Ruffles and Roses...

I have joined the crowd,

and made a ruffled bed skirt,

into a ruffled tablecloth...

like so many bloggers before me,

I couldn't resist!

I thought the hard part was going to be getting

reacquainted with my dusty sewing machine,

but really it was finding

the ruffled bed skirt to begin with

I found mine at overstock.com

I just peeked and all sizes are avaliable

here is a link if your looking...

the ruffles remind me of petticoats,

so I made my table cloth small,

to fit my table without the leaf...

intimate...

and I made it square to fit my round table,

I like the way it falls into points at the corners

 this way...

piles of ruffles

laying on your lap...

swoon....

do you remember

my roses of a few weeks ago?

I made them into a little topiary...

they dried nearly perfectly

in place..

I added a half a florist foam ball underneath

to perk them up

and added a few roses to the skimpy spots...

even though the weather is nasty outside...

my shabby new tablecloth

has me dreaming...

of spring...

of floral china

and pretty tablescapes...

are you dreaming of spring too?

Today I am joining...

Tabletop Tuesday

White Wednesday

Wow us Wednesday

Winter Blues Party

Primp Your Stuff Wednesday

Transformation Thursday

Show and Tell Friday

Feathered Nest Friday

and

Home Sweet Home

Thanks for stopping by today,

I always enjoy our visits...

Venturous Harbinger of Spring...

the snowdrops have been standing

in the garden,

holding their petals close...

waiting...

for just a bit of sun...

today,

I could wait no more...

and brought in a bundle...

their little heads popped open quickly...

To a Snowdrop

Lone flower,

hemmed in with the snows and white as they

but hardier far,

once more I see thee bend thy forehead,

as if fearful to offend, like an unbidden guest.

 Though day by day, Storms, sallying from the mountain-tops,

 waylay The rising sun, and on the plains descend;

Yet art thou welcome, welcome as a friend

Whose zeal outruns his promise!

Blue-eyed May Shall soon behold this border thickly set

With bright jonquils, their odours lavishing

On the soft west-wind and his frolic peers;

Nor will I then thy modest grace forget,

Chaste Snowdrop, venturous harbinger of Spring,

And pensive monitor of fleeting years!

William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth was so inspired by his

Venturous Harbinger of Spring,

he wrote not one but two poems

to the Snowdrop...

(also "on seeing a tuft of snowdrops in a storm")

I know how he felt..

the promise of the coming spring,

wakes me up

and makes my blood move...

today I am joining...

Show and Tell Friday

and

Saturday Show Off

Thanks for stopping by....

Breaking Ground...

Our weather has been

glorious!

icy mornings...

and

sunshiny days...

the garden is breaking ground...

the first crocus have popped up...

as have the first dandelions,

ready to start the race...

in the bare garden...

a mossy bench

 waits for it's leafy canopy...

maybe the birds know something we don't...

these little birdhouses,

with the oval openings are for Violet Tree Swallows...

their slim bodies and agile wings can maneuver

the odd shape...

this gives them a good safe home...

but each spring,

a contortionist male sparrow

will decide to make it his home...

he cleans it out...

only to find

the girl he has been building his little nest for

can't get in...

and the love birds have to move on

to find a new more accommodating home...

pink feathers

?

did you think we had very fancy birds?

I give the birds craft feathers each spring to nest with,

it is a delight to watch them

flying around carrying all the bright feathers...

the crocus eased open

as the day warmed...

does this mean

our winter is over...

probably not...

after last years crocus bloomed we had

piles of snow...

you can see it here

it does mean

we had a beautiful day :-)

I hope you did too!

Today I am joining...

Show Off Your Cottage Monday

Masterpiece Monday

Metamorphosis Monday

a brand new party
Wild about Mother Nature

and

Outdoor Wednesday

Thanks for stopping by today...