Coral Coziness

Every now and then you find something that stands out from the rest. I felt this way when I was picking through a rack of throws, some hand-knit and others crocheted. Most of the time the throws one finds at thrift shops have colour combinations that make it seem that whoever made it was using up whatever they had around, making for some loud and discordant results. Other times, the colours may be harmonious but the throw has obviously had a lot of wear. Happily, neither of these were the case with my find of the week. The throw’s coral colour drew me immediately, but my heart rejoiced when I saw the lovely knit pattern and the pleasant discovery that the throw was in such good shape.

Just look how pretty the leaf pattern is. It wasn’t until I was photographing it that I noticed that the other side had an equally lovely ripple pattern. And I know that it is going to look great draped at the end of the new duvet cover that I am finally going to get around to sewing one of these days. What better motivation could there be to get that project underway than this lovely new find? And do you know what? All this lovely handiwork was priced at only $5.99.

Garden Tools Caddy

Back in May of last year I posted (http://creative-by-nature.blogspot.com/2009/05/garage-sale-find-1.html) about a garage sale find, a red wooden toolbox. And at the time I tried out a few ways that I thought I might put it to use. One of those ways was as a garden caddy, and that is exactly how I ended up using it. When my neighbour (and fellow-gardener) saw mine she remembered that she had one hidden away and decided to dig hers out to use in just the same way. But oh my, M’s is such a wonderful shade of deep blue. Don’t they look happy together?

Lavender Days

Oh dear, this year’s lavender days are just about over. Already the last of the lavender flowers are turning brown at the edges. Soon there will be nothing left of them to cut. The heat wave we’ve been experiencing certainly doesn’t allow for a long season. Thank goodness I managed to dry some of the flowers so that I can at least enjoy their fresh scent over the winter months. This year I only had two plants to draw from, but hopefully next year the eleven plants I put in this spring will have matured enough to produce lots of flowers.

Peachy Keen

I think this colour of verbena is absolutely gorgeous. The growers called it peach on the plant tag, but I think it also finds its way into the coral range. It is so interesting how the petals on the same clumps of bloom can vary so much. I found two hanging baskets of it for $15.00 which was a very good price and I used them to pot up my planters, along with some similar coloured geraniums.

Lavender Potpourri

Today I bring you another way to use dried lavender. Once again I’m using the lavender that I cut and dried from my neighbour’s garden (with her permission and encouragement of course!) Not only does it smell lovely, but it looks pretty too. For extra colour I added some dried rose petals to dthe dried lavender. You can add other types of dried petals or dried citrus peel, anything that adds colour or fragrance. The lavender has a wonderful scent all of its own and all you need to do is give your potpourri a quick stir every now and then to release the fragrance. You can also add a few drops of an essential oil of your choosing or a drop or two of your favorite perfume if you want another scent or medley of scents. So experiment, try different things and have some fragrant fun!

Lavender Sachets

Lavender sachets are a lovely and practical way to use dried lavender. They are great for adding a lovely frangrance to your linens, as moth repellents in your closets and if you use bags made with a gauze-like fabric you can use them to scent your bath water. Sachets filled with lavender and tucked under a pillow are reported to help people sleep better. With so many uses, they make great gifts.

Canada Day

Perhaps not the photo you would expect to see on Canada Day, but we decided to celebrate the occasion by taking an afternoon hike in the Gatineau Hills, far from the crowds and excitement of Parliament Hill. We only saw a handful of other people while we were on the trail so it was certainly a quieter way to reflect on Canada and what this country means to us. And I think it is a fitting way to spend the day, for what is it about Canada that is great if not its natural beauty?