Mushroom Inspiration

I was out walking in the pasture one day this week and noticed something under the beautiful Deodor Cedar tree that caught my eye.  When I got up to the tree this is what I saw.

They stood so grand in the shadows.  They took me to a place of make believe.....fairies and elves, woodland creatures and soft cool places.  I don't know what it is about mushrooms that conjure up these images for me.  Maybe it's because of where they grow, maybe because they are so interesting looking.  Maybe it's because I just finished watching The Hobbit with my son...lol.

Not only did these beautiful little mushrooms (well, actually quite large mushrooms), cause me to daydream, they inspired a new arrangement idea.  I love how nature inspires and connects me with interesting ideas.

So, this is what I did.  I purchased a package of Sculpey clay from Hobby Lobby and made two mushrooms to use in my arrangement.  I shaped the clay and baked per the directions on the package.  I then washed them in watered-down acrylic paint.

This is where you can be creative. After letting the paint wash over the clay I added white polka dots with the end of my paintbrush. 

Next, I dug up some beautiful moss from under a tree. You can keep this moss in your arrangement for about a week.  Just mist daily with water...then put right back under the tree where it came from.

Here's the arrangement.  I found a quiet, little spot on a small secretary beside a reading chair.  I used a clear bowl so I could see and enjoy the moss.

I hope you have a very nice weekend.  Get out there, take a walk, and get inspired.  

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No Minimalist Here 
French Country Cottage 
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating 
Common Ground 
A Peek Into My Paradise 
My Romantic Home 
Funky Junk Interiors 
Fishtale Cottage 
Crafts a la Mode 
Craftberry Bush 
The Gunny Sack 
Worthing Court 
The Tablescaper 
Nifty Thrifty Things 
Sunny Simple Life 
That DIY Showoff 
Twigg Studios 
A Cultivated Nest 
Dwellings 
Boogieboard Cottage 
The Dedicated House 
Uncommon Designs 
Between Naps on the Porch 
A Stroll Thru Life 
Coastal Charm 
Lolly Jane
The Gunny Sack 
The Shabby Creek Cottage 
A Delightsome Life 
No Minimalist Here 
Lamberts Lately 

Arranging Saturday - Suitcases not just for Clothes

Arranging Saturdays - Suitcases

I can't believe it's already Saturday.  What a beautiful week we have had...sunny, warm temps, and a chance to pick a few more flowers to do arrangements with.

I love to collect old suitcases and I have a few on top of my bookcases in our den.  At Christmas, I put evergreens in these and let them spill out over the edge.  So, I got an idea to do the same with flowers.  This time I used a small wooden box on top of the suitcases.

I chose to use the beautiful, crisp, white azaleas.  They are in full bloom right now in our front yard and are so pretty.  

I filled a small plastic tub with water to sit inside the opened box and wadded up a bunch a wire to use as my flower frog to hold the flowers in place and to keep them from tumbling out.

Make sure if you use wire like this to make it a little larger than the container so it can fit tightly and not pull out with the weight of the flowers.  Also use a heavy gauge wire.

I think the white flowers against the white walls are subtle and draw your eye up to the top of the bookcases.

I may have to try and keep fresh flowers up there more often.  This sits directly across the room from my reading chair and gives me a pretty view.

I hope you have an inspired weekend, a relaxing Sunday, and hope to see you on Monday. 

I'm Linking to:

Six Sisters Stuff 
Fishtale Cottages 
Funky Junk Interiors 
The Tablescaper 
By Stephanie Lynn - Under the Table 
Nifty Thrifty Things 
Dwellings - The Heart of your Home 
The Dedicated House 
Boogieboard Cottage 
Coastal Charm 
A Stroll Thru Life 
Cozy Little House 
The Rustic Pig 
Knick of Time 

Church Flowers

Arranging Saturdays

This past Sunday at church my mother put a beautiful flower arrangement on the alter.  A friend of hers Kathy, had some Babies Breath and Yoshino Cherry Trees in her yard and let mom pick some to use in her arrangement.  I thought today I would share this with you on Arranging Saturdays.

I love the galvanized vase they were in because I love all things galvanized.   Look at the pretty details on it.

The Yoshino Cherry tree is the most popular and flowering cherry planted worldwide and I can see why.  They are beautiful.  It flowers in early Spring and grows quickly.   There is also one that has white blossoms.

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clemson.edu

Babies breath is a perennial that can grow up to 4 feet tall.  This is such a versatile flower and can be dried fairly easily.  I will sometimes keep the Babies Breath out of a flower arrangement someone gives me to dry and use in something else.

I love how babies breath is used in these photos.  Great inspiration.

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weddingwindow

I think I'll plant some Babies Breath in my yard.  It is so delicate and pretty.  Thank you mom for sharing your arrangement with us today and what a great job you did.

I'm Linking to:

Six Sisters Stuff 

Fishtail Cottage

Dwellings- The Heart of the Home 

The Tablescaper

The Rustic Pig

A Stroll Thru Life 

A Delightsome Life 

French Country Cottage

Savvy Southern Style 

Knick of Time Interiors

The Shabby Creek Cottage 

Nifty Thrifty Things

The Dedicated House 

Ajuga Baby

Arranging Saturdays

Ajuga What?  I call them Ajuga babies because the little purple flowers on this plant are so tiny but make a big impression in your yard and in a tiny arrangement.

These flowers are prolific and last a really long time both in your garden and in a vase.  I've had mine in the vase for over 10 days.  Aren't these pretty in the garden?

I have both a dark green leaf variety and a variegated one.  Because there are so many flowers on this, picking a handful is easy.

I decided to use this little, bright yellow, flower vase I found at Miracle Hill.  It added a little sunshine.

After picking these little beauties, I sat them on the old swing out it in yard.  I thought it was sweet looking there.

I brought them in and put it on the desk in our library.  I love how it looks with the small twig ball and tiny snail on the metal cookie stand.

Happy Arranging Saturday. 

I'm Linking to

Season Sundays @ The Tablescaper

Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House

Six Sisters Stuff

Between Naps on the Porch

Fishtail Cottage

   

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Turnip Bean

Arranging Saturdays - Turnip Bean

Turnip Bean you ask?  Well yes.  Remember the beautiful yellow flowers growing from the turnip greens planted in the garden?  When the flowers were spent and fell off, the entire plant was covered with little tiny beans.  Yes, little beans.

Turnip green flower

Turnip green Bean after flowers have fallen off.

We had some very good friends over last night that we'd not seen in a long time. We sampled a little cheese and enjoyed a nice bottle of wine.  I always like to show you the wine we have because my husband is a wine connoisseur and chooses wonderful wines for us to have and I highly recommend these.

 Our friends brought the cheese, my husband picked the wine and my contribution was to put out a fresh arrangement for us to enjoy.  I loved the look of the turnip green beans so much, I decided we didn't need flowers... just the greens.  Here's a look at what I did.

I love this little old chair I have out at the barn and it was already this beautiful teal color when I bought it.  It also has sweet details.

I am definitely not afraid to use things I find on my walks and it always makes it interesting and a topic of conversation.  I hope you all have a blessed weekend, get lots of rest and I'll see you Monday.

I'm Linking to:             A Stroll Through Life