After a balmy Friday and Saturday
with temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s,
the light dusting of snow and sleet on Sunday
with low temperatures in the teens
was a shock to the system.
Where did the warm weather go?
Bring it back, please.
When we cannot have the real thing,
there are ways to bring spring into our houses.
Many of the ways include plants,
both real and faux.
My last post was about bringing spring
into my kitchen sunspace using small bedding plants.
The living room mantel last spring
included faux grape hyacinths and a
real narcissus bulb ready to burst into bloom.
Sun streamed into the living room, reflecting the oak tree in the
print of the Chenonceau Chateau in France.
Warm weather helped the narcissus bulb to grow,
bringing spring right into the living room.
The blue and white creamer's decorations
of butterflies, dragonflies, and flowers
were the perfect images for spring.
The little blue and white creamer's pattern is
Botanic Blue
by Portmeirion
and was the inspiration for my seasonal shop
and blog name,
Botanic Bleu.
Portmeirion is an English china company, and
the pattern Botanic Blue is no longer sold in retail stores
in the United States.
Replacements, Ltd. offers a few select pieces.
A large cluster of cut faux grape hyacinths were at one end of the mantel,
and a single grape hyacinth plant was inside the white lantern
at the other end of the mantel.
Spring is in the air in the living room this year, also.
This spring, the faux grape hyacinths are on the
coffee table in the living room,
along with a large faux bird's nest
nestled in real ivy plants.
The white concrete urn paired with the
white ceramic fleur-de-lis add
a touch of France as well as
a touch of spring.
When I found the faux grape hyacinths
at a local florist, I thought they were expensive,
but bought them anyway because they are a
realistic fake and the perfect color for my house.
The expense turned out to be a good buy.
The flowers are over five years old and
still look great.
The urn filled with the bird's nest and ivy arrangement
complements the birdcage and bird print at the end of the sofa.
The urn is easy to fill with seasonal objects
that reflect the time of the year.
Moss with ivy and a blue pumpkin are
recent items that filled the urn.
On the other side of the fireplace is another
bird printed on a vintage gardening dictionary page.
These two bird prints are part of the set
of four bird prints that I made last fall.
Snow and sleet may be falling outside,
but spring and sunshine are residing inside.
❦
~~~~~~~~~~
Please join me at these inspiring sites...
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY