Another Completed Pinterest Project....

A while back I found this on Pinterest:

thecreatedhome.blogspot.com

I thought it would be great next to my kitchen window to hold flowers.

The Hubs "found" this owl plant hanger somewhere.

He is made out of cast iron .

And was black,

but I painted him white.

If you know me , you will find this funny,

cause I do not like predatory birds.

Owls are predatory birds.

But I thought he was kinda cute and would work well with this project.

I took an old Atlas jar.

Wrapped  some copper jewelry wire around the rim.

Created a little loop on the back side of the jar to hang it on the hook.

Then filled it with some colorful fresh flowers from the grocery store.

I think it hangs out a little farther than I like.

I think it's because the hook is made for a hanging plant.

I may try a smaller bottle instead of a jar.

If you look at the original post,

you will see you used a shorter hook.

thecreatedhome.blogspot.com  used hers to hold chalk by her chalkboard.

I think the possibilities are endless.

And I thank her for her inspiration !

Here he is playing peek-a-boo....

 Another successful Pinterest project...

I think anyway.

If you would like to follow my Pinterest boards, I would just love it :)

http://pinterest.com/dgarbes/

Linking to these great parties:

http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com/2010/08/fresh-cut-friday.html

http://www.happygoluckyblog.com/

And

More the Merrier Monday@DIY Home Sweet Home http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/
So Very Creative Party Time @ So Creative http://soverycreative.blogspot.com/
Meet Me Monday @ You're Talking Too Much http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com/
Amaze Me Monday @ DittleDattle http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/
What's in the GunnySack@The Gunny Sack http://www.thegunnysack.com/
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Make the Scene Monday @ Alderberry Hill http://alderberryhill.blogspot.com/
Make it Yourself Monday @ An Original Belle http://anoriginalbelle.blogspot.com/
Show Me What You Got Linky Party @ Our Delightful Home http://www.ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com/
Party Time Tuesday @ Northern Cottage http://www.northerncottage.net/
Trash to Treasure Tuesday @ Sassy Sites http://sassysites.blogspot.com/
Cowgirl Up Creative Linky Party @ The FarmhousPorch http://farmhouseporch.blogspot.com
Show Off Your Stuff @ Fireflies and Jellybeans http://firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com/
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday @ Primp http://micheleravendesigns.blogspot.com/
Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims http://www.mygirlishwhims.blogspot.com/
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage http://www.abeachcottage.com/
Rock & Share @ The Shady Porch(a pinterest party)http://theshadyporch.blogspot.com/
Tablescape Thrursday@ Beteen Naps on the Porch http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Thursdays are Your Days @ 52 Mantles http://www.52mantels.com/
Show and Tell Friday@ My Romantic Home http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
Inspiration Friday@ At the Picket Fence http://www.atthepicketfence.com/
Pinning and Singing on the Weekend@ 5 Minutes Just for Me http://5minutesjustforme.blogspot.com
Potpourri Friday @ 2805 http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/
Fabulous Friday @ Faith,Trust and Pixie Dust http://michellelunt.blogspot.com/
Weekend Bloggy Reading : Link Up @ Serenity Now http://www.serenitynowblog.com/
Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff and Nonsense http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/
Shine on Friday @ Happy-Go-Lucky http://happy-go-lucky-harvey.blogspot.com/
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/
A Pinteresting Link Party @ Here's to Handy Andy http://herestohandyandy.blogspot.com/
Tutu's and Teaparties : A Pinteresting Party @ http://tutusandteaparties.blogspot.com/

My Favorite Things ...Part II

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "My Favorite Things"

Who can forget Julie Andrews in The Sound Of Music?

Classic

Although my favorite rendition has always been country singer Lorrie Morgan's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXiTIsB_ADQ

As we are winding down to the last few days before Christmas , I am reflecting on some of my favorite things.

So I decided I would do posts this week on things that bring a smile to my face .

I hope they make you smile too.

And I want to thanks Pinterest in advance for assisting me with photos.

If you are a regular reader of my blog , you know my skills as a photographer are lacking.

Thank God for the ability to find any and everything on Pinterest!

If you are a frequent reader of my blog , you know I love my gardens.

I showed you my Moon Garden HERE,

and my not-so-great attempt at veggie gardening HERE,

and a little glimpse of my flower bed with my Wine Bottle Tree HERE.

I also have a SMALL ( insert sarcasm) obsession with Hostas.

I have only been blogging since late August and the Hosta garden was not at it's best then , so I haven't shared it yet.

I have also told you that once upon a time I was a florist.

So you can imagine I also have a deep affection for fresh flowers.

They never fail to bring a smile to my face.

Whether it's receiving an artfully arranged bouquet from the florist or a $5 dollar bundle of tulips from the grocery store ( although , rest assured there is a HUGE difference in quality) flowers brighten my day.

I was completely amazed when I was working on this post and pinning beautiful pictures of flowers on Pinterest , how many of them were identified incorrectly.

It kinda drove me NUTS to tell you the truth.

I thought about leaving a comment to correct them , but wasn't quite sure of the etiquette on that one.

Winter in Iowa can get quite long , especially for a gardener.

Then all those seed catalogs start coming and dreams of sugarplums uh no, make that,

exotic flowers and giant veggies start dancing in my head !

YIKES !

But now I have Pinterest!

YAH!

And spring is at my fingertips...

Repinned from flowers by Jen Joslin

This shot reminds me of Sis and my trip to the Tulip Festival in Pella.

She took such awesome pictures ( she is a MUCH better photographer than I )

She even had one made into a canvas for me for my birthday!

flowersday.org

Red have always been my favorite.

Pink tulips are Emily's favorite flower.

 I just hope someday she doesn't want to have them for her wedding.

( although I know she will )

They are not my favorite flowers to arrange.

Raychel ( my oldest) loves Lilies,

Stargazers to be exact

From brabournefarm.blogspot.com

I love all lilies.

 Asiatic

bulbsdirect.com

Calla Lilies

From ellamariedaughters.com

But my Favorite are Alstromeria Lilies .

 Some unfortunate people are allergic to them and breakout if they work with them , thankfully , I have never had that problem.

They come in SO many colors!

From google.com

Every woman in my family loves orchids.

I have used them in both my Nieces and Nephews weddings.. Again, there are so many varieties and colors to choose from.

Dendrobium

ftd.com

 I find them the easiest to work with, others may not agree.

Cymbidium

bouquetbridal.blogspot.com

Much Larger flowers .

Used often in corsages.

Love these in lime green !

Phalaenopsis

Sometimes called Moth Orchid.

Commonly sold as house plants.

Beautiful and long lasting.

When purchasing a plant, buy one with a few open blossoms and a lot of buds.

They open from the bottom up, the more buds , the longer you will have blooms to enjoy.

That's my favorite "florist flowers", now on to my favorite "garden flowers".

There is something about Sunflowers that just says "HAPPY".

Zinnia

From floridayards.org

So fast and easy to grow from seed.

Here is a new variety I plan on trying next year

burpee.com

Queen Red Lime Zinnia

Isn't that gorgeous?!

Another "happy " flower is a Gerbra daisy.

I like it better as a cut flower although it is commonly sold at greenhouses in the spring.

When I buy an annual , I want one that will be in constant bloom all summer.

I haven't had luck with Gerbra Daisies blooming all season.

Maybe it's just me.

But they sure are pretty!

From timelesscool.com

This arrangement also has Hosta leaves in it.

I love the combination!

cache.stylemepretty.com

They are also a flower that can make a statement with just one or two in a vase.

As I said earlier, I couldn't believe how many flowers were mis-indentified.

But this one takes the cake

From google.com

Daisy ?

 Really?

I hope my favorite things brought a smile to your face today :)

Wedding Flowers

It's been such a crazy week, that I haven't had time to post.

 I thought I would have enough for at least three posts.

I would have too , if I would've remembered to take pictures!

I got so involved in my project at hand that I just didn't get them taken!

Yesterday, my nephew got married,

I made all of the wedding flowers.

Fresh flowers - not silk.

Once upon a time , I was a florist.

I don't miss it.

But when one of my family members gets married , it's one way I can help out.

So I ordered the flowers from Sam's Club online.

I have a love/hate relationship with Sam's Club/ Walmart.

I HATE their customer service.

Really do they train these people to be rude and unhelpful?

However, I LOVE the quality of the flowers we get.

I had the flowers ordered for delivery on Wednesday ... plenty of time.

Only ONE bunch of flowers came on Wednesday.

My sister was on the phone with Sam's Club most of the day ( getting not much satisfaction)

It was finally determined that our flowers were in OMAHA !

The plane had been diverted " for reasons beyond their control" !

I finally got the rest of the flowers and greenery on Thursday around 4 .

I was really behind schedule!

Mini calla lilies, lavender roses, purple alsrtomeria and eucalyptus

Purple dendrobium orchids.

Mini callas.

The quality of these flowers was excellent.

I'm still undecided whether I will order from Sam's club again....

their customer service was that bad !

Corsage.

I thought I would do a whole tutorial on making a corsage.

But, because my flowers came late and put me behind, I didn't get pictures taken. :(

Bridal Bouquet. ( Bad lighting)

Close up.

Church alter bouquet.

Here is a super easy and relatively inexpensive centerpiece yet beautiful and elegant.

Take one mirror , place a tall vase in the center, add an orchid and fill with water.

It looks like the flower is suspended in the water,

The other little thing on the mirror is a mini, battery operated, submersible light.

We dropped these in the vase after we added the water , it makes a great effect.

And last but not least . my very favorite arrangement I made for the wedding.

I had forgotten the basket my sister brought me for the flower girl.

I thought it was too big anyway.

My 2 year old grand daughter was the flower girl.

So I goggled " flower girl flower ideas" .

Anyway.....

This is what I found

Perfect !

Addie loves her magic wand, why not make a flower girl wand ?

She loved it !

And it was SO easy to make !

A few flowers and LOTS of sparkly tulle !

It was a first for me.

And I must say it is going to be my go-to flower girl piece from now on.

Not that I plan on doing any more wedding flowers....

At least not till another family member gets married!

 

Linking to these awesome sites :

Debbie Do's

Under the Table and Dreaming

Between Naps on the Porch

Dittle Dattle

You're Talking too Much

Ask Anna

The Gunny Sack

So Creative

DIY Home Sweet Home

Vintage Wanna Be

Primp

Please check out all the inspiration on these pages!