USING DECORATIVE BOWLS

It really is unbelievable to me that we only have a few short weeks left in the summer. My first day back in the classroom is August 2nd, and the students will come on the 8th. I still have so many closets to clean out (as in I have done a grand total of ONE). Although it has been short, it's been a good summer. The best part for me was a family vacation. We managed to get all three kids and their significant others together--finally!!

I picked up these shells one morning in Orange Beach, and that prompted this post. I was trying to decide the best place to keep them so I would always be reminded of our trip together.

They ended up in this gold trimmed, glass storage box from Hobby Lobby. I found the box earlier in the summer for half price. It's the perfect home for my shells.

Looking around to decide where to keep them, I realized I use lots of bowls and small vases for all sorts of things. I'm showing you a few today.

I asked the question on Instagram, "What's in your decorative bowls?" And it turns out, we all use our bowls and dishes for pretty much the same things.

Almost everyone said FRUIT, real or faux.

In my dining room I use a blue and white oval dish to store NAPKIN RINGS.

Many of my Instafriends said they keep the REMOTES in a bowl. Us too!

CANDY was another top answer. We have mints in milkglass at our house; although, a giant bowl of peanut M&Ms would make me much happier. :-)

On our coffee table I have a basket/tray holding a few random things like coasters, books, a plant, and bowl of POLISHED ROCKS. They are from a field trip I took years ago with my youngest son. He was in elementary school. This week he's taking his senior portraits. Time--it flies.

We were at Desoto Caverns. They give you a little velvet bag and you can fill it with your own rocks. This is what I came home with.

One other Instagram answer was 3-D PUZZLE PIECES. I don't have puzzle pieces anywhere in a bowl, but I do have Tic-Tac-Toe pieces.

And last, but nowhere close to least, is a bowl with a strand of PRAYER BEADS made and given to me by two former, super-talented students--Anna and Leah Johns. Anna (now Walters) is also a wonderful colligrapher. You can see more of her work here.

Now, what about you?

I'd love to hear from you! Tell me below in the comments what you keep in your bowls.