It’s the first Friday of the month which means I’m joining my talented blogging friends for Floral Friday!
You’ll find their links for more floral inspiration and flower therapy at the bottom of this post.
If you’re new to my blog, welcome! As those of you who visit with me regularly are aware, I have a ‘thing’ for jars, so I was thrilled to have an excuse to pull some out vintage mason jars this week for Floral Friday!
Spring has finally arrived in North Carolina, so I picked some white garden blooms for some Ball Jar Bouquets. . . Bridal Wreath Spirea, Lenten Rose, Snowball Viburnum and Wild Cherry tree blooms.
Chinese Snowball Viburnum’s hydrangea-like blooms start out a soft spring green, changing over to cream and transitioning to white. . .
They’re the only kind of snowballs anyone wants to see in spring! You can see them in all their white snowball glory covering our shrub a few years ago, here.
I gathered some vintage mason jars along with some blue and white transferware for a spring vignette on the window shelf in the Potting Shed.
My Ball Perfect Mason Jar dates from 1910 – 1923 according to the Ball logo and chart below.
I picked up my vintage Ball jars at antique malls over the years, but you can find them at flea markets, online at Etsy, eBay and even garage sales if you’re lucky. For more fun facts and a collector’s guide to canning jars, feast your eyes on these beauties, here.
I’m fond of vintage jars that have slight imperfections with bubbles, flea bites and shoulder seams, adding to their charm for an imperfectly perfect vase for a just-picked garden bouquet!
A pair of vintage blooming sconces were an antique mall find last year that I hung on the louvers of my shutters.
Instead of a candle, I added a terra cotta pot to sit on the sconce, with the hole of pot resting on the candle nail.
Pieces of blue and white transferware were collected over time. . .a little shabby and time worn and in need of rescue. . .
Platters with crazing and chips. . .tureens and sugar bowls with missing lids.
But imperfectly perfect to serve up flowers!
Blue and white floral salad plates were found at Pottery Barn last spring. The crackle glaze and transferware-inspired floral motif had a vintage look without the price tag.
Visit my blogging friends to see their beautiful jars and floral inspiration this week:
Pam at Everyday Living
Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse
Shirley at Housepitality Designs
Hope you’re seeing signs of spring where you are!
Bonjour Mary,
Oh la la tout est splendide….les fleurs, les vases, les photos….Je crois bien que vous êtes une fée !!!! Si ! Si !
Très rafraîchissant et très printanier…Mille fois bravo !!!
Merci Catherine! Vous êtes si gentil et généreux avec vos commentaires et visites. Joyeux vendredi. ♥
What a refreshing display! Thank you!!
Refreshing colors and arrangements here, Mary. Blue and green are my two favorites and you have blended them perfectly….outstanding ideas. Your “china closet” must be overflowing with so many wonderful choices. Thanks for the info about those jars. I have collected several through the years and the manufacturing dates are handy to have. Enjoy your spring!
When I saw your sneak peek of your gorgeous blue and white display of your amazing transferware and your signature arrangements in the vintage Ball jars, my heart truly skipped a beat and had to catch my breath! Thank you for starting of my day with beautiful inspiration. These blue jars remind me of my dear aunt who about 35 years ago gave me my very first vintage Ball jar. I loved how she lined them up on her window and a having a jar of wildflowers on her kitchen table in her Iowa farmhouse. Thank you for the beauty, inspiration and memories today…So happy to be a part of Floral Friday with you! Have a great weekend!!!
I noticed the different shape of your jars right away Mary:@) Very pretty! Would you kindly let spring know that we’d enjoy a visit from her too? They’re calling for *snow* again tomorrow… Ugh. Have a great weekend!
Oh I feel your pain Lynn! If it makes you feel any better we are being showered with tons of yellow pollen. It’s wreaking havoc and been a Zyrtec, Allegra and Nasacourt kind of week :)
Awesome displays of floral Beauty
Really like the blue..I have never seen a Ball jar with a date on it..the one dated November 1868 is a very unusual shape!! Haven’t seen that shape either…Ball jars are coveted in Indiana and I hardly see them at flea markets or antique malls…I have a few old and new ones!! 🌼🌸🌺
The flowers look so cool and gorgeous! And I like the generous touch of green!
Mary, I feel like a broken record every time I visit and comment, but this post (all of your posts) – beautiful! Your entire composition on that wall where you’ve placed the flower arrangements is outstanding. Love those new old sconces you picked up and placed pots on. The flowers are so pretty. I don’t have a snowball viburnum, but a neighbor does – still no blooms on hers in our region just 4 hours north of you, but we do have all the others. That image you found to date your Ball jar is something I provide when I sell my jars in the antique mall. I think buyers appreciate getting as much information as possible when purchasing.
Just beautiful! You can never have too many Ball jars. Thanks for the dating chart!!!
Mary, Your post is so beautiful!! I can’t wait to have time to examine my Ball jars and see how old they are. Thanks for the chart!
I have snowball envy and Lenten rose envy! I have thought I did not have enough sun for snow balls but saw a large bush in part shade recently so I just purchased two bushes. Hoping to have some blooms next year. I have one Lenten rose but I think it needs to be moved to another spot. Has grown but no blooms.
Your vignettes are lovely and inspiring. Most of all I enjoy your wit with words describing your amazing dishes and flowers.
Have a great weekend.
Hi Bonnie, I got my start of Lenten roses from my MIL’s garden. They have been slower to get established in my yard and spread but she had a beautiful, lush bed of them after about 10 years. My MIL’s were planted where they got half a day of sun which is more than mine do and I think is the key to more blooms. She did nothing but throw out some 10-10-10 every spring the first few years.
Like you I’m crazy for jars or bottles and never miss an opportunity to ha e them filled with flowers. Your combination of elements is perfect and the garden gloves are the finishing touch. Your potting she’d serves you well.
Love the blue jars and the blue transfer ware that I just started collecting about 4 years ago. Thanks for the gift of the chart. Some of my jars are collecting dust in the basement. Other jars are filled with colored glass chips, marbles and buttons. I was very impressed with the French comment and your French reply. Sweet. When I see these blooms, it gives me pause. We had a 7 inch snowfall this week with more due on Sunday. I am not opposed to winter, but this is enough. The need for flowers is great. I feel so happy to be a subscriber here. It is better than getting a magazine in the mail. Rather like a good book that you admire the author. I hope that makes you smile.
*sigh*…what is prettier than a mass of Spring blooms!! I love love the snowball blooms, and all the white mixes in your vintage blue jars…so simple, but they are positively elegant!! I envy your cutting garden, as I am forever telling you, you not only have a green thumb but very creative fingers too Mary, everything looks fresh and gorgeous! Pollen does seem extra heavy this year, I hope that’s a good sign! Happy gardening!
Jenna
Absolutely beautiful!! Blue mason jars are my favorite. Your pictures are like rain in the desert :) All we keep getting in Ohio is cold and snow-I am so over it. Thanks for sharing!
Your flowers made my day as I sit inside watching the snow drift across the still frozen lake. Come on spring.
What a beautiful display of Springtime in your potting shed, dear Mary! How interesting to find the date of the canning jars through the logo. Yours are filled with such loveliness, and of course, I’m sighing over all those pretty dishes. I especially love how you hung the antique sconces on your shutters and used a pot instead of a candle…so clever!
Thank you for sharing the beauty with us. xxoo
Love all your beautiful photos but these make me swoon! I’ve always had a “thing ” for blue & white dishes. Add gorgeous spring flowers…… love!
A beautiful combination of color and all from your garden! Love the Ball jars. The transfer ware is perfect with the flowers. You girls are knocking it out of the park.
Thanks for the comment on Lenten Roses. I will plant those this year as it appears they will do very well in my garden. Love love love all of your posts!
Your Potting Shed is gorgeous, as always. I just love all of the Spring flowers in the jars. My dear Gram had so many Mason jars that were used over and over for canning and quite often had flowers in them too. How I wish that I had inherited those now antiques, but the generation ahead of me were the recipients. Now my oldest sister has the remaining few that went to my Mom. I have some that I was fortunate to find, but there is something extra special about Gram’s. Thank-you for this breath of Spring…it is snowing here, again!
I must correct myself, Ball jars.
Soooo pretty, Mary & so refreshing! We’ve got the REAL snowballs here today & I am sooo tired of winter. Your post is a breath of fresh Spring air. Thank you very much for that detail image about dating Ball jars. I have several of my Mom’s, that are very old. I intend to compare them to your chart just as soon as I post this.
Love your pretty transferware, too. Very pretty post!
These are breathtakingly Beautiful! I Love Ball Jars, the possibility for uses are endless! Thank You for sharing with us! Your Photos make me dream of Spring as it is snowing again here in Wisconsin today.
I just want to add my voice to being inspired by your so lovely springtime post today. Twice this week we woke up to fresh snow (Michigan). Everything is still winter brown and gray which makes us wonder if spring is ever going to come our way. So your bright blooms definitely brighten the day! And I really enjoyed learning about dating the Ball jars. Thank You.
Hi Mary You have renewed my inspiration! I have so many beautiful vintage dishes, glasses, trays, etc. inherited from my Mom & MIL & your posts have encouraged me to use them in various table settings & just enjoy their beauty rather than store them away in sadness. I love your posts and now follow you on Pinterest. Thank you for making me realize that by using these items I am honoring their memories. I was so sad for so long after both died suddenly but now, with your beautiful posts, I am finally reinvigorated! Sometimes someone you don’t know personally can give you that much needed gentle nudge to start decorating again with wonderful memories of the women who used to inspire you! May God richly bless you! Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
So appreciate the information on the Ball jar logo and dates, will check mine out after posting. The flowers are so pretty in the blue glass, I love it all. I always say that, but it’s so true! The very last picture is my favorite because it even shows the special touches up into the peak of the roofline. You fill every space with eye candy. I was in my shed yesterday and it felt good. I told her, it won’t be long now before I visit daily, but today we have snow. Ugh ! I will just view yours again and that will make me feel better! Thanks Mary!
Mary, what a stunning vignette of Ball Jar Bouquets and transferware. Your Bridal Wreath Spirea, Lenten Rose, Viburnum, and Wild Cherry Tree blooms are a perfect combination in the vintage mason jars. Your potting shed window shelf provides a lovely space for display. It appears that my jars are of the same vintage as yours. The blooming sconces are genius, I may have to borrow that idea😊. The photo of your window shelf, shutters, and counter space is absolutely gorgeous! Oh, I am afraid I will always have potting shed envy! I always enjoy teaming up with you for Floral Friday Therapy!
Beautiful! Your yard, with all it’s flowers throughout the seasons, has got to be such a delight!
Love the blue! Just this morning I thought I would do a bluebonnet tablescape since it is the state flower here in Texas. They are becoming more and more vibrant each day and provide a beautiful blue blanket in the fields and along the roadside. As a little girl growing up we were taught it is illegal to pick the state flower. That is not completely true though – private property (my own) is legal. Mary, thanks for your inspiration!
Thanks so much for the piece on Dating Ball Jars! I have some blue ones that belonged to my grandma and never knew how old they are. I just love them!
Drinking in all your beautiful spring eye candy this blustery, cold morning. Gives me hope for some spring days yet. Pinned myself silly.
Mary you have a beautiful garden.
Joan
What a beautiful variety of flowers.
Marilyn
Every flower is beautiful in its own way. Thank You for sharing.
Marion
Mary, how does one get to participate in Floral Friday? I just did a post on mixing real and artificial flowers~~would be fun to share. Wish we could grow hydrangeas and lilacs here in Phoenix!
Dear Mary, you must know I hold my breath for you to do blue—-and with fresh flowers from the yard. Gosh, we have barely anything even beginning to poke out of the ground right now…sigh!. This was an absolute delight to view!
Sooooo pretty, love the mason jars with the blue dishes! The spring flowers are so refreshing, waiting for spring here. Had 9 inches of snow on Wednesday with blowing and drifting with snow again today. One of these days spring will come to our town!! Thanks for sharing your spring!
Lenten roses are a hardy flower. Mine came up, got snowed on, peeked through the snow and are blooming beautifully! I will have to clip some and bring them in! Your jars are beautiful, I have never seen that shape! Love the whole arrangement! Have a great weekend.
Mary, I am in LOVE! First, there are those colors, blue, white, aqua and my very favorite chartreuse green. Then, hydrangeas. Spiraeas, and oh!! Lenten Rose. Let me count the ways…..your arrangement is a joy to see, what an inspiration you are to me. When my little FrenchGardenHouse in my garden stops being a shipping house for my shop, it wants to grow up to be a potting shed just like yours!
It is such a joy to do our Floral Friday with you, friend. Wishing you an exceptionally blessed weekend,
xoxo Lidy
Mary, a lovely post. I am especially fond of the Bridal Wreath Spirea and Lenten Rose, so pretty to see with the hydrangea. All so happy in the wonderful vintage ball jars. And, thank you for the information on the jars – I will begin checking mine.
Ahhhh, potting shed envy starts again! I just think you have the most amazing potting shed ever and you know how to decorate it so well. I am such a lover of fresh flowers and you know how to arrange them so perfectly! I always enjoy playing in the potting shed with you!
So pretty and just what I need to say on this snowy April day!
Gorgeous fun as always!