Saving Summer

Even though fall is definitely here I decided to try and save a little of summer. So, I have been gathering the last of the rose petals and lavender along with scented geranium leaves and a variety of different herbs, such as rosemary, lemon thyme and sage and putting them in baskets to dry.

Already the scent fills the rooms but in order for it to last I will need to add a few other ingredients...

...some essential oils and a fixative to hold the fragrance. These used to be hard to find but now I can find a great selection on line.

Once everything is mixed together with the dried flowers and herbs I will add some cloves, cinnamon sticks, dried orange peels, and put it all to age in  plastic bags.

Then after a few weeks the potpourri will be ready to put in various containers throughout the house. When I lift the lids it will fill the rooms with the wonderful fragrance of summer!

Thank you for visiting, I hope that your day is filled with a little fragrance.

This post has been linked to: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/, http://maleviksrosentradgard.blogspot.com/, http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/, http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/

Feeling Lazy

For some reason I have been feeling like this piggy...just a little bit lazy.

And although I did manage to get a new Fall Header made, it seems to have taken all of my creative energy and I don't have anything else that interesting to share with you today.

About the photo...I took it in France last spring while at Château de Guédelon, a medieval castle being built today using 13th century materials and techniques. I have been looking for the opportunity to use it ~ I just think it is so cute. I love pigs and you must admit, they certainly seem to know how to relax!

How about you...do you have days like this when ambition seems to wane and just doing nothing is very appealing?

this post has been linked to: http://mockingbirdhillcottage.blogspot.com/

Falling ~ Autumn Wreath

Now that Fall is here I need a new wreath for my front door. I love the succulent wreath I made here, it fact I liked it so much that I left it up throughout the summer. But it is time for something more indicative of fall, a wreath that with an additional accent, maybe a big black crow or a little turkey, will take me through both Halloween and Thanksgiving.

 I gathered everything together, let me see...do I have it all...hummmm, I'm not too sure about using the sunflowers, they might be a tad to big, but I already have them so I guess I can give them a try.

I love these new white pumpkins...In fact I think I might paint a few of my old orange pumpkins;

white is so much easier to work with.

Nope... just as I suspected the sunflowers didn't work, the scale just wasn't right.

I wanted to add a little something glam to the wreath so I glued together a couple of  jewelry fragments my brother gave me. He brings them for my granddaughter Zoe who does amazing things with them.

Don't be too surprised if one of these images doesn't magically appear in my fall header.

What do you think? Now at least my front porch is ready for the change of seasons. Yes, Fall is definitely here.

Thank you for visiting me, before you know it we will be decorating for Christmas!

This post has been linked to: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/, http://maleviksrosentradgard.blogspot.com/, http://laurieannas.blogspot.com/

For Love of Lace

As everyone who has visited me before knows, I love lace, particulary handmade crocheted lace. I find it amazing that by pulling a bit of tread through a loop you can create something so lovely. And it is just so easy! The new lace edgings I am making are going to trim the three new pull-down shades in my entry hall...I know it sounds kind of hard to imagine, so I will just have to show you when it is all done...how fun, another future post!

I have had this old sewing basket for a while...don't remember where I got it, it is fully lined and I like the attached lid.

Some of the edgings here will eventally trim sheets and towels...ahhh, such luxery.

These beautiful roses, for those gardeners out there, are the glorious David Austin rose Tamara, such a wonderful color and so dependable with their bloom.

Roses and lace, what a marvelous combination.

Thank you for visiting. I hope that you have a bit of something frivolous like lace in your life.

This post has been linked to: http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/, http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/, http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/, http://micheleravendesigns.blogspot.com/, http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/, http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Un Petit Quelque Chose ~ Plumes of Bloom

Pampas grass,Cortaderia  selloana  in our climate can be a a true garden thug, but I just can't resist some of its great qualities. This plant seems to survive without any water and then in fall when little else is happening produces these wonderful, long lasting, plumes of bloom. The one you see here is a miniature variety and I was fortunate to have just the right place to put it.

This little greenhouse has been here for a long time, we bought it used and moved it on to the property. I have always thought it was very cute...and useful...the best of both worlds.

Theis post has been linked to: http://maleviksrosentradgard.blogspot.com/

Shopping the Garden

I had a nice centerpiece on my dining room table but I wanted to change things up a bit. This blue and white Chinese foot bath had been in one of the bathrooms for a while and I decided that it would make the perfect container. But what to put in it? I Orchids look wonderful, but I have done that before.

This time I decided on succulents ~ perfect! So I went shopping in the garden. These are all cuttings, frankly I was surprised that I had so many varieties to choose from. I took a used plastic six-pack container and filled it with potting soil; it fit perfectly into the bowl. Then I 'planted' my cuttings. I will be able to keep them watered and because this room has a skylight they should get an ample amount of light to grow.

 I love succulents, I think of them as garden jewelry, they are such wonderful accent plants. However I never before had though to bring them in the house and use them this way. Now I am thinking of other spots where I could use them in lieu of a traditional house plant.

After a while these will probably get a bit leggy and then I will take them out and plant them in the garden, but until then I am enjoying their special beauty.

How about you...have you been shopping in your garden lately?

Have a great day and thank you for finding the time to pay me a visit.

This post has been linked to: http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/, http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/, http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/, http://micheleravendesigns.blogspot.com/, http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

The End of Summer

Seating area in the gravel garden with Pennisetum 'Rubrum and Lantana

Although this week we are seeing temperatures in the 100+ range here in Southern California, my garden is telling me that summer is at an end.  This is the time of year that those wonderful, hardy plants such as Cannas, Lantana, Salvias, Zinnias, Japanese Anemones and  ornamental grasses earn their keep, and
plants with interesting foliage and what I think of as the 'jewels of the garden' the succulents, add charm and interest. In this season I see the garden as a beautiful older woman: a bit overblown and worn but with a certain ripe glory that allows the beautiful bones to show through.




This post has been linked to: http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/, http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/, http://fishtailcottage.blogspot.com/, http://romantichome.blogspot.com/, http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

The Entry ~ a continuation

In a prior post on my new curtains, Out From Under I mentioned that I thought it would be easier to do an additional post on the new brick flooring in the entry hall and alcove.


A little background...the previous owners of the house had enclosed the front porch to create the entry and the alcove beyond. Because of this, the flooring in these two areas is cement; the rest of the house is hardwood. This created a problem, previously we reconciled the difference by putting carpeting throughout the room including the alcove, and brick in the entry. But in the current remodel I wanted to  refinish the original hardwood floors, which meant installing brick in the entry hall and the alcove area. Besides, I liked the idea of the brick going all the way across ~ I thought it would add continuity.

Now here is the messy part...and no, I didn't attempt this myself. Both the carpeting (hooray! I don't like carpeting) and the old brick was removed.

Everything was cleaned up.

...and the lovely new brick was put in!

I couldn't resist sharing a close up of my monkeys, I absolutely adore them, my brother who deals with antiques gave them to me and my father made the wall holders many, many years ago. he also made the stained glass window above the door. I did the faux painting of the flowers, I wanted the entry to look like a continuation of the garden.

Looking from inside the front door all the way through. I love it! The hardwood floors in the main part of the media/library room have now been refinished and look great against the brick, but that is a story for another day.

Thank you for visiting me. I hope that your day is full of good times and creative projects.

The post has been linked to: http://romantichome.blogspot.com/, http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/, http://www.freckledlaundry.com/, http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/, http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com/