Floral fun. . . . . . . . .

The magenta peonies silently dropped their petals during the night.

Yellow pollen-laden stamens lay like gold dust on the French linen. . . . .

. . . . .however the always long lasting alstroemeria will last another weekend.

I shortened the stems, grabbed a smaller pitcher, poured in fresh water 

and made a quick trip around the garden for greenery.

A hosta leaf, a sprig of camellia leaves, trailing variegated ivy, 

and some gone-to-seed parsley for height.

Floral fun has made another lovely table decoration 

for quite a few more days.

These long lasting flowers come in many colors, all lovely, however I really think

 the white ones with the delicate magenta and yellow markings are my favorite. 

Thank you for all the generous comments regarding the recent dresser re-do HERE. 

I really enjoy this piece of useful furniture. . . . . . . and yes, already a change from

 two days ago. I added one of my display domes containing a Wedgwood fluted vase

 (which matches the demitasse set), standing on an small antique hand mirror, and

 containing hand-made paper flowers.

Who knows what may change next week!

Enjoy your weekend. 

Scribble Picnic - CLASSIC

When I saw the theme CLASSIC for today's picnic I immediately thought of my classical

 bust of mythical Roman, Diana the Huntress. 

She graces my dining room table currently (see my header above) in front of the mirror

with the Roman numerals, but has been known to move around the house and be

 displayed in other nooks and crannies.

She also wears my small collection of vintage men's shirt collars for want of another 

place to display them!

Yes, I know, my decorating is somewhat eclectic, but I derive a lot of happiness from

pieces such as this, so what the heck, decorate with what you love and think is 

beautiful. . . . . . . there really are no rules when it comes to one's own home are there?

Photo edited to a sketch via PicMonkey - water color pencils.

SCRIBBLE PICNIC is back today after a short break, and of course Michael is hosting.

I'm looking forward to see what our group chooses to illustrate their take on something classic - this will be interesting.

Time to dine. . . . . . . . .

I spent much of Sunday doing this!

Even though I had promised myself it would be a day of relaxation I just felt

 it was time to make changes and start decluttering the dining room.

So I got moving, making this chore part Spring Cleaning, part downsizing.

At this point in time a future move is always in the back of my mind. 

Meanwhile fewer dust catchers will make life and cleaning easier.

I've painted this dresser several times in the 30 plus years since I bought it

 unfinished. I still like this grayish-blue shade so it will stay. 

With all the china removed, and gently washed by hand, I replaced some

 antique/vintage items, packed others up to dispose of, and placed some of my

 everyday plain white 'French Countryside' china so it's more accessible than

 in the kitchen cabinets. After all, that's what dressers were originally built for

 before fitted kitchens hung on walls were ever invented.

This is how it looks now with everyday dishware consisting of plates and bowls for 

serving food, cups and saucers for tea, and demitasse cups for coffee, all at hand.

Some antiques remain - many picked up during travels to England and France - because

 they are special to me.  

Still other areas to work on - so I must get moving!