And An "Oops"!

Well, I *thought* I did the math right but I didn't... the car that we are selling has been driven 75,000 kilometers / 45,000 miles (not the 12,000 miles that I had posted!). Maybe you caught my error and were too nice to say anything but my dear husband sure wasn't! Sorry about that - my brain has an inability to do even the simplest math. We have had several inquiries about it and my fingers are crossed that we can sell it soon.  One less thing for me to worry about.

Before I write about my fourth and last  (sniff, sniff) floral design class, here are two of my latest acquisitions.

On the left is a collection of antique writing brushes from China. I already have some displayed on a stand (as does almost everyone in Nichada) and was looking to do something unique with this grouping as they were very detailed and colorful. 

I found the objects in the photo below at a "new to me" antique store here in Bangkok. They are called "norigae" and they are traditional Korean accessories that hang from a women's dress or skirt. A norigae is a good luck charm as well as a fashion accessory. These norgaes are quite old and are made of carved jade. Newer norigae are made of embroidered silk and fabric.

 

 

 

The framer delivered them to me last week and, after unwrapping to look at and take a few photos, they went into my "to be shipped" pile.

On to the floral design class...

Our first task was to attach these vine balls to a long thin stick.

While we were working with those, Tipwan fitted a floral foam into our bowls.

As usual, Tipwan sketched the design for our class and talked about the different techniques we would learn. Our focus today was "grouping".

 For the first step, we used three stems of calla lilies and three  large  green leaves.

 

 Then we added a short stem of white lilies to be our focal point. 

To balance and add interest to the arrangement, we added three of these dark green leaves.

 

We used some tall variegated grass to give the right side of the design a little height. We added a lot of ferns below all of the other flowers to 1) hide our technique & the foam and 2) add some texture and pattern. 

The vine balls were added next. It was hard for me to decide where to place them but I think I finally got it right. 

I added four of these sparkly & curly gold pieces.  

The three arrangements. 

After we finished and placed the arrangements side by side, I noticed how tall my calla lilies were compared to those in the other two arrangements. The gold stems helped to fill up the top of the arrangement but it still looked "off" to me. I know that no one else will notice or care but it bugs me every time I pass by the arrangement at home. 

Of the four designs we learned, I think this one was my favorite. I really liked the combination of the green leaves and white flowers - it was a simple but sophisticated look and the vine balls added texture and interest. 

Another lily bloomed this morning...

Kevin returns from Japan late this afternoon. Since the kids have plans, I think we will go out for a quiet dinner and catch up on the week. There is a restaurant that we like (Le Bouchon) right outside Nichada and, if we get there early enough, we can usually avoid the Nichada crowd. 

Tomorrow night we are going downtown with a group of friends to attend the "Emerald Ball", organized by the St. Patrick's Society of Thailand (who would have thought?!?). We are such an "early to bed, early to rise" couple that this will be a big night out for us - the promise of a fun night with friends, Guinness on tap, Irish Whiskey and an Irish band won out over the ho-hum thought of a good night's sleep. However, if we make it to the "midnight breakfast", I will be very surprised. I will certainly raise a glass or two to celebrate my Cassidy heritage as well as the Keating/Kiley clan. 

A funny for the weekend (and maybe a sign that God is female?). 

Have a great Friday!