Spring Woodland Nest

Spiral Eucalyptus, False Indigo, Feathers, Twigs, and Birds Nests - Heaven in my book! A visionary I am not. It's a rare occurrence that I can put together a design without multiple trips back to the store, but this time the blue moon was full. In our home, this design hangs against a dark green wall keeping with the color palette, and its upright and tilted florals in the basket lends itself perfectly to frame one side of our sliding glass door.  Happy Spring!

Cone Garland

A woodland home, or basket in this case, is not complete without pine cone garlands!  This is an easy project that takes no time at all.  You'll need plenty of cones of varying shapes and sizes, bind wire (or the green twisty-tie wire usually found in garden stores), a drill with a drill bit slightly larger than the diameter of the wire, and beads to be used as spacers.  Some pointers as you create your own: If you use closed Spruce cones (see right cone in bottom photo), leave plenty of room on the wire to allow them to open.  The middle photo shows how the cones will twist on the wire and face in different directions if you don't leave room.  If you're especially particular about creating the most perfect garland, pay close attention to the curve of the long Spruce cones in determining where to drill the holes.  Most importantly, have fun!  Share the experience of creating the garland, or give it as a gift!

Country Brush Wreath

An idea sparked the moment I saw them - the beautiful branches from a downed tree on my in-laws' property.  We burned brush and cut firewood most of the day, then headed home with a healthy bundle of branches I managed to save from the fire.  The wreath was easily assembled with a Mitchell wreath ring and wreath machine.  It was the perfect Christmas gift for my sister-in-law this year!

A Bird's Life - Repurposed Window

Jean's Antiques in Shell Lake, WI is practically a required stop when we make the trip up North to Mom & Dad's.  During this visit, two windows caught my eye.  After a good cleaning, I replaced the window panes with mirror panels from the hardware store (Lowes sells 6 packs of 12" by 12" panes, and will cut to any size for free!), held in place with glazing points.  All was going according to plan when the last pane shattered, and for the next month the window sat neglected in my garage.  When inspiration struck, this design was born.  Supplies include: Poppy pods, False Indigo, Birch twigs, silk foliage, Kiwi vine, speckled feathers, and an occupied bird's nest.

Silver Birch Bouquet & Boutonniere

What calls to an northwoods girl more than ice fishing and pine forests?  Birch bark of course!  Ok maybe that wasn't your first guess, but to this girl it was!  This bouquet is made with strands of birch bark strips bound with silver wire, silver 'chains', beaded wire, and shear ribbon.  Strands of birch and wire give the bouquet extreme movement and even sound.  The simple, yet elegant coordinating pin-on boutonniere completes the northwoods look!

Container Gardening

Finally May 15th, the first day to plant in zone 5, has arrived!  It has become to many like a celebrated holiday (I made cupcakes to mark the occasion), and if you've caught the gardening bug you know exactly what I'm talking about!  The first three planters at our house will grow pink/red Orchid Primrose (the plants that made my jaw drop!), Inspire Blue Speedwell Veronica, yellow/orange Dwarf Coreopsis, white Euphorbia, and Elephant Ear.  Chili peppers are one of the "must-haves" for one of the next three containers.  What unique and jaw-dropping plants are you planting in your container gardens this year?

Corsage Outside the Box

A corsage should reflect the personality of its wearer, so why do we continually go back to carnations and baby's breath?  One of the greatest compliments a florist can receive is the trust of a customer saying, "Do whatever you want!"  Try it the next time you're in a floral shop and watch their eyes light up!  This corsage I made for my favorite professor Donna Theimer, AIFD for our college's spring gala.  Birch bark, bullion and 24ga wire, pearl-head pins, green lycopodium and hypericum berries, a black and white speckled feather, and corsage magnets.