Real Life Still Life: A Free, Easy Way to Dress-up Your Home

This is a perfect activity for someone who owns stuff and wishes to display that stuff in an attractive way.

Is that you? Great! I thought so.

As you may know, a Still Life is a work of art that showcases inanimate objects in a grouping.

Here are a few examples in my home:

  

Food and flowers are extremely common in Still Lifes (yes, that is the correct plural), so today we are going to keep it simple and utilize the food in your kitchen, and the plants in your (or your neighbor’s) garden.

Scour your refrigerator and pantry for fresh edibles.

Fruits such as apples, grapes, oranges, and bananas are lovely, but don’t overlook root vegetables such as onions, garlic, and potatoes, as they can provide contrast to an elaborately decorated plate or brightly colored flowers.

Don’t worry if you can’t find much variety, some of the best arrangements are made with only one type of food.

Now you must locate an attractive dish or bowl.

The dish can be a part of your everyday plate-ware, a special serving dish, or an antique you bought to display.

I think the best Still Lifes involve medium size dishes/bowls, but it really depends on the size and quantity of the objects you plan to arrange. If you have three cherries, a shot glass would do the trick; however, if you have 15 watermelons, a clawfooted bathtub would be better suited.

If you don’t have any fresh fruit or veggies in your kitchen, have no fear! Pull a Warhol and arrange some cans!

If you are having trouble making a balanced arrangement with your items, try limiting yourself to five objects. I find that this is the quickest way to achieve balance.

Top it off with a sprig of greenery like a cutting from a bush. Alternatively, pick a few flowers and tuck them into the arrangement.

For my favorite arrangement, I built a mountain of cheerful, sweet-smelling clementines on top of an antique pewter dish and accessorized  it with a branch of greenery that brings life to the scene. I placed it on the kitchen peninsula so that it can be enjoyed from many angles.

There you have it! A simple way to fill your home with living art!

Lilo and I are hoping to gain more followers, so if you enjoyed this post, please follow us. 🙂

Thanks,

Missy

Every Rose Has Its Thorns: A Handy Guide To Not Getting Pricked

Flowers usually serve as an instant pick-me-up for me, so it’s weird that receiving these long stem roses would make me feel melancholy.

Let’s be honest, I may have 99 problems, but flowers on my doorstep ain’t even one. Would roses from any other suitor smell as sweet? Rationally, no.

Did I just follow a Jay-Z reference with a Shakespeare one? Ain’t nothing but a G thang.

I need to stop.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, I’m sure you won’t need an excuse to pick up some roses either for your honeybunny or yourself.

A few things you should keep in mind when buying roses:

1. Examine the edges of the petals to make sure they aren’t browning– a sign that these flowers might have been bruised in transit.

2. Lightly squeeze the thick part of the flower between your thumb and index finger. The flower should feel hard, meaning that the petals are still tightly closed. Flowers that are too loose will not live as long.

3. Keep heat away from the roses. This includes body heat from your hands or breath. Heat will cause the flowers to open, and therefore die sooner.

4. If you are gifting these flowers to a host or hostess of a dinner party, it is rude to arrive with them sans vase. The host should not have to interrupt their activities to tend to your gift.

5. When arranging roses in a vase, be sure to lightly grasp them to avoid sicking yourself with thorns. Cut each stem diagonally, about an inch from its end, and immediately place the flower in cold water.

Until next time,

M