I’ve been enjoying a central Florida spring for last few months. In another two weeks, it will be Easter. My preparation for spring and Easter is simple since I don’t live close to my family. In the past, I was one of the homes where we celebrated holidays. Of course, I lived in Michigan then. BRrrr! It was cold. I’ve lived in Florida off and on since I was in my 20’s and now, I’m retired. I’m really happier in the warmer climate.
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Christmas Decorating With Dried Orange Slices
This post was originally published in 2017. I have updated the post with new ideas and photos.
Decorating with fruits and vegetables is an old-fashioned craft I love. Many of us display fresh fruit in season in bowls and centerpieces. It’s December and citrus season is here. Today I’m sharing my love of oranges – not only as a favorite snack, but as a decorating element. It’s great to use for Christmas and even into January for winter decorating.
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My Favorite Flower Photos for 2022
Last week we looked at the top posts of 2022 in terms of visitors. It was a chance for me to know what are your favorite posts. 2 days later I shared My Favorite Nature Photos for 2022. In the past I shared a mix of nature and flowers posts in one post, but there were too many photos this year. Today’s review includes both flowers in the garden and bouquets in the house from the last year.
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Roses in a Crystal Bowl
At the grocery store there was a small bouquet of 6 roses. Three were pink and three were a creamy white. I trimmed the short stems and arranged them in a crystal bowl with greenery from the yard. My dining table had a vintage lace tablecloth on it. I placed a natural fiber woven mat in the center of the table and added my bowl of roses. I like contrasting textures.
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Red Hibiscus & White Periwinkle
Today I’m sharing a few flowers from my yard I put in my crystal bowl. It had been a beautiful day with a low of 62 F and a high of 82 F. We had several weeks with higher than normal temperatures. I love the blue skies and low humidity in the winter here in central Florida. Our weather is semi-tropical. We usually have mild winter weather with fronts from the north periodically in December and January. My two single red hibiscus were blooming big, beautiful flowers. I picked 2 for a bowl with several little white periwinkle flowers. I placed the red hibiscus and dropped periwinkle around the red flowers.

Christmas Arrangements
First let me say that I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas had a wonderful day. Last Wednesday I shared a visit to a florist-gift shop at Skip’s Florist & Gift Shop . I shared their many Christmas decorations and gifts. Today let’s look at holiday arrangements from a professional florist. Of course, I am mad for flowers as frequent visitors have probably noticed. I couldn’t resist sharing photos of beautiful red and white flowers with greenery and pine cones.

Bowl of Yellow Hibiscus
Tropical Hibiscus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis: Tropical hibiscus grows permanently in the landscape in warmer U.S. Dept of Agriculture zones 9 through 11, unless they are taken indoors in winter. Outdoors, one freeze – below 25 degrees Fahrenheit – will kill them A hibiscus flower usually has five petals (a single hibiscus).
I cut a few yellow hibiscus with leaves and put them in an antique sugar bowl. Even though September isn’t that different than summer here in central Florida, I am doing my own little nod to fall colors with yellow flowers and a beautiful antique container with a pattern in goldish brown with pastels.

A Simple Early Autumn Table
My home has many coastal elements. Every fall I am faced with decorating for autumn using my colors. I use more textures, tans, and browns. I add deeper toned colors as the season progresses. I look for softer shades of typical fall colors. I also love using turquoise in the fall with tans, browns, and golden tones. Officially it is autumn on September 22nd, but today I’m adding a few coastal autumn colors in the dining room.
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