Oh, Dear, The White Phlox is Blooming

That means this flowering season is almost at it's end!

I have a lot of white phlox--just like I have a lot of everything that likes to bloom in my harsh conditions. After years of gardening, only the tough survive. When you have as much space to fill with flowers as I do, you go with those that flourish in the conditions you provide. Phlox seems to like it here, so I grow a lot of it. I like that my purple phlox just finishes as my white begins to flower. I would have shown more pics of the white phlox, but I walked outside to get some and as I brushed against the big Sedum Autumn Joy
a hornet flew up my Green Acres gown and stung me right in the knee! OUCH!! It hurt! It's been years since I have had a bee sting. That is the one downfall to Sedum Autumn Joy--the bees love it when it's in it's light pink stage. There are at least a dozen bees on each plant.


Other than a stroll or two through the gardens, I have not been outside much for the past week. Instead I have had the urge to change a few things in my living room. I've been wanting to do a flowers/plaids/stripes mix for some time now (like 18 years! It's about time I finally got it done).

Last spring I made a striped valance and last week I finally found fabric and made the lined plaid panels.

Did you notice that rooster that I bought at the Farmer's Market in early August?

I really find something pleasing about that candle-holder guy. He was sitting in the dining room and I grabbed him for a centerpiece. Over the weekend, I brought this table back up from the basement. It used to be a brass & glass table. I decided I no longer liked it and it's been in the basement for about a year. Saturday I took it outside and painted the brass black. Now I like it again.

Anyway, back to the curtains...........
After I had them all made, I did not think the valance and the panels worked together quite as nicely as I would have liked. I decided to use the same fabric from the panels to make Sparkle Jars-inspired rosettes to go around all of the buttons on the valance.

I had a couple of pieces left over and used them as sofa/loveseat backs. I think that worked to force a connection between everything. I now have these rosettes on five windows in my home. I just love them. Thanks again, Sparkle Jars!