Cool new (and free) online moodboard tool

I wanted to thank Michele for bringing MyDeco to my attention. It's a very cool site with lots of goodies for all of us design enthusiasts out there. There are fun quizes, lots of eye candy, and you can make a moodboard! I also want to check out the 3D room planner they have. Here are the results of my style quiz:

I am a "homecoming queen." This makes me laugh, because I didn't even go to my prom let alone homecoming, and I'm definitely not the "princess" type. ...atleast I don't think I am....

"Nothing - budgets included - stops you from putting your all into creating a dream home. Your look is quintessentially feminine: cool, pretty colours; layered patterns and textures; and flawless attention to every detail."

Sadly, my budget definitely puts my dream home on hold...

My bedroom supposedly is, "Your bedroom benefits from a lovely feminine touch. Sleep is fundamentally important to our well being. In busy towns and cities, noise can often hamper a good night's sleep. Soft furnishings really do absorb sound, and touch is such an important sense in the bedroom, from crisp, linen sheets to wool or even sheepskin underfoot. You like to surround yourself with pretty frills and flounces in your bedroom, using a palette of beautifully muted colours to create the perfect retreat from daily stresses and strains."

This is pretty accurate! You can see my bedroom here (a few things have been changed since this post, but you get the gist).

My moodboard - I love white interiors. But recently, I've also been into richly colored accent pieces and upholsteries in luxurious fabrics. I also learned a bit about myself in the process - I like mirrored case goods!



Visit my profile here.

If you take the quiz - let me know what style you get - I'm interested to see what everyone is!

via MyDeco

I'm back, and I come bearing the portfolio of one of my favorite photographers!

Francesco Lagnese's work takes my breath away. The atmosphere is unreal and the light is so clear. I can't explain it - you have to see for yourself!
















Not too shabby a spot to take brunch...and lunch and dinner


*stunning!*


All photos property of Francesco Lagnese

Spring Fever: Do You Have It, Too?

It's a good thing that I am a freelance writer with a flexible work schedule! It is difficult to sit inside an office (like I did for 32 years) when the sun is shining and the temperature is nice and warm. Perfect weather to be outdoors. I'm outdoors so much right now that I'm even struggling to sit down and blog!

The Musician and I drove out in the countryside yesterday to Hillsborough to shop at the Multiflora Greenhouses. It is too early to plant annuals, but the grower is so popular that the annuals will be sold by May. We picked up a flat of impatiens and ageratum, plus a few individual pots of coleus, fuschia, strobilanthes and a hanging basket of begonias. The annuals will stay on our warm front porch until the danger of frost has passed.

On this morning's promenade in our garden we found the daffodils, jasmine and akebia blooming. The winter daphne is still holding on to her blooms that began in December! The Japanese maple leaves are starting to unfurl. The Japanese and Siberian iris foliage have grown several inches already this week. The echinacea are sprouting leaves and I have monarda and bog sage spreading out in all the right places in the rain garden. The salvia 'Black & Blue' are showing tiny green leaves, too.

What shall we do today? The Musician and I are going to walk a mile to catch a free, UNC bus instead of trying to drive into town and find parking. We're going into Chapel Hill to meet our pharmacy student son for lunch. We'll walk a few miles from campus each way to our downtown lunch spot. It will be a beautiful day on Carolina's campus where the spring trees are in bloom. By the way, if any of you are basketball fans, make sure you watch the UNC Tarheels in the NCAA game on Saturday night! Go Heels!

What are you doing about your case of spring fever? I know that all gardener's have it right now!

Story and photos by Freda Cameron

Moving Water, Wildlife and Plants

After several days of rain, the garden is sprouting green. There are a few plants in my garden that like water all year and take to being planted directly in our water feature.

We keep the waterfall running year round. Our temperatures dip can down to 11°F in the winter, but the water doesn't freeze because it's moving. This enables us to provide a place for the birds (and other wildlife) to drink and bathe year round. The morning sun hits a shallow section of the stream that is within a few feet of a bird feeder. The birds have made a little path between some shrubs where they walk from the feeder to the stream. The large frogs don't like this shallow section, so they aren't a threat to the birds.

The bullfrogs are plentiful in the deep end of the stream by the front porch. The water there is too deep for the song birds.

I've not yet seen our one remaining goldfish this spring, so I don't know if the Great Blue Heron, who can wade in the deep end, has been snacking again or not.

Because the water is constantly moving, all plants have to be anchored in the rocks at the edge. Pots can be submerged and anchored with weights to keep them from floating away. Since the stream is shallow in most places, I've not found the pots to be concealed well enough, so I have removed those from the water feature and planted directly in the rocks. I have to put large rocks around the plants until they root. Once the plants develop a good root system on the rocks, they are very stable.

This year, I'd like to add more plants to the water's edge. Since our stream is fairly narrow, I have to select plants that won't rapidly take over the stream. The calla lily in the waterfall is growing rapidly. This calla was planted three years ago and has already been divided numerous times and shared with friends. Since it takes to division so well, a sharp knife (and a lot of strength) keeps it under control. New leaves sprout from the cut roots, so I don't have to be careful with the plant - it's tough!

At a previous house, I grew Louisiana irises, so that's a good candidate. Iris versicolor is another possibility. Since my stream is man-made and not natural, I can control this area and not introduce species that will invade any natural streams - always a concern with planting anything.

Story and photos by Freda Cameron

Inspired by Spirea

For flowering shrubs that are small enough to tuck into a mixed border of perennials, I use a few spirea in my full sun, deer resistant, zone 7 garden. The bloom and leaf colors work well in my color scheme.

There are so many spirea that I can't begin to give you a good summary on performance since I have only three varieties. At a previous house, I grew Spirea japonica 'Shirobana' (Japanese Spirea) that had pink and white flowers. However, the deer picked those blooms so I didn't plant that variety in this garden.

Spirea x bumalda 'Magic Carpet' (correct me if this is wrong as the shrubs weren't labeled) and spirea japonica 'Neon Flash' have performed well with minimal deer sampling of the flowers. The sampling seems to occur on the re-bloom in August rather than the more bountiful blooms in early summer. The summer leaves don't seem to be of interest and since these are deciduous shrubs, there's no winter damage. Although deciduous, the spirea are among the earliest shrubs to leaf out in the spring.

The 'Magic Carpet' starts out with rusty orange leaves that give way to green-gold as the deep pink blooms appear in May through June. It's a short, mounding shrub and hasn't exceeded 18" in the three years that it has been growing in my garden.

I have another spirea japonica 'Golden Elf' that I grow for the bright leaf color as a mounding ground cover. 'Golden Elf' quickly grows to 1' x 2' for a bright splash among darker leaves. It looks great as a companion with nepeta 'Six Hills Giant' in bloom with blue flowers.

My favorite spirea is 'Neon Flash' as the darker green leaf color and the deep carmine blooms make it a great companion for agastache 'Cana', echinacea 'Ruby Star' and salvia greggii 'Dark Dancer'. I also have monarda 'Blue Stockings' and 'Raspberry Wine' as well as chives growing in the section with the 'Neon Flash' spirea. This is the spirea that inspired my color scheme of shades of deep pink, magenta and blue.



Story and photos by Freda Cameron

I'll be back soon! I'm going to visit a place like this...

I'm off to Florida you guys! I'm taking a much needed long weekend to visit one of my sisters and relax on the beach. So, I'm leaving you with ways to add some light-hearted, tropical air to your space.

oh...this is so me... natural wood tones and white

via the beautiful blog, this is glamorous




West Elm(top)/Pottery Barn ( 2 bottom) via Material Girls

Material Girls gave some really good advice on achieving this look:

• Rattan or wicker furniture
• Wood flooring
• Natural area rug- seagrass or sisal
• Mixing lots of texture and pattern is a must!
• Comfort is key- large upholstered furniture in preferably white or off white will give it a fresh, clean, and crisp look
• Animal prints!!!!
• A few leather pieces
• Try to stick with these colors- pale yellows, browns, golds, beiges, natural greens that have more yellow in them, soothing blues, whites, and splashes of red, black, and chocolate brown
• Wood furniture
• Lanterns
• Bamboo shades for your windows
• Table setting- they have these great round textured placemats at Crate and Barrel/ C&B Outlet or you could do wooden bowls
• Large floor vase with bamboo sticks
• A candle in a glass container with water rocks/stones
• Wood bowl with real fruit

But if you want more of a beach/nautical look, here are some of my favorite accessories:

• Faux coral- I can't say enough about it, I have a piece of it in my Living Room that I bought at Crate and Barrell and it just makes my coffee table.
• Extra large clam shells- I know we have done a high low feature on this before, but you can find them everywhere these days- they are very in style!
• Anything dark blue and white
• Stripes are always nice for this
• How about putting starfish in a bowl or in a jar?
• Shells on a stand or in a glass bowl
• A glass apothecary jar filled with sand...my mom (who inspires me every day!) has been collecting sand from the different beaches she has visisted while on vacation for the past I don't know how many years- she then puts the sand in different glass jars and labels them where they came from. It makes a really cute display and a great conversation starter about all of your travels!

Tips via Material Girls (more great info to be had)

via Home Decorating Reviews






Tropical island architectural genius! I love the use of stone! It must make the home feel so cool when coming in from the beach.

viazlgdesign

Peaceful, calming shots from a renowned interior photographer

Let the work of Annie Schlechter help you get over hump day. She sure did help me. This week is stressful because I'm leaving tomorrow for Florida and have a lot to get out the door before I leave. Her pictures help me try and imagine a simpler, less-fuss life. Ohh..one day maybe. Which photo helps you stress less?



I'm not a good cook at all, but I like the ritual of cooking in the evening. It forces you to slow down a little.




You probably recognize this photo from the late Domino.







An artist's dream! A studio not left wanting...





Ah...a perfectly organized closet


A well stocked home library is my idea of heaven

Okay, so is this house...I will have dreams about this house.

This is the photo that first caught my attention. What a beautiful blue. It immediately made me think of my beloved blue merle aussie, Cody. :(

all images property of Annie Schlechter