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A French-Inspired Garden and Home by Judith Stringham

Evolving Easter Vignette - When Is It Finished?

Friday, April 3, 2015

When creating a table top vignette, 
where do you begin, and where do you stop? 
When is the vignette the final version? 
Finishing a centerpiece is often the hardest part. 



What recently began in my mind as a white vignette 
turned into a purple one as seen in The Color of Easter
Yet, I still had a white centerpiece forming in my mind 
because white has been enticing me, calling to me as a siren.   



However, blue, beloved bleu, continues also to call to me.  
Since I've been collecting blue for many years, 
many beautiful blue things have found a home with me. 


B L U E 
symbolizes 
trust, 
loyalty, 
and
confidence. 

When I survey my mind trying to recognize 
what are the things I value, hold dear, and seek, 
trust and loyalty are at the top of the list. 
My deepest sorrows have been caused by people 
who broke their trust with me 
and who were not loyal. 

Yes, I love bleu for how beautiful it looks to me, 
but I also love bleu for its symbolism. 


So, as I rearranged the kitchen counter, 
a blue and white grouping took the place of the purple setting on the island. 
Not a hard thing to do, just move pretty blue things together like... 
the kitchen towel with the blue bunnies, 
a clear vase with blue speckled eggs, 
and a tiny little frosty blue bunny. 



The dear little bunny came from Goodwill 
and sits someplace visible all year, 
moving from spot to spot. 



As much as I enjoyed the blue and white, 
an all-white grouping kept nagging at me. 
The only way to quiet a nagging is 
to do something about the reason for the nagging. 



Out came the white pitcher, the white creamer, and 
a smiling white iron doorstop bunny holding a basket. 



The basket holds flowers, not eggs. 



Four-inch bedding plants surrounded by preserved moss 
add height and a touch of nature. 



A little touch of bleu speckled eggs just had to fill the creamer. 
A white cotton hand towel with embroidery rounds out the white grouping. 
Five items inside the white wicker basket. 

So, is it finished now? 


Not exactly. 
The redbud branches still have a few days of beauty left in them. 



The white vignette will truly become all white 
(almost white except blue eggs
when the redbud blooms die. 

Then, it will be finished. 

How did I know when to stop adding items to the grouping? 
The question is answered by what went into the grouping. 

1. Texture - White wicker basket, preserved moss, hand towel  
2. Movement - Tall flowers, medium height bunny, low creamer 
3. Theme - bunny, eggs for the season 
4. Color - shades of white, monochromatic scheme  
5. Number of items - an odd number 
6. Focal point - bunny: focus created by central place, 
pitchers pointing toward bunny, oblong flower vase 
angled behind bunny, towel leads to bunny  

Once I had all six of these elements, 
I knew the grouping was completed. 

See Vignette Designs Series #1 for the first 
in a series of five posts with detailed analyses 
of how to create vignettes. 

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