One of my favorite reality stars, Shannon Beador of the Real Housewives of Orange County, recently said … “When life gives you lemons, put nine of them in a bowl!” This immediately became my motto and as well as the inspiration behind my first blog post! Not only does it simply suggest doing something special with “lemons in your life” that might be considered “sour”, but it’s about transforming those faulty, not-so-pleasant situations into something better. Come see why I am loving lemons!
Be empowered to put those lemons in a bowl … or in this instance … a beautiful glass apothecary, on your counter top! I make a regular practice of using grocery store or farmer’s market items as a feature design element in my home. They are organic, colorful, inexpensive, recyclable, multiple-use and can make significant impact in many living areas. In these photos, everything I used (with the exception of the glassware) was purchased from a grocery store. In this application, I made my selections based on the color family of the lemons. I added yellow peppers, lemon drops and yellow roses to complete this design element … all of which I have other ideas for once the roses dwindle. I always have a plan in mind for these types of items I purchase in order to properly recycle, reuse and reinvent.
Here are a few of my suggestions for you…
- Lemons
- Make homemade lemonade
- Bake your favorite lemon bar recipe
- Throw one “expired” one in your sink disposal to freshen it up
- Use lemons to flavor your water (it actually helps with digestion and makes drinking it a lot more tolerable!)
- Yellow Peppers
- Prepare a Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup Click here for Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup recipe
- Whip up a Yellow Pepper Romesco Sauce for a variety of uses. Bobby Flay has a great recipe for that…Bobby Flay’s romesco sauce recipe here.
- Saute the yellow peppers and mix with others for a great fajita meal
- Lemon Drops
- Save some for your Easter decorations or candy display
- Pulverize them to line the rim of your glass before serving up a tasty lemon drop martini. Check this one out here!
- Chop them up to top your favorite lemon bar recipe
If you haven’t already, please consider embracing this concept of using grocery store finds to help develop a beautiful, colorful design feature in your home. Once your flowers have expired, you can still do a lot with the remaining fruits, vegetables or candy, etc.
Be empowered to use your grocery store to add fluff and flair to your home!!
Here are a few options for apothecary jars and lemons that I like…
