Belgian Linen

When you see it, you know. Quality linen is like no other fiber. It resists dirt and stains, has no lint or pilling and feels cool to the touch. Did you know that linen is stronger wet than dry?  

Linen is created from the fibers of the flax plant, with the best conditions for growing flax being the coastal areas of northwest France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Belgian linen has long been considered to be the best.

 

The French company, Good Ideas, produced a fascinating short film called Be Linen, from which the photos below are taken. 

It describes the entire process of making linen, from the flax sowing, pulling and retting...

to its scutching,...

combing and carding.

   

During the entire production of linen, no chemical is used- no added oil, nothing. The original green fiber.

Linen weaving is an ancient art, with flax fibers having been used at least four thousand years ago.

We had the privilege of seeing beautiful linen firsthand during our trip to France last fall. You can find gorgeous examples at Sharon's My French Country Brocante and with Karin at LaPouyette.

To watch the Be Linen video, click here.

Are you a lover of linen?

[via]

Outside Interests...in Sweden and Norway and France

Have you ever wondered what gardens look like on the other side of the world? Do they have different plants? Different methods of gardening? One of the many reasons that I blog is to broaden my horizons and generally snoop around and see what's going on beyond my home. It sure is a great way to meet other folks and see the world through their eyes. 

Let me introduce you to some fellow gardeners who not only have a green thumb, but also are sharp shooters.

Meet Lydia over at Lydias Gröna Fingrar. Lydia is in Sweden and not only shows us how her garden grows, she takes us on mini tours with her fellow gardeners. 

Love this fresh autumn wreath of materials she gathered on walks in the woods.

Meet Anja from the blog, Anjas Hill. Anja is also from Sweden and is passionate about her flowers. You can see why when you are visiting her blog. Gorgeousness.

Astrantia

These lovely photos belong to a very talented photographer and fellow flower lover, Ingrid, from the Den Hemmelige Hagan blog in Norway. Her photos have a soft, romantic side to them.

Josimo from the blog, Josimo, takes breathtaking photos of her flower garden in Norway. Aren't the colors amazing?

In France, Karin, from LaPouyette blog, leads us on tours of her own incredible property and of the southwest region known as the Perigord. When I think of Karin's photos, stone, flowers and natural linens come to mind. She embraces the best of the inspiring area.

Thank you, thank you.

Thanks, Diane, over at Yonks blog for awarding me with the Liebster Blog Award.

I am passing it along to my fellow garden bloggers above with the utmost admiration.

[1-2,3-4,5-6,7-8,9-10]

Lavender Does

There is something about lavender...

Fantastic chair ... I wouldn't mind grabbing a good book and reading here a while...

Cute lavender love seat in a cute setting- how fun the wall is with the ceiling medallions!

A lovely chair...

 Karin's lovely lavender linen, which can be seen and purchased at her LaPouyette blog.

 And nature's beautiful lavender lilacs...

Rebecca Kutys, of Moontree Letter Press shows us how she created a lavender ink used for her striking letterpress printing.

 Do you like lavender?

[1,2,3,4,6]

Luminosity

lives in these glowing colors!

 Loving this painting that resides in the home of The Lowercase's owners, Tessa and Michael Bautovich, in Sydney, Australia. I wish I knew who the artist was.

Did I say that these are my colors!

Laila, of Harmoni & Kontrast, has a great eye for color and composition. 

I like this room's color combination in Charlotte Moss' new book, Charlotte Moss Decorates.

And Karin, from La Pouyette, lives in a bucolic area of France where she tends to her magnificent gardens. Aren't these tulips to die for?

[1,2,3,4]