Naturally,
August 6, 2012
I wasn’t at my local hardware store looking for inspiration, but indeed, inspiration struck. Who knew that a $2 ball of gardening twine could become a handsome vase “wrap”? Softer than I had imagined, the resulting fabric presented the great color of jute linen and the simple garter stitch…a beautiful textural contrast to a simple glass cylinder. Secured with an additional length of the jute itself ( or maybe some tan leather lacing for fall ) you have a great seasonal receptacle for a bound hand full of blown garden roses or even an assortment of grasses and foliage. I’m thinking this could be a simplequietmodern answer to your next event or holiday centerpiece. Did someone say they were getting hitched?
Branching Out
July 2, 2012
What a simplequietmodern way to display a good handful of Rhoadsidiana ~grasses, wildflowers, seed pods~ picked on a relaxing walk around the lake. You are week-ending in the country aren’t you? Modeled from an actual tree limb by ceramist extraordinaire PaulaValentim ,Tree Branch maintains the shape, texture and detail of the real thing. Produced in porcelain clay, this vessel is glazed on the inside to hold water, yet is quietly matte in its exterior finish. Just like arranging flowers in one of your glass cylinder vases (you must have one by now), putting this to great use could not be simpler. Give all of your selected material a fresh cut, fill the container with clear clean water and drop in…letting everything arrange itself. Done.
Hang it up
June 13, 2012
While vertical gardening is making a statement in municipalities on both sides of the pond, you might like to try your hand at it at home. Hung on a back fence or interior courtyard or porch wall these succulent filled panels present themselves like a living, breathing work of art. Seurat had his pointillist dots of paint…you’ll have the small green leaves in their various shades of greens, grays and reds to color your creation. Panels can be hung alone or combined for a truly impressive piece as shown. If you get started now you have the entire summer to experience its developement. Who knows…you may take a liking to gardening “up” and decide to tackle an even more ambitious project.
http://shop.floragrubb.com/vertical-succulent-garden-d-i-y-panel/
Planting it modern
May 16, 2012
Spring clean up is done and now it’s time for the finishing touch. But, if your gardening aesthetic leans toward the modern you might find fewer choices. Whether you are lucky enough to possess some vintage cement garden bowls or if you make some inspired new selections like these from Terrain, the next step is determining what to fill them with. My best advice is simplicity. The blue Dune grasses are perennial and add just enough color and interest for my taste all year round without having to resort to the “Coney Island” assault of those annual flats each spring( really, mixed groupings of Impatiens, Geraniums and Marigolds…ugh). Massing one type of product in each container magnifies their effect. The more subtle grasses, the bright chartreuse of Sweet Potato vine or Lysimachia or, if you are ” annual inclined” , masses of the same flowering plant in a single color (even masses of white Wave petunias) can work a modern theme. Memorial Day is approaching, better get on this.
http://www.shopterrain.com/garden-containers/
Call your mother…
May 13, 2012
or take her something lovely. A big bunch of fragrant peonies would be nice. And, some candy.
Everyday flowers…
May 7, 2012
continued. Well, another day of bargains in the Kroger floral department. Glorious yellow pincushion protea ( which I think were already a good value at their regular price of $4) marked down to $.99 each. Wha ???? Plus the added bonus of some bear greass with each. So, here we go… simply drop them both in a taller cylindrical vase ( pottery/ glass/Pringles can) or lop off their heads and place them in the bottom of a simple on-the-rocks glass ( to be used anywhere you might have 4 square inches that needs a chic little lift, singly or in multiples…..end table, night stand, powder room, on top of a stack of books on the coffee table, your desk). It’s no simplequietmodern secret that you can live so well on so little.
There is a Chinese proverb that is applicable here that says ” If you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one and a lily with the other.”
Branching out
April 14, 2012
No matter where you are in the country there should be copious amounts of flowering branches available…if not in your own yard maybe a kindly neighbor or friend? A small armload of judiciously pruned branches~ be they cherry, quince, forsythia or peach~can make quite a statement when brought indoors. Pull out your glass cylinder vase, pound those woody stems and let them arrange themselves. 
Shifting gears
March 30, 2012
As the days get longer and the temperature rises it’s time to look into that transition to Spring. Trade in the snow shovel for a rake and ice melt for fertilizer…assess the damage done by Mother Nature ( or the deer ) and get to work on a game plan. I’ve learned to keep things simple to maximize the enjoyment yard work can bring , which includes gathering my favorite tools to get the job done. I’d be lost without my leather gloves( http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100561415/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=leather , my wheelbarrow and my burn permit. First up…cut back all the blue dune grass, gather the fallen branches and light ’em up.
Naturally green
March 15, 2012
If you look a little closer you may find tucked behind the buckets of hideously dyed green carnations, that seem to be everywhere for St. Patrick’s Day, a small yet natural surprise…miniature carnations in natural green. A simpler, softer green…a fresh green. For a couple of dollars you can take home a bunch to salute your Irish kin and still have them around to usher you into April while enjoying their spicy fragrance. Simply cut them short and mass them in a glass of fresh water. 
Hey Bud…where’ve you been?
March 9, 2012
Daffodils…even after a mild winter, there is nothing quite like the arrival of daffoldils with their promise of rebirth and new beginnings. Can there be a more perfect yellow? The birth flower for March, they dot the near black and white late winter landscape with their electricity. Share a bunch with a friend to ensure happiness and good fortune. A hot cross bun or two couldn’t hurt either…it is Lent after all.
simplequietmodern 