Year in Review: 2012-2013

As I mentioned in the last post, it's been a busy two years. I thought I'd post some pics of the few times I decorated (and remembered to take photographic evidence).

Christmas 2012
I took two pine garlands and one mixed greens garland all from Lowe's (they were on huge sale Black Friday) and combined them for thickness. I also added some magnolia from the woods and some greenery from our tree to make a very fragrant and natural garland for the staircase.

Our annual Christmas Eve luminarias and candles in the window. I believe I've mentioned this before, but the local Ronald McDonald House sells packages of luminarias as a fundraiser each year and we always buy several packs. It's a beautiful look and a great way to raise money.

Independence Day 2013
I don't have a flag pole, but did make use of festive bunting. I also found some beautiful hibiscus trees at Sam's Club. They are still doing well though they decided they like the backyard a little better. I finally got the little leaner to stand up straight too.

As you can see, it was not a year of a lot of photography. Perhaps I can post some before and after pics of the house. There has been a lot of landscaping and painting going on since May 2012...

Happy Halloween and Welcome Back!

It's been some time since I've updated this blog, finishing grad school, starting a "real job", moving, and other life have gotten in the way. Fall is in the air though so I was in the mood to decorate and to update the blog.

The foyer has a simple, but welcoming greeting. I've been looking all summer and fall for my favorite Yankee candle flavor, Farmer's Market and finally found it at our local Hallmark yesterday. I probably should have bought them all, as they only had three.

 

The new house was built in the 1940's (the old one was built in the late 70's) so there is great detailing everywhere. The living room mantel is one example of the detailing. I spent one late summer night last year painting the fan detail with a tee-niny paint brush, but it was worth it. The good news is I can neglect dusting for a month and people will think the dust is intentional :-).

 

The neighbor's sweet cat likes our front porch because of the sun, she kindly posed for a Halloweeny picture.

Happy Halloween!

Fall is Here

It has been a busy summer so I haven't done much in the way of arranging until recently. It was time for a new arrangement for church and a wreath for the door at home.

I just created one arrangement because the stage area gets a lot of use in the fall with our fall fest and the children beginning to practice for the Christmas program. Luckily this arrangement only looks heavy. I used a mix of dried and artificial flowers in this piece. The eucalyptus, seed pods, yarrow, and cat tails are all dried. The mums, dahlias, artichokes, and leaves are artificial. The container is a barrel, which I think is fun for fall. 

Our church is hosting the area presbytery meeting this month so I was asked to make an arrangement for the foyer too. I found this great large cornucopia at the pottery several weeks ago and just had to have it. I decided this was the perfect use for it. I created some asymmetry with an arrangement containing a cream rose, a pomegranate, a seed pod, an artichoke, an ornamental cabbage, some leaves, and wheat.

I had three more pomegranates and some chinese lantern flowers that I removed from their branches. I placed these items in a glass bowl. I love these colors!

After the fun at church, I was in the mood to make something for the house. I used the rest of my wheat and some red and orange grass. I added a curled bit of bamboo for interest on the right side of the wreath. I used a greenery base. This picture was taken with my phone so it's a little fuzzy.

Happy Fall!

Recycled Flowers

Both the Palm Sunday and Easter flower arrangements were only used one day, but the flowers lasted much longer. I recycled the flowers into 5 new arrangements. First the Palm Sunday recycled arrangements...

 I placed the alstromeria, gypsophila and palm in a milk glass epergne that was my mother's mother's. The epergne made the flowers appear rounded without having to use oasis.

 I simply placed the pussy willows in a tall slim vase with clear gems in the base. Hopefully the branches will root so that we can plan them in the yard.

 Now for the Easter recycling...I placed the roses in a red vase with some eucalyptus and baker fern. The flash obscures the vase a bit, but the color combination is lovely.

 To recycle the tulips, I lined a square vase with tulip leaves and placed a small brick of oasis in the center. This held the tulips better than simply letting them droop on their own. The leaves hid the oasis floral foam.

 I had two tulips left, so I placed them in a hobnail milk glass vase that is one of my mother's favorites. I added some baker fern, eucalyptus, and a sprig of pink-tipped dogwood from the yard. The top two I will take to work, but mummykins gets the hobnail vase arrangement.

Holy Week Flowers

We use artificial flowers at our church normally, but I like to use live when I can on the "high holy days". For the two Sundays in Holy Week I made the following arrangements.

For Palm Sunday I used two new bell bottomed vases that I found on sale at Target. (I actually bought all 3 off the shelf.) I used pink and candy cane alstroemeria, baby's breath (gypsophila), pussy willow, and palm branches. The children sang an offertory song waving palm branches, I was able to incorporate some of the extra in the arrangement.

For Easter Sunday I used cream roses with pink tinged edges, yellow tulips, purple iris, eucalyptus, and baker fern in two large urns. My sweet mother helped me with the arrangements. The idea was to look like spring bursting forth.

I also placed several lilies in pots on the stage and in the foyer. It isn't Easter without lilies!

Spring Has Sprung

Other areas of the US may still be cold and dreary, but we are bursting forth with warm weather, budding trees, and I even saw some mosquitos yesterday. The mosquitos can stay away, but everything else is very welcome! To celebrate spring, we decorated the house with some spring decor.

First comes the table linen that my exchange student friend Verena brought to our family when I was 16. We pull it out every Easter. It has such beautiful details!

This year on the mantle I decided to do something a little different. I decided to use easter grass as a decoration by itself instead of a filler. I like the way it turned out.

Next came the bunny explosion. Bunnies on the shelf, in the foyer, and on the bar. I love the one on the bar. It's a dish that I bought at Starbucks several years ago. He looks like he is swimming in jelly beans.

There was also an egg explosion. Marble eggs on the mantle, a large painted egg on the landing (my sister-in-law is the talented artist), and a lovely wreath from Pier 1.

I think it is safe to say, that this house is ready for spring and the Easter Bunny!

Lori's Bridal Shower

Yesterday, I helped a friend throw a bridal shower for one of our friends. She's getting married in April on the beach. She's a casual, fun girl so we had a casual fun shower with a nod to the beach. Her colors are malibu blue and yellow. Instead of flowers, I used wheat in sand-filled cylinders to mimic the sea oats that grow on the dunes of our beaches.

Kiera, (who also threw the shower) got this great idea from pinterest. I love the heart idea and the fact that these veggies with ranch are served in glass tea light holders. It's a great way to reuse something you already have instead of finding storage for tea light holders, then buying tasting dishes and trying to find storage for those as well.

I used another wheat sand cylinder at the beverage station and a teal beverage tub for ice. We wanted a fun casual, beachy theme without beating the beach theme to death.

Here are the design elements before I took them to the shower.

This is my favorite one because of the beautiful sand dollar. My brother brought it back from Hilton Head

It was so much fun! I can't wait for the wedding!