I think the best way to begin this week is to show some gorgeous flowers from Rosenow because everything in my yard and town is in bloom and all I can think about is going outside to collect wildflowers later today.

But wait. Before I talk about Rosenow let me first tell you how I found out about them. I’ve been reading a lot of Sunset magazine lately which may not make a lot of sense since it’s pretty geared towards California and the Pacific Northwest and well, I live in New Hampshire. Why bother, right? I thought the same thing when I picked up my first copy when Domino folded. I guess I felt desperate for a replacement magazine so I was grabbing at whatever title struck me. Though Sunset can’t replace Domino as both serve a completely different mission, it’s absolutely a must read for anyone looking for an inspiring lifestyle mag (home decor, travel, food, gardening, etc.) and I encourage you, no matter where you live, to give it a whirl. Sure, all those spreads featuring California this and Seattle that will make you feel a bit left out of the healthy, we all bike and live the good life club (ha ha) but Sunset is a bit transporting for a moment so we’re all able to indulge in a little west coast dreamin’. Speaking of dreams, it has a bit of that American dream (remember that?) attached to its pages still, you know the one so many think is dead now? Well it’s not dead, we still have dreams but they’ve changed a bit to fit the times and will continue to evolve as we move forward.

Sunset, at least to me, keeps the new American dream alive and well — I can’t describe how exactly, it’s more of a feeling I have when I read the articles. It feels authentic, it’s not pretentious, what they feature seems within reach and tied in to our dreams and values. The vibe is genuine and down-to-earth and I like that about Sunset. I think that, as a culture, that’s what we’re all getting back to a bit, don’t you? A yearning to make connections with others and to form lasting friendships, a focus on old-fashion values, making things ourselves, raising awareness, speaking our minds just a little bit more, building communities, taking what we have and finding pleasure in it — making it better even — without struggling to replace everything the second we tire of it. Including friendships and our home.

In fact, one such article that I particularly enjoyed, though short, was in their February ‘09 issue where San Francisco shop owner Erin Rosenow from Rosenow Floral Design was featured. She spoke about her passion for quirky and vintage-inspired design and she listed the must-have tools every aspiring floral designer should have in their work area. I felt like jumping on a plane to visit Erin and her shop to see what magic she’s making with flowers in San Francisco, I imagine she’d talk to me for hours about arranging the perfect bouquet. She came across as quite accessible in the article and I liked that, her love came shining through, and that’s a recurring theme I’m finding in the articles over at Sunset. There’s passion behind each issue and it shows.

Any other Sunset readers out there? What do you think of the magazine as a whole? Do you find inspiration there? Like it? Not like it? A little in between?

(images: rosenow florist)