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Soft-Petaling Romance

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 8, 2008

They've been whispering our sweet nothings for centuries.

"I'm near psychotic with passion," says the fiery red rose.

"I'm mad with desire," says the orange.

"I'm super sympathetic," murmurs the pink.

OK, maybe not every rose says love -- you'll want to watch out for those black ones, too - but they, more than any other flower, speak of romance. The marriage of all that is beautiful in nature with the bond of love, given one person to another.

Even botanists have declared the rose a perfect flower, a scientific pronouncement based wholly upon its sex parts.

Roses can soften a home as well as a heart. From the cottage charm of shabby chic to art that borrows from the distinctive five-petal pattern, their blooms never fade from style.

This Valentine's Day, if you're swept away by a moment of starry-eyed lightheadedness, treat yourself to a rose.

Penny Carnathan

Bask In The Afterglow

Dainty and hopelessly romantic, this glass Maura Daniel Couture Collection lamp comes from Victoria Rose Cottage Inc., a virtual shopping mall of Internet sites that sell beautiful rose- and Victorian-inspired home decor and graphics. Scrapbookers love the old postcards, sold as e-images for about $2 each (buy once; print however many you want).

Victoria Frazer of Trinity founded the business, carrying on the passions shared by her late grandmother and mother. Many of her graphics come from collections they amassed over decades.

The 18-inch-high Maura Daniel lamp, with a delicate raised rose in the center, is also available in sage or blue and the shade in pink. Lamp and shade cost $197 plus shipping. Try it with a pink incandescent bulb. Ooo-la-la.

Go to victoriarosecottage.gotop100.com for links to all the sites.

Don't Tug On My Drawers!

Say it subtly with ceramic rose-blossom knobs. They come in six colors, from soft linen to eye-catching aqua, and cost $6 each at Anthropologie, 705 S. Dakota Ave., Tampa.

In A Lather

Soap is an artist's canvas at locally owned Milagros. You'll find about 80 bold designs and rich scents that invite you to sniff deep - or take a bite. (But don't!) This one's Rosa Lopez, "named for our favorite aunt who kept the most beautiful rose gardens in the West."

Sold across the country under the label Sister Agnes Soaps, the soaps are all made by hand right here, at two shops owned by Teresa West. They're glycerin-based - no animal byproducts - and sell for $8 per half-pound bar.

Watch the soapmakers at work and browse the unusual Mexican decor items at 1603 W. Snow Circle in Hyde Park Village, Tampa, and 1104 Central Ave., St. Petersburg.

A Yard Full Of Roses

Encourage fusion of a different sort with a rich, rose-patterned Asian brocade from Pearl River Mart of New York, pearlriver.com. Cover a pillow, a window or part of a wall. It's 70 percent rayon and 30 percent silk and costs $17.50 per yard.

Hook Me Up

Only the price tag says this rustic metal wall - or garden - art didn't come from a Monday shopping spree in Webster. The rust is definitely genuine. Les Rosiers is about 32 inches wide, weighs about 5 pounds and has five utilitarian hooks. Made in India, it sells for $148 at Anthropologie, 705 S. Dakota Ave., in Hyde Park Village, Tampa.

Love Thyself

Being alone at the moment is no excuse for failing to indulge in a spot of romance. Stop in at the gift shop in the Henry B. Plant Museum and ask for Tea for One, a tiny teapot, cup and saucer set new from Andrea by Sadek. It's $22.99. The Eloise Pink pattern is also available in a dessert plate ($9.99) or cup and saucer ($12.99.)

The shop is at the University of Tampa (the former Tampa Bay Hotel), 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa.

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