Playing dress-up ...

The beautiful and magical Glinda, “the good witch”
from the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz

Yesterday I took my littlest three guys to the Halloween store to pick out costumes for this weekend’s trick-or-treating adventures.

After over a decade of celebrating this be-whomever-you-want-to-be fantasy holiday with children of my own, I now have plenty of suitable costumes on hand for boys only (with the exception of my
childhood costumes, which I have been
saving for way too long now!)





In stock, I currently have three pirate suits, at least four ninja costumes, numerous skeletons, assorted Power Rangers, a variety of Batmen (both classic and dark) and a make-shift Robin (very hard to find a
Boy Wonder costume for some reason.)



One neighbor hands out candy the easy way


Hunting for an age-appropriate costume seems to be our biggest challenge these days. Walking past aisle after aisle of gruesome get-ups and “don’t go there, that’s the grown up section” made me long for
the times when I got to choose the costume.

My favorites are still home-made bunny with felt carrot from year one and bright and cuddly Tigger from year two. Now that everyone is old enough to use their own imagination when it comes to dressing up, I usually brace myself for the worst,
then try to talk them out of the costumes
that are too ugly to photograph.





This year we actually came to a costume compromise where I gave my approval to classic white face masks (that will be accessorized with black capes that we already have), one doctor’s overcoat, some bloody gauze and one weapon of destruction (I lost that battle!) Of course when we returned home, my youngest decided he no longer wanted the white mask, but instead was inspired to recycle an ensemble of all black items discovered in the costume bin (which
was what I wanted to do in the first place!)



Last year’s loot, artfully arranged


After enduring the chaos of situating everyone with their costumes, I sat down at the computer to check e-mails, etc. I ended up receiving a special treat ...





My submission to the DesignSherpa “What inspires you?” contest has officially been posted as one of the top 100 entries! This is the big news I mentioned awhile back. I am actually in the running to win a really cool prize which I am still almost
too afraid to say out loud! Curious?



“Click two times ...”

{Ruby slippers available at Toys R Us}


I hope you have a safe and happy Halloween
filled with more treats than tricks!

Overflowing fall arrangements

Last night Bert Ford of The Ford Flower Company in Salem, NH was the guest speaker at the Village Garden Club of Lynnfield. He is a new favorite of ours ... he shows up with buckets full of flowers, foliage, stalks and more then proceeds to whip up a half dozen or so over-the-top arrangements while entertaining us with his musings on the art of floral design. He always provides us with new ideas on how to put together stunning arrangements using the latest trends in
color combinations and container styles.

For this autumn cornucopia, Bert used floral foam both inside and at the top of the midpoint of the woven container. He cut the pink roses down to about a couple of inches and added them in clusters for more impact. Ornamental kale, sheaths of wheat grass and miniature white pumpkins keeps this non-traditional color palette looking autumn appropriate.

A wide wicker basket (it was around 2 1/2 feet across) is filled with PeeGee hydrangeas, pine cones, green apples, pears, hypernicum berries, ornamental kale, and grasses along with fresh lilies and “permanent” Gerbera daisies. I can picture this at the back of a buffet or in front of a fireplace. An arrangement like this is likely to last a few weeks or more.

A trick that is a treat: Bert used a floral foam “hat” on top of this uncarved muted colored pumpkin. The foam has a hole in the center, it goes on top of the pumpkin like a beret, and the stem secures it in place. Next, fake moss is glued to the foam. All floral added to this foam piece – from the Chinese lanterns to the Gerbera daisies to the red berry clusters – are fake so it will last from season to season. Simply remove the floral hat and store it till next year. No carving and no water required! The pumpkin sits within a wreath of red berries for additional color and visual balance.

Square containers are still very popular in floral design, however, utilizing horizontal branches placed radially in the arrangement adds movement to the design while creating a wider display. The curious creatures seen here were fashioned out of apples and pears that were spray painted black. Hypernicum berries were used for the eyes (use a pin to attach to the fruit) and thick grasses (also spray painted)
were used for legs. They are inserted into the
arrangement using black floral pics.

A carved pumpkin can hold a tall vase of flowers as this one does (a Village Garden Club member brought this decorative centerpiece to our meeting).

A footed dish with a display of oranges was a nice

autumn-colored touch on the refreshment table.

The Ford Flower Company
is holding their annual

Holiday Open House

Saturday, November 20, 2010
from 8am to 5pm
Sunday, November 21, 2010
from 11am to 4pm

Refreshments will be served and a 25% discount
on holiday merchandise will be offered.

Call 603-893-9955 for more information