A LOVELY SPRING REMINDER

 Blossom by Blossom Spring Begins....

CREATING A LOVELY VALENTINE VIGNETTE

Welcome TLB friends!

In today's blog I'm showing you how easy it is to create this beautiful "Valentine Vignette" in your own home.

Items you will need:

-A small vase that will hold one dozen flowers of your choice. I used tulips and roses.

-Small piece of raffia or ribbon to tie around the vase.

-One small silver dish (Hobby Lobby) filled with candy of your choice.

-1 twiggy branch with tiny flowers of your choice on the branches, branches cut off

(Hobby Lobby)

-1 shiny Valentine themed item similar in size to my silver ceramic statue of LOVE 

(Kirklands)

Steps to creation:

1. Arrange you flowers with roses in the lower front and tulips a bit higher in the back. Add green twigs of your choice for texture and contrast.

2. Fill candy dish with Valentine candy of your choice.

3. Cut branches off the large twiggy branch, and place strategically around items to give the vignette a soft flowy look.

4.  I purchased 2 yards of deep gray fabric and some white chalk. (Hobby Lobby) I serrated the sides of the chalk, and rubbed it on the fabric giving it a similar look to chalk on a chalkboard.

5. Arrange your vase, candy dish and floral arrangement to your liking. Then add the twigs where you see fit.

I love to try new and different things for Valentine's Day! Give it a try....you can do it!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Kathleen

Thanks so much for stopping by TLB! 

A Sweet Springtime Treat

Welcome to Foodie Friday!

Spring brings our first blossoms, birds chirping and the smell of freshly mowed grass. It also brings hours of work to bring our flower beds back from the tough winter weather.

I always start working in my flower gardens early in the morning. It's pretty typical of me to stop mid-morning for a cup of coffee and a little something sweet to accompany it.

In today's blog I'm sharing my steps to making a delish pot of French Press Coffee accompanied by a slice (or two) of Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti. Now doesn't that sound like a nice reward after a few hours of toiling in the soil?

How to make French Press Coffee--

Add:

1.    1 tablespoon coarsely ground coffee per cup

2.    Pour boiling water into the carafe within approximately

       1 inch from the top of the carafe.

3.    Stir with a non-metallic utensil.

4.    Place lid assembly on top of carafe. Brew 4 minutes.

       With one hand firmly holding handle, use other hand to 

       slowly press the plunger down to filter the coffee.

5.   Tilt, pour and enjoy!

The house was filled with the delicious scent of cinnamon while the biscotti was baking. Biscotti is as easy as the steps you see above.  Here is the link to the recipe that I used:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cinnamon-sugar-biscotti/

Bon appetit-

Kathleen

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FLORIDA'S SPRING FOYER

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! 

I managed to squeeze in a little foyer redecorating for Spring. Foyer's are our first impression when we enter a home, and whether they are big, small or nearly non-existent, it's so important to create a warm welcome feeling for your guests.

I didn't need to purchase anything. I grabbed from various parts of the house and the arrangement ended up like this------

Cherry blossom twigs, a large mother of pearl ginger jar, a lovely beachy vase and plate combo and a nice comfy chair made everything complete. 

Light, airy, Springy and a bit beachy! The vase bears the likeness of the blue hues from the Gulf waters, and the golds are like the glistening sand.

I just love this plate. When I purchased all of these items a few years ago, I started with the plate and then added everything else. 

Making a welcoming foyer can be as easy as looking around your home for a new placement for your favorite things or making a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up a fresh bouquet of tulips!  Now go ahead and have some fun!

                                                              Happy Spring!!

                                                            Kathleen

TEN DAYS UNTIL SPRING!

Spring is a gardeners dream come true! With it's arrival come longer days and warmer temperatures. I don't know about you but I am ready for those warmer temps.

Last Fall I planted 50 tulip bulbs that I am so excited to see poke their little heads through the ground. My sister and brother-in-law brought them back from their trip to Holland, I can't wait to see the colors. I chose to plant them very close to our front porch which will give a nice splash of Spring color walking up the sidewalk.

Until then.........thank you Whole Foods for having a tulips Sale on Friday......fresh from Virginia!

I added a bit of red to our Living room------love that color!

                                         And then a more demure white to the Dining Room.

Some of you don't have to wait for the snow to clear to check out your gardens after a long winter.

If you are lucky enough to live in a nice warm climate you are already witnessing the beautiful

blossoms of Spring. Wherever you call home, one thing is for sure, there is nothing like the glory

of the Springtime blooms!

                                                           Wishing you a colorful day!

                                                                         Kathleen

***Thank you for visiting The Lavender Bouquet. Please feel free to pass our link along to your 

friends. This is how we grow!

Avoid the Winter Blues with Color!

Punxsutawney Phil may have popped out of his burrow Sunday morning and predicted six more weeks of winter, but that doesn't mean that the inside of our homes must stay so dreary. Flowers and plants can add such a nice "punch of color" in quite an easy and inexpensive way.

My husband and I took a trip to Trader Joe's yesterday. I couldn't resist the bunches of Forsythia branches with tiny buds ready to be "forced" to bloom in a vase of water. Looking further, the entire wall was full of beautiful Tulips and Daffodils also. Needless to say, they were calling my name so we left with several bouquets to fill the large pitcher in our kitchen. I added a very special "pink" plate that was a gift from my husband when we took a trip to The Greenbriar, in West Virginia. The bright plate blends nicely with the pinks, yellows and whites in the bouquet....all colors I love in the Springtime!

Adding color in the winter in the form of a plant or bouquet can be just what we need to chase away the "winter blues." Plants such as Primroses give a beautiful showing of blooms from now through Spring also. Their tiny vibrant hues brighten any area they are displayed in.

Now run along to your grocery store or floral shop and grab a beautiful bright plant or bouquet of something full of color. I promise you, the "winter blues" will disappear when you add the splendor of God's gift of color to any room!

Wishing you a colorful day!

Kathleen

***I hope you are enjoying my blogs. Feel free to leave a comment.