A Rustic Garden Blog

When I go to antique stores, estate sales, and flea markets, I always keep my eye out for distinctive pieces. An interesting piece could be a painting, a small statuette, or even a unique looking chair. I don’t always know what I will do with the pieces when I buy them, but based on my track record, I know they’ll find a good home.

For instance, several years ago I scooped up a wrought iron table at an estate sale for a song. I was immediately drawn to the color and intricate, winding tendrils throughout the base. Using that table as inspiration, I re-decorated my entire living room in a Tuscan-chic theme.

Some people collect dolls, others collect stamps. My mother collects plants, specifically spider plants and African violets. In my childhood home we had a gorgeous bay window in our kitchen that was just slightly too narrow to double as a bench. Instead, the windowsill played host to my mother’s plant collection.

Her African violets got the prime location closest to the glass, as they need plenty of sunlight to flourish. The windowsill quickly became overcrowded with violets and there was not enough room for the spider plants to hang. Rather than placing them in hanging baskets, as is common, my mother decided to purchase a wrought iron plant stand. The varying heights gave the spider plants plenty of room to grow, without being so tall as to block the view out the window for us mere humans.