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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Monday, July 24, 2017

In Sandy's Vase On Monday

My neighbor and friend, Sandy, recently gave me this fun vase by local artist Christopher Hoppin.  I'd long admired the piece and during one of her periodic purges, this was among the things she'd set out on a table to give away.  Lucky me!

The piece wasn't meant to hold water but luckily, I had slender glass vase which was the perfect size to fit inside.  Usually the flowers dictate the container but this Monday, it was the other way around. What could one put in such a vessel that won't compete with it?

There was a jug of palm fronds and Hydrangea quercifolia,  pruned to make paths more passable, sitting in the butler's pantry.  Too pretty to simply go directly into the yard waste bin, they'd come inside a few days ago.  Even one entire palm frond was a bit overpowering so I gently tore it apart.  Next came a fig leaf which, once picked, would not stand up and a couple of wood skewers which were brought out in a failed attempt to prop the leaf.

Sorry about the lighting and wrinkled background.  Thanks, Sandy, for the cool vase and the challenge to fill it. Perhaps next I'll try some dried Allium schubertii seed heads spray painted red.

The addictive meme, In a Vase on Monday, is hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  Click here to join in the fun!

13 comments:

  1. That's my kind of neighbor! This arrangement is nice but i love the idea of a red Allium.

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    1. Sandy, a supporter of the arts, hosts a Monday night potluck for neighbors and friends every week rain or shine. My house is filled with treasures from her purges. She loves plants and gardens but really doesn't like gardening. Since things in pots tend to die without water, she also gave me her collection of several cool outdoor containers. What a thrill it was to plant them up. Not surprisingly I had a collection of plants in the pot ghetto waiting for a home.

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  2. I wouldn't have given this vase away: it's so quirky and fun. I love what you did with the palm frond.

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    1. Sandy collects and is given really fun stuff and periodically decides to simplify, a lesson I really need to learn. However, we have a lot of space and being a magpie, it's difficult for me not to drag home everything she's getting rid of but try to exercise a bit of restraint.

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  3. What a bizarre container - was it just a sculptural piece, do you think? It would be quite a fun thing to put your ashes in, wouldn't it, when the time come...?! ;) As always you have come up trumps with your contents, which look equally unusual, althogh I half expected you to have done somethng quirky with the abandoned skewers as well as the fig leaf! Thank you for your unique IAVOM contributions

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    1. It is intended as a sculptural piece but I've seen another of Mr. Hoppin's unusual vases used for flowers on his website so decided to give it a try. When Sandy first got the piece she put water and flowers directly into it and it oozed liquid so I knew better than to do that.

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  4. Great vase, great fillings, great neighbor!

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  5. The strong colors in the vase present a true challenge. I think you did well in selecting the contents but I couldn't help envisioning it filled with something in a strong red color. What did the artist use to create the textured gold and black surfaces?

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    1. Hoppin uses thousands of tiny beads to achieve the textured surface. I'm imagining that he applies an adhesive and rolls the piece in a bed of beads. After having seen his work I decided to try surfacing thrift-store finds and got a lot of beads many years ago. Have i done anything with them? No.

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  6. What a great neighbor to have! An original vase and I love your arrangement- it looks like a fancy headdress.

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  7. The funky becomes elegant with your magic touch.

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  8. This is one of your best efforts, rumpled background and all.

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  9. You couldn't have chosen a more perfect selection to enhance the pot.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.