After a week alone in the house, I’m looking forward to some company this weekend. Saturday’s market gave me a chance to add some seasonality to the living room.
I admire big, complicated floral arrangements, but I don’t like to spend a lot of money on them. Pussy willows from the farmers market work for me. I especially enjoyed buying them from George, an old, crusty farmer who is one of my favorite vendors. Sans water in an old estate-sale urn, they should last until the forsythia comes in.
Virtually nothing in our living room is new, and that’s how I like it. The leather ottoman is an exception, bought several years ago to complement the curvy couch John’s mom gave us during her extensive re-decorating soon after we moved into this house. (John remembers diving from the arm to the cushions as a child, but with its heavy frame it has held up for more than six decades.) For a long time I’ve wanted a big oval tray for the ottoman, both for display and, occasionally, to serve pre-dinner hors d’oeuvres. Silver would be gorgeous, but I wanted easy-care and wasn’t about to spend money a big silver piece anyway. When I saw an inexpensive (new) hammered-aluminum tray made in India I couldn’t resist:
Just because it’s spring, I added a little basket of ground cover, also from the farmers market and destined for the garden, to the blue willow platter my sister Martha gave me and a favorite old estate-sale bowl.
Putting all these pretty things together was fun. Maybe I have too much time on my hands…
This is beautiful arrangement Mom. I do think you have too much time on your hands but I am glad that I get to vicariously enjoy the results.
I don’t know if you have too much time on your hands, but you’ve always had a knack for arranging things and making ordinary spaces look beautiful. I wish i shared that knack.