Monday, February 15, 2021

Monday Morning Blooms





Monday Morning Blooms!

I'm thrilled and honored to
join my talented, flower loving friends,
Mary, Pam, and Lidy.

Shirley couldn't join this round, so the
Monday Morning Blooms Ladies 
invited me to be their guest today.
Thank you, ladies!

Valentine's Day 2021 is but a memory,
but the beautiful flowers live on.

Valentine's, the most famous flower day of the year, assured
there was no shortage of beautiful blooms to be found.
Thank you, Trader Joe's!

My husband was in graduate school the year we married.
It was the era of the "hippie" Flower People, with
inexpensive and beautiful blooms sold on street corners! 
Anyone else remember those years?

Lucky me!
My romantic husband spoiled me 
with fresh flower bouquets each week
and continues to support my love of fresh flowers.

I used chickenwire to stuff our beautiful wide-mouth 
MacKenzie-Childs Courtly Check Stoutly, 
then filled it with an arm load of long lasting blooms
 in soft colors that offered a touch of romance. 
Perfect for the month of February.

~  Hydrangea ~ Tulip ~ Carnation ~ Alstroemeria ~
~ Antique Carnation ~Wax Flower ~ Blazing Star ~
All in varying shades of white and pink.  


A smaller arrangement works best on our table.
Lately intrigued with the stacking concept of tulipieres,
I decided to stack two favorite white cachepots, 
one within the other, to use for the table centerpiece.  

 
Again, I used chickenwire to create
a flower frog within the smaller pot.

Once the smaller container was filled with a mix of 
butterfly ranunculus and hyacinths, all in pink,
 I added a touch of white blazing star. 

Then I added stems of the ranunculus to the narrow 
ring of space created by the larger piece below. 
 Not the look of a true tulipiere, but I like the end result!
You'll find some beautiful tulipiere examples on my 
Tulipieres Pinterest Board here.

I purposefully selected flowers 
that have a long vase life. 

The delicate butterfly ranunculus, one of my favorites, 
 offer a touch of glimmer with their waxy leaves, 
and the hyacinths are a nod to my blog.

After our Valentine's Dinner,
I traded out the champagne and hearts .   .   .

And invited the birds in from the cold.
We currently have snow and single digits here in Austin. 

I left the plate stack the same, but switched out the 
placemat for a creamy velvet and removed the hearts.

I filled a vintage Fritz and Floyd majolica asparagus
tea cup and saucer with a mini pink kalanchoe.
It added the perfect touch of whimsy to my plate stack.
Are you one to add a plate topper to your plate stack?

Don't have an extra cup and saucer for a pot?
Take a pretty paper cocktail napkin, and make a cone
to turn your mini potted plant into a tussie-mussie.

"Tweet, Tweet!"
I hope you enjoy fresh blooms every day!

Spread your wings and fly on over 
to the wonderful posts below.

Lidy @ French Garden House


Mary @ Home is Where the Boat Is


Pam @ Everyday Living

To quote Monet,
"I must have flowers, always and always!"

Thanks again for inviting me to share for
Monday Morning Blooms!

Joining

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Sunday, February 14, 2021

Valentine, You Make My Heart Sing



Valentine's Day 2021
No words needed!


~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~


~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~


~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~


~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~


~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~


~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~


~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~


~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~


~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~


~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~


~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~



~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~

Please join me here for
Tulips and Tea
~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~   ~ ❤️ ~
Joining
Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner Charming Homes and Gardens @ Shiplap and Shells  Embracing Home and Family @ The Everyday Farmhouse   Farmhouse Friday @ The Painted Hinge 


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Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Farewell January 2021

I mentioned in my previous post that January is a favorite month.
As we say farewell to the last week of January 2021, I decided
to document our snow event of this month.

The weather forecasters predicted we would get snow,
and we definitely did!  Snow in Austin January 2021.

I took the prediction seriously and 
covered all the containers and tender plants.
Other wise, cleaning up is a real mess and time consuming, 
not to mention expense to replace things.

January 10, 2021 will be remembered for record snowfall
in Central Texas with accumulation of up to nine inches.  

Fresh fallen snow offered 
Austin an unusual winter day.

It began early morning and continued throughout
the day, but temps never dropped to freezing.

By mid afternoon, snow across the city had knocked 
out power to thousands of homes, including ours.

The bird bath, usually full of visitors
 was all quiet and icy.

Our beautiful Capitol grounds January 10, 2021
Photo Credit, Richard F. Lyons
Yes, snow in Central Texas creates an event so rare,
that when we do get snow, its something to celebrate.

Image by Becky Kittleman, Austin Photographer 
I've often shared photos of our beloved 
Lady Bird Lake with its extensive hike and bide trail.  
Image above was captured the morning of January 10, 2021.


Snow Day Over Town Lake ~ artist Nancy Hoover, 2021
Local art teacher, Nancy Hoover, took inspiration 
from Becky's moody snowy image and created a gorgeous pastel
on gray paper, inspiring her students to create their own version.
I admire how life inspires art!  Thank you Becky and Nancy!

Farewell January 2021!

Joining
Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner Charming Homes and Gardens @ Shiplap and Shells  Embracing Home and Family @ The Everyday Farmhouse   Farmhouse Friday @ The Painted Hinge 







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Monday, January 18, 2021

Snow Fun


J A N U A R Y  18th
~ World Day of the Snowman ~

Unlike many of my friends, January is 
actually a favorite month for me.

We don't often have severe winters here in central Texas. 
In fact our winter days can be a roller coaster
of temperatures and weather patterns.

A recent Sunday was one of those winter weather days!
We woke to heavy rain, but by 10 AM, 
snow was gently falling and continued till late in the day.

Areas west and north of town received considerable more
snow than the few inches that accumulated here. 

Our beautiful Capitol grounds January 10, 2021
Photo Credit, Richard F. Lyons

Families delighted in the winter wonderland, and snowmen 
could be seen in many outdoor spaces across Austin neighborhoods.

By Monday, the snow had dissolved, leaving vestiges of those
neighborhood snowmen standing on brown winter grass.
I know, not a very pretty sight! 

Most January days are 
simply cold and dreary here.

But, that's OK with me. 
I'm a fan of winter!

I get to dress Sadie in a favorite sweater,
though admittedly she doesn't like rain or snow.

She would rather be
 inside up on a comfy bed or .   .   .


In her favorite chair 
with her cuddly snowman.


You'll find me on the sofa with a cup of hot tea while 
the chef sips on his mug of hot chocolate.

Yes, January 
is a favorite month.

I get to celebrate my birthday in January, 
the birthdays of some dear friends,
and a great niece and nephew.

Are you living among snowy scenes, 
out playing in the snow and enjoying the winter sports?

I say,
"Let it snow!"

Have you ever built a snowman?

Or, how about a Snowhog?
Samantha posted photos on her FB page with the quote:
 "When you show hogs, you don't make snowmen!"
Is this not the cutest?  Talk about having fun in the snow!
Photo credit, Samantha McGinnis

Tell me, are you a fan?
Is January a favorite month for you?
What do you like to do in January?

Joining
Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner Charming Homes and Gardens @ Shiplap and Shells  Embracing Home and Family @ The Everyday Farmhouse   Farmhouse Friday @ The Painted Hinge 

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