Easy Easter Arrangement

 

 If you're looking for a simple and super cute Easter arrangement, look no further.

I've just returned home from a very inspiring gardening symposium and luncheon.  On the registration table was the arrangement pictured above.  

 

 I took 2 quick pictures so I would remember how it was done.  As I was driving home I was thinking maybe some of you might be interested in this idea too.  I plan to make one to set on my kitchen island for Easter.  This is where we all congregate to eat appetizers and visit.  I thought this would be a cheerful addition.

To accomplish this look you will need:

a clear cylinder shaped vase

a thinner cylinder shaped vase (to fit inside & hold flowers)

mini marshmallows

Peeps

flowers

Make sure there is enough room between the two cylinders to fit the Peeps in.  Fill the center cylinder with water and flowers of your choice (they used daffodils, gerbera daisies and forsythia).

For this arrangement, they had a layer of mini marshmallows on the bottom, then a row of yellow Peeps, a row of blue Peeps, another row of yellow Peeps and another layer of mini marshmallows on top.   

 

So there you have it... a bit of Easter inspiration for you.

The speaker at the symposium was James Farmer.

He is a young gardener, author, floral designer, cook and garden to table lifestyle expert.  He is also an editor-at-large for Southern Living magazine.  

He inspired us with photos of his amazing landscape and floral work while entertaining us with stories of growing up on a farm in Georgia and attending college at Auburn.

When I made reservations for the symposium I discovered that he has a blog called All Things Farmer.   He shares all kinds of fun things over there... even his sweet tea recipe.  

Now, I need to get busy decorating my house for Easter.

It sure is coming up fast this year.

Wasn't it just Christmas?? 

 

 

A Fun and Unexpected Package

A couple of weeks ago I received an e-mail from a reader telling me she had something she'd like to mail to me.   She explained that she is an Assistant Director of a library (pictured above, isn't it lovely?)  While she doesn't have a blog of her own, she enjoys blog reading.  She signed her e-mail Diane, The Library Lady.

  When her package arrived, my husband and I had so much fun looking through the cute and clever items she had sent.  It seems in one bag I have received the solution to losing "all" of my marbles, pretty pencils that change colors according to heat or cold, a P.U.S.H button (PrayUntilSomethingHappens), a Sponge Survival kit, A Good Egg, note cards and more.

I must say I was particularly intrigued by this one.

Can you guess what it is?

 A coin purse made from a Half & Half carton.

I use Half & Half every morning, but have never once thought to use the carton in such a creative manner.  Diane told me that she makes these to give to the kids along with their first library card.  How cute is that?  In fact she said that all of these clever little gifts are things she makes to give to her library patrons when she thinks they could use some uplifting or to let them know she is thinking of them.  

 I like the motto on the calendar from Diane's library.

It seems to me they are going the extra mile to make the kids happy and inspired to read forever.  

  I stopped in at our local library yesterday and came home with a few books.  Despite the fact that I'm nearly done with one book, I started one of my library books last night and sat up til nearly midnight reading it.  I can relate to the poem on the bookmarks Diane sent.  Can you?

 

In the bottom of the box I discovered one more gift.

An adorable vintage planter.  I guess it's no secret that I have a fondness for these and this one really makes me smile :).  The colors fit in perfectly and that little duck is such a cutie.

 He's happy in his new home on my kitchen desk.

I'm going to use him to hold pens and pencils which will come in handy as I write up menus and grocery lists.

 I've got my tea cup ready to go because next time I'm sitting at the desk and the clock strikes half past three ...

 I'll be ready (thanks to Diane the Library Lady).

Thank you for your thoughtful gift Diane.

Although we have not met, I know that you are an asset to your library and a blessing to your library patrons.

 

A Breath of Springtime Comes to the Bookcase

As color slowly begins to re-appear outside my window,

 I was inspired to take a tip from nature and add a little pop of color to the bookcases.  

 First I went searching in the nooks and crannies of my house for a few daffodil related items.  The little gardening fork is actually a Christmas ornament I found in the (well picked over) clearance bin at Kohl's. 

I pulled out some of my yellow pottery pieces and a few wee birdies, which remind me of my new alarm clock ... the cheerful chorus of the spring songbirds.

 As I sit here typing this morning I can hear the furnace running and one bird outside the window singing his little heart out.  It won't be long until the mating game will commence and new little bird families will pop up here, there and everywhere.  Aaah, sweet springtime... a time for new life in so many forms.

 A blue leaf?

Sure, why not :).

On a recent thrifting adventure I came across this oil painting and was debating the tacky vs. charming issue.  My sister-in-law came over to see what I was looking at and exclaimed "oh my gosh, it's you!"  Ha Ha.  Okay, that takes care of that decision.

I liked the pop of pink in the painting so I went searching for some pink to add to the mix.

 

 Just my little way of bringing a breath of springtime inside the house on this late winter day.

 

A Rosy Morning

~ Good Morning Friends ~

Today I am offering a rose to you.

If you're ready to be done with winter and move into spring, but the weatherman has other ideas ... hang in there.  It won't be long until we will be smelling the roses once again.

While cleaning up my photo files  I came across this photo taken at a local garden walk two years ago.  I was instantly transported back to that beautiful rose garden.  It made me so excited for the upcoming gardening season and all of the potential it holds.

If you've never been on a garden walk, I'd like to encourage you to find one and go.  It's so inspiring to see the creative ways that people bring beauty to their little corner of our world.  Not only that, the gardeners are usually milling about and so willing to share information.

 In my last post I took you along on a wintry walk through my neighborhood.  

Today the snow is long gone, the sky is blue, the temperatures are heading into the mid 60s and the daffodils are popping up everywhere.  I was compelled to snip a few to place in a vase I found at the thrift shop several months ago.  

The excitement of Spring is in the air ... I can feel it.

   

Like a bear coming out of hibernation I can feel my winter lethargy slipping away.  This morning I could hardly wait to get out of bed and plan my day.  It will include plenty of time outdoors.  Our rainy day yesterday has made the conditions ideal for weed pulling and there is a little doggy around here who's always up for a walk.

This morning as I was standing at the window with my cup of coffee in hand I had one of those "I'm turning into my mother" moments.  Ever had one of those?

My mom was an early riser and often started her day at the window with coffee in hand.  I think it was her way of enjoying the peace that comes in the morning before anybody else is up and also the beauty of her garden.  She would stand there in her bathrobe sipping her coffee and appreciating the moment.  

As I was reminded of my mom's little morning ritual I also remembered that today would have been her 89th birthday.

   It seemed a fitting way to start the day.  She may not be here to share a cup of coffee with, but I somehow think we did share that cup of coffee.

~ Always remember to take time to smell the roses ~

A Winter Walk

 

Good thing I brought that daffodil into the house yesterday.

I'd have a hard time finding one to cut today.

 We had a little blizzard down south :)...

complete with a power outage!!

 We couldn't resist this chance to bundle up and head out for a winter walk.

   Everything in the neighborhood was covered in a frosty layer of sparkly white snow, except the streets and sidewalks.  They were clear which made for easy walking and, best of all, no shoveling.

 Christmas cards came to mind as I was walking.

Yesterday it was warm enough to have lunch on the patio.

Hmmm.... what a difference a day makes.

   We returned home right after the power was restored.

How's that for good timing?

 This may be the only snow day we see this winter and I intend to enjoy it to the fullest.  This evening's plans include curling up in front of the fireplace with a mug of hot spiced cider and a good book.

 My sister-in-law is a huge fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder and recently loaned this book to me.  She said I needed to read it on a cold snowy day.  I've been waiting and waiting and it looks like today's the day.  Somehow I never got into the Little House on the Prairie books when I was younger.  Did you?  If so do you have a favorite?  My sister-in-law has them all just waiting to be borrowed.  Your suggestions will be appreciated.

Signs of Spring and Simple Flower Arranging

 Glancing out the window this morning I noticed this tree bursting with buds just starting to unfurl.  The beauty of the pink against the clear blue of the sky made me anxious to step outside and take a stroll through the garden.

It didn't take long to spot this plump hyacinth bud pushing it's way out of the earth toward the sunlight.

I was surprised to see that one of the hyacinths had already bloomed, although it looks a bit bedraggled.  Do you see what's peeking out from beyond the hyacinth?

 Sure enough . . .

a daffy down dilly.

In fact there are a few clusters of them popping up in the garden.

This is the time of year that I always wonder why I didn't plant more of them last fall.  

They are feeling a bit shy today and casting their pretty faces toward the ground.  I was nearly laying on the ground to take these pictures.  The lengths we bloggers go to for the cause ;- ) .

 I brought one daffodil and a few leaves inside to try a simple flower arrangement I'd recently seen in a magazine.

 I loosely wrapped the leaves around my hand and then pushed them into the bottom of a clear cube shaped vase (the magazine featured a clear round vase, but I didn't have one).

 Slowly added water about 2/3 full.

 After removing the flower from the stem, I set the flower into the water.

See, I told you, s.i.m.p.l.e.

The magazine article said it would only last a couple of days.

So while it lasts we will be enjoying this touch of spring in the powder room.

Wishing you simple pleasures this weekend.

  

Joining in on Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day at May Dreams Gardens.

 

 

Stuff

 Last night I was channel surfing and came across a show which I think was called Hoarders.  As I continued to click I came across another show which was called Hoarders - Buried Alive.  This one I have seen before.  Sometimes I like to watch it as it gives me the urge to de-clutter, but at other times I find it entirely too sad to watch.  Last night I continued surfing right on by and finally settled on American Pickers.

 Recently I have been asked by a few different people if I watch this show.  Until now I've had to admit that I never have, so I thought I'd see what it was all about.

In last night's episode the hosts visited two different people who had barns full of stuff.  Many, many years of stuff.  One lady said that her children called it her "creeping crud" and they hoped it was gone before she was.  She giggled as she told this story.

 

 The next barn full of stuff belonged to a man who had stuff in there that went all the way back to his great grandfather... or was it his grandfather?  Either way it was a lot of stuff.  A lot of old stuff with some interesting history that went along with it.  I must admit I enjoyed learning the history behind some of this stuff and I also enjoyed watching the hosts strike up the deals with the owner's of the stuff.  

 The lady with the "creeping crud" stated that she had probably been collecting since 1968.  As she opened her second barn door (which was filled to the rafters), she said when she was buying one or two things a week it didn't seem like that much.

 

This made me think about my own habit of stopping into the thrift shop on a fairly regular basis.  In fact, my sister-in-law and I both enjoy getting together to visit the thrift shops followed by going out to lunch and, of course, preceded by a thorough hand washing. ;-).

We are pretty selective about what we buy.  I tend to go for the vintage gardeny type things and the vintage Christmasy things and, oh yes, vintage children's books and, of course if I see vintage linens....

Occasionally we wonder if maybe we really do have hoarding tendencies.     I laugh out loud when my sister-in-law wonders about this as I have never been in a more clean and organized home than hers.  A place for everything and everything in it's place.

 As for my own home, I try to work my thrifty finds into some type of order and periodically haul what I no longer want back to the thrift shop.  Green living at it's best, IMHO.  Keeping things out of the landfill and trying my best not to amass my own barn full of "creeping crud".  Someday the kids will thank me.