Decorating with Nature

“Camp out among the grasses and gentians of glacial meadows, in craggy garden nooks full of nature's darlings. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings, Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. As age comes on, one source of enjoyment after another is closed, but nature's sources never fail.” John Muir

Nature’s Darlings. I love that phrase. I have used many of nature’s darlings to decorate our home and bring us good tidings. Each one tells a story…reminds me of a place, a person, a time, an experience. It’s a thrifty way of decorating that I guess I fell into. I didn’t even realize how many pieces of nature we have in our home until we hosted a Boy Scout meeting and they came in handy as props. It is truly a joy to be surrounded by the beauty of nature’s offerings on the inside of the home, not just the outside. I hope these examples inspire you to bring some pieces of nature into your home, and to reflect on their unique qualities. I have nothing amazing to share, but they do seem to bring peace and sunshine into our home in a way that store bought items just cannot. There is joy in recognizing the special beauties that not everyone has eyes to see. As much as I love Sarah’s House, and other decorating shows, I know that if I had the opportunity for my home to receive an amazing HGTV makeover, I’d end up feeling like a stranger in it. It would be beautiful I’m certain, but sterile to me. Sort of like being in a vacation rental, I would appreciate it, but our story wouldn’t be found in its pieces.

I have also included some examples of upcycling. Some things are just too pretty to throw away or recycle. Please share with me your ideas too, of how you bring nature indoors, or give items a second life

my jewelry tree - found the stick at Holland Park, painted it, chose a container, added quick-crete, and voila! putting jewelry away is like decorating a christmas tree.

my two favorite bracelets. my grandpa made them for my grandma :) counts as upcycling

Pine Cones! Momentos from San Francisco. A pair we picked up walking from our cottage to the beach.

More Pine Cones! from our last trip to Florida. The story is long. It includes exploring on bikes, an amazing discovery, and one of the most perfect eveninings our fam has ever had.

Driftwood. My hubs is from a tiny town along the Mississippi River. When we visit his family, we sometimes find our way to a river bank. These pieces are from those times. Included with this one is a baby sycamore leaf and a found moth wing from another trip.

more Mississippi driftwood

during my one and only trip to San Diego, my hubs and I visited Coronado Beach on the evening of Halloween. It was chilly, quiet, and beautiful. I found 19 sand dollars! I had never found even 1 whole sand dollar before this. When I layed them out I was amazed by their undulation in size and color. they are my reminder of the broken beautiful.

4 leaf clovers. our sweet girl finds these like nothing. i can't help but smile and think of her when i see them

salvaged bird nest from an ash tree we had to have cut down. dirt, critters, and all are in there. in the back you can see how it curved around a branch. bird nests are full of wonder, seriously, how do they do that?

a little stick our girl had eyes to see and a sequoia seed

a hornets nest. what an amazing treasure. a client of the tiniest job gave this to me. a reminder to treat eveyone well, regardless of the size of the job or the fee.

giving new life to cashew containers. just add some scrapbook paper and there ya go.

Shells and books, they look great anywhere. I don't just enjoy wine, I enjoy wine bottles too. Their lines are so pretty. These are covered with an oil based primer, applied with a brush. I tried spray painting, but I prefer the brush strokes. Then played around with paint and twine.

Just a plain ol Smuckers jar with some paint. Soon it will house some lilac blooms and hosta leaves. tis the season

Please share your ideas with me. Click Here