fantasy art and tree chatter of aquariann

Did you know that the rose is the national flower of the USA? The marigold was a popular option in the 1960s, but the US Congress officially passed an act declaring the rose to be the floral emblem of the United States of America in 1986. That's why I'm sharing a red rose photo today. The flower is from my last birthday bouquet , but this weekend calls for another celebration. Happy Independence Day! Featured Flower Picks: Red, White and Blue Rose Headband • Rose Earrings • Rose Necklace How To Plant Your Own Post for Flower Friday: The only rule to play is that you can only add one link per week! The post doesn't even have to mention flowers, but only ones that do will be eligible for being picked as a feature next week. I will be sharing my flower image on other blog hops, namely Wordless Wednesday , and welcome all family-friendly links from fellow bloggers. Crafters can even link up an Etsy listing or other shop product! But if you want to promote a p...

"Freedom lies in being bold." - Robert Frost I knew I could count on my Wordless Wednesday friends to identify these boldly beautiful red flowers - within an hour of posting, I was told they were hollyhocks. The towering plant certainly stands out! I was walking to my car after dance class and was stopped in my tracks by the sunlight shining through the stalks in a stranger's yard.

As mentioned in my strawberry manicure post yesterday, I'm participating in my first craft fair in years. I hope I don't end up in the red! But because it's a strawberry festival, I'm expecting to see juicy reds like Robin from Tinker Bead Designs found on Etsy. Her red home decor ideas include fiery red sunset photography print by Sue Dickson Gallery, In the Poppy Field fine art print by Vaida Photo and my red gerbera daisy art magnet .

Are you worried that walking your Valentine's Day bouquet from the car to the house will make the blooms shrivel from the frigid weather? Add handmade roses to your gift wishlist instead and you won't have to watch them wither away. Whether made from silk or leather, flowers will stay beautiful even on the coldest of days. Today I took a stroll through the fabricated florists of Etsy in search of red rose hair accessories. Trying to pick my favorite flower to wear on a romantic date was a daunting duty. There are fields upon fields of pretty options, from hair slide barrettes to bridal crowns to vintage hair jewelry. 1. Red Rose Leather Hair Slide With Deep Green Leaves by Beadmask 2. Red Rose and Burgundy Berry Hair Floral Crown Wreath by Pretty Little Titch 3. Red Rose Woodland Hair Pins by Mermaiden Creations 4. Dark Red Rose Flower Art Nouveau Antiqued Brass Filigree Hair Comb by Marolsha Disclaimer: This post was inspired by Beadmask , a wonderful blog spo...

"If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change." - credited to Buddha The red hibiscus flowers at the Lewes Canalfront Park in Delaware towered over my head when I went to Lewes Dragon Boat Festival last month. Flutter to my Wordless Wednesday Directory for a list of blogs that regularly host WW Linky Parties. Grab my button as a reminder to return next week for more photography fun!

Wearing hot accessories will help you beat the summer heat! Branch out to Beadmask , Life is the Bubbles , Purple Peacock Jewels and Athenianaire for red earrings and jewelry. Beadmask's bead embroidered earrings are as hot as the sun they abstractly resemble! The striking design showcases a pair of vintage glass cabochons in ruby red. The stones are surrounded by glass seed beads in shades of matte metallic bronze and color lined brick. Radiating out from the stone is a series of glass spike beads in silky bronze. The red earrings are backed with brown leather and dangle from "antique copper" (plated brass) earwires. Purple Peacock Jewels' Kuchi earrings will make you sparkle like the Red Desert Moon, whether you're a belly dancer or not. The vintage Kuchi elements were carefully selected and mixed with modern Swarovski crystals and Preciosa findings to create a truly stunning piece of Tribal jewelry. The vintage metal has been gently polished to bring b...

"And 'tis my faith that every flower enjoys the air it breathes." - William Wordsworth The red hibiscus flowers in the conservatory at Longwood Gardens are breathtaking! Flutter to my Wordless Wednesday Directory for a list of blogs that regularly host WW Linky Parties. Grab my button as a reminder to return next week for more photography fun!

"Perhaps the old monks were right when they tried to root love out; perhaps the poets are right when they try to water it. It is a blood-red flower, with the color of sin; but there is always the scent of a god about it." - Olive Schreiner Ogre loves me so much that he bought me this beautiful bouquet of glittery flowers for my birthday! I was so intrigued by the focal flower that I had to ask around to find out what type it is and was told that the species is a red spider mum from the chrysanthemum genus. Flutter to my Wordless Wednesday Directory for a list of blogs that regularly host WW Linky Parties. Grab my button as a reminder to return next week for more photography fun!

Does your heart desire red jewelry for Valentine's Day? Branch out to Life is the Bubbles , Athenianaire , 7PM Boutique , oBo Creations and Beadmask for ravishingly red necklaces and other heart-shaped jewelry gifts. Better whisk Life is the Bubbles's Queen of Hearts necklace away from Wonderland before the terribly terrific tyrant tries to find her magical staff! Her sparkly heart wand has been captured in a glass bottle and sealed with a red rose. The bottle pendant is 1.5" and hangs from a 19.5" silver chain that closes with a heart-shaped toggle clasp. Wear the Alice in Wonderland souvenir proudly but don't let its mad magic go to your head! Athenianaire's real butterfly wing necklace will make your heart flutter. Delias hyparete (Thailand) and Morpho zephryities (Bolivia) wings are safely encased in heart-shaped glass, framed in .925 stamped sterling silver. The glass is smooth, clean, and bubbles out just the right amount for an amazing magnifie...

Valentine's Day is less than a month away so you better tell the love of your life what you want! Wanda of Gemstones On My Mind shared several Valentine gift ideas for women. Lovely items from the Saturday Night Specials team include a stained glass heart suncatcher, love spell sugar scrub cubes and my red daisy magnet . Treasuries shared by readers between January 15 - January 28 For the Love of Your Life Year of the Snake Scented Red Romance Bridal Bliss Old time vintage Heart's Desire Kind of Blue Variations of coral and teal Friendship Gifts ♥ me . . . . ♥ me not . . . ♥ me Blowing Bubbles Looking for Spring Wind and Rain Snuggle Weather Love is in the Air by Lin I'll give you all my love! L is for Love Queen of Hearts A Glimpse of Red Green with Envy Put a Bow on It Bring the Outside In in love Love Blues (rustic) tinted love Romance a Paris Purple Passion This is a HALF- HEARTED Treasury List A Little Bit of This and That Chick Mag...

"All of us are born with a set of instinctive fears - of falling, of the dark, of lobsters, of falling on lobsters in the dark, or speaking before a Rotary Club, and of the words 'Some Assembly Required'" - Dave Barry And many of you thought the Red Lobster captive in his tank was a poor unfortunate soul ... Flutter to my Wordless Wednesday Directory for a list of blogs that regularly host WW Linky Parties. Grab my button as a reminder to return next week for more photography fun! <a href="http://blog.aquariann.com/search/label/wordless%20wednesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee329/aquariann/blog/wordless/125x125-wordless.jpg" alt="Wordless Wednesday" border="0" /></a>

I have been stopping to smell the roses for over a week now. The Ogre bought me a ravishingly red rose bouquet , because, as he told me on our first date five years ago, "every girl deserves roses on Valentine's Day." I had only been given fresh flowers by a boy twice before that moment, so I was quite charmed. My heart still flutters when he presents another bouquet each year. Even though I know the money could be better spent on other things, I enjoy the roses too much to tell him to ever stop. Even dried roses are beautiful, but I sadly end up throwing them away eventually. Today I went strolling through the gardens of Etsy for ideas on how to preserve a rose forever. Many crafters and jewelry artists are growing pressed rose art and accessories in their shops. Aren't these pretty ways to recycle flowers that would wilt away to dust if left alone? 1. Pressed Flower Red Rose Laminated Bookmark and Valentine Card Pink and Red With Gift Envelope - Gift Pack by B...

"Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear, And the rocks melt wi’ the sun: And I will love thee still, my dear, While the sands o’ life shall run." - A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns Flutter to my Wordless Wednesday Directory for a list of blogs that regularly host WW Linky Parties. Grab my button as a reminder to return next week for more photography fun! <a href="http://blog.aquariann.com/search/label/wordless%20wednesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee329/aquariann/blog/wordless/125x125-wordless.jpg" alt="Wordless Wednesday" border="0" /></a>

Vampires have captivated me ever since Brad Pitt portrayed the sexy sullenness of Louis de Pointe du Lac in the Interview with the Vampire film. I was too young to have a job or I would have bought The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice the very next day - but you can bet that set was the first item on my Christmas list that year. And wow, have I devoured a slew of vampire novels since then! I'm currently rereading one of my favorite series, Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton during my stationary bicycling workouts. Her slaying adventures distract my mind from all the calories my body is killing. I wore a vampire costume for Halloween several years ago, but I was still in the dark about the handmade world so my accessories left much to be desired. Today I waited for the sun to slip past the horizon before venturing out into the streets of Etsy. Breathtaking blood red jewelry swooped down into my vision. 1. Red Sin - Necklace and Earrings Set, Celtic, Medieval, Han...

"How cunningly nature hides every wrinkle of her inconceivable antiquity under roses and violets and morning dew!" - Ralph Waldo Emerson Grab my button as a reminder to return next week for more photography fun! <a href="http://blog.aquariann.com/search/label/wordless%20wednesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee329/aquariann/blog/wordless/125x125-wordless.jpg" alt="Wordless Wednesday" border="0" /></a> Visit the Summer of Color to see more wonderful images in red.

Tracy of A Fabulous Flair has been going color-happy since she discovered the joys of making Etsy treasuries. Last week I shared her Guess that's why they call it the blues... theme, but this rosy-cheeked collection was actually her first born back on June 28th. It features a pinback button of the tree fairy that watches over my blog. "Yes, painting the roses red! Not pink, not green, not aquamarine! We're painting the roses red! " -Alice in Wonderland

Janice of TangoCatGems is a gleaming, FAEteam -treasury making machine! Her latest includes one of my earliest works, a tree fairy perched upon a pinback button. Run yourself red - this fantastical collection leaves on Tuesday, June 22 at 9:27am. PS: If the treasury expires before you're able to view it and you want to see a featured item, add ".etsy.com" after the username (they're on the second line under the picture, left of the price - and if they're hard to read, right click on the image so you can view it full size) and you'll be magically whisked away to their shop. For example, you'd type my username, "aquariann," then ".etsy.com" and abra ca dabra: aquariann.etsy.com