Peer at the world with an open imagination

My husband, Art, and I were running an errand downtown after a blustery rainstorm a few weeks ago. We noticed these big chunks of bark that had been blown off a nearby tree. They were fabulous, all mossy and full of interesting textures and colors. As we returned to our car we both gathered up an armful of the stuff (Art is really good about this type of thing) and loaded them up. I’m not quite sure just what I’m going to do with them, but I know that there is some cool project here.

If you open up your eyes and imagination, you can find cool project supplies anywhere.

This whole thing got me to thinking about how there are wonderful treasures around us every day that we never really notice. Of course you have to be the type of person that sees value in leaves, twigs, flowers and bark, but if you are, and I suspect that many Real Living readers are, then we need to sharpen our observation skills.

Most of us are very familiar with gathering up autumn leaves, but it never occurs to us to be on the lookout at other times. Newly emerging leaves are especially interesting and can easily be preserved between the pages of an old telephone book.

Pearly everlasting and Queen Ann’s lace are just two of the many other very common roadside “weeds” that are beautiful when cut and dried. Pearly everlasting takes floral spray paint quite nicely, and Queen Ann’s lace is great for pressing, much like you would leaves. Simply cut the stems off as closely as possible to the underside of the flower head, place the heads in a flower press, phone books, etc., and let them stay about one week. You may need to add a bit of additional weight if you are pressing in a book.

Whether you're looking for handmade paper, furniture, fabric or accessories, you will find it at loose ends. If it is unusual, organic and fabulous, then loose ends is the place. Showroom hours are 8 am to 5 pm weekdays and the first Saturday of each month 10 am - 3pm at 2065 Madrona Ave. SE, Salem, or visit us online at www.looseends.com Questions? Give us a call at (503) 390-2348.

Check out your summer vegetable garden, and look at what’s growing there with new eyes. We all know how impressive dried artichoke heads and flowers can be. All you need to do with these fellows is turn them upside down to dry for a few weeks.

Grape and kiwi vines can be woven into arches, garlands and wreaths easily at this time of year. The vines are soft and pliable and don’t tend to snap and break as easily as they do later into the season. We created a large kiwi/grape vine arch in our showroom just two weeks ago, and the vines were pliable enough to braid.

Sandi Reinke is an author, frequent television guest and lead designer for loose ends (www.loosends.com), a Salem-based interior décor, garden, and casual lifestyle company. To ask Reinke a decorating question, e-mail info@looseends.com or mail her at the showroom address, 2065 Madrona Ave. SE, Salem, OR 97302. Phone: 503-390-2348.

As summer begins to wane, watch your flower beds. Many flowering plants, especially perennials, develop extremely interesting seed heads or pods as they near the end of their blooming period. I have a climbing yellow rose in the front of our house that doesn’t begin to get the amount of sunlight it would like, and consequently we never have very impressive roses, but the hips! Because of the low light levels the stems are curled and contorted as they reach for the meager light. Multiple twisted stems will be topped with the fat hips, and I bring these in and tuck them behind the wall light sconces in our living room. They look strange and exotic by day, and cast intricate shadows by night.

So, what’s the message here? Whatever the time of year, wherever you are, keep your eyes, your mind and your imagination open. The natural world is an ever changing and endless source of creative mental fodder.

September 3, 2004