…for a time. Each season, I set aside an area to place natural objects and this one year I had found some milkweed pods on a country drive. Isn’t it cool how the seeds line up in the pods? They even puff out that way! Do you have a place like this in your home?
You may have many nice objects displayed in your home, but setting aside a special place for an ‘altar’ to Nature’s Beauty can be a joy to see and a welcoming sight when you arrive home. This is where you can put the most special objects, fancy or humble, which express an appreciation of Mother Nature and feed your soul.
Jeannie Rhodes I put the fluffy seeds in a blue canning jar last fall because they looked so pretty. They still look great.
Paula Shockley I love to collect things in nature and have them all put away in a basket. Now I will leave them out to enjoy more.
A buffet top or a front entrance table is a good place for a vase of flowers, an interesting seedpod or pine cone or a few of your favorite objects. Use your most beautiful vases there. No keys, no mail. Teach a child how to pick and arrange flowers. Or have them teach you! No matter the season, a child will find something to cut and bring inside for this spot.
Vickie Thomas I display natural items throughout my home. A bowl of acorns, turkey feathers in a McCoy vase, Indian corn, petrified snake eggs I found in my garage in an old apothecary jar, a burled root knot that has been turned into a box of sorts. I am drawn to all these things and I like having them around.
My garden is filled with ‘altars,’ places were I can place objects of meaning to me, along a walk way on a stump pr within view of where I sit inside or from a window. Besides on a small table indoors or out, Nature altars or ‘shrines’ can be placed on a stack of stone, on a stump, a shelf or a Baker’s rack
In the summer a patio table can be a place to set a pot, keeping it current and groomed of faded flowers, always looking fresh and nice. No matter what the condition of the rest of the garden, this one place gives your eye a place to rest and as summer flowers fade still brings a bright spot of color. Even better is if the table is in view of the house.
Rebecca Everett I saved about a dozen velvety wisteria pods and put them in little jar on my bedside table. They looked so cool. About two months later I was dead to the world and BANG!! I thought a gun had gone off! BANG BANG! I leapt out of bed & turned the light on. Three of the pods had burst open, spraying little penny-sized seeds across the room. Needless to say, I didn’t leave the rest of the pods next to my bed to explode during the night!
Janie Grissom Sometimes nature just has a mind of its own! When I was a kid I remember helping my mother collect pine cones. It was winter time so we tried to get most off the trees. The ones on the ground had a little snow on them. When we got home my mom laid them out on newspaper on top the dryer in our utility room. Since it was a small room it also stayed pretty warm in there. Perfect for drying.
Later that evening we kept hearing little noises. Took us a few times to investigate before we figured it out. A few times there was a pinecone on the floor. At first Dad thought we had a mouse or something in there. Turns out some of the pinecones weren’t fully opened. The heat did it’s job to dry them alright. When they expand & open they make a popping sound. This continued for days. Mom said next time we only grab the opened ones.
Mason jar magic with solar lights
Fun, easy and beautiful…solar lanterns for outdoor Winter tables. Complete tutorial! Jeanne Sammons says, “Here are my Mason jars that I leave out all Winter!
In winter, in our area where it snows, it is a challenge to keep an attractive outdoor area with in view of the house, where melting snow and wood storage close by can be distracting and messy. Creating a special place outside your windows can be a way to display snow patterns on branches or or other natural objects.
Christine Iturrino I keep my “nature shrine” on my bedroom windowsill. It helps me feel connected to the outdoors through the cold, cold weeks of winter.
Sheri Deloach I am a gatherer of the marvelous world of Nature when I walk my corgi!
This season, take a look at places within view of your windows:
The designs of snow and ice can be very intricate and give a beautiful look to your garden even in Winter. Having a focal point to set it off is fun! ~~ Sue
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Very nice display of the beauty found in nature, I like the idea of creating an alter and bringing in some natural treasures like rocks, twigs and branches to be enjoyed year round. Those pods are very cool!
I enjoyed all of your hints. I may let the grands pick some flowers this summer so we can try the arrangements. Thanks for sharing Sue !
So beautiful, Sue. You are clearly Wonder Woman, too!
Thanks, everyone,...it is fun to collect bits of nature with a child and I always let them pick flowers for vases. No flower is as precious as a child. ~~ Sue
I made an altar this week and have been keeping a candle lit there twice a day. I'll post a pic of it soon on FB!
So many lovely 'altars,' Sue! I love the snowy pinecones in the small pots on your patio table! A fave of mine is Curly Willow branches ...so beautiful in the snow! Very inspiring blog!
Wow, I was impressed by the last picture. Really, it's amazing. I've remembered my hometown, my parent, oh, now I want to visit my native town :) Thank you for my emotions.