Collections

Both of my kids are wonderful naturalists, and collect 'treasures' from the outdoors every time we go anywhere.  As much as I love this hobby of both of theirs, I absolutely deplore the displaying of these treasures.  It's messy, dusty, unattractive and utterly impossible to keep clean.  Until now.  Recently we (as in my husband) ripped out the carpet in both kids' rooms and replaced it with a wood laminate (post coming about that later!).  While the floor renovation was going on, I took advantage of the chaos to slim down my kids' collections.  Only with their permission, of course.  Then, on to ideas to corrall the stuff.  My daughter and I, armed with our 40% coupons,  visited Hobby Lobby.  In the glass aisle, we found many gorgeous containers (with lids to keep out dust) to keep her wonderful finds in.  The key is to get as many of the small things inside enclosed containers, so only the big things are left out.  That way, when it comes to dusting...yes, I said dusting...it is much easier to do!  So, I no longer cringe when my kids pick up rocks/acorns/cicada shells while we are hiking.  Now I know they are going to a more organized and beautiful space!

Displaying Flowers

As I've posted before, I absolutely LOVE flowers, especially when displyed in an unconventional vase - such as this ironstone pitcher.  My wonderful husband gave me roses for Valentine's Day - aren't they gorgeous?

I love the look of roses, but not the knobby, thorny stems and sharp leaves.  The blooms, to me, should be the focal point.  Therefore, why even show the stems?  To get this effect of just the blooms showing, cut the stems so that the roses are just slightly peeking above the rim of your vase.  I always cut them slightly longer at first, so I can re-cut them a few days later to encourage longer lasting flowers.  The final effect is stunning as you focus solely on those beautiful blooms, and their unique container!