Spring mantel decoration with white flowers

Hi there sweet friends. Guess who’s back!!!

I am home from an exhausting time in Brussels. I have since rested, napped and relaxed and I feel I am back in the swing of things.

Speaking of the swing of things. Going away is fun, coming home is even more fun. Except for the mess I left behind after my recent international travels. That was not so nice to come home to. My house was seriously showing the neglect. My Love had done his best to keep up with things but he is just so swamped with work and study that I really couldn’t blame him for all the dust in the corners and dirt everywhere.

So Saturday I decided some Spring cleaning was in order. Except I totally didn’t feel like Spring cleaning, it was gorgeous weather, I felt I ‘deserved’ some me time, and besides I had signed up to Beach Cottage Saturday Club from Sarah weeks ago, and I hadn’t even completed one mission.

For your information. Beach Cottage Saturday Club is – in Sarah’s own words –

…this is the place where we embrace all the things we love…old linen, vintage china, newspapers, ruffles, coffee, old things, treasure hunting, pots of tea, thrifted things…and a bond for living the good life in ruffles and taking time out on Saturdays just for us, albeit 15 mins or all afternoon, to hunt out the good stuff and celebrate life, no matter what it’s like, wherever you are.

…you must be prepared in being part of this club to embrace the value of down-time & dwelling on the good little things…finding the good in life…

Right up my alley, I thought. Except after signing up I hadn’t found the time to do even one of Sarah’s delightful missions. Exactly the reason why I need BC Sat.Club in the first place.

So I decided to just go ahead and combine the two. Do Sarah’s mission of this week, which was to go out, buy a gorgeous bunch of flowers that make your heart sing and play with them, and the much needed cleaning of the house.

So I opened all the windows, brought out the bucket with soapy water, the vacuum cleaner and other useful household items AND my decorating gizmo’s, a fresh bunch of flowers, candles and other beautiful but definitely not useful stuff, and got to work.

I began by clearing a surface, cleaning it, then decorating it, and moving on. I worked my way around the room this way. Took me all day to do the living room. But when I was finished I not only had a thoroughly clean and fresh smelling room, but also a room decorated for Spring.

It might not be the most efficient way to clean but it definitely was a lot of fun. And in the end I spent a whole lot more than 15 minutes playing with my flowers.

My kind of Spring cleaning, I guess ……..

The flowers from the flower stand ended up on my faux-mantel. I went with white for a change

When I saw these soft and very white little petals I felt I needed to contrast them with something dark and rustic. So I brought out my industrial rusty lanterns and my homemade twig candle holders from last year.

I truly do think the romance of the flower and the ruggedness of the lantern compliment each other beautifully.

And this vignette looks even better at night when the candle light shines through the holes.

Yes nothing like a bunch of fresh flowers and some time to foof and play to make the whole world look better.

Thanks Sarah for allowing me to play and have fun….

So do you allow yourself to play often enough? Does combining work and play work for you too, or do you have to finish work first before you allow yourself to play? How do you make enough time to play when there is always so much work waiting for you?

Love to hear your thoughts about this, because I am always struggling to find the balance.