Frilled Tulips

Blooming here now: Dogwoods, pear trees, daffodils. There are fat buds on the maple trees. The redbuds are just about to pop. And coming soon? Tulips!

Frilled Tulips

Acrylic on canvas board, 8 inches x 10 inches

Available for purchase here

When I was a girl, my grandmother had an extensive flower garden, and it was so fun to see the different types of tulips emerge. There would be plain ones and fancy ones. I tried planting tulips one fall, and some critter ate the bulbs before Spring arrived. Oh well.

I really had fun layering colors and textures on this one. Ah, Springtime! My favorite season is probably still fall, but Spring is a close second. Have a close up...

 

Mary Carol Garrity 2013 Fall Open House Tour

I can't believe it's September already. What happened to the summer? Actually, it still feels like summer in our part of Kansas. Today and tomorrow is Mary Carol Garrity's fall open house, and it was 93 degrees today. It's hard to get in the mood for autumn and the upcoming holidays in a puddle of sweat, but I made the drive to Atchison, Kansas, anyway.

By way of comparison to what I've seen her do in the past, Mary Carol really cut back this year. Every room wasn't dripping in fall decor. There were just little bits of autumn tucked around the home.

Inside the foyer, a table was made ready for fall with a simple bowl of pumpkins and seasonal foliage.

Who wouldn't love to have a foyer large enough for a sitting area?

Inside the den, only sign of fall was a wooden dough bowl filled with the colors of autumn.

And then I looked up.

In the living room, a large vase filled with faux branches made a bold statement in the center of the room.

All the upholstery in the living room is white.  I can't imagine how she keeps it all clean, especially with evidence of at least one dog in the home.

I always stop to admire the window seat.  It's always inviting, no matter what time of year it is.

The dining room was loaded with the colors and textures of the season.  I saw a lot of people buying these orbs today, but I already had one.  They are much more versatile than the ones she offered last year since they are collapsible and can be stored flat.  I found mine last spring at a local home decor store.

Notice the little knife-rest?  I'd love to find some of those!

Of course, the chandelier was dripping with pine cones and fall branches.

Through the door is the breakfast nook, which connects the dining room to the kitchen.  I love the light blue ceilings in this space.

Notice the cheese domes being used at the place settings.  This is going to date me, but we still have the marble plate and cheese dome we received as a wedding gift.  How often do you see these in thrift stores and garage sales now for next to nothing?

I love the little island in the kitchen.  Mary Carol's home is grand, but the kitchen is tiny!  It always gives me hope for our own little kitchen.

Let's go outside!  The screened porch was still looking like summer with only a few pumpkins tucked here and there.

My one purchase today was one of the lanterns seen on the left side of the hutch.  Thankfully, there was a tent set up next to the house that had them available for purchase because her store downtown, Nell Hills, was filled with people and the room with the line to check out there was horribly, horribly hot.

More pumpkins and orbs on the patio.  I'm so glad I have an orb of my own now!

The patio table was loaded with autumn's bounty carried in a small wheelbarrow.

I love these iron candlesticks.  They seem so versatile every season.

On the patio table there was a dough bowl and an orb.  Swoon!

Doesn't this look easy to put together?

I adore the little statue with the ribbon sash.  Usually, he's holding a bottle of wine.

But today, I'd be more interested in a big bottle of cold water than a glass of wine.  Eventually, summer will turn into autumn here in Kansas, and I'll be ready with new ideas to decorate for the season.  

By the way, if you pin any of these images, please give decorating credit to the talented Mary Carol Garrity.

I'm linking up...

Between Naps on the Porch

Savvy Southern Style

Centerpiece for Spring

Life is keeping me very, very busy these days.  I'm really struggling just to keep up with day to day housework, and now that we are well into Spring, there's yardwork as well.

I'm realigning my expectations for the short term, but a couple of weeks ago, I took time to treat myself to a trip to Olathe Glass, a local glass supply company that also sells some lovely, small home decor items.  

They have a great selection of faux succulents and artichokes now.  They are a little pricey, but they are far more realistic than the stuff found at the chain hobby stores.  I picked up a small silver gazing ball as well and mixed them with the faux succulents and berries I already had at home.

The shop was using big glass bowls for their succulent arrangements.  When I tried to replicate it with a deep-sided glass serving dish I had at home, it seemed kind of flat.  I found a small cake stand I "won" in a white elephant exchange a few years ago along with a very stale cake.  Finally, that cake stand came in handy.

As luck would have it, it fit perfectly under my glass dish when it was turned upside down.

I think this arrangement should last through the summer if I don't have time to change it.

In the Details

I finally finished my first big project of the year last Sunday.  It took about a week longer than I expected, but I'm pleased with the results.  I'll have to wait until this weekend when I can get good day shots, but a reveal is coming!

By the way, I recently switched over to Google Chrome on my main blogging computer.  Internet Explorer wasn't playing nicely with Blogger anymore, and about the same time, I started having issues with browser hijacking on some of my favorite blogs.  Then, I maxed out my free storage space on Blogger and had to invest in a Google storage drive.  Now my photos upload much, much faster.  I am a happy camper.  If you are a regular Blogger (with a capital B), I recommend making these upgrades.

I have so many projects stacking up that I want to start now, but in the meantime, I made some minor adjustments to one of my favorite vignettes.

I'm sort of burning out on the bird craze, but this little fellow from Hobby Lobby was just too cute.  I thought about painting him bronze, but I keep telling myself I need to lighten up.

I did some rearranging, moving this ceramic pot "sleeve" under a basic terra cotta pot.  I found it at Lowes on clearance last year.  I thought it was $1.50, but I had misread the 50% off sign.  It turned out to be only 75 cents which was even better.

I bought something at Christmas and the package was tied with a beaded tassel.  I don't remember what it was.  A candle?  A bag of pine cones?  No matter.  Doesn't the tassel look pretty wrapped around the lamp base?

Sometimes, it's all in the details!

Good Intentions, Project 1

One of my resolutions this year is to finish the projects that are really starting to collect.  I have a bad habit of finding all sorts of things that need TLC, but I never get around to them. One of my pals at ReStore calls these projects "good intentions."  She suspects I have a garage, basement, and car filled of "good intentions."  She's right, and that's going to change this year!

This weathered, crusty planter is an excellent example of a good intention:

I think I paid a quarter for it at ReStore last autumn.  After bringing it home, I gave it a good scrubbing and filled the cracks with Spackle.  I even took the "before" picture!  And then it sat on the floor of my basement studio, unfinished for months.

I finally got tired of stepping over it last week, and the dining room table was looking pretty bare after the holidays.  It was all the motivation I needed to finish it.

Too keep it from looking too flat, I painted it with a mixture of black and bronze craft paint and dry-brushed it.  It's finished with several coats of glossy acrylic sealer.

I used what I had on hand to fill it, focusing only on color and texture.  Never mind that a real hydrangea probably wouldn't be happy with a container with hens and chicks.  

I found the iced unripe pomegranates on clearance after Christmas.  I liked their color, so I tucked them in with the pine cones.

My favorite find last Christmas was these juniper picks I found at a local home decor store.  Since I usually shop the big chain craft stores with their sales and coupons, I hated paying full retail price for them.  But as the fake stuff goes, they were too lovely to pass up.

Good Intentions = 1.  One less unfinished, neglected item lurking in the basement.  What a great feeling!