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Combining Real and Artificial Flowers

Easter centerpiece using fresh and faux flowers

Everyone probably already does this, but I am just recently discovering the flexibility one has with combining both real and artificial flowers in floral arrangements.

When I think of all those years of being a purist on fresh flower arrangements, combining fresh and artificial really makes sense. Faux flower quality is significantly better than ever. Artificial flowers last forever and over time, can be the more affordable choice. Access to a wide variety of faux flowers is now available on the internet. When real flowers are pricey, filing in with artificial ones gives you an abundant arrangement at less cost.

Faux hyacinths

For our Easter table centerpiece this year, can you tell which flowers are real and which aren’t? The blue hyacinths and the white peonies are the artificial flowers. The pops of blue and white help complement the blue Indian block tablecloth and china. Faux blue hyacinths here and beautiful faux peonies in many colors can be found here.

Fresh and faux centerpiece

These faux peonies are found in many of my photos as I always have a good looking arrangement available to enhance my shots.

Faux Peonies

Here is another arrangement in a pedestal bowl. Can you tell which flowers are real? Actually in this one, only the creamy white roses are fresh.

Even the sprigs of greens and the alstroemeria are faux.

Once the white roses are past their prime, it was easy to fill in with new fresh pink ones.

Using the same base of faux flowers, it is fun to branch out using more vibrant and vivid colors. Isn’t it interesting how different this brightly colored one looks compared to the previous two?

The red geraniums and tulips are not real. If you don’t have an attractive pedestal bowl, there is a wide assortment here.

Even for my recent Valentine dinner party where I tend to go all out with fresh flowers, in the areas that need beefing up, you can spot a faux peony or two. To see more about this Valentine dinner party, click here.

Mostly fresh Valentine dinner party flowers

Recently I did spend a bit much on box of 26″ long faux lilacs from The Enchanted Home. I LOVE real lilacs but they do not grow here.

The quality of these branches is very good and I actually did spray the faux flowers with a French Lilac micro-batch perfume by Pacifica.

My friend, Karen says this is the closest fragrance to the real lilac scent so I bought some here. Since these lilacs are a close replica, it is fun to watch our guests walk over and sniff them.

Real lilacs

My first choice is to create beautiful arrangements with real flowers, if for nothing else, the scent. But if you are like me, my home looks better with multiple flower arrangements. Like the pedestal bowl ideas above, faux flowers can be the framework and each week you can add a variety of fresh ones.

Have you tried combining and artificial flowers? If so, share your experience.

Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul.” – Luther Burbank

Happy arranging!

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This post shared with Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday #622




Spring Front Porch Ideas

After putting up the new tulip wreath on the front door, the rest of the porch looks a bit tired after winter. If you missed yesterday’s post on how to make the front door tulip wreath, click here. Inspired by the pinks of this wreath, I am excited to come up with some new Spring front porch ideas.

Since I do not like to waste anything, many of the plants and colors from Valentine’s Day will continue on through the Spring. The pink geraniums and Latinia Rose cyclamen from Whitfill Nursery still look healthy and colorful. The stone rabbit will wear the pink polka dot ribbon for a few more months.

By the door, we have an iron bench and it is fun to place a blanket or pillow on it to soften the edges. The blue thrown has some of the same tones as the front door. Below, the Rose Bible by Reyford C. Reddell is one of my favorite rose reference books.

The two 5 foot cedar trees (artificial) flanking the front door are holding up well and require NO maintenance! I almost want to convert everything to faux plants because they are so easy! The quality is superb and can anyone really tell the difference?

Before you step up to the front door, the planting bed is looking exceptionally good this year. Only one plant didn’t survive the winter, but the rest are healthy and abundant with lavender, geraniums, scented geraniums and snapdragons.

If you have been following me for a while, you may recall the re-do of the rocking chairs on the porch. Repainting the chairs makes such a difference. Click here to see that post on sprucing up the front porch. It’s fun to see the before and after photos.

I was tempted to head to Target to buy some new spring pillows, but felt a bit lazy. Convinced I must have something here to use, I find these two sweet red/pink tulip pillows from my store. The colors are just perfect with the tulip theme. If you didn’t know I have a store, check out the Store tab at the top of the page.

The extremely heavy stone and concrete table is a yard sale find. Luckily we have two of them and they are weather-proof. And just big enough for a couple of cocktails and nibbles. Perfect for cashews are the fluted porcelain bowls by Epure, a recent treat in My Stylish French box subscription.

Scrounging the house and property for old items to put in new places is part of the fun. These two ducks have always been sitting by the front fountain….for years. Now they are integral pieces of the front porch spring decor!

So with minimal effort, I am able to transform the front porch from Valentine’s Day to Spring without any significant, additional cost. The wreath is less than $20 and the rest is just re-imagining my old stuff in new places.

Welcome Mat by Wayfair

This front door just makes me happy! I hope like my Spring-inspired changes.

It is typical of March to be warm one day and chilly and drizzly the next. Just when I pull out my first pair of shorts of the season, I am back wearing multiple layers. Crazy weather!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

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This post shared with Farmhouse Friday Link Party #197, Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday #635




How to Make a Tulip Wreath

If you recall, last year I added a new paint color to the front door. It is the perfect color for Spring and Summer. Surprisingly this shade of blue also works well for Autumn and Winter. Since tulips are currently blooming in the bulb garden, it seems appropriate to hang a tulip wreath on the front door. Join me today to make a tulip wreath. To see the front door color post for details, click here.

Michael’s is having a great sale on faux flowers and I scored 4 bunches of pink tulips for less than $20.00. See here. Initially the goal is to make an all pale pink wreath.

The challenge with our front door is that it is 48″ wide. Standard-sized wreaths tend to look a little dinky. So when I do create a wreath, abundance is the key. Naturally I did this DIY project out of order. It would make the most sense to start with your wreath frame and then determine the quantity of flowers you need. However, I didn’t want to buy another wreath frame and did some digging in the garage to find this 26″ grapevine one…..after I purchased the pale pink tulips.

My old glue gun

Supplies you need are simple: a wreath frame, flowers, glue gun and something to cut the flowers. For a nice selection of grapevine wreaths, click here.

Realizing that I may not have enough pink tulips to fill the wreath frame, I find some darker pink tulips that I had on hand from another project. With 4 bunches of light pink (14 stems each) and 2 bunches of dark pink (also 14 stems each), I have a total of 84 tulips. Before I start a project I want to make sure I do not run out of materials. Been there. Done that.

Using wire cutters makes this easier

Having wire cutters makes this job a lot easier to get through the plastic covering and the wire underneath. These are super affordable and you can order them through Amazon here.

Use glue when necessary

I start working on 1/4 of the wreath, knowing I can use 21 stems in that portion. This gives me a sense of what density of flowers will work. Most stems tuck easily and securely in between the grapevines.

Tucking in the flower stems

Don’t discard the leaves as they can be added to the wreath for fullness or just another pop of color. I hot glue the leaves randomly. Personally, I really don’t like using a glue gun because I tend to burn myself far too much. On this wreath, I use minimal gluing.

Adding leaves

As I am styling it, darker tulips are added for contrast. If you follow me on Instagram, I try to post a story daily and show these types of DIY projects in action.

As posted on IG

Continuing to add tulips around the entire wreath, I leave a space for a ribbon. Using the leftover bow from Valentine’s Day, I find that I don’t like it. The pink in the ribbon looks a little flat to me.

Bow or no bow?

Instead, I remove the bow and continue adding more tulips to fill in the gap. Much better!

So here is the finished tulip wreath! I think it looks so cheerful on the front door.

Since the wreath looks so nice, the rest of the porch looks a bit tired. Join me tomorrow to see how I spruced up the front porch to go with my new wreath!

Happy Tuesday! Spring has sprung and hopefully, everyone’s weather is improving. We are, of course, in the midst of our beautiful season so every day seems better than the one before.

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Saturday Meanderings

First peach blossom

How did another week go by so quickly? If anyone has the solution to slowing down time, please share. I am so happy you are joining me this Saturday to review the week’s coming and goings on Saturday Meanderings.

What do you do when you are out of sorts? I either work out or don my apron and start baking/cooking/making. Since it’s been a bit of an off week for me, I completed 5 workouts and accomplished quite of bit in the kitchen too.

Madeleines

Madeleines, French in origin, are very small sponge cakes with a distinctive shell-like shape acquired from being baked in pans with shell-shaped depressions. Three years ago I wrote a blog post about this recipe from Dessert University (see here). With a lemon glaze, these tasty morsels are worth making.

However, my existing Madeleine pan is a silicon pan which I DO NOT RECOMMEND. I literally threw this pan out after baking. New pans just arrived (see link here) and I will let you know if they pass the test. The problem with the silicone one is that it buckles in the oven, therefore the batter cannot lay evenly, resulting in brown edges and soggy centers.

Potatoes au Gratin before baking

This creamy-in-the-middle and crispy-on-top Hasselback Potatoes au Gratin recipe is a winner. I didn’t realize that hasselback means stacking the thinly sliced potatoes accordion style. The recipe is doubled for a neighbor’s birthday celebration. If you are looking for a perfect au gratin recipe, this Serious Eats version is it. See recipe here.

We are in the height of our citrus season here in Phoenix. What I love about our community is the sharing of fruit with each other. Steve, who lives a few streets over shares his Meyer lemons (soon to be marmalade) and my sweet neighbors, Dale and Dawn, let me take a big bag of lemons from their tree. Our regular lemon tree must be on sabbatical because not one lemon showed up this year.

Last year I discovered Preserved Lemons and cannot believe I have lived without them. We use them on fish, salads, pasta, you name it as I cannot get enough of this tangy, salty Moroccan ingredient. Preserved lemons take a few weeks to make so if you have access to fresh lemons, now is the time to do this. See my previous post for further details here.

More to come next week about why I am making Valentine cookies now. This buttery Linzer cookie recipe from King Arthur Flour can be made with heart-shaped cookie cutters for a seasonal treat. Filled with raspberry jam, they are so yummy. See recipe here.

In my neighborhood, there are water irrigation well containers scattered all over. Funny, but I never really noticed them until I went on a walk around the block. Nearly all of them are unsightly; some have covers, others not. We even found one buried under foliage in the front corner of our lot.

Well-Before

My creative neighbor and her husband (Tevia and Mitch) did a complete transformation to their inactive well. Using faux greens stapled to a wooden pallet, this once eyesore is now a decorative statement. Tevia will be using a Krylon UV Floral protectant spray to prevent discoloration from the sun during our hot summers (see product here).

Wouldn’t this be a fun neighborhood project to clean up all the inactive wells?

Well-after

In a November Saturday Meanderings I did mention buying a Cashmere bag to protect the few cashmere items I own. With evidence of moth holes in one of my favorite sweaters, this bag is a worthwhile investment. See link here. It comes in two sizes and I bought the larger one.

Cashmere Protective Pouch

Here is my feedback on this. First of all the size of the bag is deceiving. I can fit 3 sweaters, 2 large shawls and 1 scarf inside~and there is room for a few more things. The zipper goes around two sides for easy access. Will be ordering another one of these well-made bags for my husband’s items.

Before I wish you a wonderful weekend, I need to share these last few photos with you. As my son is making a snowman in Washington, DC, we are having spectacular sunsets. Hard to believe we live in the same country!

Benjamin making a big snowball!
View from master bedroom porch
February in Phoenix

That’s a wrap. Be well and enjoy a restful weekend!

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Making a Home Office in a Small Space

My daughter, Julianna resides in our guest cottage. Her plan, after graduating from college, was to live in our guest cottage for a year while she acclimated to a new job. Well, then the pandemic hit. Thankfully she is still employed and has been working virtually since last March. Our guest cottage is just that~a small cottage for guests. Since it doesn’t look like she will be returning to an office any time soon, she requires a designated place to work. Today’s post is about making a home office in a small space for her.

Finding a Place

Back entrance to the pool house

Currently, her “office” is squeezed into the guest cottage living room. She also shares her living space with a large dog and cat. To see our sweet guest cottage, click here.

Last month, we added more internet coverage to the pool house and will set up her office here. The pool house isn’t used much during the winter months and it is a short walk from the guest cottage.

Existing Corner

Right by the back French doors, there is a cluttered corner that is the perfect small space for a home office. My first thought is go to Ikea and pick up an inexpensive desk. But we have SO much furniture here, why not use what we already have?

The Perfect Desk

The black desk in our family room is really a place for the printer (doesn’t everyone have a printer in their family room?). With the addition of the round table and 4 wing chairs, this part of the family room looks too crowded anyway.

Family room table and 4 chairs

So off to the pool house the desk goes! Actually we have two of these Drake writing desks in a black finish. The dimensions are 55″W x 25″D x 30″H. If you recall, the other one went upstairs to my son’s remodeled bedroom. See that post here.

The other black desk

Having a sheet of glass on top of the desk really does preserve the wood surface. Since my daughter has ruined a few desktops, this beveled topper is perfect for her.

Cleaning the glass topper

Adding Elements

Using an existing pool house table lamp, the desk starts to come together.

A blue and white vase with faux flowers adds a touch of pretty to the desk. I love these faux peonies as they look attractive and can be added to a fresh bouquet of peonies to make a larger statement. These faux peonies can be found here.

A few other items makes the desk feel like it is ready for work~a filing basket and a place for pens and pencils. Naturally, she will add her computer and monitor, but for now, it is ready for her arrival.

This designated corner will be her office until who knows when. At least she will now have the guest cottage as her living space and this corner of the pool house as her work space.

The wing chair more than likely won’t work, but it looks good in the photos! Plus the wall behind the desk could deserve a piece of art too.

I am hoping that the pool house will be a remodeling project in 2021. For the last several years, it has been the place where the children hang out with their friends. The color scheme is yellow and blue. To see the story behind the pool house, click here.

The faux painted yellow walls are a bit dated. All the “stuff” that goes with X-boxes, video games, Wii and television viewing needs to be organized. My husband’s gargantuan Klipsch speakers (yes, from college) take up too much room. And the furniture holding all of that is tacky, at best.

Have you set up a home office space due to the pandemic? If so, what room did you use?

We are experiencing very cool, rainy weather here in Phoenix. Lots of snow up in the mountains too. Wishing you a warm Tuesday!

This post shared with Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday #627

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Holiday Front Porch Decor

When I painted the front door a new color in April (see post here), I was worried the color might only be appropriate for summer and spring. But surprisingly, the color is proving to be one for all seasons. Remember my autumn wreath against this color? Just perfect. Well now, I want you to see how it fairs in the Holiday Front Porch decor.

It’s funny how the angle or light changes the color of the door a bit, but it is more aqua than sky blue. Since the door is 4 feet wide, I need an extra large wreath. The ribbon is from Costco and I love how the red plaid really stands out against the blue.

During the front porch re-do, I added 2 artificial cedar trees, mostly to survive the summer. But they are perfect for winter too. By adding the red plaid bow to the tops of each, they compliment the wreath. Initial “C” door mat is from Wayfair. Cedar trees can be found here.

We don’t decorate the area of the property closest to the street, due to the huge trees and excessive foliage. But the front gates get lighted wreaths and also plaid bows. Once the gate opens, the driveway leads you around to the front door, where the holiday impact really happens.

My husband sets up numerous trees to create a forest like setting on either side of the front door. When the pre-lit trees had functioning lights, it was easy. But since those only last a few years (right?), he hangs additional lights on each and every one of them. Sometimes we add snow to cover any electrical cords, but this year, I decided to remove it after taking this picture.

Faux wrapped packages are tucked in at the base of the trees for fun.

Even the stone bunny rabbit gets his own bow and bells.

Costco has a nice selection of large and small poinsettias, too! This helps fill in and cover some of the artificial tree bases.

My helper, Sox

With chilly mornings and evenings, one definitely needs a blanket for your lap on the rocking chair.

The porch looks best at night with all the twinkling lights and bursts of red. Here is an afternoon shot.

And this is how it looks in the late afternoon/dusk.

This decorated porch fits in nicely with my theory on life. Make the entrance warm and welcoming, keep the first 3 rooms upon entry clean, and then live life fully (and don’t worry about the mess!).

Happy Tuesday! We are supposed to have frost this morning so hopefully my garden covers will work! Stay safe and healthy.