Paeonia-demonia

You know what looks good in watercolor? 

Peonies, that's what, as this print amply proves.

It's late May, which in Centraliana means that's it peony season and Internets, I couldn't be happier. Next to daffodils and chrysanthemums, peonies are my favorite flowers and they should be yours, too. Why? Let me break it down for you:

1. They're big. As blossoms go, you'd be hard-pressed to find one bigger than a peony. And I'm not just talking about around; these suckers are also described as being 'compound', so they're pretty full-bodied, if you catch my drift.
2. They smell amazing. If you've ever had a bouquet of these in your home, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Stopping to smell the roses is Old And Busted: Stopping to smell the peonies is The New Hotness.
3. They're eternal. Well, maybe not 'eternal', but they are perennials, so short of something digging up the bulbs or your yard exploding or something like that, these suckers will come back every year and make your yard a reasonable facsimile of Heaven on Earth.

So as you can see, peonies are awesome, and you should love them and everything they choose to be. And that's why today's post is all about peony hats, starting with this peony crown:

And honestly, it's hard to decide which is the coolest--the crown itself, or the name of the shop it came from. I choose to choose both, because that's how we do things around here: we take the third option.

Next up is this bridal peony fascinator that is actually made from clay, if you can believe that. I mean, it doesn't look like clay, does it? I particularly like the little-bitty wispy feathers that accent the piece. It just gives it a certain romantic whimsy.

Of course, if you'd rather just have an honest-to-goodness hat, never fear. There's always options like this sisal beret, complete with upcycled ribbon and silk peony out there, if you're willing to look. And when the hat is as rad as this one? It's worth the looking.

And now, because it's the personification (or hatification, if you prefer,) of the motto "go big or go home", here's a ginormous silk peony fascinator:

The only way it could be better is if it were dosed with some peony-scented perfume. And if I could get my hands on some peony-scented perfume, I would stink pretty for the rest of my life. #TrueFacts

See you Friday!

Not Just For Decorating Your Lawn Anymore

One of the downsides of living in the Midwest is that you never see motels named like the one in 

the photograph above. But on the plus side, I'll bet they don't have Rock City barns, so it evens out.

Ah, flamingos: mostly known for being super pink, having real long legs and living in places where most of us would like to visit on vacation, these wading waterfowl truly are the birds of paradise. And yet, for being such tall, graceful specimens of the Aves class, the flamingo mainly gets represented in that most deliciously kitschy of lawn ornaments--the plastic flamingo.

Well, that is, until today. Because today, we're going to see how flamingos can be more than just yard art by looking at flamingo hats, starting with this rockabilly/burlesque fascinator right here:

Admittedly, I wasn't aware that there was such an overlap in the burlesque and rockabilly scenes, but I figure that if a scene can't incorporate a fabulous little fascinator like this, then it's not a scene worth being part of, IMHO.

 Next up is this vintage flamingo-pink feathered pillbox, which just all sorts fluffy retro fun, and also makes a valid point that it is possible to evoke flamingos without actually having to look like a flamingo.

Or if you like actual flamingos but just don't want a biggish one, you could always go with a flamingo mini top hat like this one.

And if you want to rock a flamingo hat in the most wintry of weather, then this crocheted flamingo hat should be right up your alley.

And just because it's just another reminder that this blog owes so much to the Royal Ascot, here's a flamingo hat from Ladies' Day:

Seriously--I OWE THE ROYAL ASCOT SO, SO MUCH.

See you Wednesday!

Pinwheel, Spinwheel

Yes, I went the literal route with today's amuse-bouche. It's Friday--I'm allowed to be literal on Fridays.

P.S. The title of today's post comes directly from my personal litmus test of old-school Nickelodeon: If you can remember this show, you remember the early days of cable TV, in all their we-strip-mined-these-shows-from-Canada-and-Europe glory.

Now that we've got that covered, on to today's post, starting with this felt pinwheel fascinator:

Pretty, isn't it? And so perfect for the spring, too. It's just so fun and flirty, and those are both things that spring is known for and are things that it is okay to be.

Of course, pinwheels don't need to make up the entirety of the hat you wear; they can be a little decorative bit off to the side, like with this rather patriotic mini top hat (which'll come in handy for Memorial Day and Fourth of July if you happen to live in the States. In other countries, you don't have either of those holidays, so it probably wouldn't work for you.)

The pattern for this knitted beret features a very subtle pinwheel, which means that not only does it make it visually interesting, but also that it counts as part of today's topic, so INTO THE POST IT GOES.

However, don't get caught up in thinking that pinwheels only come in one style. As the above fascinator proves, pinwheels aren't always just squares folded in a fancy, wind-catching manner.

And just because the unofficial motto of this blog is "go big or go home", here is a pinwheel headpiece that took said unofficial motto, tattooed it on its hip and ran with it:

Well, that is if hats had hips, but you know what I mean: it went There. In fact, it lives There. It bought a house There. AND I LOVE IT.

And that's it for this week. Have a great weekend, and see you Monday!