The Oh So Cool Fiddle Leaf Fig

The fiddle leaf fig tree seems to be the cool, hip house plant these days.

It even made the cover of Veranda!

In this home designed by Windsor Smith, the fiddle leaf fig sits in the background and brings a breath of fresh air to the room.

I'm crushing on this dining room designed by Betsy Burnham and how the oh so cool fiddle leaf fig is sitting in the corner being oh so cool!

I love their large, sculptural leaves and how they are perfect for filling that empty corner.

They do seem to be everywhere these days!

From Elle Decor...

...to Traditional Home.

From House Beautiful...

...and now my home!

Yep, I found a fiddle leaf fig at the wholesale nursery last week and bought it for a corner in the living room.

Then, I found a Palecek bamboo and grasscloth planter at a consignment store while visiting a friend in Santa Cruz this week.  

I couldn't wait to get it home and see if the fiddle leaf fig would be perfect for it.

I love it!

Fiddle leaf figs, also known as Ficus Lyrata are from western African and are supposed to be easy to grow, as long as they have good light and you don't over water them.  I just hope I don't kill this oh so cool houseplant!

So what do you think of these popular house plants?
Could you see a fiddle leaf fig in your home?

My Tablescape Muse

Last week I created a fall centerpiece for my museum group's annual tea.

After seeing so much inspiration on Pinterest using pumpkins for floral containers, I just had to try it.

It was beyond simple!

I started with a huge heirloom pumpkin from the grocery store, scoring the top to accommodate the plastic container that would sit inside to hold water.

I thought this would be hard, but cutting through the pumpkin was like slicing butter!

The plastic dish fit right inside, ready for the flowers.

 I used two fall bouquets from the grocery store and filled in with blue hydrangeas from my garden.

Voila! 

Before I knew it, I was creating a tablescape!

The centerpiece was my muse, and I had just the dishes to go with it.

I couldn't pass up these transferware dinner plates from Homegoods recently, priced at $4.99 each.  They would be perfect for Thanksgiving, but for now, they are perfect for a fall tablescape.

I layered these faux majolica salad plates from Pottery Barn over them for interest and texture.

I say faux because they are actually melamine.  You seriously cannot tell they are plastic until you pick them up!

Bamboo silverware picks up the browns from the transferware plate.

The brown floral napkins are Ralph Lauren.

The purple goblets are from Goodwill and the try-color goblets are from TJMaxx.

It's been so long since I created a tablescape, but my pumpkin centerpiece got my creative juices going again!

 It was so easy to do, that I think it will be my go-to centerpiece for Thanksgiving this year.

Just as I was lighting the candles, Mr. A came home and asked what's for dinner?

 Uh, take-out?

The next day, after I delivered the centerpiece, I ended up creating yet another centerpiece with the three tiered stand and lots of mini pumpkins, gourds and pods.

It's beginning to look a lot like fall around here!

Fall Centerpieces

 I've been asked to create a fall centerpiece for a ladies' tea for tomorrow.

The request is for a low centerpiece with colors coordinating with a Provencal tablecloth in shades of yellow, blue and green.

I'm loving the centerpiece above with the contrasting white roses and red leaves.

The silver container gives it an elegant appeal.

This year I'm leaning towards a more subtle fall decor.

This simple urn is an example with its white and green pumpkins, styled by Heather Bullard.

I could do this!

My all-time favorite centerpiece though is this one from Country Living, several years ago.

To me, it screams fall with the tartan container and fall leaves.

Very traditional.

Traditional is probably what these ladies expect.

I've been entertaining the idea of carving out a pumpkin and using it as a container like the centerpiece above.

Depending on the color of the pumpkin, softer flowers like roses and lilies would be traditional, yet unexpected.

I like how hydrangeas are mixed in this pumpkin centerpiece.

This is a fun centerpiece using roses, persimmons and pears all in the same shade of deep gold.

The bark container is a nice contrast.

A low galvanized container with hydrangeas, roses and chrysanthemums is lovely.

I can see three of these down the center of the table.

I can't wait to see what awaits me at the wholesale nursery.

I'm headed there this morning, so wish me luck!

Oh, by the way, which centerpiece is your favorite?

Keep Calm And Get A Flu Shot!

 Flu season has officially begun.

How do I know?  

Because I got it!

You know, the kind where your whole body aches--even your skin and hair, with a very high fever?

 The CDC urges everyone over 6 months old to get a flu shot, and for the last two weeks, I've been putting it off, thinking it's still pretty early.

Well, I shouldn't have waited.  If only....

Meanwhile, while the dishes and laundry are piling up, I'm catching up on TV shows like "Breaking Bad" and "House of Cards."

So do yourself and family a favor.

Get a flu shot ASAP!

(This blog post brought to you by Nyquil!)

Flashback Friday - A Fall Day in Tuscany

For Flashback Friday (not to be confused with Throwback Thursday,) I'm remembering a glorious fall day that we spent in the Tuscan countryside.

Hope you enjoy this re-post from three years ago.  

Please visit The Tablescaper for "Oh The Places I've Been!"

My DIY Candle Project

For my jute wrapped candle project, I purchased candles in a glass container.

They are safer and provide a nice surface to glue the jute to.

Marshalls and TJ Maxx are the best places to buy these. 

They're inexpensive and that's the whole point, right?

I used a hot glue gun to adhere the jute to the candle, making sure to seal the edge for a clean look.

Voila!  

Now for the embellishments.

I got out my stamps from my scrapbooking days.

How about an "A?"

Not bad, but I want something that says "Fall." 

Fall?

Or fail?

Time to go to Michaels for some inspiration.

I found a bin of stamps priced at $1.50 each, like the Live, Love and Laugh ones that did a pretty good job on this candle.  

Not exactly fall though...

This is supposed to say "spooktacular" but again, fail!

The jute is too coarse for the stamp to completely fill in.

I thought the "Trick or Treat" stamp would be better, but not exactly.

The three that didn't quite turn out, I covered with maple leaves from the tree right outside my dining room window!

A dried orange slice from a bag of potpourri hid another failed stamp.

 Later, I'll remove the leaves and orange peel and add a rosette.

 Michaels had some nice ones in the jewelry department, priced 40% off.

40% off doesn't compare to free though!

So much for my DIY candle project!

 What do you think?  Does it say "fall?"

Or fail?