Hydrangea Wreath

My landlord was kind enough to let me cut bunches and bunches of hydrangea, from the bushes outside of the house. He's a sweet, older Italian man, who looked at me cock-eyed when I made the request.

"Help yourself, dear", he said, "but why do you want the flowers when she's a-dying?"

"Projects!", I explained.

He shrugged his shoulders and waved me toward the bushes.

I happened to cut the flowers, apparently, at just the right time. I popped them into vases and let them dry for a few days and (at the suggestion of some floral arrangement website) I soaked the heads in warm water for 15 minutes before it was time for wreath assembly. The "expert" assured that this would 1.) loosen all of the brown petals...which it did and 2.) make them easier to work with because they were less brittle....also true.

I simply stuck the flower heads into a green foam thingy, added a few silk flowers for color, tied a bow on top and she's a-finished! Cute, huh? Oh, because I am the queen of more, more, more...I decided to add a tiny bit of mica glitter to a few of the leaves. Just a touch of shimmer.

Quick Re-Vamp

Thanks to Jen, at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, I went on another spray painting rampage yesterday. Being the QUEEN of immediate gratification, I have had an ongoing love affair with spray paint (speaks volumes about my love life:-). I just discovered Jen's fabulous blog, which is packed with great ideas...from soup to nuts! I went back to some of her earlier posts and discovered a few projects she did, refurbishing items she had, with spray paint. I forget that most metals are spray paintable (better check on the grammar there), so I went rummaging through my garage for hidden treasures. I found an ugly old, metal urn, originally destined for G.W. or S.A., grabbed a can of off-white paint and set to task.
When the urn was sufficiently dry, I simply added a tulle bow (dollar store) and some lovely silk roses that were a gift from Monica. Simple, but pretty, I think. I have to continually rein myself in, as I tend to want to over-do with...well, you name it and I want to over-do it! If I decide I want to put the urn in another room, I can take the bow/ flowers off or substitute other. The beauty of a neutral palette. For now, it's going to hang out in my bedroom, filled with silk hydrangea...until the real ones start to bloom. Thanks again, Jen!
In my haste to get to spraying, I forgot to take a "before" picture, so you'll just have to imagine...ugly!
***my 100th post give-away winner will be chosen tomorrow morning. Don't forget to leave a comment if you would like to be entered.