Updates ~ The Pomegranate Tree and Attic

I thought I'd share a few updates with you today.

The pomegranate tree stays! At least for another year. Thanks for all your support on that one!

Progress is being made in the attic. I'm afraid I haven't had much to do with it though. My wonderful mother-in-law has been doing most of the work since the dust triggers my asthma.

A nice pathway has been cleared from front to back and most of the dust has been swept up. Check out the various floors in these two photos. They are beautiful vintage floral linoleum pieces.

She has gone through things enough to know whats in various boxes and piles. There is actually enough room in the back now that we can get down to the nitty-gritty of what's going to happen to all of it.

These boxes all hold fabric samples and some are quite large pieces. There are also several bags of drapes in beautiful fabrics.

There are many, many boxes marked save. When we bought the house from my MIL and her sisters we agreed to leave an area in the attic for some family treasures. No one wants them for themselves but no one wants to see them leave the family either.

This box says it all. I think we can manage to make room for our storage needs along side the family treasures. Besides, if I keep bringing stuff down to decorate with the only thing left up here will be our seasonal stuff!

Well, that's it for now...what?...the porch?...Well I was hoping you all would forget I asked you to keep on me about getting our porch fixed up. Patti at Cottage on the Curve called me on it yesterday. We got a good start but with the heat we haven't done much else. I forgot to tell Patti I did pick up a new flag for it. It's a beautiful Mary Engelbriet design about gardening, done in vibrant red and green. I'll show it to you...after I find my battery charger for my camera. Patti and I both love porches but she is definitely more organized than I am. You should check out her newly organized scrap booking room. It's amazing!

Dawn

Interior Inspiration ~ Pomegranates!

Here's peek at those interior pomegranates I mentioned a couple of posts ago.




This fabric was the inspiration for my interior. It's by Raymond Waites and is called "Conservatory". This color way is called "Sunglow" but I have seen it in a beautiful blue also. I bought it before we were even sure we were going to be able to get this house. It is not one of my better bargains. I paid an astronomically high price in an Ebay bidding war! But I loved the colors, the roses and the pomegranates. They are one of those items that bring back childhood memories. And it fit the cottage feeling of this home.

This photo is from Christmas '07 and shows the valances in our living room. I bought drapes to match the background and made the valances myself. I don't really sew much so this was a major project. We recently painted the room and I decided to re-work the valances because they've always seemed too long to me. I'll share them when I get it all back together!

This is some fabric I recently purchased at Jo Anns. I plan on making some crazy-quilt type cottagey throw pillows. Those are pomegranates, right?

My favorite piece of art, chosen because almost all of the fruits and nuts shown in it were at one time grown here by my hubby's grandparents. This is just a close up of a small portion. I didn't want you to miss those glorious pomegranate seeds! It is a print of a 1840 painting by Adolf Senff.

I have some other items, serving dishes, Christmas decorations and such that also have pomegranates. It's funny how these little themes work their way into our lives. I never planned on collecting pomegranates. Just like I never planned on collecting roosters or french inspired items or salt and pepper shakers...the list goes on and on....but the point is one day you look around and notice a lot of red transfer ware...then blue transfer ware... roses...sunflowers...oh my gosh I don't know how it all works together. But that's the beauty of cottage style...it all works together!

Dawn

Save the Pomegranate Tree!

My dear hubby has been making noise lately about removing this pomegranate tree to widen the path to the back of our property.

I've always been fascinated by this fruit. On the outside it appears to be a big leathery ball. The little crown with the last remnants of the flower hint at the royal surprise inside - dozens of ruby like little seeds, as shiny and bright as the jewels themselves.


I'll show you how these gorgeous red fruits translate in my cottage decorating in my next post. For now I'd like to show you the beauty of the tree itself.

It's dense green foliage shows off the

bright red-orange trumpet shaped flowers.

The transformation from flower to fruit
amazes me every year.





Soon it will triple in size and turn from green to red.
The perfect cottage color!

Dawn