These are the things that make a centerpiece on the island between my kitchen and dining room.
 

It was pretty simple to put together. I put the larger stems and sprays in first, wiggled the candle in, and then pressed the large individual leaves against the sides of the glass. They are held there by the other stems.



It's similar to the beauty of being outside looking at the yellow, orange, red and green leaves against the fall sky. I love fall...




I used an old Longaberger wrought iron basket stand to give it the proper stage; the dark wrought iron really sets off the bright leaves and shiny glass.

I don't use this punch bowl more than once a year for serving punch, but I use it every day in my home and keep it on display throughout the year. Mainly because it's so large that it would take up valuable real estate in my kitchen cabinets.

You may recognize it from my Christmas decor post... it held vintage ornaments. Last month it held the latest issues of my favorite magazines... in style!




 Linking up to:

I do have a few young hydrangea bushes that were just coming into bloom. I could snip a few of the clusters and still leave plenty for enjoyment in the garden, especially if I snip those that face the fence.




I wish I could share the exact name of this hydrangea variety with you, but my golden retrievers have a bad habit of removing all my plastic garden tags. The blooms are not as full as what you typically see, but I like the little buds as they are just coming into bloom. The vintage silver sugar bowl is an estate sale find. It's really big, and the tallest sugar bowl I've ever seen. It reminds me of a trophy!




Typically I like to have a huge bouquet or large candle on this island in my kitchen, but given the size of the floral arrangement I decided to add a candlestick as well. It's something I picked up from Home Goods earlier in the summer. I love shopping at that store; I can always come home with something new to dress up my home for under $20--I think the candlestick was $12.99.




Small touches--a candle here, flowers in vintage vessels there... pretty little things that make my home seem special to me. What do you do to dress up your home? Link it up to my Share the {Blog} Love link party. The link stays live through Saturday!

Just outside my kitchen is a little deck with a very small wrought iron table and four chairs. The furniture set has been out there for years, in the rain, snow and sunshine. I enjoy the view of it every day.


I like to put a little something in the middle of the table; a small accessory each season. A simple bowl of flowers is out there now.  In the fall it might be adorned with a little pumpkin and even at Christmas I had a small table chandelier with red candles.


It's a great little space to take a break after work or sit while on the phone with a friend. The deck overlooks my yard, giving me a bird's eye view of  my garden and the field beyond. It's very peaceful... and pretty thanks to my little bowl of pink and blue happiness!

Linking this post to:

Oregon Cottage Tuesday Garden Party 

 At long last the lilacs have bloomed in my back yard! It's still pretty chilly outside here and I thought I would be able to enjoy them more in the house.


Their fragrance is heavenly. They looked so pretty rough cut on this silver tray... too bad they need water...



I love the handles on this piece--the carving is so very intricate. I picked it up at the thrift store some time ago. I keep in on my office table to catch mail each day.  After this I think I'll be taking it out to the garden all season to hold my flower sprays.


The flowers found their home in this silver champagne cooler which I have used over and over and over again in the short time I have had it. You can read the story behind this favorite thrift store find here.


One thrifted silver champagne cooler used as a vase, a bunch of lilacs cut from the back yard... love it. I've created a new blog label just for the cooler! You can find other posts featuring it here.

Linking up to:
Common Ground
Shabby Chic Cottage
Cottage Flora Thursdays
Brambleberry Cottage
All Things Inspired
A Beach Cottage 
Vintage Thingy Thursday at Colorado Lady
Savvy Southern Style
Blue Cricket Design
Sunburnt Cow

Spring has arrived... at least on my kitchen table...

Tulips from the market to get me in the spirit...

I love the bright pink with a touch of white around the edges...


Placed inside a silver champagne cooler. I do need another one of these--I am always finding great uses for it around the house and the during the holidays as well.


There's something about a touch of silver that just makes everything more beautiful. Even if it is from the thrift store!


The tulips are actually in a small pottery crock tucked in the cooler.   I'm hoping the warm weather of Spring arrives soon.... next stop, the nursery for perennials!



Linking this post to these great parties & blogs:
Photo Feature Friday at A Rosy Note
Pink Saturday
Tatertots & Jello

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
My Romantic Home
Fishtail Cottage 
French Country Cottage

and my own party... Share the Love Wednesday--Click the party button below to link up!

We all have those times in our life, when things don't go exactly as you had planned, life sends you a curve ball, or maybe you're just having one of those days.

Your emotions may dip and climb like a roller coaster, you might get frustrated, sad or angry, but you know what you have to do. You have to make yourself  happy.


Who else is responsible for your happiness? Nobody. You can't blame your situation on someone else, because ultimately, you are the only one who can change it up, make a new path and put your energy where it will lead to happiness. Okay, I am getting way too deep here for a blog post! How did I even get on this subject?

I bought myself flowers the other day.

They've really brightened my days; exactly what I was hoping for. Each morning, there they are, bright and cheery--a beautiful start to a new day.


They're just simple miniature carnations, but they sang to me in the store with their bright spring colors and pretty green stems. I brought them home and put them into a pretty McCoy vase {thrifted for a few dollars... can you believe it?} They were a little lost in the wide top of the vase so I added some small tree branches collected after the last storm. They helped space the flowers out nicely, instead of using baby's breath or another type of filler. I think it's a nice contrast, the neutral barren brown, and it sure helped give the arrangement some body to fill out the vase.


When I was arranging them, and then taking photos {because that's what I love to do} they made me think of my great aunt Violet's china that I've had boxed up since I painted my hutch some years ago... the little pink flowers are quite a match. It's the perfect time to bring out these pretties again, I think.


Well worth the few dollars spent, I believe. No more than my favorite drink at Starbucks, and they will last a lot longer. Flowers are the easy way... and a bright start, to begin making your own happiness. So tell me friends, what do you do to make yourself happy?




Last week, the first link to appear was also the one I wanted to feature! Check out this beautiful pillow tutorial by Trisha at the Sweet Survival.


I love her color choices, and she tells you just how much fabric you'll need and outlines step by step how to make this pretty pillow. I could see these as fabulous gifts, or even using her instructions to make those Mr. & Mrs. pillows you see in catalogs. If you haven't discovered Trisha's blog yet, stop by and check it out.

Now, scroll down & link up the best of your blog on Share the Love #3!

• Link to a specific post you want to feature, not your whole blog (to do this, click on the title of the post you want to link and it will open on it's own page, then copy that url). Any post will work--no theme!
• Grab my cute button (code is on my sidebar)  to include in your post or sidebar. text links are fine too.
• If you have clicked around my blog and like what you see, consider being follower!
• Try to visit a few other links if you can. Everybody loves comments and encouragement!