In Remembrance

One of the things my Mother-in-law was know for was her love of jewelry. She was always adorned with sparkly earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. She believed it was important for a woman to look her best, and up until just days before her passing she consistently wore make-up, nice clothes, and jewelry. She taught her daughters: If you spend the time to get yourself ready in the morning then you can focus completely on other people throughout the day.

After she passed I was fortunate enough to receive a couple pair of her old clip-on earrings. I placed them on the tops of the lampshades in our living and dining rooms. They are a sweet little reminder of a life well lived in

love, service, and beauty.

Lucketts Part Two

One of my favorite things to see at Lucketts had nothing to do with what there was to buy. It was the wonderful outbuildings (not outhouses) on the grounds.

(photo borrowed from Casey who also loved the vendors sheds at Lucketts)

Most were filled to the brim with delightful items for sale by vendors.

I loved gazing at the architecture of each building. Many were made from old doors and windows, and most had a touch or two of beautiful moudings.I think I may have mentioned before that my dream home would be on a few acres with no neighbors in sight. And have about five different outbuildings including a big ol' barn that would be used for family gatherings instead of animals (even though when my boys get together it tends to sound like a bunch of animals.) I don't think that dream will be coming true anytime soon so in the meantime I'll just drool over these. . .and maybe figure out how I can build at least one outbuilding in my backyard.
Isn't this a perfect spot for outdoor eating? Or, since I already have similar pillars, maybe I could build something like this. . . A girl can dream, right?

Lucketts Part One

My daughter asked me what activities
I might be interested in doing while I was visiting.
On the top of my list was to take a trip to
The Old Lucketts Store. I had heard about Lucketts by reading blogs years ago
and I was excited to see if it was really as wonderful as I had read.
I was not disappointed. Talk about eye candy! I took tons of photos and it's still just a portion of all there was to see.
So for those of you, like me,
who enjoy perusing the pictures in magazines and on blogs
much more than reading the words, this post is for you.
ENJOY!

Botanic Garden and Dollar Store Orchids

One of my favorite places to visit in the DC area is
The United States Botanic Garden. Each time I go I find different things that inspire me.

This time was no exception.

I loved these arbors with their display of living plants.I'm always inspired by water features and creeks. I have great plans to make one in my own backyard---when I get enough money, time, energy, and muscle.

There are always beautiful hydrangeas to be found.One of my favorite rooms inside is the orchid room
filled with stunning displays of orchids.I love orchids!Even though I have two living orchid plants, I couldn't resist buying a few of the silk variety
when I saw them at the dollar store, along with some reindeer moss.With a little styrofoam secured in the bottom of some thrift store vases, I just stuck in the end of the orchid (cut to length)
and filled the vase with moss.This is the version I made for my daughter
using one of her beautiful thrifted vases.