V is for Pumpkins!

"Q is for Duck An Alphabet Guessing Game" is a great book to get kids thinking "outside the box"!

It is pretty obvious why Q is for Duck.....because a duck Quacks of course!


After you read this book to your child....don't be surprised if you are inundated with all the other possible alphabet guessing ideas your kid thinks up!

 So..... Are you wondering WHY the title of this post is "V is for Pumpkins"?

Well.....because Velvet makes the prettiest pumpkins!

This year I made a couple of really large brown velvet pumpkins.....

The smaller ones in the photo are made from silk...and they are pretty too!

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I did a Pinterest Search for Velvet Pumpkins and found some amazing examples that other folks have made....  CLICK HERE TO SEE LOTS MORE  VELVET PUMPKINS 

How to make Velvet Pumpkins!

I am sending you to this post that Trina Holden did with a super tutorial for making these. 

Her instructions  are way better than any I could write!

Her technique is pretty close to what I did to make mine!

I think the collection of fabric pumpkins on the hearth looks really nice!

 I took a close-up shot of the mantle....because for once it feels like I got the proportions right!  It is simple but interesting.....and considering that everything is DYI or from Goodwill it was also CHEAP....I mean THRIFTY!!!

I guess I will spend the rest of the day outside clearing out the planters on the front steps and front entry!  We have been hit with some pretty hard freezes this week..so no more flowers to pick!

Have A Great Day!  And don't forget to save your pumpkin stems for next year!

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Cut Flower Conditioning Tips

The trick to making cut flowers last as long as possible is conditioning, conditioning, conditioning!

I visited the local Farmer's Market on Thursday....I pledged to ONLY buy vegetables!!!!                                                                        

And then I spied these gorgeous bunches of Zinnias! Big bunches.....big flowers....and the lady in the stand kept nodding and telling me how freshly cut they were....and only $7....

What would you have done???  

With Zinnia's in arm...I headed home with a few vegetables too!
On the way a couple of ladies stopped me to ask if Zinnias were flowers that would last long in an arrangement!
So I dug in my memory.....and shared some tips for conditioning them to make them stay pretty.....mostly the basics of keeping the water fresh and cutting a new cut at an angle!!!

That made me realize that not everyone knows the importance of flower conditioning!

I thought to myself....this would make a perfect blog post!!!!

I did some good librarian research....and found you all some great links to teach you the ins and outs of conditioning YOUR flowers:

Conditioning Flowers to Boost Vase Life:  This is a nice overview article that gives the basics of flower conditioning.

The Garden Club of Brookfield Connecticut  has put this amazing alphabetical list of lots and lots of flowers and the "rules" for conditioning each one.
Somehow a group that has been in existence since the 1930's give me confidence in their advice!

Now that I am including it in this post....I will be able to stop back and refer to it often!!!
(maybe I will memorize some...so the next time strangers ask me for advice....I won't just be guessing!

Here are just a few of the tips from this site:

• Artemisia: Split stems and place in boiling water for a few seconds. Condition overnight in warm water.
• Black-Eyed-Susan (rudbeckia): Dip stems in a small amount of boiling water for a few seconds. Condition overnight in deep, cool water.
• Gerbera: Dip stems in boiling water. Condition overnight in cold water.
• Phlox: Cut when clusters are one-half open. Split stems. Condition overnight in deep, warm water.
• Zinnia: Place stems in boiling water for a few seconds. Condition overnight in tepid water. Zinnias last better if plants are watered before they are cut.   

Anyway.....here are the two arrangements that I did using my $7 bunch of Zinnias.....It is Saturday and they still look almost fresh from the garden!

Don't they almost look like fine art?

Almost...but not quite!

So here is a little eye candy for you!

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Wouldn't this be gorgeous in my Summer Powder Room?

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So pretty....

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How fun is this?

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I really love this botanical....

Finally....whenever I think of Zinnias....I am reminded of one of my favorite alphabet books!

Alison's Zinnia is the most beautiful book....each letter has a gorgeous picture of a flower....and the words guide you to the next letter....and of course....the final letter is Z for Zinnia!!!
This would be a marvelous book for any flower lover to have on the shelf to teach a special young person about flowers.

Wishing you a Great Day filled with beautiful long lasting flowers!

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Eat Your Vegetables!

Now while I love my garden...you may have noticed that I only grow flowers not food!

It's not that I don't like food....it's just that between the deer and the rabbits....there isn't much chance that any food would make it to the table.

I do grow some lettuce and herbs on the deck....

but that is the extent of our "farming"!

We have to leave the food growing to the experts....



Have I told you about my brother?

• He lives in Florida in the Winter and Maine in the Summer! 
• He is a sustainable urban gardener 
• He is an expert in the science of permaculture
• Maybe some day he will "guest post" for Sweetwater Style!

Here are some photos of his amazing plants in Florida!

He grows enough food in the front yard of my Mom's winter home and his own backyard garden to have a stall at a Market called "Sweetwater"....too funny!

Alas....that Sweetwater Market is too far away for us to shop at...so instead...

 we bought a share in a CSA!

Starting in June we will be getting a weekly delivery of vegetables from The Fox & Fawn Farm!

Fox and Fawn Farm

 The Sweetwater Daughter, Sweetwater Son and Mr. S and I went together to buy a whole share!  Can't wait!  

So we will be eating our vegetables....and letting the experts worry about foiling the deer and the bunnies!

Speaking of Bunnies.....here is a great kid read a loud....

Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens

It’s about gardening...

the rabbit family makes a deal with a lazy bear for shares of the crops they will plant.

The bear can have “tops” or “bottoms.” 

The first season the bear takes “tops” the rabbits only plant stuff like carrots. Rabbit gets the carrots and the poor bear gets carrot tops. 

The next season the bear sort of catches on and takes bottoms. That year the rabbits plant lettuce and beans.  The bear gets zilch again. 

The last season the bear wants the tops and the bottoms.....foiled again when the rabbits plant corn!

The bear learns his lesson....and you get a great read a loud!


After I published this post....I got a comment from my niece about this great looking planter that you can get (her husband-my nephew sells them...who knew?)

Here is the link  Triolife - Big Gardening in Small Places!

Have a wonderful day!

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