Seasonal Decorating

We've had a cold front, and I find myself changing the look of the house. Retiring the bright colors that seemed right for summer, and looking for richer colors to complement the new season. I've removed the blue and white tablecloth. Preferring, for now, to appreciate the table's black painted finish. I get gourds from the market and candles from the closet to make a centerpiece.

I move the ferns to a window where they will get more light and debate if I should put the blue water jars in the closet for the winter.  

I look at the mantel and think about what I have that can liven it up. I check my closets and kitchen and find a pair of black jasperware bowls, that filled with colorful leaves and greenery, will add some life to the mantel, and complement the painting above it.

Do I have to buy anything?  I visit the local crafts stores and look at the silk florals, thinking about ways to fill those bowls.  I try a few arrangements, but everything is too bright and covered with glitter. I end up going home and using what I already have.

I’m looking at the rest of the house with a critical eye, wondering what I can do to freshen it up a little. Change the bedspread? Put candles in the library?

These changes are not necessary. They are grace notes, a way of acknowledging the changing seasons and stretching my creative muscles a little.

Do you do seasonal (not holiday) decorating?

Proof that I am not a gardener

There has been an unassuming green bush by my garage. I thought it was an azalea. It didn't bloom when the other azaleas bloomed, but since it seemed healthy otherwise, I didn't really think about it.

Yesterday I found out why it didn't bloom with the other azaleas.



It's a gardenia.

Weekend fun video



Praising the chorus

Today is Labor Day, a day to honor the contributions of the everyday working man and woman. So what better time to write about the workhorse of the floral world: baby's breath (aka Gypsophila or soapwort).

 

Baby's breath looks like an airy bush full of teeny, tiny carnations.  It is often used as "filler" to bulk out a composition of more expensive flowers, like roses, and because it is inexpensive, it's gotten a reputation of being tacky; a bouquet with a lot of baby's breath is a way of saying "I'm cheap".

 

But that is like saying only the stars of the movie matter. If the supporting actors, CGI, makeup artists, etc. aren't there, who do the stars interact with? What shows the stars off and gives depth to the composition?  People may go to a movie to see the star, but it's the supporting cast that allows the star to shine.

 

I have a love of "filler flowers" The overlooked, the workhorses. They are easy to find, they work with any color scheme,  and if you let them, they shine all on their own.

 

Seriously, who wouldn't love an airy cloud of white blossoms on their dinner table?  

 



Happy Labor Day everybody.