Blog Description

A French-Inspired Garden and Home by Judith Stringham
Showing posts with label series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label series. Show all posts

DIY Easter Paper Cone | Blue Speckled Candy Eggs

Thursday, April 2, 2020

Easter Paper Cones
A Paper Series Post 


Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Easter paper cones to hold blue-speckled chocolate candy eggs are easy to make. Attention to details makes them special favors for an Easter table setting. A fleur de lis wax seal adds a French Country look. 


DIY Easter Paper Cone with Blue speckled chocolate candy eggs
Creating traditions for special times are meaningful for both family and friends. As we mature, we look back on the traditions in our lives with love and happiness.  

I am joining some good blogging friends who are sharing special ways they celebrate Spring and Easter in a Spring DIY & Craft  Round Up Party. Thank you to our hostess, Barb of French Ethereal, for organizing us in time for you, our readers, to get some good ideas to try for your own Spring or Easter celebrations. 

Welcome to readers coming from Cindy at County Road 407, where the fun and creativity never stops. 

Keep reading for instructions on how I made an easy beautiful paper cone to fill with Easter candy as Easter treats for my family. Then, see more Spring and Easter ideas from my friends at the end. 

Paris Prints in Floating Frame | Vacation Memories

Friday, August 23, 2019



Framed Paris prints recall a memorable vacation
A Paper Series Post 



Paper post cards and small prints in vacation spots all over the world make beautiful souvenirs. Wherever you travel, you can find breathtaking images of the sights in gift shops, in museum shops, and on street corner stands. 

But, what do you do with those lovely souvenirs of your summer vacation? Do what I did with a set of small watercolor-style Paris bookmark prints found in a Paris tourist office. 


Display them in a floating glass frame 
to add a touch of French Country decor. 


Display vacation memories of Paris with prints in a floating frame
France is the country I love to visit, but you can do the same thing with images from the country you love to visit. Spain, Italy, Greece, Japan, China, Peru... wherever you love can come home with you as small postcards to help create that culture and style in your own home. 

Inspiring Creativity | No. 3

Monday, September 3, 2018


With the firm belief creativity can be nurtured, this is a series that features inspiring creativity from bloggers who share their visions and how they create them. With insightful words and images they not only create, they inspire others to create. 


This third part of the Inspiring Creativity series is filled with beautiful ideas for celebrating Fall. And, best of all, you will see HOW this featured 'inspiring mind' creates her works of seasonal decor, cooks delicious Fall recipes, and gathers props, with photography tips, for shooting captivating images of it all. 


Paper Crafting Pumpkin Book Art 

Inspiring Creativity | No. 2

Sunday, July 8, 2018


This second part of the series Inspiring Creativity takes you behind-the-scenes to see the process of how a creativity team makes magic come alive in their inspiring decorations, photographs, and space transformations. 

Swans Swimming Tablescape 

While imagination is the spark that begins an idea, a table setting, or a large-scale backdrop, good old-fashioned hard work transforms an idea into creative reality. Along the way, revisions, re-dos, and improvisations bring an evolving creation to its finished state. 

Inspiring Creativity | No. 1

Sunday, June 10, 2018


Creativity is within all of us. And there is more than one kind of creativity. Defining creativity is even an exercise in creativity itself since there is more than one aspect to the definition. 

Some people may seem naturally creative, but chances are their creativity was inspired and nurtured over the years and flourished as a result. Where and how is creativity inspired and nurtured? One way is by being around people who share their creativity and who explain their creative process. 

Thus begins a new series. 

inspiring creativity series with wood imprinted pencils dream create inspire imagine

Friend Lives in Your Heart DIY Envelope

Thursday, March 1, 2018


Friends live in your heart forever. 

A Paper Series Post 

Paper is a versatile, inexpensive medium useful for wide-ranging projects. What better way to begin a new series than to celebrate friendship since this paper series post, and more to come, are offered as tokens of friendship to you, Botanic Bleu readers and followers. 


Any gathering of friends for whatever the reason is a good time to share small hearts as tokens of friendship. Whether the gathering is for book club, a friend's birthday, a Bible study, a Valentine's party, a retirement luncheon, or a bloggers' luncheon, party favors with hearts are a good way to recognize special times together with friends. 

I made these DIY envelope/place card party favors for friends who attended my retirement luncheon as an educator, but can be made  

for any occasion celebrating Friendship 




DIY envelope place card
Today's post is a tutorial with templates for creating a beautiful glassine do-it-yourself (DIY) small envelope to use as a place card and to hold a party favor. 

Christmas Beautiful Idea #4 Unadorned Tree

Monday, December 8, 2014

Welcome to the fourth in a series of posts with some ideas and tips I think are 
Christmas beautiful ideas. 


Christmas inspires beauty in many ways.  
Heart rending songs, movies, and religious services 
create memorable scenes that often become embedded 
in our collective memories and become yearly Christmas traditions.  

One of the most loved beautiful traditions in towns all across America 
is lighting a towering Christmas tree filled with thousands of 
twinkling electrical lights that replaced lighted candles of yore. 

However, with mass global social media networks, 
unadorned evergreen trees from the Scandinavian countries 
are quietly gaining popularity elsewhere. 
For the past couple of years, I have been drawn 
to the simple elegance of an unadorned beautifully shaped tree. 

Christmas beautiful idea #4 
unadorned evergreen tree 



Well, this is almost an unadorned tree. 



A lone handmade paper angel hangs from the tree's center spire. 

I adapted directions for an angel ornament from Martha Stewart. 



A friend asked this week if this is a real tree. 
Yes, this is a real tree. 
Beautiful shape, dark green color, and lush branches. 
If only you could smell the fragrance! 



The tree came with a plastic tree stand attached to its base, 
but that look wasn't what I envisioned on my dining table. 
Using a vintage handsaw, I freed the tree from the plastic, 
and upgraded its stand to this white metal urn. 

Now, this is the base that befits the regal little tree. 
TIP:A plastic cup from a fast-food restaurant is just the 
right size and shape to fit inside the urn 
to hold water for the tree. 



Last year, an almost unadorned tree decorated the breakfast sunspace. 



A natural evergreen looked more country 
in a galvanized bucket on the front porch last year. 



Most years there is a decorated tree in the breakfast sunspace or living room or both places. 



An undecorated live tree fits in with the wood ceiling, posts, 
wood paneling and country pine table. 

What do you think? 
Is an unadorned tree in your plans this year? 

If you missed the first three posts in this series, 
you can find them at 
 ~~~~❦~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~

Christmas Beautiful Idea #3 Red Pears

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Welcome to the third in a series of posts with some ideas and tips I think are 
Christmas beautiful ideas. 

Yes, it is still November, but blogs are like magazines that show 
Christmas ideas and photos well before the holidays arrive.  
Readers need to see Christmas ideas and photos with enough time 
to plan their decorations and then have time to locate the supplies needed. 
What good is a great idea if you see it the day before Christmas? 
Many holiday parties begin the first week of December. 


Christmas means different things to different people, 
but everyone sees beauty in Christmas in some way. 


Christmas beautiful ideas 

are not always expensive or complicated. 

For the past couple of years, I have been drawn more and more 
to simple, natural Nordic and French Christmas decor. 


Christmas beautiful idea #3 

red pears 


A single perfectly shaped red pear and a small sprig of holly 
capture the feeling and beauty of Christmas. 



Three red pears, some with blemishes, and two sprigs of holly 
snipped from a holly tree in the yard create an inexpensive, easy-to-do 
arrangement for a holiday table, buffet, or mantel. 

If you don't have a holly tree, maybe one of your neighbors will 
share small cuttings from theirs. 
If you were my neighbor, I would love to share snippets 
from my holly tree with you. 
*~... It is the season of giving ...~*



Placing the pears and holly on a narrow white ceramic serving tray 
with scalloped edges protects the furniture and keeps the fruit clean. 
Speaking of clean ~~~ wash the holly in sudsy water, then rinse well, 
to remove both dirt and critters that may be hitching a ride inside the house. 
After all, this display is not for looks only. 



There were three pears; now there are two. 
This is a beautiful way to serve pears meant for eating at a gathering. 



An entire cluster of standing pears surrounded by holly sprigs would make 
a festive way to serve the pears. 







A narrow serving dish gives plenty of room on a small table for other dishes. 



The simple bowl of fresh fruit is perfect sitting on a French style table 
and 
as dessert for the end of a French meal. 

When I selected the new upholstery for the breakfast chairs, 
I did not realize how the little touches of rosy red would 
blend with Christmas colors and vignettes. 
The little things in life can bring so much unexpected joy! 



Just a simple inexpensive pear and holly display is beautiful 
even from the living room. 

~*~*~*~*~*~
An update on the progress of the paperwhite narcissus bulbs 
planted for 'forcing' on November 13, 
just one week ago... 



Only one week after planting, the bulbs are growing vigorously 
even though we have had gloomy, overcast days for most of that time. 



The most amazing growth is ONE bulb. 
Remember what I told you about 
"not all bulbs are created equal?" 
This one, top quality, 17 cm+ bulb has all 
of these shoots with the promise of many blooms. 

You may still be able to get ZIVA Paperwhites for forcing 
This is the company from which I bought my bulbs, and
the company is having an end-of-season sale right now.
No compensation, just recommending a great source. 

As the magical season of this year draws near, 
I hope you find some Christmas beauty in my 
Christmas Beautiful Idea series, 
and that the ideas will be useful for you so you can adapt them 
to express the beauty of Christmas from my home to yours.  
More to come all during November and December... 

If you missed the first two posts in this series, you 
can find them at 

and 

for more pear vignettes and a recipe see 

~~~~❦~~~~

Christmas Beautiful Ideas #1

Monday, November 10, 2014

Christmas means different things to different people, 
but everyone sees beauty in Christmas in some way. 

As the magical season of the year draws near, 
I will be sharing a series of posts with some ideas and tips I think are  
Christmas beautiful ideas.  


I hope you, too, find some Christmas beauty in them and that they will 
be useful for you to find ways to adapt them to express 
the beauty of Christmas in your home.  


Christmas Beautiful Idea #1
ivory fabric deer 
gift tags  


Beautiful Christmas presents make the excitement of receiving such 
a specially wrapped gift even more exciting. 

The fabric deer with their embroidered outlines and little gold bells 
will be treasures to keep and to use for many years to come 
long after the package is unwrapped this Christmas. 



When presents are this beautiful, they can be used 
as a table arrangement for weeks leading up to Christmas. 
Their beauty can be enjoyed by the whole family, 
not just the intended recipient. 

Of course, you may have to find ways to discourage 
Peeking.
A gift bag can stand empty until a couple of days before giving the gift. 

While boxes are more secure in keeping the gift 'under wraps,' 
determined peekers can still find ways to peek at a wrapped gift. 
When we were children, one of my brothers was always 
so excited about presents he could hardly wait until Christmas. 
Mother loved to wrap presents early and to put them under the tree 
which made it even harder for my brother to wait.  
One year, just after my brother learned to read, and 
knew which tags had his name on them, 
he found a way to peek at just his presents. 
He chewed a corner off each present so 
he could peek inside the box. 

Yes, we all knew who the guilty party was. 
Only his presents had chewed corners. 
Boy, was he in trouble, 
but we still laugh about that. 


Here are a few suggestions for how to create a special display with packages. 

You don't have to wrap all your presents now, just a handful that have 
special ribbons, papers, and adornments. 


Coordinate the color of the packages. 



Repeat the use of some items such as the deer tags and fresh greenery. 



Use items with different heights.  
Not only is the display more interesting, each item can be seen more fully. 
Stack some presents if they are all the same size. 



Use an odd number of objects, some of which are not gifts, but that 
repeat the gift packages' colors and other embellishments like the greenery. 



Finally, look for ways to use items in ways different from their normal use. 
These beautiful ivory fabric deer tags came as a ribbon. 
Yes, a ribbon. 
All the deer were connected together as a ribbon, 
but by cutting them off individually and using a hole punch, 
they can be used as gift tags. 

I hope you will watch for my entire series of posts during 
November and December 
that will be about what I think are Christmas beautiful ideas. 
 ~~~~❦~~~~ 
Please join me at these inspiring sites...
SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Magnifique Blog 1

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Happy Easter to everyone.

In late August 2012,
I discovered the amazing world of blogs.
Since then I have been entertained,
educated, and inspired by hundreds of bloggers,
and continue to discover new blogs.

Part of the joy of blogging is
sharing the awe and wonder we find in
très magnifique blogs.

 White Gunpowder 
is a
Magnifique Blog. 


The free printable Easter tags below are from
Bill and Kay who write the inspiring and creative

White Gunpowder
White Gunpowder

Please visit their blog
for a firsthand look at pure inspiration and creativity
and to experience their generosity.

White Gunpowder
❦
~~~~~~~~~~
Please let me know about 
blogs you consider 
magnifique 
for possible future features.