Saturday, May 14, 2011

Watching the Magnolia Bloom

Gee, it has been a little quiet around here lately!
Somewhere in all those boxes I was unpacking last month, I also seemed to unpack a severe case of the blahs.  Hopefully, better days are ahead.
About the only thing I have been doing is watching my magnolia tree bloom.
I love magnolia blooms!
The ones from this tree are very dear and special.
Maybe one day, I will share the story behind this special tree.

The tree is now about thirteen years old.
Each year, I anxiously wait to see if it will bloom.
For the first several years, there was nary a bloom.
The last few years, there have been maybe two or three blooms each Spring.
For unknown reasons, there are now at least twenty four blooms!
I have been bringing some inside and floating them in water.
Their intoxicating scent fill my house.
I am loving them, and they are definitely helping to chase away those pesky blahs.

This is a magnolia bloom created with ribbon and tiny glass seed beads.
It was a project one year at Stitchin' Charleston Style, taught by Laura Jenkins Thompson.
There are folded ribbon roses on the other side, and the whole bouquet was to adorn a black silk evening bag.  A few years ago, I removed the cluster from the purse and nestled it in a bow on a hat worn to a Kentucky Derby party.  I loved them so much on the hat, they never found their way back to the purse!

And here is one more form of magnolia bloom found in our home.
It is a piece of Boehm porcelain, with a special link to the tree that I am watching bloom in our yard!
All part of a special time and people in my life.

And to my friends in Mississippi and Louisiana, where magnolias are usually in great abundance, my prayers and thoughts are with you.  May each of you stay safe from the danger and destruction of floodwaters.

8 comments:

Laurie said...

Just breathtaking! We planted a magnolia here in MI that will someday produce yellow flowers.

This year the birds think it is strong enough to support them. I'm not so confident.

Brynwood Needleworks said...

Hi Jan:
I, too, love the blossoms from our magnolia. They're especially huge this year.

Your ribbon bloom is absolutely scrumptious! I'd love to learn how to make one. I think it would be wonderful on a hat, too! I love how you added the beads to the center of the flower.

Perhaps you'll link up to Memory Lane Monday this month if you decide to share your story about your special magnolia tree. I'd love to read the history behind it.

Have a nice weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Donna

Claudia said...

A beautiful array of magnolias, Jan! Perhaps after packing up the shop you're suffering a natural
sort of letdown?

Take care.

xo
Claudia

Mona @ la la by mona said...

Lucky you! I L.O.V.E. magnolias. Way back when I was in early elementary school, we lived in Florida and for a summer, we moved to Cairo, Georgia. There was a magnificent magnolia tree on the farm along with beautiful pine trees. The smell of a magnolia takes me back to those days every time! Have a wonderful weekend!

Designs on 47th Street said...

You are probably (well definitely) going to not believe me, but I CAN SMELL that beautiful magnolia through the computer screen! :) :) :) I love magnolias, but no longer live near where they grow. When I am in NC visiting relatives, I have been known to ask my cousin to pull off of a country road so I can pick one to smell for hours!

Donna

nonie everythingsewing said...

Those blossoms are so pretty. I hope you have packed up the blahs and sent them off. I miss you

nonie

Kellie said...

I too just LOVE magnolia blooms! I always wanted one... and our home has one big tree... a magnolia tree! Now that my kids are grown I should have more blooms... when little they used the big seed pods as handgranades and weapons to throw at eachother! They no longer climb the tree and gather them up before they bloom! PTL!

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

Mercy Jan, how did I not see this? What a lovely post, the first photo is an eye opener. Oh to capture that in fabric... The top would be green seed beads...

WE still have flowers yet to open on the tree, I will miss the fragrance. Its a shame they only bloom once a year.

God bless and keep you all safe each and every day.

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