Thursday, January 26, 2017

Seeing Flowers



One day, whilst out and about in a book shop.......

He (a 'flora-phile') said, whilst poring over a most beautiful photography book on all things flowers, "isn't this a gorgeous coffee table book; wouldn't it look great on our coffee table?" (he did, he really, really did).


She (a totally obsessed eccentric) said "It is, isn't it; but just imagine how beautiful this book (times five), page by page, would look as a feature wall, in our boudoir???

So who do you think triumphed........he.......or she??

You are all a wee bit clever; of course she was the victor!!

It's not the first time I have totally destroyed a book, page by page......a sacred published document which should ever remain in it's binding.......and paste it to a wall. I love my bright and happy botanical hallway so much I thought I  might commit the iniquitous deed of ripping out carefully tearing out each page once again, but this time for my boudoir.


I have been searching for what seems forever, vintage wallpaper or perhaps a lovely chinoiserie wall paper for a feature wall, but could never find what I wanted for a reasonable price. When eventually I did find a lovely one, alas it would have cost me the proverbial arm and leg. Besides, when thinking about the colour schemes, I really didn't want to limit myself to one or two colour palettes. I wanted the full colour spectrum to be dancing on my wall, so I could change quilts for my bed at my whim. So.....happening upon this beautiful book written by Teri Dunn Chace and exquisitely photographed by Robert Llewellyn is a gift from Heaven. =)

For two weeks I was up the ladder adhhering page by page, the most beautiful flower photographs to my 11' high wall.....in total 204 pages. It was a snail-like process as the back of each page had to be covered with Mod Podge and then carefully pasted to a pre-pasted wall, ever so carefully smoothing out each crinkle, ensuring there were no air bubbles. It truly was the most laborious process. Upon completion of the entire wall, I then gave it three coats of Mod Podge.


I now have the bearing of Quasimodo, hunched over, unable to straighten, feeling pain in places I have never really been aware of before!!


BUT......I am delighted, absolutely ecstatic with the results. I LOVE the new feature wall, as does I might add, my husband. A wall that will bloom forevermore with pretty flower after pretty flower.


Just in case you are in need of a little more hydrangea love and didn't get enough last week!!







Oh......did I tell you......the Dahlias are doing their thing this year and beautifully so.....even better than last year, if that is at all possible. They can't let the Hydrangeas have all the limelight, they have to try to upstage the Hydrangeas and be the centre of attention. Just between you and me though, I don't think there is any plant, en masse, that can overshadow the Hydrangeas, but hey that's just me. =)
















One of the things I wanted to achieve these Summer holidays was to create a feature wall and tart up our boudoir. Actually it eventuated into a complete makeover! The carpet has been ripped up and sent to carpet hell, damned forevermore, the floor has been given many coats of white paint and the walls painted a crisp white. Now to make some pretty curtains from lovely, embroidered linens and to finish my scrappy fabric/embroidered linen quilt.

I am so happy the boudoir is well on it's way to becoming a most beautiful place to rest and refresh a troubled or tired mind. It is a place to escape to, pull up a quilt or two and get lost in a good book for an hour or so, or even enjoy a nanny nap (not that I am a nanny.....pity). For now this hunchback gal, who really should know better than traipse up and down ladders for days on end, is intending to relax a little and enjoy a little quilting; who knows, perhaps this week all the quilting will be finished. 



Mmm......perhaps the dazzling Dahlias have a point...........



I, like Quasimodo in that tale of long ago, rather feel like swinging from bell to bell, ringing those tintinnabula in unison, joyously celebrating my beautiful flower wall......I'm off to find me a cathedral. =)

Until the next time...



67 comments:

  1. You are a glutton for punishment aren't you - but such a beautiful reward/s at the end - a beautiful restful bedroom and some enforced recuperation!!!

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  2. Your floral feature wall is gorgeous Kim! Clever, creative you for coming up with this idea. And thank you for some more 'hydrangea eye candy'; such gorgeousness!! lol

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    1. .....labour of love or perhaps insanity. =) Thank you for popping by, Ann. Kim Xx

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  4. Gorgeous! I love your feature wall and you quilt will be perfect, you deserve a rest after all of that work :)

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  5. Amazing! I love it what a clever idea even if it did cripple you in the process now you can recuperate and enjoy the fruits of your labour. :)x

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    1. Thank you, Linda. Even though my body is paying for my moment of creative madness, it is well worth the aches and pain. The kinks in my body are slowly being ironed out. =) So lovely to have you visit. Kim Xx

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  6. That looks so, so beautiful! I wish my hubby would let me do something like that, but alas, he is of the all walls should be white or cream set. I've tried for yellow once but no go! Your flowers look gorgeous - what a great idea.

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    1. It's just one little wall, though I admit a pretty colourful one. You had better not show your husband my wall, as he might go into apoplectic shock.=) I will cross my fingers that your husband will one day reconsider your home's colour palette. Thank you, so much for visiting, Jayne; as always it is a delight to have you pop by. Kim Xx

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  7. What a creative and unique idea. OHGOSH how many hours did that TAKE!! I can imagine how great your room looks after the redo. But then I wonder how in the world you will ever get those pics off if you want a redo in the future.
    xx, Carol

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    1. Much too many hours, Carol! I'm of an age where I will have long expired before I even think of another redo. That little problem will be for the next person who lives in our humble abode. =) Kim Xx

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  8. I absolutely love it! Your wall is unique, inspirational and so refreshing!

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  9. Oh how pretty, loveeeeeeeeeeeee it!!! What a wonderful idea, Kim. I am glad "he" likes it too. smiles. Thank you for the many smiles you have provided on this cold winter day (well, here in western NY, wink).

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  10. You certainly transformed your bedroom into a most wonderful place. You did a fantastic job! Look forward to seeing it all put back together with the new window coverings and the quilt complete. Now to relax and enjoy your creative energy.

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  11. A brilliant idea, flowers the whole year long on your wall!!!
    That was an awful lot of work.
    I like it very much.
    Hugs,
    Loes

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    1. I know, no matter what the season...even in dark, dreary Winter flowers will abound in my bedroom. Yes, it was a lot of work and a li'l hard on the body......but so worth it in the end. Thank you for visiting, lovely Loes. Kim Xx

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  12. OMGoodness---with our foggy, gray cold days we are having now...this just makes my heart skip a beat. Thank you for the burst of color and I love your room!
    Sandi

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  13. A beautiful garden in your house !!!!!
    Well done !!!
    Hug
    Anna

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  14. Wow! and Gorgeous! I could never pull that off physically but I am glad you did so I can see how lovely it is. Please post a finished boudoir picture!

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  15. Oh my...you've really outdone yourself! Just stunning...absolutely stunning!

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  16. Love it Kim! You are soooo creative! Margie/NY

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    1. Hello lovely Margie. Thank you so much....'tis lovely to have you visit. Kim Xx

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  17. I am speechless, Kim! What a beautiful wall. I would never tire of looking at it. It will be fun to pick out curtains for it (or perhaps make them). I hope you take a photo when the entire room is finished. Have a blessed day.

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  18. Kim You are such a wonder! How amazing and uniquely beautiful and a GENIUS idea for the boudoir!
    I am still laughing at your tintinnabular shenanigans!!! LOL!

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  19. Wow. Just wow. What an amazing wall and SO worth the aches and pains of the doing. You have a wall of sunshine!!

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  20. SO gorgeous, Kim! Really! I love it!
    You're so clever!

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  21. Oh you are clever, Kim!!! The wall looks so beautiful. Great to see my...oh very well...our favourite flower displayed right in front of it. Dahlia always reminds me of my grandmother. How lovely to see them paired with the hydrangeas. Hopefully you are over the Quasimodo state, so you can enjoy this work of art :)

    -Soma

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  22. Kim, you are an inspiring artist. I would never have thought to fix book pages to the wall. It turned out beautifully - well worth a Quasimodo Hump!

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  23. Well Kim, you have once again taken the ordinary & made it extraordinary! Bright & beautiful! Thank you for sharing.

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  24. Oh, if I could accomplish half of what you do! Love the botanical wall. My friend texted me photos of her many rolls of wall paper the other day and we are thinking of doing a patchwork wall in my laundry room. Hope it turns out half as good as yours!!
    hugs,
    Jann

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    1. Oh, but you do, lovely Jann with all your gorgeous decorating and makes that you do. A patchwork, wallpaper laundry wall sounds perfect. You must do it. Wash days would never be the same again! =) Thank you for delighting me with your visit and lovely comments, sweet lady. Kim Xx

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  25. Oh my I can only imagine what your poor body is feeling after all that work but oh my what a beautiful statement that gives to your room, and your real flowers to go with it is like you are in a meadow of flowers! How fun to be doing a whole change to your room, always wonderful when we can achieve a goal we had, and yours is just lovely!

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  26. Your wall is gorgeous and I know it was a tedious process. I have never grown dahlias before, but once I saw a variety named "Brooke Nicole" which is my niece's name! Wishing you both a lovely weekend.

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  27. Such a bright and happy place you are creating for your boudoir! Love the flower wall and your beautiful hydrangeas. Mine are looking quite brown and bleached out right now as I never got around to clipping them last fall. Lovely to see a little glimpse of you and your pretty quilt in progress. I do hope your aching shoulders recover soon and I can't wait to see the finished result of all your hard work. So far it is looking very beautiful! Sending hugs xo Karen

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    1. Thank you, Karen. The body still has a few kinks in it, but they are slowly being ironed out. =) I reckon there is still time to prune your Hydrangeas....they seem to be a very forgiving plant. Hope you are enjoying a lovely weekend. Kim Xx

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  28. WoW!!! how very ambitious!!! but it is so unique and looks stunning. one of a kind for sure, what a great idea!!! you should spend your weekend staring at your wall!!!

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  29. Simply wonderful, Kim! What a fabulous idea.
    I hope you are upright now and functioning normally while enjoying all that beauty. Best Wishes!

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    1. Nearly upright, Dixie, just a few kinks to go....BUT...I certainly am enjoying all the beauty my wall has to offer. KimXx

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  30. Gorgeous wall work Kim which will certainly brighten every day of the year.

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  31. Darling Kim, the wall you've created is simply stunning, what a fascinating artwork !!!

    Wishing you the best of weekends,
    I'm sending hugs and love to you, sweet friend,
    with utmost gratitude

    XO Dany

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  32. Your wall is fabulous! I think you might live in the most flower-filled house in the world :)

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  33. oh - i enjoyed seeing this again!! thanks for stopping by!!!

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  34. I love it Kim. It's forever summer in your room. How lovely ; ) Lucky hubby

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  35. Kim I am in awe. How absolutely beautiful. So much more ambitious than my blue wall. The colours are amazing. I was so pleased you didn't run out of pages before you completely cover the wall. You have those very high ceilings like us,not easy to reach the top.
    Thank you for visiting me today Love your comments, it's very encouraging.xx

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    1. I bought 5 books so I would have plenty of pages to cover the wall. Sometimes I repeated some of the pages four or five times as they are gorgeous photos. The 11' walls did pose a few problems, but now it is finished I am so happy I persevered. As for blue walls....your sewing room, Jeanette, is going to look beautiful....I just know it. Kim Xx

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  36. So pretty! And just what I need to see when our trees are bare and the grass is brown here.

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  37. Oh my goodness, dearest Kim, your boudoir wall is blooming with happiness! How very clever of you to do such a labor of love. Yes, you certainly must relax your legs, arms, shoulders and feet and stare at all that beauty that you created. You're an inspiration! ❤

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  38. I can believe you did that! It certainly turned out look spectacular!

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    1. Thank you, Linda. I must admit I rather love 'my' happy flower-filled wall. Kim Xx

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  39. Oh.MY.GOODNESS! This was a huge undertaking for you, I can only imagine how long it took to paste each and every picture on without any bubbles! Wow! Your new look is amazing, I would love to see your flowered wall in person, I bet you can't stop looking at it when you are supposed to be in there resting, lol! The photographs of the flowers are amazing, and even better to have them on your wall where you can see them all the time instead of in a book where you only glimpse them every once in a while. I love this idea. I really do. You are amazing, and I love the sweet notes that you leave hidden in your picture with each post, so whimsical! I hope you are able to rest your back. Always such a joy to visit with you my friend!

    I was thinking of your friend who lost her husband the other day. How are they doing? I have prayed for them, when I think of them. Such a difficult thing to go through. I know you are continuing to be a blessing to them.

    Hugs to you today dear friend! Sure wish we didn't live worlds apart, but a joy to visit with you virtually :)

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  40. I am so impressed with your project. WOW....it is amazing. I didn't know you could do anything like that. It is wonderful.

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    1. Thank you, Linda, you are very kind. Thank you for visiting...hope you are feeling better this week. Kim Xx

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  41. I am stunned - not at your ability - we all know that no one can tart up a room/chair/cushion/complete house the way you can - but by the end result - even more glorious than I could have imagined. To sleep, to dream, in such a lovely room. Well worth the hunched back for a small while. And the hydrangeas - and dahlias - oh my - just what I needed. We are having ice storms and snow and sleet and 60 mph winds and cold - I needed a bright touch of the summer feeling - and now I think I can plow on through the cold and storm.

    My bulbs are beginning to pop up out of their pots - can spring be far behind. They are forecasting an early spring - but then they forecast this as a warmer than normal winter - and things are happening this winter that haven't happened before - lakes are freezing all the way across and people have ice skated on them, small seasonal ponds in the farm fields have frozen solid and remained so for weeks. The snow geese that overwinter here have had to break up their flocks and travel in smaller groups to their feeding spots as the ground is frozen solid and they can't find enough food in one spot for the massive flocks we usually see. So we'll wait and see if their forecast for an early and warm spring comes true - but I surely hope it will.

    Lovely post my dear friend - can't wait to see what you bring us next - but whatever it is - I know it will be spectacular.

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  42. Kim,
    That wall is absolutely stunning! You are incredibly talented my friend! At first I was thinking WHAT???? But it looks so, so beautiful and you must be very satisfied with the completion of that project. I can imagine the pains you must have felt after all that tedious work but wow, look what it yielded you! As I said, absolutely stunning! (as always!) xo
    Linda

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    1. I thought at the end of it all....WHAT???=) BUT....I have gained the upright position once more, so all the pains and aches are well worth a a month's inconvenience. I do love 'my' wall, it puts a smile on my face every time I see it. Thank you so much for your lovely comments, Linda. As always, your visit has delighted me! Kim Xx

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  43. Absolutely beautiful, what a wonderful idea, it looks amazing xx

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    1. Thank you, Cheryl. 'Tis so lovely of you to drop by. Kim Xx

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  44. This is brilliant, Kim! You are one brave blogger.
    Amalia
    xo

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  45. Dearest Kim... I still day dream about your hallway.. I so ever love and adore it and dream one day to have my own wall... your new wall is just as amazing.. I can't wait to see the curtains and the rest..please do share the finished room... more day dreams..hehe.. love it thank you for a brighter day.. love and hugs Janice

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    1. So happy to brighten your wintry day way up there, lovely Janice. Thank you for your sweet comments. As always your visit has delighted me. Kim Xx

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  46. {{sigh}} I am once again swooning over your delightful touches of beauty, my friend. Your flower wall is superb and must make you oh-so-happy when you see it :) Your creativity knows no bounds, dearest Kim.

    Thinking of you and wishing you a joyous Sunday. Love and hugs!

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  47. Hi, i think that i saw you visited my blog so i came to
    “return the favor”.I'm attempting to find things to
    enhance my site!I suppose its ok to use some
    of your ideas!!

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  48. Oh, such a wonderful way to enjoy a book. I really must go off to the shops and see just what I will find that might just do this for me. Thanks for posting the link in your comment on your 6th BlogAversary post.

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    1. It is, isn't it, Luann. I hope you find a beautiful book/s and you too can have a beautiful feature wall in your bedroom. Good luck. Kim Xx

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  49. Did you use wall paper paste? So gorgeous. I'm looking at my walls differently now. Now where do I find your hallway? Best go look at your archive.

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  50. Wow!!! I can't wait to see the touch-up version!

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