A Haiku for Roses

Our son and his bride's wedding flowers came to our home to give us the final days of their beauty.  As you will see from the pictures below, their final days were in fact days of beauty, as they softly and gracefully faded away...

Their beauty made me think of the beauty in aging, and of haikus.

Here's a description of a haiku, from http://haiku-poems.50webs.com/nature-haiku-poems.htm:

If you follow Chinese and Haiku poems, then you believe that poetry is in the unity of a person and Nature. Thus, an indication, direct or indirect, of the season is an essential requirement of haiku.  Also, a haiku poem should evoke human emotion, and it should be suggestive, meaning that by itself it does not contain any interpretation. The interpretation, or more than one, is provided by the reader.



Their gentle beauty against the wood and wrought iron.

  

Seeded eucaliptus, alstromeria and twigs complement the roses for texture and color.



Clustered in a rough basket...



Gracing the wedding invitation in the silver frame our son and his fiancee gave me
to commemorate their marriage. (So sweet.)



On my jewelry chest, next to some of the jewerly I wore for the rehearsal dinner
and wedding.  The amethyst pendant was a gift from grandmother many years ago.



Then...it was time to dry them, as they aged {beautifully}.

Aging Roses
A Haiku

by Zuni

Petals soft and new

Like a woman fade with time

The beauty remains.

On a silver platter, to dry individually on our china cabinet.



Gracing the wedding invitation, again joined by the alstromeria.



On our bathroom vanity...





The Queen of them all...another bathroom vanity.



Their beauty, whether new and fresh,

or showing the passing days, remains.

Waning...

Share with me how you've enjoyed the afterglow

of a child's wedding. 

The flowers?

The pictures?

The guests still visiting?

Lenox Jubilee Pearl silver frame - new

Anchor Hocking Berwick juice glasses, vintage

Martha Steward juice glasses - several years ago

I appreciate your visiting my blog and love your comments. 

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 Courtney’s, Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

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 Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com



Thanksgiving Dress Rehearsal

I haven't done a tablescape for a few weeks; afterall, we did have a wedding to prepare for--and happily.  But amazingly, I've missed my tablescape blogging friends, and since I'm new to blogging I have now realized that there are different friends for different types of posts.  I'll get this all figured out soon, I hope.  :)

I've done quite a bit with fall now, so I wanted to do something a little different.  I decided I wanted to do a fall table, but using my blue and white floral Spode...something that I could maybe use for our Thanksgiving table.  Hmmmm.  I usually think of blue and white as a cool, summer setting, or perhaps a winter one, but fall?  I really had to think on that one. 

Then it came to me--add brown.  Not orange (I'm kind of OD'd on orange right now).  I envisioned small twig pumpkins for each placesetting, but how many stores would I have to hit before I found them (I did hit 2--nothing of the sort).  So "shopping" at home was the next best thing, and here's the end result.

My first challenge was the table cover/linens, because I wanted the warmth of textile.
My pashmina/silk shawl, in blues and browns and golds fit the bill.
For the real Thanksgiving dinner I think I'll use a neutral tablecloth, and use the shawl as
an additional layer.

Because the shawl has gold in it too, I wanted to work with golds instead of silver...
and it just so happens that my dear grandmother gave me a set of gold flatware
years ago.  It was starting to come together.
I used our Lenox Eternal dinner plates as chargers, only to bring the touch of gold and
additional dimension.
Blue & white dishes:  Spode Delamere
Brown turkey plates:  Royal Stafford
Water goblets:  Pottery Barn, many years ago
Wine stems:  Pristine by Reizart/Gorham

Amazingly, my shawl has blue accents...perfect for the dishes.
Isn't it awesome how things sometimes just come together?
We might not know where we're headed with a tablescape, and it slowly begins
to evolve as we shop the house.  FUN.

More accessories falling into place...
The acanthus leaf centerpiece from my mother years ago, snippets of brown leaves
from the fall decorating bins, and candles and crystals from
our son's recent wedding.
Repurposing!

Remember Bombay Company? Much of my blue and white is from there...still miss that store.
The beautiful paperweight was a gift from our DIL's uncle--handmade by him!  What a beautiful piece!

Rumpled linen napkins (Crate & Barrel) to match the rumpled shawl.

See who's watching all the goings on??  Jack-o-lanterns!  They're making sure
I don't forget THEIR holiday and go directly to Thanksgiving!

Daytime...Chance to see what the REAL table will look like.

So tell me...will you be serving Thanksgiving at your house?

Do you know how you're going to set your table?  I'm glad to have my table setting

"issues" resolved!  But I'm wondering about the candles.  Do you light candles

during daylight meals?  And if no, do you still have them on the table?

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I'm joining these fabulous parties this week, and I hope you will too.

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Fall Wreaths

My "wreaths," for a variety of reasons, aren't wreaths in the traditional sense...they aren't "firm," if you know what I mean.  They are made from garlands, which has worked great for me.

Our storm door doesn't allow enough clearance for a traditional ("firm") wreath, so I've used a beautiful garland that is less bulky instead.  Another bonus is that the garlands out there allow for endless possibilities for already-decorated "wreaths"!

I added the mesh ribbon for additional decoration and to hang it.

I also needed something next to the door, to add additional interest, but again, a traditional wreath wouldn't work, so I created one of sorts with another garland around the ligth fixture.  It's worked well, because I can shape it to create a loose effect rather than the structured circle.

This "wreath" looks very pretty at night when the light is on...the leaves seem to glow, so they add interest
in the daytime and night too.

In the backyard, I created another "wreath" to lay across our old hand plow, and added a pretty sunflower/berry "pick.  Easy as pie!
(Well, easier than pie; pies aren't easy for me. :)  )

What decorating solutions have you come up with when you're dealing with storm doors?

I'm joining http://www.didsomeonesaypartysite.com/2011/10/craft-party-october.html 's October wreath party.  I hope you'll visit lots of us who are there!

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Hanging Votives Tutorial

I wanted our son and his fiancee to have hanging votives in the large arrangements for their wedding.  Rather than looking to buy them, I thought I'd make them myself.  It wasn't hard to do, but it took some time.

(Post update:  As you read this tutorial, think beyond weddings and backyards, as Bill, from Affordable Accoutrements (http://affordableaccoutrements.blogspot.com/) did.  He envisioned these in a Christmas tree!  What a great idea!  So these votives could be made simply with ribbon instead of wire, and they could be filled with a variety of things, where the battery-operated candles can be nestled.  Or how about candy?  Or shredded paper?  Or tinsel?  Or Canadian Hemlock pinecones?  Or dried rose hips?  Or....  now we're ALL thinkin'!  Thank you, Bill!  Your ideas are always wonderful!)

Here's how to make them:

These are the supplies you'll need:
Needle-nose pliers
Scissors
22-gauge wire
Votive cups
Decorative wire or other trim
I already had these two styles of votive cups.  I thought the
"flower pot" one would be easier to work with, but I really wanted
to use the one that looks like a cloche because it's more formal.
I saw both styles at Hobby Lobby recently.

22-gauge wire worked very well.  I bought it at Jo-Ann, and found a huge array
of colors, so you can choose which one will work best for your project.
I used a silvery/pewtery color that I blended well with the twigs.



I bought this beautiful wire (and many other varieties) at Pier 1 several years ago.
As I made the votives I remembered them, and was thrilled when I
found this one--hearts and pearls!



You'll wrap the wire around the votive at least three times, pushing it down
(toward the top of the votive) as far as possible.  Wrap the loose ends
around the rest of the wire and trim remaining wire.



Measure the length you'll need for the drop you want, and add two inches, so you
have enough to wrap around the circle you've already created around the votive.
Do that on both sides, making sure they are equally spaced.



The wire will be loose, so you'll need to be careful that the cup doesn't fall out, but
once you hang them they will be fine.



Work the deocrative wire or ribbon (ONLY IF YOU ARE USING BATTERY-OPERATED "CANDLES"!)
around the hang wire, twisting it in a few spots to keep it in place.



And there you have them!  I recommend battery-operated "candles" because they are safer,
even around the twigs.

Have you used hanging votives before?  Where have you used them?  My next project is to make them using pretty jars to hang from our birch by our patio (next spring/summer, of course... :)  )

Since I'm new to blogging I'm not sure what linking parties there are for this type of post, so if you know of any, please let me know.

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Fall Porches

My outdoor fall decorating has been a work in progress for several weeks...I think I'm done now, just in time to shift into Halloween.  I started with the front porch, then moved to the screened porch.




Welcome to our home!
Our wreath isn't really a wreath...it's a beautiful garland that I simply shaped into a circle,
because our storm door doesn't allow enough room for an actual wreath.  It's worked great!
I added the ribbon, and DONE!






Details of the "wreath."

Another garland.  At night when the porch light is on, the leaves seem to glow.



Left of the door, this old wicker table holds an old crate full of pumpkins, lit at night to add a bit of color to the porch.

I purchased these pumpkins years ago, and I absolutely love them, because of the leaves, stems, and tendrils they have.
I tucked some mesh fabric and orange lights in to finish this vignette.

Remember I said it's been a work in progress?  This picture shows the detail and texture, but no lights yet!

Ta-dah!  Pumpkins aglow! 




This slate painted pumpkin is one of my favorites, as are the metal ones on the porch. 
The metal ones hold a candle.



Does anyone remember the grocery store A&P?  See the logo on this tin "thing"?

It's not fall until the mums are on the porch!

AND NOW FOR THE SCREENED PORCH AND BACKYARD!

We had lots of flowers from our son's wedding (that's another post), and they were
perfectly happy to be out in the cool weather. 
They were the most gorgeous roses ever.



A little corner of the screened porch.

 


Meet Wilbur...he's been around for years, and once I told my husband
Wilbur was part of the family and he was quick to tell me MY side of the family.  LOL

 


We had a casual dinner the day after the wedding for family members
visiting from out of town.  (That I gave in to paper napkins is
representative to the limited time and energy left.  :)  )
  

 


An old hand plow tucked in the landscaping also got a little dress-up for fall.
I bought it for $5 at a garage sale years and years ago...I've always been glad I did.

 


Our Knock-Out roses and hydrangeas are still holding strong here in Ohio,
as the tree in the distance acknowledges that fall is here.



This twig chair has moved from house to house to house (yes, 3 houses) with us.
I guess that could qualify it as part of MY side of the family too!

 


Happy fall to all!
Thanks for strolling around the outside of our home. 
Next time let's come in! 

 

So are you like me, that you never feel like you're done decorating and tweaking?

I've never decorated the plow before, but I saw a neighbor's and thought it was a fabulous idea that I had to steal!  Off to Hobby Lobby, right before the wedding, when I had absolutely no time

to be shopping OR decorating a plow! :)

And tell me what you think of leaving the grand ole flag out with fall decorations.  It makes me think "summer," but gosh, it's our beautiful flag!

Love to hear your comments.

I invite you to follow me...I have lots more coming!

 I'll be joining these fun parties this week and I hope you'll stop by and visit them too:

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 Motivated Monday at http://becolorful.typepad.com/  

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 Marty's Table Top Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ 

 Kim's Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/ 

 Open House Party Thursday http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

 Courtney’s Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

 Honey's Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

 Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

The Tablescaper's Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

 Homemaker on a Dime, Sunday at http://www.homemakeronadime.com/p/link-parties.html

It’s So Very Cheri, Party Time Sunday at  It's So Very Cheri

It’s So Very Cheri, monthly party at http://thediyclub.com/

Party Time @ It's So Very Cheri monthly party celebrating AUTUMN