Inspiration and a Trio of Roosters

A few years ago, I purchased the decorating book, Carolyn Westbrook Home.

I really like her decorating style.  It is a little French, a little country, a little cottage.

This picture below captured my attention, because of the rooster pictures (and the toile, ironstone, vintage books, rooster statue, etc.)

I already had two rooster paintings that Donna, of Donna's Art/Mourning Dove Cottage, had painted me.

So I asked Donna if she could paint one more.  She said yes and a short while later, rooster painting number 3 arrived.

And here is how they all look together.

Thank you Donna!  You made my inspiration picture come to life.

Welcome Home,

Penny

A crisp, elegant house

I really like the arrangement of art on this wall. The wall color is different too.




Check out the mobile fixture above the table

What do you think of the couch in the dining room?



via KML Designs

Playing in the Dirt Part Two

Well, playing in the dirt, became playing in the mud as we had a weekend of rain and thunderstorms.

Saturday morning started out partly sunny and dry, so Mr. Comforts of Home started building one of 4 raised beds.

Mr. Comforts of Home is an engineer.  So we never, ever, ever, ever, ever just plop raised beds willy nilly in the yard.  It takes stakes, string, levels, measuring tapes etc to even begin the process. 

Though as an artist, I do pick on him for his "everything has to be square and aligned and level" outlook, for my Potager, I think he is absolutely right.

Things were moving right along, until the thunder, lightening and rain started.

It will be a few more days before the French Kitchen Garden gets done.

In the meanwhile, here is a picture of our recent trip to France.  This is the gardens of Versailles.  Courtesy of one of our friends (Ron S.) we traveled with. 

Talk about engineering and making sure everything was in line and level....

Welcome Home,

Penny

Purple Gleam Poppies

Shy and delicate, the first poppies to bloom in my garden are the California poppies. Why do I call them shy? The poppies open when the sun shines and close when clouds darken the sky.

The California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) 'Purple Gleam' is a mix of either rose or lavender—great colors for my cottage garden. Currently, only a few of the poppies are in bloom so I am looking forward to the larger display to come.

The poppies are planted with salvia greggii, alliums and dianthus for simultaneous bloom in the pink to purple color range.

The lacy California poppy foliage resembles a soft fern and is less than one foot high. The poppies don't fall over in the garden and do well in dry soil. I like the foliage better than varieties such as peony poppies (Papaver paeoniflorum). The California poppies are much shorter and take up less space.

The seeds were sown in late November 2009, so this is the first year for these poppies in my garden. I hope they do what poppies are supposed to do and reseed in the garden. I'd like an increase in the display for next spring!

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel.

Weekend Plans

This weekend we are playing in the dirt. 

We had 12 "yards" of top soil delivered today.  How much exactly is a "yard" of top soil?

  According to Ask.com, "A large or contractor size wheelbarrow holds 6 cubic feet while homeowner sizes hold about 4 cubic feet. There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard, so 4-5 and 6-7 wheelbarrow loads, respectively."

So, if I am reading that correctly, I have a homeowner size wheelbarrow, which means I have approximately 72-84 wheelbarrows to move.

We need to take this:

this:

and this:

To end up hopefully sometime in July with something that resembles this:

So what are you doing this weekend?  I would really love to know! 

Welcome Home,

Penny

Partners for Purple Allium

Pick a plant partner that blooms at the same time as allium aflatunenense 'Purple Sensation' and you'll probably have a winning combination.

Purple allium rises above bright pink creeping phlox and soft cottage pinks. Spires of salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna' surround the allium globes. Shades of purple and pink are great partners, but almost any color looks good with 'Purple Sensation'.

The short perennial, achillea lewisii 'King Edward' is a pale yellow that will soon be in full bloom at the feet of more of the alliums in my garden.

My California poppies are beginning to bloom, so now I'm thinking about sprinkling seeds around the alliums this November. I'm very pleased with the 'White Linen' that is a white-yellow beauty and about half the height of the 'Purple Sensation'.

This is my second year with alliums and I'm pleased with the results. My only disappointment—no fault of the alliums—is that the tips of the foliage scorched during our extremely hot spring days where temperatures hit 90° F with no significant rain for weeks.

Still, the globes are beautiful and purple. After the purple flowers are gone, the green globes are even very interesting and I leave those in the garden. Alliums can also be used as cut flowers, but I am enjoying them in the garden this year. As they multiple in years to come, I'll be more likely to use them for cut flowers.

Allium 'Purple Sensation' is rated for zones 4-9 and bloom time will be earlier in the warmer zones. Fall planting is recommended, so plan ahead.

There will be more to this allium story—I also added allium christophii as well as allium sphaerocephalon for this year!

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel.

The Glamorous Suites of NYC's Crosby Street Hotel

It must be amazing to be able to stay in a hotel like this. My budget these days restricts me to hostels, but a girl can dream!














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