There is something soothing and peaceful about a field of lavender. My first encounter with this wonder of nature was when I was in the town of Grasse in the South of France. The scent of silence and stillness wafted freely in the air and carried me away to where my French dreams began. I thought to myself, "I could die here." When Karen Harvey Cox from Scrapbook of Inspiration asked me what my favorite flower was, I told her it was lavender. And sans hésitation, she lovingly painted this sweet watercolor just for me. What a special moment it was to find this little treasure in my mailbox two weeks ago.
You see, there is something magical about the intensity of the color of each flower when they densely congregate into one massive bunch; you can see the magic better if you click on each photo...
Like the artists that we are, we want to imitate the beauty that we observe in nature and create the mood we love in our homes...
Even thought I admire the color of lavender with a hint of gold accents, I haven't ventured out YET to paint my walls in this sweet hue, but I have used lavender for culinary purposes and the taste is subtle and unique.
Each time I bite down on something that I have enhanced with Herbes de Provence, the taste transports me back to my beloved Nice, Eze, and St. Paul de Vence, where I step into the world of Marcel Pagnol and his unforgettable literary characters.
I have worked hard and it's time to relax and enjoy what is left of my summer vacation. Thank you Karen for the one-way ticket back to my home away from home. I think it's time to faire une sieste in my lavender colored bed and dream of a land of lavender fields forever...
39 comments:
How I understand, my dear...
We were in the south of France ans the lavender smell came with us to the Neterlands... there the skin and the spirit relax and we became lighter and lighter...
Have a good siesta and congratulations for your cadeau and your attentive friend :)
Sleep well, ma chérie!
And we brought also Herbes de Provence ;)
I love lavender too...the smell is just so calming :)
Beautiful pictures!!
Happy Sunday Dear One,
LuLu~*xoxo
Je t`ai répondue au Presépio :)
:)
Oh I can almost smell the lavender! Like heaven! Karen Harvey Cox is soooo talented, her watercolor is gorgeous. Enjoy! Thanks for a beautiful post filled with eyecandy!
BEAUTIFUL photos!!! The look and fragrance of lavender...I want to relax and rest now....
Hugs,
Christina :)
I couldn't agree more about a Lavender field being soothing or calming to look at...that's even just the photos...let along the soothing properties that are associated with Lavender, itself!
Your photos are just beautiful! Thanks for sharing! :)
Dearest..hope you dream a beautiful dream tonight about sleeping and in a lavenderfield ...a well deserved rest after your hard work..may the sent of lavender be in the air when you awake..
And indeed what a beautiful treasure to find..
I too love Lavender...so much that when we painted the outside of my home, I made sure it blended well with my lavender plants that run down the length of my yard. We have 2 different types of Lavender plants and once in a while I will grab me a bunch and place them in our bedroom to entice relaxation. Hope your doing well !
tootles,
bunny
Your pictures are beautiful! You're right there is something so pretty and soothing about Lavender. The color, the smell, everything.
Have a great Sunday!
Aimee
Lavender, Roses and Gerbera Daisies are my favorite flowers...Lavender is my favorite essential oil..
What lovely pictures! Thanks for sharing.
Stephanie
Anita,
What a gorgeous post, I love the landscape of Provence. My good friend and I used to paint together. She was from Provence, how does anyone move away from Paradise. Over the weekend I got a video out from the library of Provence, it was beautifully done. I hope to visit there one day. That painting looks wonderful in that beautiful frame. Thank you for showing it in the frame, and I am so glad that you are enjoying it.
Karen
Oh Mademoiselle! What a bonne cadeau! The watercolor is so special and so lovingly done. And you deserve it so much for working so hard this summer!!
Is he home yet?? Praying for a safe return!!
Bisous, sherry
firstly let me tell you how *excited* I am to know that you are back, even if is momentarly...grin!!!!!!!!!!!!!I lOVE lavender too.
When my children were babies, I used to bathe them around mid-night in a wonderful blend of warm water and lavender.... sometimes they would fall asleep before I had a chance to dress them... sweet memories.... I use the same lavender perfume ( made in Brazil for the past 80 years)today.... my children always tells me that they *love* the smell ( although I think I smell cookie dough the most- smiles)... I am 100% sure that the memories somehow was kept in their minds... it is amazing how a scent can bring up memories.
I have small path of lavender in my herb garden too ... but nothing like seen the lavender fields in France.... thank you for this wonderful post. Lovingly,
Hello my friend......Glad to see you are back! I hope you are feeling renewed and ready to relax and enjoy the rest of the summer. Funny that you should post about lavender....I watched a show on HGTV this morning about a couple that grew lavender and made a business out of it. I love it myself and have a bit of it growing in my front landscaping.
~Hugs, Patti
What a beautiful painting. I just love Karen's work. She is an exseptional artist. Lovely post. I would like to go to France someday and see the fields of lavender. I hope you enjoy your time off. You certainly deserve it. You have worked very hard. Many blessing to you ♥
Lovely photos! And the little painting. I like to infuse honey with my lavendar flowers. Have you tried it in chocolate? Divine!
Happy Siesta dreams!
Kirsten
Oh Anita,
I too love lavande! The places you spoke of are places where my heart lives every day although I'm not there... until next time!
I always love your posts, they speak to my heart. Enjoy your time, you so deserve it sweetie.
xo~Tracie
I love lavender, so beautiful and calming and I love your music. Funny how scents can remind us of places.
xxx
Gorgeous post dear friend. I hope your thesis efforts have been going swimmingly! Blessings dear one.
I don't have nearly this much success with growing this heavenly herb, but I try....it's a fussy, prissy little plant!!!
it's hard to balance summer and blogging, but I'm out to change all that today
hugs to my friend anita!
you may n-JOY my newest post!
What a beautiful post! I can almost smell the lavender:).
Blessings,
Kim
When I was pregnant with Karina, I was obsessed with the color Lavender. I did her entire room in lavender. It's a beautiful color as well as a soothing scent.
Anita,
J'adore aussi la lavande. As-tu jamais goûter la vinaigrette de Provence de Central Market??? Elle est vraiment délicieuse!
Et comment va ta thèse? As-tu fini le troisième chapitre?
Du projet des boudoirs. Claudia accepte encore les images..Envoie tes photos par mail à Claudia:
parisapartment@gmail.com
Bonne journée, mon amie!
Hi dear friend,
I can smell the lavender while sitting here. What a lovely post.
I have a pot of Herbes de Provence that I use often. It brings back some great memories.
hugs,
Barb
I know what you mean Anita!! So pretty and soothing. How lovely to get such a pretty watercolor.
Hope you have a nice night,
Rosemary
Oh my I love lavender fields-they are so pretty to look at!!
Well, you're back and now I'm MIA~I'll be back soon though!!
Lavender fields forever...the experience of your blog this morning was heaven sent. I can close my eyes and smell the lavender from a far and also near. This past Monday, I had my very first experience at a lavender farm in Washington. I will be sharing those photo's soon. Thank you for posting this beauty, this peaceful flower that brings so much calm to our hectic lives.
First visit to your blog and not the last. Nothing smells better then lavender. Your pictures are beautiful.
Oh, your blogs are just so lovely! Such a treat to visit. I just cut some Lavender today! I tied it, along with some Russian sage with a gold ribbon.
Your garden landscaping is so pretty.
I hope your summer has become more relaxing.
Blessings,
Lorianna
Nothing like the sweet scent of Lavender to bring on romantic dreams...
Kisses
Ulla
p.s. I only just discovered your other 2 blogs, how enchanting!
Lavender. Just the word is soothing. Karen is so talented, the painting is gorgeous and evokes the feeling of that oh so beautiful region of France. You mentioned some of my favorite towns. Another we visited was Les Beaux - not too far from Avignon and so charming. Lovely post.
Robin
Thank you so much for your support.
You are like my personal cheer leader:)
~x0~
Wendy
p.s. right back at ya!
Your photos are amazing!
Hello Anita, thanks for your very kind words. Perhaps you should consider a little trip to Europe when you are completely finished with your thesis. Not only to see France, which is the best of course, but some beautiful parts of the Netherlands too.
Have a very nice weekend, I understood that your husband has returned home, reunited and it must feel good, I suppose.
Hello my queen of crowns...I also love lavender.My bedroom as a girl was done all in lavender.Dusty rose is my fav color though.I wish it wasn't to hot for lavender down here.I do have some Mona Lav.I kkep it in a shaded area when the summer heat starts to get to it.It is beautiful.You take care and have a more wonderful. vacation.XXOO Marie Antionette
What time would you like me to come over for tomato bread soup? Thanks for the suggestion, I will look in my Jacques Pépin cookbook... or the Gérard one ;) Oh, wish I could send you some of my tomatoes... they're french - Sainte Lucie.
Happy weekend, sweetie!
xo~Tracie
Such a lovely gift from your friend. Even more lovely that the painting evokes such dear memories for you. **kisskiss** Deborah
Thank you so much for your wonderful comments on my shop!
Stay tuned, so much more to come.
Have a wonderful restfull weekend.
~xo~
Wendy
I can never get enough lavender. The smell, the color, the form, heavenly!
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