Aspiring Artistry

Box it Up

I'm constantly inspired by floral arrangments that I see at other people's homes, at restaurants, and in the plethora of catalogs that arrive, especially around the holidays, full of lush gift baskets and beautiful florals.

For years, I've loved the arrangments I've seen in the Olive & Cocoa catalogs. I've never actually purchased one, but as the stack of accumulated tearsheets in my office can attest, I am inspired. I love the use of boxes as vessels, and the tight arrangement of stems and moss.

In anticipation of hosting a big dinner for 15, I knew I wanted centerpieces that were low, but striking. I knew the dinner would be slightly chaotic with lots of people, kids, talking, passing of food and drinks and didn't want the centerpieces to be in the way or have to be moved. 

I knew that this would be the time to break out that stack of tearsheets and see what I could do! Here are a few that I love:  

I've had a few wooden boxes stuffed in the basment for years, and now, after lining with some plastic and filling them with Oasis, they finally got put to use! I took my inspiration photos to the flower market with me. While they didn't have all of the specific flowers I was looking for, I found that we were able to come up with some great replacements.

While they certainly don't replicate the Olive & Cocoa arrangments, I think they are pretty fabulous!

 I used two arrangements, spaced down the middle of the table, with gold mesh fabric woven around and through. There was plenty of room for food and wine, and beautiful arrangments to look through and across, while enjoying everyone's company. They stayed fresh for quite a few days, andI thoroughly enjoyed looking at them each meal after the party!

Terrarium Love

It's well known around these parts that houseplants and I simply do not get along. Now, don't get me wrong, I love plants. And I have some serious thoughts about outdoor flower beds and gard 

ens, and some pretty big plans for my future.  But indoor plants ... blech.

I see them, those tempting indoor plants, at the garden center, I am inspired and think "Oh, that is just the perfect fern/succulent/ivy to fill that gorgeous cachepot/planter/box that I've had sitting around." 

And that's just what it does ... sit around. Without light, without water. No fail, I forget about it. 

Enter the terrarium ...

Supercute tiny plants make them appealing. I have scads of apothocary-type glass jars that I love to fill with decorative items throughout the year. And they are fairly self-sustaining ... a dribble of water now and then and they are happy as a clam.

I created three or four terrariums back in the fall, and they were flourishing at Christmastime. I kept them in the dining room, and moved them on and off the table as a centerpiece as needed. The light coming through our dining room windows is simply perfect for these creations!

This terrarium was completed before the holidays, and was full of tiny little plants that have now grown and spilled up over the edges when the top is removed. Isn't it great?

This one also has had a few months to marinate. The long fern fronds press up against the glass when closed and the other shoots are eager to emerge!

All gathered are the eleven terrariums I've finished, both back in November and more recently, with their tops removed. I can't decide whether to keep them all together in this perfect-light atmosphere, or distribute them around the house!

 

Powder Room Redo: Wallpaper?

Our first floor powder room is a nice size ... it actually used to house a toilet, claw foot tub, and small vanity. When we renovated the house (and moved our bedroom from the first floor living room to the upstairs!) the bathroom returned to it's rightful roots as a powder room. 

The cabinetry matches that of our kitchen, a beautiful dark wood with black/green granite counter, and a large arch over the vanity. It is currently painted a deep purple, and wide, white shutters cover the windows.

I'm toying with the idea of wallpapering the space, just to emphasize the coziness of it all. These beautiful papers (found via the FamilyStyle blog on Babble) by Amy Butler, one of my favorite fabric designers, caught my eye.

 Field Poppies - what great color!

The same pattern, in a more subdued color choice.

  Fountain - I love the damask-like quality of this, in a sophisticated color combo.

Georgia - Is it an old-school pattern, or a more mod interpretation? 

Last but not least, Lacework. I'm drawn to medallion patterns...I just can't help it! 

All images from Graham & Brown.

Bur-lap it Up!

I consider my design style (if I have one at all!) as fairly classic and traditional with a pinch of boho and a splash of modern thrown in for good measure. I tend to watch the trends, dream about how much I love them, but can't imagine who to fit them into my own decor (hello, spa blue and chocolate! Never figured that one out in my own house.)

With baited breath, I've been waiting for the burlap-apalooza to burn itself out, but alas, it lives on! Three or four years ago, on a trip to High Point market, we observed it everywhere, usually paired with the beachy, washed-out look. Since then, I think it's gone more mainstream, but is still typically paired with light, airy colors (which won't work in my bold-colored, purple, red, and yellow interiors).

This is one trend I could embrace wholeheartedly. I love it, for the simple color, the over the top texture, and the plain old simplicity of it. However, I'm certainly not planning to ditch my lovely silk and nailhead loveseat for it, or to pull down my gorgeous drapes to redo. So I'm searching for little ways to work it into an existing plan.

Earlier this year, I found a great printed burlap runner, of sorts. Not a typical runner, it's nicely lined and not a standard size, so I imagine it could be used as a wall hanging or in another decorative use. 

 

I like to pair it with a crisp white tablecloth, and casual-down the formal dining room using everyday dinnerware and natural woven place mats. 

Moving on to the kitchen, I wanted to insert a little burlap-feel here as well. Enter this photo (Pottery Barn, I believe) as an inspiration to add some excitement to plain-Jane chandelier shades.

Now, this chandelier is nothing like the one over our breakfast table, but the shades are the same, and I knew just where I could get some cool flat braided jute trim like those.

After doing some much-delayed additional fixes to the chandelier (extending the wiring and chain, sewing a cord cover out of basic linen, and actually hanging it centered over the table - hallelujah!), the new shades added just the right touch of rough texture.

Since runners and tableclothes are such an easy way to add a new texture to a room, I whipped up a new burlap one for this table. It's just wide enough that placemats (there they are again!) overlap it just enough.

Next up, some long pillows for the back of the bench seats. I'm contemplating using a regular bed pillow, sewn up and cut longways. The fabric might be burlap, might be light linen (like the cord cover), or perhaps a mix of both. Ahhh, I do have some of that jute trim left ....  

 

Sunprint Experimenting

As a photography buff, I've always loved making sunprints. And now with the total takeover of digital photography, I enjoy taking the process back to the most basic: light, shadow, image, exposure, development.

I found this stack of small (3x3) sunprints that I made last year and tucked away in a book. I wonder what else I might find if I start going through the bookshelves?

 

I imagine these would make really lovely prints, if enlarged and framed properly. I've certainly seen such artwork sold by mass-market publishers, but why buy those when it's so easy to make your own?

Or perhaps enlarged and printed straight on canvas? The texture of that might be a nice contrast to the print.

Or tweak the settings in Photoshop to customize a color that works just right for your interiors.

 

How would you use prints like these in your home?

Now I'm off to open some old, heavy coffee table books and see what might be hidden inside!

Freaky House Photo Friday

Hooked on Houses is one of my favorite blogs, and this feature never disappoints. Bad MLS real estate listing photos are a house-voyeurs delight!

I've been sitting on this listing for a long time -- it won't come as a big shock that this house has been on the market for many, many months. It looks perfectly lovely from the outside, but you've got to wonder what is going on inside! And the horrid photos - what real estate agent thinks that this is acceptable?

Looking at this photo, you might not think it's so bad ...

 

A fuzzy photo, but some lovely architecture and moldings, traditional furniture. Ahhh, I see the owner is a collector.

With the next photo, it begins to get worse ...

  Oh my. What a lovely window. What an, ummmm, interesting bathtub and matching pedestal sink.

 

h my. Oh my! OH MY! Again, some lovely windows. And is that the homeowner posing on a wicker bench? Ah, no. That would be a mannequin, my friends.

Wow, check her out. The windows, again, are lovely, but it's really the model that makes me want to snap this gem up!

Check out the full listing here. Enjoy!

Loving the House You Have Now

I'll admit it. I'm in a funk.

Much of it has been the uggg-yness of winter. Coldness and darkness does not feed my creative soul. I've been having computer problems, which as kept me from uploading photos and describing to you the few projects I've been working on.

I feel a new day dawning ... the trees have beautiful, hopeful buds; the sun is shining more than it's hiding, and I'm starting to feel the desire to create! Just yesterday, I finished up a great tunic dress for my daughter, and I can't wait to share it with you.

The one funk I am having trouble getting over is home-related, and I hope someone can help. As I've written before, I have a lovely old home in a beautiful historic neighborhood. It is great in so many ways, and was a labor of love to bring it to this point. But I really, really want a backyard ... a little bit more space than we have right now (which is just minus postage-stamp sized).

We love our neighborhood, so if we want to stay here yet have a larger yard, it means a serious step up in house and lot size. And there aren't that many of them, frankly. We made a bid on a great property two and a half years ago, and we lost out. And frankly, times are different (and tighter) than they were back then, so that same type of property isn't possible for us now.

Of course, it hasn't kept me from looking, planning, and pining. And there is one house I want so badly I can taste it.

My question to you: How can I help myself find satisfaction in the home I have now? My life is good, and I realize that, but I feel love love or creativity to my home, because I'm so wistfully in love with others.

There was a great blog post and comments on this topic a few months ago, and I would love to re-read it, but I can't for the life of me remember what blog it was on. Anyone remember?

Chicken Feeders? Planters? What in the world?

So I picked these up at a local antique store recently. I was inspired by the Eddie Ross flea market mantra of snatching up what you love when you see it, I snapped these up, thinking they were really interesting.

Unfortunatly, I have no idea what they are! They're about eight inches long and maybe two inches wide, if even. They're currently living in my desk cubbies, holding office supplies, but I thought they might also look cool as planters for small paperwhite bulbs, or as a vase for some short-cut gerberas.

What in the world are they?

(Did you ever watch This Old House on PBS? They used to do a segment  where the host would present a bizarre, old tool of some sort, and the other guys would take turns guessing what it was. They always had such interesting ideas. I have a feeling that the answer to my query is simple ... and I'm just making it more complicated than necessary!)

Floral Design with Thistle

Have you ever used these flowers (I think they are thistles of a sort?) in an arrangement? 

I'll admit it, I've always skipped by them in the grocery and in the flower shop, not knowing what the heck to do with them. They're rather intimidation in appearance, but the color - that subtle purple! - just can't be ignored! (And goes quite perfect with my house.)

When I saw this picture in my online meanderings, it grabbed my attention. I filed it away for "someday," not knowing when I might feel inspired.

Photo via: Saipua  Check out their beautiful arrangements!

I appreciate the stark angle of the arrangement, high to low. I'm not a huge fan of the white box as container, so I made a different choice.

I'm not sure what the trailing flower pictured above is exactly, perhaps some sort of sedum or berry? Obviously, I just used what I found in late fall in my backyard.

I think it turned out pretty well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sweet Spot

It's a tricky spot. Everyone's got one. If you're lucky, you have dedicated container of sorts for all the stuff that accumulates.

These spots tend to be on the counter next to the stove, on a shelf above the stove, or maybe in a handy cabinet below the stove.  Most seem to have a few similar ingredients, like salt, pepper, and cooking spray, and then other ingredients based on your particular cooking style. Mine has cinnamon, red pepper, and usually a head of garlic.

When I came across this antique brass and walnut book rack at an antique sale, I knew exactly where it should live!

While it would certainly look lovely with books, it will be even more useful in the kitchen (next to the stove!) to corral all the bottles and jars.

I've set it up with a few of the things I love, knowing that soon it will be overflowing with other spices and sweets. For now, three of my favorite food-related books, a small painted horn bowl and spoon purchased on my most recent trip to Kenya, and a white sugar dish given by my mother.

Ahhhh ... beauty + organization = satisfaction.