DIY Backyard Centerpieces

We hosted an intimate gathering to ring in the New Year. It was a very low key affair, but we made it elegant nonetheless. I found some beautifully ripe tangerines with stems and leaves still attached at the supermarket and felt inspired to turn them into gorgeous (edible) centerpieces. When I arrived home, I spread the tables with white linen and collected all the candle holders from the house. I gathered ti leaves, rosemary and greenery from the backyard. The result was beautiful without being fussy or expensive. After the party was over, I composted the greens and we enjoyed the fruit during the first week of a brand new year.

This is the sort of thing I hope to share with you on this new blog. I want to be more inventive in using things I already own and discarding things that aren't useful to me or the life I want for myself. My hypothesis is that being choosier about what I buy will create more space in my life for creativity and living, instead of daydreaming about living, which is what shopping is for me.

Browsing, online and in person, turns my focus outward on what I don't have, instead of allowing me to look around at all the lovely things around me already. Shopping is a pleasurable way of peering into an imaginary future, which is not inherently bad. However, I'm feeling as if all the peeking into the future prevents me from being present in the moment. It is in this moment, right now, where I have the opportunity to lay the foundation for what the future will offer.

I hope you will join me in this exploration. I know we can learn from each other. Wishing you a wonderful New Year, filled with a limitless bounty that can't be found in any shop!