Switch & Change

I have not been keeping up with my every other day posts lately,  only because it has been somewhat crazy busy at my house.  Holy Week & Easter were beautiful,  but now the work begins . . . . I'm redoing a few rooms which have been on hold for months already, and before the weather turns too nice to be inside painting,  I'm trying to get what I can done now.  Which of course means total upheaval for everyone, including Jackson, who is wandering around all day looking for his favorite places which aren't there anymore, until at least the rooms are done.

Front entrance is looking as forlorn as Jackie.  He's got that scared look in his eyes cause he knows what's coming . . .  Anyway,  I painted the floor about a year ago, and he lived through that ok.  

Then last fall I decided to go with a darker color on the walls . . . 

Which was alright, and my nephew Daniel did an amazing paint job :), but the color never really clicked with me.  Besides, now it's spring and I'm thinking light,  airy and open . . . . so goodbye pumpkin.

Beginning to see a major transformation in mood with the application of a gorgeous Ben Moore color match of a chip named Broadside.  It's light, ethereal and reminds me of a summer breeze.  I'm happy.


Need to lighten up on some pieces in here as well, (that means more paint), and bring in a few more decorative elements which are lighter and breezy.  

I've been thinking about this bird cage from the shop, and decided to buy it myself.  Sans birds.

Painted up my favorite really old oak pedestal table.  It was an engagement gift from a dear Aunt, and has served me so well for all of about 30 years.  Time for a makeover.   

Too much on the table right now, but two of my favorite football people are on it. . . my dear Dad Joe, and Father-in-Law John. Miss you both. 

So here's how it's coming along so far . . . somebody's exhausted, and it's not me!  Still a few more things to do . . .

I feel lighter and serene already . . .

Have a peaceful evening . . . and stop by the shop soon for some updates to your home!

Oh Deer

Thinking about deer these last few days because, well, I'm thinking about my garden again.  The planning and the money I'm about to spend on some great new perennials, and the time it will take to actually plant all these gorgeous blooms . . . . and the havoc they caused last season. . . . reminds me of (think Easter) bunnies.  They have lots in common . . . same color, same bounce when they run away, same little white tails, AND they both love munching on the most favorite things you have in the garden.  Remember Peter Rabbit?  And the trouble he got into after sneaking into the vegetable garden?  Didn't you even feel sorry for him just a little?

As mad as I get about my chomping invaders, I cannot help thinking about the fact that they just wouldn't do it if they weren't HUNGRY.  I know.  I'm a wimp about it.  But as much as I love my garden, I can't stay mad. They are just too cute.

I found this driftwood piece that looks amazingly like the real thing, no?

Loving these classic garden designers, and the beautiful outdoor spaces they have created.

image Fletcher Steele, Landscape Designer.

Repetition. Form. Color. Beautiful. 

 Versaille Gardens image from Grow Spot

Amazing graphics in this world famous garden.

In the shop now . . . 

Wishing you all a beautiful Easter and Passover Season.

Digging Dirt

image from Sara Midda,  In And Out of The Garden

 I think the beginning of the garden season must be something like baseball or, (for some people I know), golf Opening Day. The anticipation of a few newcomers, the hard work, the disappearance of a  once familiar species, the hope of success, and a fresh opportunity this year to try out some new things and surpass last year's season. But it's all good, and I am excited!

 Getting ready to turn over some pots as well as some dirt.

Last year's peonies were amazing, somehow surviving through all the rain. Can't wait for my all time favorite flower to appear in a few weeks!

Speaking of waiting, I cannot wait for tomorrow, because finally today I had the urge to plan my garden for the season.  Not that I actually did anything in it . . .  but the first feeling of needing to get out there tomorrow was real.  I think it was the realization that now the shop is pretty much on it's way to being stocked with all kinds of interesting things, I have almost caught up with some of the most basic home necessities like food shopping and laundry, and best of all, it seems that spring has finally arrived.  YES!  For me that means Digging.  Outside. Wheelbarrow. Garden bag. Mucks. Hose turned on.  Jackson by my side. Rakes & Spades. 

Jackson taking a break to smell the flowers.

First on the list will be moving some perennials to a better suited spot, cutting back the shrub roses, adding more herbs.  Setting out the early pansies and planting in the seeds for lettuce and sweet peas will come after that.  

In the meantime,  I'm LOVING the color that is just beginning to explode all around us.  A beautiful sight for tired of winter eyes!

We've got some great little gardeny things in the shop now . . . colors in benches, buckets, chairs and pots for your home and garden. 

    image from Mary Woodin,  The Painted Garden

  

Hope you can get out there yourself soon and find a little spot of serenity in your own garden!

  

Big Sale

Today Mary and I were up at the crack of dawn to get to a FAB sale and buy a ticket by 8:00 am.  Some of us used to do this kind of thing to buy concert tickets, but who knew we'd be waiting on a line one day just to ENTER to buy stuff?  Hey, there is something about the thrill of the hunt that is pretty exciting, especially when you just know you're gonna get a good buy.  Or you think so.

When my girls were little,  I used to give them two dollars each on a Saturday morning, pack them in the Jeep Woodie, have my map and the classified section ready to go,  get a coffee and some bagels for them, and drag them all over the county in search of the best garage sales.  They actually loved it, and would always come home with something special. . . . one liked beautiful hats, one was always searching for a little teapot, and the other was into jewelry. Those days are long gone, but just remembering it now makes me smile.

Have you ever had just about enough with such things as mapquest and googlemap? And bad estate sales?  We have.  At 9:30 after two completely wrong sets of directions from google, which happened to take us not only out of the way, but out of the town we were looking for, and which made us late for the ticket buy at 8:00, we finally arrived, thanks only to my long forgotten Rand McNally road atlas. 


And . . . whoever you are . . . A special shout out to the man in the pajamas in Ramsey who made us turn our car around in the right direction :)


Not much there in the way of furniture,  

 . . .but we did pick up some interesting small things,  some of which you'll see in their re-made state soon in the shop.

Time for a Starbucks before heading to our second stop . . . which btw was billed as a really fabulous artsy kind of sale, in a very exclusive part of the world.  Looking up the hill at the house we're about to enter, we see 2 police cars parked in the driveway.  Not a good sign.  Apparently there was an altercation between the sellers and some customer who was trying to get in early before the pricing was complete and caused ALOT of trouble.  Did I mention that while we were there someone had absconded with a Rolex and the police were interviewing the sellers, who were I'd say, mildly distracted and could not help anyone who needed pricing, including us.  So much for that sale.  

Not to worry . . . we have some great new pieces in the shop anyway, including:   

 Enamel Top Table in a great Cerulean Blue.

Shabby Vanity/Desk (Mirror priced separately)

Very Large Wall Relief

And as always lots of Whiteware.

We'd love to see you one of these days.  

Have a wonderful Saturday,