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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Sweet Lavender

Hi! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! It is cloudy here with overcast skies and constant drizzling for the last few days, but you won't hear any complaints from me as my yard badly needed some rain this summer. I wanted to share with you some of the lavender crafts I had fun playing with a couple weeks back:

Sweet smelling lavender! I love its heavenly fragrance and the many ways to enjoy its lingering perfume:
"Ladies fair, I bring to you
Lavender with spikes of blue;
Sweeter plant was never found........"
~Carly Battersby
A pocket full of lavender posies from my garden:
I made the tussie mussie cone with an 8 inch paper doily:
I wrapped it with twine and added a button as accent:
Popular during the Victorian era, tussie mussies add wonderful elegance to tabletops and vignettes:
To make the chalkboard garden tags, I simply glued a  craft stick to the back of a mini chalkboard frame from Jo Ann craft store:

I dry brushed a coat of gesso on it for some added texture:
Nothing says summer better than a pitcher of cold lavender iced tea: 
Served in chilled mason jars: 

Jars tied with raffia and sprigs of sweet lavender:

And garnished with fresh garden mint and a slice of lime:

So refreshing on a hot summer day:
Heat 1 quart of water in a saucepan until it begins to simmer:

 Remove from heat and add 4 tea bags, 
Add one teaspoon of coarsely ground fresh lavender blossoms, cover and steep for five minutes:


Strain into a heat-proof pitcher and let it cool:
I added lemon slices, fresh garden mint, and lavender ice-cubes as garnish for a cool and refreshing drink:
I used an old exterior shutter as a tray to serve the drinks:
For the lavender votives, first I tied the raffia around a clear glass votive:

Then I inserted previously-cut lavender stems through the raffia all around the candle holder:
Top-view:

Click HERE to view the tutorial for these decoupaged French pots:
I love the magical ambiance created by this lavender votives. They look so beautiful at dusk:

They are pretty in the afternoon:

But they look amazing at night:


I hope you enjoyed my lavender crafts. Thanks for your visit and all your encouraging comments. I love reading your sweet notes. 
 And my thanks to beautiful Yvonne @ Stone Gable for featuring my Map Box Project at her weekly linky party. And to sweet Cynthia @ Cloches and Lavender for nominating me for One Lovely Blog Award. I appreciate it ladies, and I'm so honored. Stop by and say hello to these amazingly creative ladies for a host of wonderful ideas:)
Enjoy the rest of the weekend, everyone!


Hugs,Poppy
Linking to:


Sunday, July 22, 2012

A Garden Vignette


Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!
Summer is going by so quickly. It is almost the end of July and the stores are stocking autumn decor. I don't think I'm ready to let go of summer, although it has been a very hot and dry one. The summer blooms in my garden will be dying very soon as the days start getting shorter and chillier.

 I planted vinca in this galvanized jug, and it is thriving very well in it, I'm happy to say:
I love using lemons in decor and vignettes. I wish we had the perfect weather to grow my very own lemon tree:
I like planting impatiens in containers as well as in flower beds. They are very easy to grow and bring instant color in any corner:




The impatiens under the apple tree are thriving quite well so far, and the deer have not snacked upon them yet. Cannot say the same for other areas of my garden:

Hanging planter from the tree branches:
This brown metal cloche houses a mossy nest for the little white birdie:
I added a few styrofoam eggs and some greens:
He looks quite happy in his new home:
I love growing herbs, especially rosemary. Their rich aroma is a  culinary delight, and the dark green needle shaped leaves also add wonderful texture in decor and landscaping:
Here, I wrapped the pot with a scrap of burlap and tied it with a chiffon ribbon:

I don't know what it is about cloches, but everything under a cloche always looks so pretty, don't you think?

I made this bottle candle holder from an empty wine bottle. Click HERE to view the tutorial for upcycling empty wine bottles.
The top metal part of the candle holder is glued to the cork stopper:
When the candles are lit:
I love how this bottle candle holder turned out. It looks so beautiful in this outdoor vignette:
Summer is short-lived in my neck of the woods, and every moment is so precious:

Mr. Dash made this garden bench from tree trunks and old wooden planks:
It makes a wonderful place to display my summer annuals or simply sit and enjoy quiet summer afternoons:

Sweet Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life is having her annual summer cloche party, and I'm so excited to join her and others for a host of fun and inspiring ideas. Hop over to Marty's wonderful party if you get a chance for beautifully inspiring ideas:) 
Thanks for stopping by and leaving me such sweet and inspiring thoughts that inspire my creativity. Always a pleasure to have you here :) Have a wonderful week ahead!

Hugs,Poppy
Linking to:


Stone Gable: Tutorial Tips and Tidbits