Saturday, August 22, 2009

Orange You Glad I Didn't Say Banana?

I make no pretense of the fact I am a needy person and have no shame! So once again, I'm calling out "all hands on deck" for help! Every year in the fall, I spend beau coup bucks on gas driving the wheels off my Exploder, trying to find bittersweet...and every year I come up empty, both in the gas tank and in the back seat!

This little vine is a favorite of mine, but not plentiful in my neck of the woods. It is wonderful to use in our tent at Warrenton for instant autumn pizazz and to fill in ho hum spots, but it's getting harder and harder to find ...or everyone is sold out just before I get there. Are you getting a whiff of where I am going with this? I thought so! Y'all are getting way too smart for your britches!

So many of y'all live in areas where bittersweet is so abundant it's a nuisance and I was thinking maybe I could help take some of it off your hands...skip the middle-man so to speak! If you'd be interested in selling and shipping some to me, drop me an e-mail and give me a price. I can't promise to be able to buy (that would depend on how expensive it is), but I thought maybe we could do a little wheelin' dealin'!
While I'm begging, I mean asking, I might as well mention that I love tallow berries, dried honeysuckle vine, colorful leaves and hydrangeas....you know...just in case you have any of those old, nasty, dried up things lying around that you'd want to get rid of!

I had talked to Jodie at Everything Vintage about Spanish moss, but when she described the cons of harvesting and handling it, I decided to pass. I still love the way it looks, but the idea of having to wear rubber gloves just didn't appeal to me!

I don't take a lot of "props" to Zapp for our tent. If it's in the tent...it's for sale! That's the beauty of using botanicals...besides the obvious one! At the end of the show, I can sell them if I like and I have! Psst! Don't tell anyone, but I have had people try to buy beautiful, mossy branches I pick up off the ground. In my heart, I can't charge for those, but I gotta say...it's tempting...mighty tempting! So...........(cue music!)
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go out and see what nature has to offer me in your backyard!

Thanks guys!

20 comments:

Malisa said...

My poison oak vines turn a lovely shade of orange! I have miles and miles of them! I will even give you the joy of gathering the goodies yourself! Come on down, girlfriend! :)

Malisa

Debra@CommonGround said...

Gee whiz Deb, I'm with Malisa, everything around here is intertwined with poison ivy or poison oak. I love the bittersweet, but if I even get NEAR the poison stuff I become one massive infesto. What about hedge apples, do they have those in Texas? Whatever you do please promise to take lots of booth photos. I know it will be gorgeous!
Debra

Garden Antqs Vintage said...

Deb, I will have tallow berries for sale at Zapp and I can get you all the Spanish moss you want; I've never used gloves to do this. I took Liz some awhile back. Just let me know. And, I buy bittersweet from Donna that used to be at Zapp, but the last time I did it have poison ivy and I paid double for that crop I bought from her?

Bonnie said...

Deb, wish I had some of that in my backyard but just because I don't doesn't mean you can't stop by to say HEY!

Have fun,
Bonnie

Sue said...

I had to laugh out loud when you called your car the "Exploder". I'm guessing its an Explorer. My oldest, Brande has an "Exploder" and that is what we've always called it! That car has 250,000 miles on it and still going!!

Pam @ Frippery said...

Debbie, I bought some bittersweet at our farmers market last year and they had very little. The vendor told me that for some reason, bittersweet was dying off and harder to come by. I don't know if it had to do with the honeybees or something else. Could be why you are having a hard time finding it. I have tons of dried hydrangea but I don't think it would survive the post office! Happy hunting, Pam

Anonymous said...

Hey Debbie, I have some dried hydrangeas too right now if you want some. The stems won't be way long though...not short but not long either.

Zita - Mlle Magpie said...

It's going to look so pretty in your booth, Deb. Can't wait!

sue said...

when I get back from vacation, I'll see how my hydrangeas look and send you some.....

debi lynn mattingly said...

Hummm? Let's see---what in the world could I possibly bring you at Zapp? I will have Texan hubby hop in his golf cart and take a cruise around the courses...never know what one may find. Ya know my neighbors have some beautiful flowers growing around their yards...would that help? :)

xo...deb

Six in One Hand said...

Guuurrrll!
How I wish I had bittersweet to give you!!!! I'll keep my ear to the ground for ya!!

I just wanted to let you know that I tagged you in my blog today so stop by when you get a chance and check it out.

WIZARD OF ONCE WAS "WooW" said...

Just hop on over and come get all kinds of oak branches with liken, pods,hydeangeas, ..yours for the taken..oh, wait you live in Texas..darn
Gale

WIZARD OF ONCE WAS "WooW" said...

oops hydrangeas

Tamis Marks said...

First off, pour yourself a drink to help me celebrate passing that stupid math class. YIPPEE for me! I am so pleased and that lemon drink sounds like just what I need.

I have lots of hydrangea but nothing else as remotely cool as those other berried plants. Let me know if you want me to dry you some, I would love to send you a little love from Washington.

I am looking to by a beautyberry bush, they have gorgeous purple berries but I do not know how they dry.

Take care Queenie!

Lauri Evans said...

It will be a big-ass box you'll get if I send you some hydrangeas. Anything to know part of me was in Texas! ox lulu

David said...

Very interesting! I'll be on the lookout!

Anita said...

We'll need to check it out and see if it is ready to go yet...harder and harder to find here in Iowa cause road crews spray the fencelines and kill itoff...so we have some "secret spots" in a no spray county...:> Normally we don't cut until almost end of September...you are needing this when?

Anonymous said...

We used to have TONS of bittersweet where I lived in Maine. I would make wreaths out of it and just fill vases with it. I love it. It would last me all winter too. Don't know if there's any around here...I'll keep my eyes peeled for you!

-FringeGirl

Jenny said...

Nothing cool grows in AZ to send you BUT I wanted to say....sell the mossy branches....AND I thought I was the only in the world who knew Orange you Glad I didn't say bananas? It's one of top three favorite silly jokes.

summersundays-jw said...

How about if I send you a big ole box of gumballs. If someone ever figures out what to do with these, I'll be a wealthy woman. Jan