Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Bringing the outdoors in - Summertime












Growing up, our house was always filled with little reminders of the outdoors.
In the Spring, I showed you guys how to bring the blooming branches into your home.

Here's the Summer edition. Please keep in mind that little ants adore sunflowers. I soaked these in a bowl of water before bringing them in, yet I'm still paranoid that they'll crawl out in the middle of the night and make a new nest in my hair.

Just make sure everything is bug free, and fill jars and containers around your little nest. My basil, crepe myrtle, & forsythia branches have all rooted, and the bottoms of the jars are filled with little white legs. This is also a good way to experiment and figure out what plants around your yard are able to survive clipping and re-homing. Purple heart is wonderful for this. Just last week I stepped out and snapped off 10 branches and took them to a friend's house, who just stuck them in the ground to let them do their thing. So many wonderful plants are incredibly self-sufficient without our help, and these make the absolute best when you're selecting ones to bring indoors.

Just give them a little light, clean water, and enjoy these pretty jars for weeks.

14 comments:

a little black cloud in a dress said...

I love the vase you have the mexican primrose in. It's so cute!

Steph said...

Those sunflowers are to die for!

Melissa said...

Pretty. Pretty. Pretty. :) I love scattering fresh flowers around the house...and when they come from my own yard I always have a sense of pride about them. Yours are just beautiful! :)

Erin said...

I need to convince the boy to go on a mini road trip to take pictures and pick pretty wildflowers!

Melissa said...

Over the weekend, I picked some white flowers from a bush in my yard to go in the bathroom. I didn't think about the bug factor until I went in the bathroom & seen them everywhere! lol I about passed out haha Thanks for the tip about soaking them in water!

Sarah said...

Beautiful, sunflowers have summer writen all over them :)

Zamora Desert Vintage said...

Hey girl, I absolutely love your stuff!Iv'e been a friend of yours, well, online for some years now. I belive back when Myspace used to be the cool thing we had similar friends, and so we became friends on there! Since then I have some how stayed connected online with you! Although we dont talk much, I check in time to time to see what new creations you have! I love all your pictures. They are a big inspiration to me! Im an artist, have been doing artwork for years now, published in magazines, etc. so thats where my passion lies, but so you know, your page, brings great inspiration to me, each and every time I look through it! I live in california, san diego! I grew up in Texas, and actually ran a marathon in Tulsa, OK. Thats the only time i've been through there! You make it look amazing! Keep it up, and I'd love to chat more!

Cheryl

Anonymous said...

I love your flowers! I am so jealous b/c I live in a second floor condo and cant really have a garden. Believe me, i have tried! Plus everything I bring indoors dies so quickly....I will just keep these pictures on my desktop to "bring the outdoors in" lol! thanks!

kelly ann said...

oohhh these flowers are SO completely stunning and cheery! <3

lifeologia said...

These look so beautiful.
I try to re-root as much as possible. I was successful with vines this year. Yeah. Can't wait for the plants to get big enough to have juicy grapes hanging from it.

My next challenge is to re-root a Clamatic - have you had any luck with that one?

Cute photo with the cat ;)

sarah said...

where did you find that cute vase with the mexican primrose in it? i love it!

Claudia Guerreiro said...

Those are beautiful photos. Your home must be a wonderful place to be in right now. Enjoy!

Claudia

Aura said...

Thank you, ladies!

Melissa- Yes they crawl out of all the little nooks and crannies!! And then I feel terrible having to kill them.

Cheryl- Thank you for following along! What kind of art do you do?
And lucky girl living in San Diego :) One of my absolute favorite spots in California.


Myflarelady- Try succulents! They're so sweet and don't need a lot of care, at all.


lifeologia- Girl are you talking about Clematis? If you are talking about Clematic, I have no idea what it is! But if it's Clematis, then no, I haven't tried! I love clematis, but Michael is allergic to bees so I have been very limited on my vine flowers. There are so many that I adore but can only admire from a distance. Wisteria is my favorite.


Sarah- I wish I could help you find it online but I got it at a little local boutique. If I ever run across one similar, I'll post it in here!


Claudia- Thank you :) I love fresh anything in the house, it makes it feel so nice.

Kelly @ turned UP to ELEVEN! said...

These are so beautiful!!!

Question - we are having the hardest time with cilantro - I've had 2 plants die on us. Any idea what we are doing wrong? Over hydrating? Too much sun? The Basil and Rosemary are thriving but my poor little cilantro is not.

Help Aura Joon You're my only hope girl :) oxox