DIY Spring/Summer Tulip Wreath

 

Just wanted to pop in and share this easy DIY tulip wreath I made using faux blooms from Michael's! I used 8 pink tulips and 5 white ones.

First, select a wreath form. I used a bent wire one for mine but grapevine would work too. Next, cut your flower stems to about 6 - 8 inches and strip off the leaves. This gives you enough to bend around the form to support the bloom, without having tons of extra that will bulk up the form. 

Arrange and stagger your stems around the form, wrapping with florist or other strong wire as you go. I finished with some white grosgrain ribbon wrapped so as to hide the wire, then glued at the beginning and end with Tacky Glue to secure it (the glued parts are hidden behind the bow at the bottom).

I used the discarded leaves to make a bow, bending them in half to form the loops (3 per side). I cinched the loop ends together and wrapped a thinner strip cut from a leaf around them to gather them together. I secured the middle strip with more glue, then glued two more thinner strips with notches cut into the ends hanging down as the bow's "ribbon" ends. When the bow was dried, I glued it to the wreath frame.

That's it! Simple and easy. You could substitute whatever flowers you like - peonies, roses, forsythia, wisteria, or poppies (one of my other favorite flowers!). Use lots of blooms or just a few, all one color or a mix of everything - the possibilities are endless!

 

Farmers' Market Flowers

It was rainy and gloomy most of this afternoon, with passing crashing-cymbal-filled thunderstorms that pelted the ground with gumball-sized hailstones. It's been years since I've seen hail! Such a strange sight, and so weird to hear thousands of little dings and whacks at once as they bounce off of different surfaces and ricochet around.

So here's a photo of bright and sunny bouquets of zinnias, veronica, amaranth, black-eyed susans, and kale from the local farmers' markets to harken back to sunnier, hail-free days!

By the way, what do you go with - farmer's market, farmers market, or farmers' market? I go with the latter because there's always more than one farmer present, but I honestly have no idea which is right.

What do you think?

Summer's Almost Here - With a Heatwave!

It's been already awfully warm for May, hasn't it? And now we're supposed to get 90 degree humid weather for the next four days here in Boston! Just thinking about it makes me start sweating. The only relief I'm getting is thinking of all the farmers' markets starting soon and how I can't wait to get my hands on peaches like these beauties from The Comfort of Cooking! (Check out her blog when you get a chance, she has amazing recipes and lovely photos.) I'm looking forward to apricots, Shiro plums (they have sweet flesh but very tart skins - and a really short season!), gooseberries, currants, and blueberries as well from local farms.

Another consolation is that the mild temperatures have allowed us to plant our garden a little earlier than usual. We've already got lettuce, beets, radishes, and peas in the ground! I was planning on seeding the flower garden this weekend, but I'll probably have to hope that next weekend is cooler and wait until then. So far in that garden, we have a lot of red currants ripening. They're safely protected by netting so we don't share them with all the birds in the area! Last year they ate all but two or three before we got a chance to cover them.

If you're having hot weather as well, I hope you stay cool. And if not, get out and enjoy the cool spring air before summer comes!

A Sad Sparrow's Tale

Now that the wedding's over (still can't believe it actually happened - still very surreal!) and I've settled into the new digs, I'll be posting pics of what I've been up to in the meantime.

I found these beautiful speckled eggs when I was moving post-wedding. They sadly will never hatch. Switch over to my Flickr page for the full tale!

Mason Bee Houses from WudwerxUSA

A mason bee house is a great tool for pollinating the flowers and vegetables in your summer garden! This type of structure is favored by non-aggressive mason and leafcutter bees and also provides a home for helpful insects over the winter.

This version is handmade by WudwerxUSA. See more of their creations here!

Summer and Winter Fruit Prints

These summer and winter fruit prints from Claire Nereim will cheer up any room with their bright color schemes and teach you what types of juicy produce are available during each season!

See more from her Etsy shop here.

Farmers Markets

What's that saying - "everything hits at once"? I've certainly been feeling that this past month. So I've been retreating. And I've been very quiet. I don't talk much when I'm processing a lot of bad news at once.

I've been getting back to the simple things. The cardinal that sings all morning in the backyard as he sits in the forsythia. The little wasp that cleans himself as he hides from the hot midday sun under the parsley. The bumblebee that happily buzzes among the tomato flowers.

Another favorite respite is the local farmer's market. Early August is a wonderful month for the harvest. My favorite yellow Shiro plums arrive, and crisp, juicy Sugar Baby watermelons appear. Zinnias are everywhere - I can never get enough of their papery, sometimes even velvety petals.

How do you recharge?

Dahlia Days

In between nursing the pup back to full health (she's almost there!), I've just been tending the shop and enjoying the last few weeks of summer.

The scorchingly hot days of July have finally given way to milder August days, accompanied by lovely, soft breezes that waft the smells of the ripening tomatoes and thriving basil plants in the back garden below through the open windows. I'm already dreaming of simple sun-ripened tomato salads, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with freshly-cut basil and oregano.

How do you spend the last month of summer? Any special plans?

Wildflower Seed Bombs

I've always wanted to make my own seed bombs to beautify the neighborhood, and this Northeastern Wildflower Mix from Terrain seems like the perfect combination of native plants for the job!

Golden Light

I came across this photo today on Size Too Small and just had to share! I would love to be on this beach right now, with the warm golden glow of afternoon sun on my face.

Doesn't this photo make you feel like you're already there too? What a gorgeous capture!

Summer Tank Tops

Browsing the new Urban Outfitters catalog, I found these fun tank tops! I love that they're nice and cool for summer without being extra tight-fitted and low-cut (as a lot of them are these days).

They're also great sources of inspiration for diy tops! You could do your own favorite line from Alice in Wonderland, words that inspire you, or animal prints, using iron on transfers or screenprinting.

When Life Hands You Sour Cherries...

When life hands you sour cherries, make "Sour Cherry Slab Pie". How good does this look?! Deb from Smitten Kitchen used fresh cherries from her local farmers' market, but frozen fruit can be substituted for this "giant Pop Tart".

I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for these ruby red gems at farm stands - I can't wait to make this!

Sights of Summer

Just wanted to share some of my favorite sights of summer with you! From top to bottom: Veronica flowers being visited by a bumblebee, Shasta daisies against a blue summer sky, and hand-picked strawberries from a local farmers' market. Enjoy! Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Friday Smiles

Who knew that in Colombia, they have an annual "Tomatina"? The word means "tomato fight" and this is the fifth year it's been held. (I believe there's a similar festival somewhere in Italy.)

These children have such huge grins on their faces, despite being covered in bright red pulp. They look like they're having the time of their lives, so I just had to post this photo for Friday Smiles!

Follow the Leader

This is such a great idea. It's called Contrail, and it deposits a path of colored chalk as you ride. I think this would be great for creating paths your friends could follow to find you, or as part of a scavenger hunt (especially a romantic one!).

In terms of practical applications, the Contrail will also help with bike safety, as "pver time these trails on the road get more pronounced, which not only encourages other bikers to take the same route, but it also lets drivers know what roads are frequented with bike traffic, hopefully making them a bit more cautious."

For more information, click here!