“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.” - Oscar Wilde Happy September, Friends! This month is one of transition. Summer's heat slowly gives way to cooler days and nights which is a welcome change! Like many of you, Autumn is my favorite season, but it's one of the shortest squished between Summer and Winter. So let's intentionally savor all the lovely things about Fall. Those of you who have been following along since we opened Bella Botanica in April know that I like to have a monthly focus. This month's focus is ‘live simply’. Like September, we transition from one season of our lives to another. The phrase “less is more” continues to put itself in front of me and takes on new meaning as an empty nester. I have a house full of stuff - too much stuff -so I'm decluttering and going back to the basics of simple living. It's a change that I welcome because it makes me ask ‘What’s essential?'. But I also ask the question, 'What is lovely and brings me joy?' Read more about this journey into minimalism below in The Art of Simple. |
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September holds exciting changes here at Bella Botanica, too. Summer has all at once collapsed into fall in the shoppe with autumnal hues, pumpkins, Rudbeckias and mums. Have you started your fall decorating? You'll find a few tips on decorating with all five senses in mind in The Art of Simple, and it doesn't have to cost much at all! That's the beauty of living simply. A Friday mini market is coming here to BellaBo in a week or two. I'm so excited about this! Watch Facebook and Instagram for the first one to be announced. What a wonderful opportunity to support local growers especially at harvest time! |
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Another change is our new Sunday hours. This girl misses going to church on Sunday mornings, so we will now open at 11 am on Sundays. We also have special hours for the Labor Day weekend. Stop in and see what's new, have a cup of coffee or tea on us as you browse through a collection of unique finds that has been curated with you in mind. LABOR DAY HOURS Saturday (9/4), 10 - 5 Sunday (9/5), 11 - 4 Monday (9/6), 10 - 2 I hope your September will be filled with life's simple pleasures, and may grace surprise you along the way. #livesimply #loveabundantly #bloomwildly |
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THE ART OF SIMPLE Enlightenment dawned during a recent thrifting trip to Goodwill. I love the hunt for a forgotten treasure, but as I walked down aisle after aisle, I was overwhelmed with the sheer magnitude of stuff that we accumulate as a society. So many knickknacks, choochkies, dishes, clothes, and the list goes on. I know that these donations help many people who don't have much, and I'm all for reusing/recycling, but it has made me stop and think. I had to ask myself this question: |
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FIVE PERENNIALS FOR FALL - Late Bloomers & Problem Solvers The fall season is upon us, and after a dry spring and summer, many are ready to throw in the trowel and call the 2021 gardening season a wrap. But I urge you to take a close look at the perennials in your landscape this fall. We tend to rely on trees and shrubs to give us the lovely orange, red, and yellow hues that delight us, but perennials can offer an autumnal beauty of their own. Take time to observe if any in your yard offer fall interest or do they offer perpetual problems? Here are a few problems that I commonly see in the fall landscape along with solutions: |
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THE HERBAL HARVEST: Basil It's time to harvest your basil! Hopefully you have been snipping some all summer, but now it's time to get serious. In the ‘Read More’ link below, you'll find harvesting tips and two recipes using basil in pesto. |
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We have a month packed with fun workshops and classes. Two aren't listed here because they are already filled. The Pressed Flower Bookmark workshop has been a popular one and is already filled, so two more have been scheduled for October. You can sign up on our website. I'm particularly excited about the Journaling for Transformation class taught by local author, Doris Wedige. If you are in the middle of a hard season or have experienced loss and are working through it, this class could be so helpful. If you are interested in journaling or have been journaling for years, this class is also for you. Doris has a 6-step method that she has cultivated over the years that has benefits for us no matter what season we are in. The other class I'm looking forward to is ‘Herbs for Pampering’ with Cindy Rabe. She has a relaxing evening planned where we will make an herbal gel mask and experience an herbal foot soak. Don't we all deserve a little pampering? Bring your friends, sisters, or come by yourself, and be pampered. Remember to make time this month to do what makes your soul happy. Learn something new, and let your creative spirit express itself. See you in class! |
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JOY-FILLED ART If you were to describe in one word the paintings in the above photo, what word would you use? Vivid, colorful, happy, joyful?The art of Carol Wagner continues to brighten the walls here at Bella Botanica. She is our featured artist-in-residence. I recently asked Carol what advice she would give to someone who keeps feeling a nudge to do something creative. She said, “Go for it! Find out what you're passionate about and just go for it!” Her approach to painting is intuitive and the result is loose and colorfully vibrant. She paints what she knows - dogs, trees, flora - and does so with the kind of originality that evolves from close observation. Her secret: rather than confine herself to a limited palette, she lays out all the tubes of paint she owns, giving herself a ‘smorgasbord’ of possibilities as she carries a work through to completion. Yes, her art conveys possibilities. Come experience the joy found in Carol's paintings now through mid-October. Maybe you'll find one to brighten your home. |
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The Bella Book Nook “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need” - Cicero I couldn't agree more! I love books. They are gateways to other worlds. They also are informative, educational, and inspiring. But space is limited here in the shoppe, and fiction is kind of tricky with so many genres and personal preferences. So we are introducing our version of the Little Free Libraries that are popping up in neighborhoods across the country. We've dedicated a space in the shoppe for a sharing library we are calling ‘The Bella Book Nook’. Here's how it works: Next time you come to Bella Botanica, bring a fiction book to leave for someone else to read, and take one that interests you. You may keep the book or return it for someone else to read. It's a sharing library for our community of Bellas! You don't have to bring a book to take a book, just bring one to share next time. I have one request: PLEASE DON'T DROP OFF A BOX OF BOOKS YOU DON'T WANT ANYMORE! Just one or two books that you would recommend to a good friend will do, thank you! Let's start building our Bella library today! |
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If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share it with a friend. Until next month, you can find me on Instagram @bellabotanicaboutique or if you are a fellow plant geek, follow along as I post plant pics @beautyseekr. Have a blessed month! |
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