Through the Seasons

Happy new year!

January 4, 2016

Yes I know I haven’t been here in almost two whole months!
All I can say is I have been trying to live in the moment.
No documenting, no blogging, no social media, very little screen time at all and to tell you the truth it’s been rather nice.

But after some time to ponder I have realized that I do miss this space.
Thanks to all of you for your gentle nudges and inquiries. It’s heartwarming to know that so many of you enjoy it here.
I do too.

We had the most lovely holiday. In between baking, gift making and decking the halls, we hosted a caroling party, a new years eve party, several dinner guests and tonight we end our vacation with a little Downton Abbey party. There’s a chocolate cake in the oven right now!

I look forward to sharing more of our home, garden, projects, traditions, recipes and every day life here with you in the new year.

Happy new year my friends!

Autumn

November 2, 2015

Hello my friends!

I always think spring is my favorite time of year until autumn rolls around.
I am in awe of it’s beauty this year. The light, the sky, the fiery palette have all been especially spectacular.

Yesterday Chris I declared that Halloween should always fall on a Saturday. It was lovely to have a full day to prepare for our Halloween tradition of hosting friends for soup and cheer after trick or treating.

Pots of steaming hot chicken noodle, curried coconut butternut and vegetable lentil soups were served up along with warm bread, cheeses, caramel popcorn, apple pie and roasted pumpkin seeds.

While the adults sat around the fire sipping on soup, the young folk retreated to a room all of their own to trade candy.

Hibernating

September 30, 2015

As you can tell I have been hibernating these days.
I have been feeling quiet but our days have been abundant and full of all of the wonderful activities and traditions that bring summer to a close and welcome the beginning of autumn.

Spring vignettes

March 18, 2015

With spring just around the corner I have begun to tuck little reminders of what’s to come into the vignettes around my home. Nests, blown out dyed eggs, glass rabbits from my childhood and tiny birds have all come out from hiding.

As each new season approaches I pull out the many cards that I have saved throughout the years that correlate. I have quite a collection for each season and holiday and like to scatter them about on my wire card wreath, tucked into mirrors and showcased on the wooden card stands made by Chris.

Branches found on walks and clipped from my yard have been submerged into vases of water and are just beginning to bud out. (Read more about how to here).

It is still a bit chilly here but the light is changing and I have found several things peeking up in my garden.

I may still be wearing my wool coat every day but these little vignettes inside my home encourage me that soon it will be Spring!

Local friends, I will be teaching my Creating Space for Beauty and Simplicity Series at Harvey Oak Mercantile this year. This month I focus on the home and creating vignettes and incorporating the seasons into your decor.

Winter Essentials

January 9, 2015

I so enjoy the holidays and there is always a little bit of sadness that creeps in when they are all over but it hit me today that I think January may be my one of my favorite months.

I love the fresh start of a new year. The deep exhale and peace after the busy holiday season. The rituals that bring us close together. Winter vegetables. A desire to bake and try new recipes. And my tried and true list of essentials to help bear the darkness and bitter cold.

:: Candles. I have a 4:30 lighting ritual when darkness sets. I budget in votives and pillars each month to scatter about. They set a warm and cheery mood.

:: Red wine. A glass of red wine (or two) when I am making dinner warms and relaxes me. I am loving Malbec these days.

:: Citrus. I cannot get enough in the winter. We have a neighbor who always sell boxes of citrus right before the holidays to fund raise for various causes. I always order one or two mixed cases of oranges and grapefruit to get us through the winter. We make fresh squeezed orange juice every Christmas morning. My new favorite breakfast/snack is grapefruit, orange, clementine, kiwi and pomegranate seeds.

:: Fire. We always have a well stocked woodpile on our back porch. We light a fire almost every night before dinner and then gather around after to read, play games and keep warm. On weekends the fireplace will sometimes be lit from morning til night.

:: Wool. I love a winter wardrobe. I love layers, boots, vests, socks and sweaters. I couldn’t live without my wool toggle coat, a 40th birthday gift from my mama.
My slippers, socks and boots are all made from wool. I am always on the look out at the thrift store for 100 percent wool sweaters. They may be a bit itchy but they truly keep me the warmest. I only knit with wool and seek out the softer wools like merino and alpaca.

:: Soup. I’ve written here before about my love of soup. It is my all time favorite winter meal. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner (no lie!) I make at least one pot of soup per week in the colder months and it’s a perfect way to enjoy the winter squashes and roots in our weekly winter CSA share.

:: Greens. I crave dark leafy greens all year long but particularly in the winter. Kale, spinach, tat soi, mache all make their way onto our plates in salads or sauteed with lots of garlic to ward off colds and flu.

:: Fresh flowers. Along with candles I also budget in fresh flowers each week in the winter time. They are worth every penny and bring me joy every time I look at them. There is always a bouquet on my dining table and one in the kitchen. I sometimes add fresh flowers into a arrangement on the mantle as well. I like to incorporate them with clippings from the yard. Right now they are mixed in with evergreens. Lately I have been drawn to ranunculus, tulips and eucalyptus.

:: Forced bulbs. You will always find pots of paperwhite and amarayliss bulbs placed throughout my home starting in December. The green growth is a hopeful reminder that spring will soon be here. I like to create little scenes within the pots of bulbs with glass mushrooms, miniature deer, pine cones and moss. In a month or two I will begin to force branches

Foraging for the Holidays

November 26, 2014

If you don’t know be my now I am a forager. I may have been a squirrel in my past life as I am always collecting from nature. Rocks, twigs, pine cones, antlers and feathers are scattered throughout my home. I forage year round creating vignettes with my finds reflecting the seasons.

My foraging radar is on full tilt at this time of year as I scour for greens, pinecones, osage oranges and magnolia seed heads to decorate with for the holidays. Yes, it may be a lot easier to buy greens at the market but foraging for decor is much more fun and it’s free! Plus there is so much more variety out in the wild and your decor will be much more original. I tend to create decor that speaks the season rather than the holiday which allows for it to last well beyond Christmas.

This past Sunday I taught a workshop called Foraging for the Holidays where I brought in baskets of foraged finds. I had so much fun giving foraging tips and telling stories of my foraging adventures. Everyone went home with a handmade creation from the wild. Below you will find a few of my tips from the class.

Foraging for the Holidays
~Send out an email or Facebook post to friends and family in search of greens. Most people are happy to share.

~Host a greens exchange with friends where everyone brings clippings and finds from the wild or backyard to exchange with one another. Serve cookies and cocoa or even better, wine and chocolate

~Keep supplies in your car at all times. You never know when you will happen upon a foraged jackpot! Sharp clippers and a saw, heavy duty gloves to protect your hands from scratches and sap, baskets for collecting small things like pine cones, a log carrier for larger branches, waterproof boots, and bungee cord or rope for that mother load that may have to be strapped to the roof of your car.

~Starting in November keep an eye out for fallen debris especially after a storm. Be sure to pull over at a safe spot on the side of road when collecting and turn on your hazards.

~If you spot fallen finds on someone’s property don’t be afraid to knock on the door and ask if you could partake. Most people would be thrilled to have it cleaned up.

~Collect foliage with an array of textures, shapes and hues. Aside from green seek out blues, greys, chartreuse and yellow. Mix and match different textures and colors in an arrangement. Add twigs for height.

~Fresh hardier herbs such as rosemary or bayleaf make a beautiful accent to a holiday arrangement.

~Add form and texture with pinecones, magnolia seed heads and osage orange.

~Search out branches with pine cones still attached. They look beautiful added to an arrangement of other greens but also all by themselves hung on a door or window. I like to use them as trellises or stakes in a pot of forced bulbs like paper-whites or amaryllis.

~Wood is a versatile, beautiful addition to your winter decor. Tuck a few candles in little nooks and crannies of your wood pile for your next party. Cut a log into thin disks of wood, drill a small hole in each and string wire through to add to garland or wreaths.

~Create outdoor vignettes with what you have. Pull things from the garden like trellises or oblisk and add to pots of greens for height and dimension.

~Add accents to store bought wreaths and garland. I admit I do buy a few cheap wreaths and simple pine roping each year but then add an array of other greens to add more bulk, color and texture.

~Add greens to store bought bouquets to add height and variety.

~Use foraged greens to fill in eye sores like empty pots, planters or window boxes. String in some twinkle lights.

~Pick spots to decorate that are visible from the indoors. I like to add greenery to my window boxes where I can enjoy the view as I wash dishes or eat meals.

Some black construction paper is all you need

October 13, 2014

The girls got out some black construction paper today and voila, we are all decorated for Halloween. Bats, cats and goblins oh my!

Pumpkin towers

October 4, 2014

Oh autumn how I love thee! Yet another excuse for me to create new little vignettes to reflect the change of season. Like I said before mother nature doesn’t need much help in creating the most beautiful of scenes but I can’t help it sometimes to lend a helping hand.

At this time of year it is hard for me to walk past the many varieties of gourds and pumpkins sold at the market. I like to combine different colors and textures and stack them on top of one of one another and then look for places in my backyard space that could use some height and dimension as well as a pop of color. I choose places close to the house like the patio and by my back door. They bring a smile to my face each time I pass by.

Although there is still much blooming and growing in the garden, I have had to remove a few plants from some pots that have petered out, a perfect place for a few pumpkin towers. I love how they look nestled in with trailing vines and herbs.

Oh and speaking of herbs, head on over to TEND where I write about one of my favorite herbs, Lemon Verbena.

A time of renewal

October 1, 2014

Happy Autumn friends!
I miss this space. I miss the rhythm and routine of coming here.
Our summer was a beautiful, bountiful and busy one full of many new adventures along with much tradition.
I am ready for fall though. It is a time of renewal for me.
I have begun to bring the gifts of this new season indoors to incorporate into our decor. We are eating squashes, brussels sprouts and dark leafy greens and soon soup will be a weekly meal.
We have a trip to the orchard planned to pick loads of apples to turn into sauce to can for winter as well as for holiday gifts.
And soon there will be daily trips to the woodpile.
I feels good to be back.
xo

Stripped down summer decor

July 20, 2014

In the summertime my home usually reflects how I want to feel in the warmer months… light and cool. I prefer my hair up and my skin exposed as much as possible, wearing light fabrics and flip flops or sandals.

At this time of year I tend to strip down with my decor as well. I put things away for a while which gives my home a little more of a lighter feel. While thrifting I find myself attracted to pastel colors and fabrics. Seashells and beach finds are scattered about and my houseplants go on a little summer vacation outdoors onto my porch and patio.

Baskets of wool blankets are replaced with pool and beach towels and hooks that were once full of jackets and scarves are adorned with sun hats and fresh herbs hanging to dry.

Although we have been blessed with mostly pleasant temps, it’s these little things that help me feel just a bit cooler during those dog days of summer.

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