gray and yellow: yarn vase still life

There is pleasure in creating, even when it is as simple as taking an old jar, wrapping with yarn, and filling with flowers. Recently, inspired by an image found on pinterest, I assembled the above vignette.  It turned out to be a happy little scene to greet us all week long.

The yellow ranunculus' practically vibrate with color. Against the gray palette, they seem to glow.

I always look forward to the arrival of daffodils.

I stacked up gray books to give height variation. The small white pebbles are from a favorite beach back home. The grapefruit candle is from here.

I picked different gray yarns for the vases- thick wool, cotton, etc. Some of the yarn was easier to apply than others. The thick yarn covered a multitude of crafting mistakes, while the skinny yarn was a bit trickier. To make the vases, I simply liberally applied Elmers glue to a clean glass jar and wrapped the yarn around and around until the jar was covered. (If it is not evident enough from the visible errors in the vase pictures, I will say that I am not a terribly crafty person, which is why I have not even attempted my own tutorial on making yarn vases. I am sure there are some excellent ones already out there, like this one.)

I like the juxtaposition of textures between the smooth petaled flowers and the nubby yarn.

I also think these vases would be a great (inexpensive) table decoration for a spring baby or bridal shower- there are a myriad of options between matching yarn and florals. They would also be lovely on an Easter buffet table.

Harriet is starting to become quite the little photo bomber.

blooming branches

During a recent visit, my mother commented to my sisters and I that if she had access to fresh flowers like we do, she would always have them in her house. She lives in a small community in Alaska and I believe she made the statement while wondering through a Safeway, past the display of buckets filled with bundles of tulips and bunches of roses.

Her sentiment stuck with me. Living life away from my family, I try to find ways to weave them into my every day: picking the same books to read together or watching the same movies, preparing a meal I know they would love, quick text messages and phone calls. Since my mother made that comment, I have found myself drawn to pick up flowers during the week.

I never arrange them in a fancy way (wouldn't know how to, even if I wanted to) but love the softness and texture their organic shapes lend to a space. I also look forward to featuring my weekly floral selections in still life settings in various parts of house.

Recently, my grocery store had bundles of blooming branches. It took a bit for the color to pop out but even in the meantime, I admired their slim austerity against my white white walls. After a few days, the blooms fell and the pink petal dusting was it's own kind of pleasure.