roses

We've all received the readily available red roses and baby's breath bouquet at some point in our lives. While the romantic gesture of gifting flowers is always appreciated, the slightly dated look of this combination is often not. The divide and conquer strategy applies perfectly to this situation. With a little snipping and the right vessel, this tired arrangement can actually look chic and surprisingly modern.

This arrangement sprung from the creative minds of Timothy Oulton style directors Raoul Morren and Danielle Monti-Morren. It was displayed at a Timothy Oulton event that I attended at H.D. Buttercup in San Francisco, and I just had to snap a picture. To achieve the look, snip the stems off of the roses and cluster them tightly together in a cylinder-shaped, clear glass vase. For even more drama, add a votive candle so that light bounces off of the glass and water. The effect is undeniably sexy and completely unexpected.

Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member Lauren from the Lovely Little Vignettes group:

With the strange weather my roses are blooming again, I am excited since they smell so good and look so great with my Dia De Los Muertos decoration. Hopefully I can get a couple more blooms before the winter.

Have you been busy decorating? Be sure to post a photo and details about your arrangements in the Lovely Little Vignettes group! Plus, if you submit a vignette by Nov. 5, you'll be entered to win a Canon Digital Rebel SLR XSi camera!

Ashton Kutcher has admitted that he tweets wife Demi Moore even when she's sitting right next to him. It's not because he's giving her the silent treatment or because he's lazy. Ashton says he's simply engaging in a modern form of PDA. He recently told a tech conference:

"A lot of times my wife and I sit across from each other and tweet, it's a little bizarre. It's the same reason why you send roses to a woman at work. Sometimes people like to be adored in public."

For fun, let's examine the pros and cons of receiving a tweet rather than roses:

Pros:

• A tweet requires thought, while roses just require a credit card.
• A tweet is free, while roses can be seen as throwing money at a problem.
• Only your followers see a tweet, while roses attract the eyes and whispers of the office.

Cons:

• Couples who broadcast love on social networks are often unfriended or hidden.
• You can enjoy the sight and smell of roses much longer than 140 characters.
• You can write a private note on a card that comes with the flowers.

If the goal is public adoration, maybe the best option is to send flowers and then tweet about how you sent your girlfriend flowers. But if you had to choose, which would you prefer?

Do you think that roses should be relegated to old ladies' perfume bottles and shabby chic pillows? If so, I'd like to change your mind.

You'll be happy to hear that an updated take on the beautiful bloom is easy to find and decorate with. In fact, the rose is making a comeback in hip, modern homes. Take this Je Taime Poster ($40), for example. With a modern font and a blockprinted rose outline, I dare you to find anything fuddy duddy about it.


To find roses that are more modern than the norm, look for designs that utilize abstracted designs and simplified color palettes. See some of my other favorite modern rose finds when you read more