V-Day In Our Home

Over the weekend I added a few Valentine details around our home…

I loooove pulling out my craft bin. For this project, I actually had everything I needed on hand already. All I used was baker's twine, doilies, mason jars and craft paper.

Quick tutorial: Cut out heart from scrapbook paper {I used a cookie cutter to trace mine}. Glue them to doilies. Tape doily to jar. Wrap baker's twine around the jar 4-5 times. Voila!

{Valentine Vases!!}

Our Valentine tablescape: 3 bunches of tulips for $10, plus candles and mason jars. Please ignore the leaning candle.

Festive Dish Towels: Pack of 2 for $3.99 at TJ Maxx Home Goods 

 Red Polka Dot Burlap Pillow: a Christmas Gift {purchased from Etsy}

And of course, no V-day decor is complete without several bowls of conversation hearts spread throughout the house.   Are you decorating for Valentine's Day?

Get Your Tulips to Tango {Part II}

I would be seriously surprised if anyone was reading my blog way back when I posted about how to "Get Your Tulips to Tango" last February.
Anyway tulip season is officially upon us, and if you are like me you have already purchased a handful of bouquets to brighten your home. My Harris Teeter sells three tulip bouquets for $10. That is 15 STEMS, friends! 
And if you want some tricks on how to get your tulips to open up fast and last up to 10 days, check out {this post}!

I spread my bouquets all throughout the house! Until I can find the perfect dining table centerpiece, I am filling it up with vases of hot pink tulips.

Dark pink {with white tip} tulips for the fireplace mantel

 {A few more by the kitchen sink}

Don’t these flowers make you so happy?! Tulips are definitely one of my favorite types of flowers. Be sure to check out my post on caring for your tulips {here}! 

Get Your Tulips to Tango

When winter gets me down, I attempt to energize my home with a bouquet of dazzling tulips, one of my favorite flowers! A vase of fresh tulips is both elegant and colorful, so I purchase them often while they are in season. However, I have learned over the seasons that cut tulips tend to have a mind of their own and to my dismay, I find they die quickly or do not hold the beauty that was seen in the pretty package at Trader Joes. 

So, in an attempt to extend the life of these happy flowers, I have been experimenting with several techniques to get the most out of my tulips. I am by no means a florist, but here is what I’ve learned about caring for fresh cut tulips: 

Arranging Cut Tulips

1.      Pour cold water into the vase until it is half full.

2.      Using a sharp knife or pruners, diagonally cut one-quarter of an inch off the bottom of the tulip stems while under water so that no air enters the stem. This opens the stem to receive water. Do not allow the stem to dry before plunging the cut tulips into a vase or decorative container.

3.      Adjust the tulips so they fall symmetrically in the vase. Arrange the tulips to give them room to grow and twist. Remove any leaves from the stem that would be under the water once the tulip is placed into the vase.

4.      Place the vase in the coolest possible spot where you can still enjoy the tulip arrangement. If you are going to be away from the tulips for several hours move them to a dark, cool location.

5.      Tulips are big drinkers.  Check the water level often and empty and refill the vase with cold water every day. Rearrange the growing tulips so they form a pleasing display. Snip the ends off the stems every other day for maximum water intake.

{Note:  Fresh cut tulips can last up to 10 days in your home if properly cared for}

Tips & Warnings

·         For the longest vase life, buy tulips while the buds are tight.

·         Do not feed tulips those little packets of cut-flower food. Pure water is all they need. Adding aspirin, lemon juice, pennies, soda and other mixtures to the water is only a myth for extending the life of cut tulips. Also, refresh water if cloudy.

·         Do not place the tulip vase in direct sunlight, near heaters or under lamps. Heat shortens the life of the blooming flowers.

·         Do not add daffodils to a vase of tulips. Combining tulips with daffodils {or any species of Narcissus} is not recommended as tulips exude a sticky sap that shortens the life span of other flowers by clogging their water uptake channels.

Tulips too unruly?

Remove the flowers from the vase, re-trim the stem tips and roll the tulips snuggly into a newspaper cone. The paper should extend above the flower tops but not cover the lower third of the stems. Place the wrapped bunch upright in a container holding cool water deep enough to submerge the exposed stems. Leave in a cool place for an hour or two to soak up the cool water in an upright position. Presto—stems will be straight again.

Happy Fall!

Happy fall y'all! The first day of my favorite season is finally upon us. As the crisp autumn air arrives, so do sprinkles of warm yellows, oranges, browns and reds! I could not be more excited for such a wonderful time of year! Acorns, boots, hot chocolate, pumpkin carving, holiday parties, scarves, football...I live for fall. Here are a few other things I am just so dang excited about:

and my FAVORITE thing about this fall?...MARRYING MATT!

Did I mention we are now 43 days away from our nuptials?!

Hope y'all are having a wonderful first day of Autumn!

Make Be-Leaves

Although a “green thumb” may not rank amongst my top talents, my successes for growing plants do outweigh my failures {recently anyway}! I take pride in my lush jungle of a backyard, from the hydrangeas to the peonies.

HOWEVER, there is ONE place in my home that I just can’t seem to keep anything alive…my front window box! For 3 seasons now I have failed miserably. No matter how well I care for my plants, within weeks my window box looks like the cast of Jersey Shore {withered and all snookered out}. 

So I am letting you in on my dirty little secret…I switched to FAUX PLANTS in my window boxes! I flirted with the idea for quite awhile after losing beaucoup dollars on flowers. Boy am I glad I switched! Completely maintenance free, you would certainly mistake my window box for real flowers! In fact, I have been fooling my neighbors for over a year with my rotation of impressive seasonal flowers.  Right now, lilac pansies and may night salvia are taking center stage.

Fakin’ it and proud of it. J

{Note: If you decide to switch to faux flowers, make sure you change them throughout the season! It could be quite bewildering to see bright blooming flowers “growing” up through the snow in winter!}

Pinterest

Recently I have been seriously obsessing over Pinterest, the hottest new place to share your taste with the world! Formatted like inspiration boards, Pinterest allows you to pin all sorts of your favorite photos together in collections that you share with your “followers.” Follow me!   

DIY Doily Table Runner





Tasty Treats - Hydrangea Cupcakes!

   



Gorgeous Flowers!



Home Design + Decor



Mason Jars with Floating Tea Lights 



Wedding Inspiration



Hair Styles


  

Pretty Places

     

 

The Best Things in Life are Free!

In a world that is crazily hungering for things, possessions, and stuff, I thought I would list some of the best things in life... the things that are free! Lately, I have rediscovered the true secret to a happy life, a secret that I had forgotten: Life's greatest joys are found in the little things that make life worth living - relationships, faith, bubble baths, and…POPPIES!!!

{Note: If you venture into the country side, make sure you do not pick the wild flowers. It is against the law and they are actually not free. L}

 

Other free joys in life: smiles, bed time stories, Sunday pancake breakfasts, best friends, hugs, walks on the beach, grilled cheese sandwiches, glimpsing a sunrise, good memories, forgiveness, fresh cut grass, laughter, family dinners, snow angels, and most of all, my Lord and Savior. J

Thyme for Herbs

Spring is such a wonderful time of year for the herbalist and gardener. I am pleased to present my collection of Spring Herbs this season. These herbs are most commonly used for cooking as well as for fragrance.

1. Oregano -- A signature flavor of many Italian, Mexican and Spanish dishes. Oregano is a perennial, thrives in full sun, and is very easy to grow from seed or as a transplant. Of all the dried herbs, oregano has one of the highest antioxidant levels.

2. Cilantro - Like politics and religion, cilantro elicits strong opinions. People love it or hate it. Edible from root to flower, cilantro has become one of the most popular herbs around. Cilantro is a short lived annual, lasting approximately 8-10 weeks.

3. Parsley – An underappreciated, easy growing herb. Although parsley is a very attractive plant, it is generally grown as a culinary herb and often wasted as a garnish or plate decoration. Parsley is a curly, leafy sprig that germinates very slow, and thrives in full sun, well drained soil.

4. Rosemary – Long known as the herb of remembrance, rosemary symbolizes loyalty and friendship. Requiring very little care, Rosemary can be grown indoors or outdoors, as long as it receives full sun, and grows as a fragrant perennial evergreen shrub.

5. Basil – The classic herb of summer, basil brings fragrance, beauty, and flavor to any garden. Used fresh, it makes delicious pestos and is an ideal partner for homegrown tomatoes. Plus, it thrives in the South with little care, so it’s great for new gardeners. It will grow perennially in warm, sunny climates.

Deliciously in Bloom

I confess - I have a bit of a floral obsession.  Nothing really makes me happier than coming home to a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers on my kitchen table, spending hours wondering the farmers market, or spotting the first blooms of spring in my backyard.

Few seasons can rival the exquisite giddiness of spring in Charlotte – the breathless beauty of hydrangeas, azaleas, tulips, geraniums, and all the pretty trees...i LOVE it ALL!

Here are some ways to bring the spring sunshine from your garden to inside your home!

Celebrate the simple pleasures of spring with a combination of blue iris, pink and red roses, green hydrangeas, red snapdraggons and yellow billy buttons. (above)

Capture the fresh breeze of a spring day with a mason jar of hydrangeas and lillies. Matt surprised me with this homemade arrangement (I am one lucky girl J). Excuse the quality, he snapped this pic with his blackberry to send to me at work.

Have a glorious Easter weekend y’all!!! XOXO