Go-you will learn something new, whether it be a corrected pose or a thought. … Go- it’s exercise and stretching, and especially in the winter it’s important to keep the body moving! … Go-you love it when you do. Go-you feel better after class/practice. Go-its self kindness. Im glad to say the mind usually wins these days, and I do get up and go!

This past Sunday my teacher brought  up a topic she has mentioned a few times lately. It’s the wisdom of an open palm. Birdelini and I love this and keep thinking about it.  Read on and we think you will too.

Lets try something. Stop reading for about 30 seconds and make two tight fists. Clamp your hands as hard as you can. Breathe in and out. Hold another bit. Now think about that for a moment. It doesn’t feel very good, your muscles tend to tense up, you may have even scrunched up your face muscles. Did you feel the tension that came with that? Thats a fist that lets nothing in! Now, just put your hands out and open your palms up to the ceiling. …. Breathe in and out. Stay there another bit….Kind of amazing the difference in feelings! One is tight, controlling and stressful to hold. The other is almost relaxing! That’s the beauty of open palm living! An open palm, lets the day take its course it doesn’t need to control everything, for an open palm is open for giving and receiving. “Often we are focused on what we can get for ourselves out of the fear that if we don’t get all we can then someone else will get it and we will be missing out.  We clench our fist and hold on tight.  The Open Palm knows that there is much for everyone…” -http://www.balancedlifeyoga.ca/the-wisdom-of-an-open-palm-finding-balance/.  Open palm living lets it “be” – ebbing and flowing, giving and taking in an open manner.

Birdelini and I continue in our yoga practice….we’re loving the open palm thoughts, and trying to be open to all that comes our way. How about you?

Birdelini Yoga Warrior Pose

open palms here…

camel pose
camel pose-Heart Opening – relieve tension and stress.

 

 

Last Saturday to enjoy us @The Providence Holiday Market

Posted on by
Reply

The Saturday Providence weather forecast 38°/26° a touch of breeze and not much of a chance for rain!

Reyonals Farm Goeat

For those last minuet gifts- come and down and see us! Local Arts, Local Goats from The Reynolds Barn - Yes, that means fresh wonderful goat milk soap and scrub! Delicious local granola from Providence Granola which means  a twist of helping folks out as well as yum… Fraggles and Friggles is Jewelry to bedazzle, Local Beautiful Wreaths from Robin Hollow Farm along with all sorts of Local Fresh Greens made into beautiful holday greenery gifts and home decor…and of course- US – The Botanical Beauties and Beasties.  We still have some of our “Marvelous Easy Peasty Ready to go Mug Gift ” sets: 4 Themes-1) Beauty 2) Words 3) Dog and 4)  Garden. All have amazing beautiful organic products inside them! Here’s a quick run down: ALL  are Dishwasher/Microwave safe 15 oz.  mugs/ have 3 bookmarks/have a gift tag already on them for you/ have a card telling about the Botanical on one side and about community and working together  on the other side and a bell to jingle as you give the gift! In addition to that- 

Beauty: The image is Jolie- out Local Herbalist of beauty remedies/all natural all organic Face Toner, Amazing Bee Balm Sauve, and a beautiful Lip balm.
Words: The image of Vaboom- Keeper of new words, kindness and ecology are her favorites Inside the mug are 3 fancy pencils, 3 BIC pens, a ruler, a fancy bulbous pen,  and the organic is “Clarity” – a spray for head fog! How great is that!!!!
DOG – The image is Wellie- Created to honor  Therapy Dogs .  Inside: A doggie kerchief, Calming drops- place on dog or kerchief, a wonderful salve for doggie paws, and since its winter and closed rooms and dogs..a room odor spray!
Garden: On the mug is featured Ron La Fluer ( Our Master Gardner) Inside:3 packs of long shelf life sees (Burbee)/A dream sick for Gardner planing, an amazing lavender salve and a butter for you lips or cuticle/ and gift from me to the purchaser of a very special piece of Quarts to help energize your garden.

Mug Gift Sets

AND never to be forgotten, The FABULOUS SANTA AND MRS CLAUS!

 

2012 “Kissed by an Angel”

Posted on by
1

On June 22, 2008 nineteen year old Desiree Mesolella’s life was taken by a driver impaired by both drugs and alcohol.  Desiree’s amazing artistic talent had earned her an Art Talent Scholarship at Adelphi University in New York where she had just completed her sophomore year.

In Desiree’s memory, a 501C 3 non-profit art scholarship foundation was established  that annually awards two $5000.00 scholarships to talented RI high school seniors who possess artistic passion and creativity.   Visit    www.desilee.org   for further information.  On Sunday November 4, 2012 the fourth annual fundraising luncheon to benefit Desiree’s art scholarship foundation. The 2012 “Kissed by an Angel” will take place at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet in Cranston, RI.   At the 2011 event, a crowd of 450 women purchased tickets for the privilege of attendance.  Our afternoon’s events will include shopping boutiques, a luncheon, designer raffles, and more.

A select group of upscale vendors was invited to participate in the boutique portion of the event that will be available for guest shopping from 11:00AM to 3:30PM.   We are honored and thrilled to part of  this worthwhile event.