And I'm Off...

to a place of tropical flowers,



white sand beaches,



and hula dancing.



See y'all in a bit.
(photos by me, taken february 2009)

Quote

Found this on design crush yesterday. Love it.

Secret Garden

I've got gardening on my mind. Happens every time this year. Can't wait for my garden to bloom. I was browsing thru an old O at Home issue (Spring 2008) recently and saw these beautiful secret garden vases. And instantly fell in love. They've got the elements I love...blooming flowers, soaring birds, fluttering butterflies, and buzzing bees.



Turns out there's also a teapot, teacups and saucers, and dessert plates in the secret garden line.


These are my dishes now. Which I love.



But I think it's time to bring in some color with dessert.



And lookey, the dessert plates come packaged in this round box. With a handle. How cute is that.

Anticipation

Pixel and I have been waiting, waiting patiently, oh, ever so patiently.



And it's finally happened...


The first poppy of the season. We couldn't be happier.

Inspiration

I'm constantly searching magazines, catalogs, and blogs for inspiration for my stationery. One of my favorite sources for unique color combinations is Snippet & Ink. The very talented Kathryn creates the most beautiful inspiration boards for brides-to-be (and those seeking eye-candy) Her blog is chalk full of the gorgeous boards as well as real-life weddings. First, a few of my favorites…

A Nantucket Island seaside wedding featuring Nantucket red, sky blue, clamshell grey, and white.



The always classic tiffany blue and chocolate. So romantic.

Shell pink and glossy black is a little bit sexy.



Fresh. And summery.

Here’s where the inspiration comes in. Jadeite and lawn was the inspiration for the Think Spring Gift Set at pixelimpress.

Gardenias and coral inspires aqua butterflies in coral envelopes.

Kitschy Key West (my absolute favorite board!) inspires Key West personalized notecards.

And although this board was not actually the true inspiration for these calling cards, I’m sure the bride at this wedding wouldn’t mind having a set of these since they’re her color.

Just as I was going to press with this post, I scooted over to Snippet & Ink. Kathryn has done it again... look at this stunning board she just put up. Seaglass and orange velvet. Beautiful. I love it. And couldn't help but notice how well it goes with my new Ocean social stationery and calling cards in the shop.


Thank you, Kathryn, for creating such beautiful works of art. Please click on inspiration board photos for more details and photo credits.

Silly Reindeer Games

You can't turn on the hose without this happening. Makes us laugh. Every time.




Please disregard the squeaky voice over. Seriously... is that truly what I sound like. *shudder*

Phew...

now that my gardening is done, I think I'll take a dip in the pool



and then relax with a book on the loggia.



Oh, wait, this isn't my house. Shucks.

This beautiful home and garden belongs to Sue Wert and her husband Mike. Named Tarp Farm, it's 14 acres in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, not far from where I grew up. According to Traditional Home magazine who featured this home and garden, Mike and Sue Wert’s goal when they acquired Tarp Farm in 1996 was to create a practical environment for outdoor living that family and friends could enjoy and also a place that would be spacious enough to host major social events for the local charitable organizations that the couple supports. I'd say they achieved their goal... and more. Isn't is lovely.

(Images via Traditional Home)

Date Night

Last night was date night. It happens pretty regularly on Friday nights. It's usually hitting the gym followed up by sushi, or just sushi, or sushi and an inhome movie. Please don't be jealous of our exciting lives. Last night was different. We had some very good friends over for dinner. My husband grilled filet mignon. He makes it better than any 4-star restaurant. Perfectly cooked (medium rare for us) every time. Add a sprinkle of bleu cheese. I did the sides. A dish of this (from REAL SIMPLE, Feb 2009 issue). This has become one of my favorites. Company likes it also. In fact, they've come to request it.



And a side of sweet corn, bought fresh on the cob, shucked, boiled gently, and cut off the cob with butter and a dash of salt added. More perfection. And for dessert... chocolate chip cookies.

And then, with bellies full, hubby and I wandered down the street to his office for some fierce competition of this:





I'm not one to brag. I'll have to check with my husband first to make sure it's ok if I tell y'all that I won 5 games to zip.

Orange Crush

I used to despise orange. Never wore it, never decorated with it. In fact, never ate an orange because of the texture. Things change. I now love orange. I have accents of it throughout my home... from the front porch to the powder room to the family room. I LOVE orange. And I tolerate a glass of oj (no pulp of course).

My favorite pot on the front stoop, filled with ranunculus, pansies, new zealand flax, western sword fern and ivy.






The guest bathroom. A silver sage paint with orange accents. The small landscape oil paintings were done by an artist on Maui. We picked those up on our last trip there and they're the perfect accent by the orange orchid.









I also got this beautiful fish drawing at a map store in Maui. And I had it framed with the orange mat and thick dark wood frame.



Moving on to my office...orange moorish tile rug from Pottery Barn. And lookey there, a very tired orange and white puppy (even the pet complies with my color scheme). Her name's Pixel (more about Pixel later as she deserves a post to her own). She had just completed 6 weeks at bird camp and was very exhausted.



And finally, our family room/kitchen is painted Sherwin Williams Rustic Adobe.

Rusted

Wow. My first blog post. A little scary for a gal who had trouble with creative writing 101 in college. I was more of a math geek and writing always through me for a loop. I think it was the big blank white page staring back at me. What scared me was that fact that you could put ANYTHING on that page. I preferred always having a definitive answer. Like 2+2=4. Never changes. Can't be anything else.

I thought I'd start by introducing you to some local scenery here in my town, Snoqualmie, Washington. There's a graveyard of defunct railway cars in historic Snoqualmie. Rusted through and through... and absolutely beautiful. My header is also an image from these train cars.













(photos by me and available for purchase at pixelimpress)