Hygge at my House

I was at a meeting last night and as an ice breaker, we went around the table and said what we liked about Winter, or were looking forward to about Spring.

I said that after the layers of color, glitter and music of Christmas, I was enjoying the Danish concept of hygge at my house. The calming effect of candles, soft colors, warm drinks and cozy sweaters. I always write about the beauty of every day life. This moment in time (January) I dedicate to renewal with neutral colors and quiet moments. I think it is wonderful. 

I pronounced it wrong last night, BTW. Apparently it sounds more like "hoo-ga."

I have a green plant in cement pot. I am making sausage, potato & kale soup tonight. I love having a fire in the fireplace every evening. I put gray knit place mats from Hobby Lobby on my kitchen table. They are the definition of cozy.

On Instagram @FindDelight, you can see that I tried the mats with great print napkins (cute!) but style-wise, they have been delayed until the weather gets warmer. Too spring-y.

I am relaxing in all neutrals and I like it! 

Valentine's Day is coming and soon the cute will take over. 

#hygge #seattle #beautyofeverydaylife

     

Darling Valentine Strawberries at Fred Meyer

Our local Fred Meyer superstore had a really fun approach to Valentine's Day this year. In addition to aisles of paper valentines, heart-bedecked housewares for your kitchen and a special floral department set up to make and wrap arrangements, they had a chocolate-dipped strawberry station. 

I took a great photo of the large "long stemmed" strawberries (is there such a description?) and they were so red and beautiful, they could have been sold as is. But, the attraction was 2 gloved ladies from the bakery department in charge of dipping the strawberries in white or dark chocolate and then adding a sprinkle of red heart jimmies, sparkling pink sugar or a mixture of both. I didn't manage to get a picture of the final product as it was a well-oiled machine and I didn't want to interrupt. Once the lid was snapped on for sale, the magic was gone and the image would not have captured you, so I moved on.

I took a few photos and I wanted to share because it was all of the things Valentine's Day should be for adults. It was fun, pretty, delicious and spontaneous. I'm sure a lot of dads out there dashed into Fred Meyer to grab flowers or a card and were rewarded with a really cool, really memorable treat for his loved ones. Way to go, Fred Meyer!

#fredmeyer #onestopshop #issaquahwa #valentinesday #strawberrylove #strawberryfields #chocolate

2020 Northwest Flower & Garden Festival

Northwest Orchid Society display 2019

Have you found yourself standing wistfully in front of the grocery store floral department. Do you need some space to dream about nature? I am here to remind you that oxygen is on the way! The Northwest Flower and Garden Festival begins Wednesday, February 26 - Sunday, March 1 at the Washington State Convention Center. Mark your calendar, call your friends and make a plan. 

As a blogger who writes about the beauty of every day life, I love the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival because it showcases the best the industry has to offer. Horticulture, landscape and design professionals come together to show off their best work, dazzle the public, gain clients and wow the industry.  And you get to come admire their work. You will love walking among the Display Gardens - the scale is so big, it's easy to forget that you're indoors. 

 Nature Perfect Landscape & Design 2019/Dragon by Jeffro Uitto

Wherever you are in your action plan, the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival has your next step. You can go to be inspired or arrive with a list to start bringing a plan to life. There are nurseries selling flowering shrubs. Vendors selling garden tubs. You can think about color, texture, shade, spacing, fragrance...whatever your space requires.  

Perhaps you would like to carve out a space to entertain more often. You can consider just about anything to make an outdoor living room more cohesive. Come wander around the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival and take notes, I know you will be delighted and inspired. #

Designs by deLeuw 2019