Friday, February 14, 2014

Guest Blogger :: Fresh Flowers from Happiness Is...

Today is a very special day here on Dreams in HD.  First, of all it's Valentine's Day.  I'm not sure what we are up to {Ryan likes to keep it a surprise} but personally I am just happy to be able to spend the day with him and Yoda, and hopefully eat a little chocolate :) Secondly, I am thrilled to tell you that today's post will feature the first official guest blog post in Dreams in HD's history.  And you guys, it's a good one.  

I "met" Shannon of Happiness Is... about eight months ago and since then have developed what you might call a *total* girl crush on her.  Shannon's blog, dedicated to all things happy, has become a source of creative and personal inspiration for me since first visiting it last year.  She is an incredibly talented songwriter, singer, ukulele player, illustrator, reiki healer, painter, and all-around amazing person.  Her nostalgic movie-inspired wedding {which you can read all about here...please take five minutes watch their video, it will melt your heart} was featured by none other than MARTHA STEWART herself!  If I ever get out to Seattle Shannon is the first person I will call.  Oh, and did I mention that instead of just providing me a photo to include in this post she sent me this watercolor that she painted herself?  Yup, I told you she is amazing!  If you like her work, be sure to follow her here because she will be starting an Etsy shop later this year :) So without further adieu...

Hello lovely Dreams in HD readers! I'm Shannon of Happiness Is and I'm extremely honored to guest post on Molly's delightful blog today. Especially since it's Valentine's Day. A day you either love or hate. I'm one of those girls who milks it for what it's worth. I'm an unapologetic romantic, so bring me a dozen red roses and I'll be yours for the taking. Any extra reason to celebrate LOVE is good in my book.

I have a regular series on my blog called Get Happy, where I share some tips and tricks to boost your mood, create a positive thoughts and raise your vibration. For today's installment, I have a fun fact about those cliche dozen red roses. Flowers are beautiful, sure. But did you know they've been scientifically proven to make you happy? 

A recent study at Rutgers University found evidence that flowers induce long-term powerful positive emotion. Half of the participants were given flowers and half were given other gifts. When the two groups were compared, here's what they found...
  1. Women given a mixed floral bouquet reported more positive moods 3 days later.
  2. Daisies offered to both men and women in an elevator elicited greater social interaction.
  3. Flowers presented to elderly individuals showed improved memory.
  4. And my favorite discovery has to do with smell: Students who were asked to write an essay in a floral-scneted room, compared with those in a  neutral-scented room, wrote happier stories.

The researchers speculate it may have something to do with the co-evolution of plants and people, which can happen when two species evolve in response to changes in the other. Fascinating, right?

So if you didn't get flowers for Valentine's Day, stop by the florist on your way home from work and treat yourself to some sweet-smelling blooms. Or gift them to someone you live with and reap the benefits. I'm making a promise to myself, starting now, to swing by the local farmer's market once a week for a fresh $5 bouquet. I owe it to myself and my happiness.

Do you keep flowers in the home? Do you find that they elevate your mood?

25 comments:

  1. great message! I've never been that interested in getting flowers for valenitne's day- but maybe now I'll start- in fact, maybe I'll surprise my husband and buy him flowers! Thanks for the uplifting info!

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  2. I love flowers!!!
    May your Valentine’s
    Day be filled with love ...
    Margaret
    http://www.decordesireforbeauty.com/blog.html

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  3. As Molly knows, I love and adore flowers. I love to plant them, nurture them, smell them and pick beautiful bouquets to bring inside. When I was in the hospital, I had all my friends email me pictures of flowers, a beautiful inspiration and mood lifter. Thank you Shannon, for your uplifting post. And your lovely watercolor. That made me happy

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  4. Thanks for the intro to Shannon and her lovely blog!! I love all the positivity! Those studies sure sound right to me! Now I have an excuse for all my flower-buying habits lately! :) Happy Valentine's day to the both of you and have such a great weekend!!

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  5. OOOO beautiful watercolor. Flowers always put me in a good mood even if I buy them for myself. Happy Valentine's Day!

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  6. wow, that wedding video is amazing! i am so not surprised that it got picked up for martha stewart. super excited to dive in and read more at happiness is.


    as for flowers, i completely agree. i try to have a bouquet of flowers as often as i can. even just a tiny one, it makes my whole house feel better, which makes me feel better. and i am always dabbing on essential oils throughout the day too because i am definitely affected by lovely scents.

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  7. I love this watercolor.


    Good plan too! Why wait? Buy your own.


    I got some lovely ones today but I'm also hoping all the leftover pretty flowers will be on sale tomorrow. You can never have enough flowers.

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  8. Thank you everyone for your extra kind comments! And thank you again Molly for introducing me to your sweet and loyal readers!

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  9. Interesting study! I definitely feel the positive effect having flowers at home has on me. Now I know there might actually be a scientific explanation behind it. That's quite fascinating. I wish there were more places to get affordable flowers in my neighborhood. I still think of them as luxury. We don't have any farmers markets near by and the flowers from our grocery store usually die in a couple of days.

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  10. Love this and love her! This is beautiful. Thanks for sharing! Xo, M&K at brewedtogether.com

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  11. I love having fresh flowers but I find it tough to keep it up - this study certainly makes me want to!

    The Style Scribe

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  12. thanks for stopping by bex! i typically only buy fresh flowers when i am having a get together, but honestly they make the room so much happier that i definitely want to start getting better. and the smell...so lovely :)

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  13. i knew you would like this post! hoping someday i have gardens as pretty as yours so that i can always have fresh flowers to pick :)

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  14. thanks so much for the sweet comment jessica!
    i hope you had a lovely weekend :)

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  15. totally agree with you, flowers always brighten up the whole house :)
    hope you had a lovely valentine's day erika!

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  16. i'm so glad to have helped you find a new blog to follow christine :) and what a wonderful idea to dab on essential oils to help lift one's mood...i will definitely be trying that!

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  17. thanks juju! and i couldn't agree with you more, i love buying fresh flowers when i am at the farmers market or even the grocery {trader joes always has some great ones for less than $10}.

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  18. thank YOU shannon for the amazing post, i hope you and hal had a wonderful valentine's day :)

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  19. have you ever thought of planting your own flowers in the warmer months? i am definitely not the best one to give gardening advice {black thumb!!} but always put some in flower pots in our front porch and they honestly make me smile every time i come home :) if you are in an apartment, you could plant a few little flowers in your windowsill as well!

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  20. thanks so much for the sweet comment!
    hope you both had a lovely weekend :)

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  21. couldn't agree more, TJ's always has a great selection of flowers for such awesome prices. thanks for stopping by lori!

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  22. i definitely need to get better about it as well, thinking i will just grab a bouquet every time i am out buying groceries from now on :)

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  23. As if I need more of a reason to pick up a pretty bouquet of flowers :-)

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  24. i know, me too! from now on every time i go to the store i am going to grab some fresh flowers :)

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