The old saying, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is very true and works when it comes to art for your home, YOU have to love it. It has to make YOU happy when you look at it. I collect art, but I never, ever buy anything that didn't fit into that criteria. Now, granted, the art should ideally work with your home. For example, a lush, green, very realistic landscape would probably look out of place in a Modern minimalistic room. But, in most cases, one's home usually works with the kind of art they are attracted to. My suggestion would be to look around your home to get a sense of the colors and style you're gravitating towards. Next, head to an online place like allposters.com and browse through the different styles or genres to see what attracts you. I'm not suggesting that you buy a poster necessarily, but they have a huge selection readily available for you to see and compare. Personally, one of my favorite types of paintings are landscapes that are relaxing to look at and make me feel like I can walk down that road or across that field and see more and more. I dislike any landscapes that look hot and dry. Enjoy the search for art for your home and let us see what you ultimately end up with. Lynn

I'm not sure this is a discussion I should jump into, because my mind is a jumble of 'ifs' (and a jumble this week, in general), like IF it goes with the style of the home and kitchen, and IF it coordinates nicely with other elements...and it's all personal opinion/judgment. A concern: I do worry about hearing things like putting it in the middle of an otherwise neutral field of backsplash, because I think it should relate to the rest of the backsplash...not just sit in the middle of something that's as plain as possible. That's a hard call, though, without seeing all the materials together. Worth the money or not: Such an internal thing for each person. I am terminally practical, but also artsy, so might splurge for something that I would LOVE each time I walked in the room, but whose price would not overshadow that love. I also understand the value of compromise, but again it so depends on the feelings of both people involved. Will DH complain for a few minutes, then forget about it while you LOVE it and him for the rest of your kitchen days? Or... Will you be just as happy to see something else for the money saved and to have a happy dh? Only his and your hearts know the answer to those things. If you're going to compromise, I think it'd be safer to NOT try to copy the exact look. I really wanted some beautiful painted tiles for my baking wall backsplash, and I wish I had the inspiration pic to show. But the colors I wanted didn't seem to exist...for any price that was anything close to reasonable. Instead I chose to do a pattern myself of small mosaics that gave me an intricate pattern and the richness of color I was after...Overall, a similar impression without being a copy of the painted. I'm not trying to say this is what you should do, just that I felt it was safer than trying too hard to get the look without spending the money for the 'real' thing. I still spent more for those colorful little mosaic marble tiles ($25/sf) than I would have OK'd as a price for tile anywhere else in the house...Because the color and overall look was crucial to my vision of that area. For the approx 15 sq ft area, and in the scheme of things, it was worth it to me. Plllog, in particular, has said a lot of things I agree with here, but these 2 things really stand out for me, and would be things I would have said: 1) There's thrifty, like not throwing away perfectly good bags that can be reused. Then there's penny wise/pound foolish. There is a difference between getting something cheap or at a good value. Value has to do with quality and how much it means to you for the price, a cost for the life, not just how many pennies you have left after leaving the cash register. 2) I would much rather do something bold and dynamic that I loved than ever be stuck with boring. YES! ;-) Best wishes. Most of us have had to make similar tough decisions (because 'pretty' is important, too) and completely understand the related...

That sure looks beautiful, Jeri! I think the pot helps the rose to really stand out. I absolutely cannot resist a good, pink rose. Nothing pleases me more than a full, girlie-girl pink one, and that one there pleases me! Is ‘De la Vina Mystery’ planted directly into that pot, or is it planted in a plastic container inside of that pot? If planted directly into the pot, I would think that pruning the roots would be quite difficult. How often does that need to be done? I have quite a few of those resin half barrel planters, and also the Cosco planters. I find that they work especially well if I shade the pot itself with annuals and such to keep them cooler. I’ve also heard that sinking the large heavy duty nursery pots into the ground helps with both gophers AND keeping otherwise monstrous growing roses in check. Do you have any thoughts on that idea, Jeri? I think I remember you might use those squat nursery cans for gophers, but I see no evidence of size control in your garden. Lol. I’m not even asking specifically about GH for this, but for any rose that tends to grow huge in my neck of the woods. I feel like I should grow a few more Teas, but they get SO big! Thanks. Lisa

I just finished Do Let's Have Another Drink: The Singular Wit and Double Measures of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother by Gareth Russell, and found it very disappointing. It's a kind of biography where the author has told anecdotes from each decade of HM's life, and several of them are quite interesting. But there is a lot of boring fluff, repetition and not much wit, I'm afraid. I think it could have been much better (the idea is quite good) in another author's hands.