Love is a Rose

Love is a rose but you better not pick it.

It only grows when it's on the vine.

A handful of thorns and you'll know you've missed it,

You lose your love when you say the word "mine."

NEIL YOUNG

I have always loved roses; they are a central theme in our home and garden. Inside our house, roses are represented in our art, fabrics, wallpaper, rugs, chandeliers and decorative objects. Outside, white roses are growing in the garden and on arbors and fences.

I have collected these paintings over time, none of them by a famous artist, but by hobbyists who obviously loved roses like I do.

This painting is one of my favorites. I even made it my header! I cannot pass up any painting depicting a basket of flowers or fruit!

This amateur painting is so sweet. I love the bouquet of both white and red roses tied with a bow. It hangs in the stairwell.

Believe it or not, I found this painting on Ebay! I wouldn't recommend shopping for vintage oil paintings on Ebay though. You really have to be sure of what you are getting.

Case in point: this is another Ebay find. Turns out, it is a new painting, not an old one. I didn't read the description correctly because I was all excited that it was a basket of roses! Still, it's beautiful and it hangs separately from the vintage paintings.

But of course, this painting which hangs over the fireplace is my favorite!

It was a Valentine's Day gift from Mr. A and the first major piece of art we ever purchased.

Still, it is by an amateur artist.

This painting hangs in the living room. I love how it compliments the screen below.

The rose theme continues with fabrics, like these Irish Linen drapes in my living room. They were destined to be discarded by a homeowner, and I rescued them.

Moving outside to the garden....How sweet is this little Cecile Brunner rose? I captured this image in the late afternoon. Soon it will be joined by thousands more roses as they open in a few days. Known as the boutonniere rose, it is tiny and delicate.

My mom brought me this rose a few days ago. She is partial to red roses and is probably the reason I love roses so much. She had over 65 different varieties of roses in her backyard when I was growing up. I learned their names, which ones were prone to mildew, black spot and aphids! I remember her favorites were "Mr. Lincoln" and "Tropicana."

My favorite rose is "Iceburg." It really is the only rose I have growing besides the climbing Cecile Brunner on the arbors. It's not really white as it has tinges of pink. It smells divine!

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

-Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

I'm joining Cindy at My Romantic Home for "Show and Tell Friday." Be sure to visit her beautiful blog!

I'm also joining Claudia at Dipity Road for "Friday--Finding Beauty!'

On Saturday, I'm linking up with Laurie at Bargain Hunting with Laurie for My Favorite Things.