Outdoor Wednesday

This is my first Outdoor Wednesday post....seems kind of ironic since I spend most of my days outside. Lucky me !!!

These beautiful creatures live only a mile away from my house. The other day when I was driving to work with my husband we spotted the babies and he mentioned I should remember to take my camera so I could take some shots of them. I thought well you don't have to ask me twice. The next morning it was slightly raining when I got there and was only able to see them thru the brush along the fence that runs the property. They made their way eating what looked like bare branches and sticks while the adults ate the nice green grass. Eventually they made it to the front fence, 100 bad pics later where I could finally get a clearer view of them.

The lambs seemed to pay little attention to me until a mother and her young son showed up. One of the little guys suddenly came up close to the fence to get a better look at the boy as if to say " hey your little just like me"

A nest that's been in our Butterfly bush for a few years now though I don't think I've noticed any birds nesting in it for a long time. Isn't just so perfect? How does it stay together even after being out all winter...it's nature at it finest. We'll have to check back and see if it gets occupied this year.

Oh my beautiful Thalia daffodils all fresh and white. They bloom late and I was so worried that the heat we've had would make them pass too quickly


The past week we've had Summer like temperatures and tonight we are dipping back down to the 30's ....so as much as my daffodils love it we're going to have to cover some of the new plants we've just gotten in.

Stay warm everyone!!!! Summer's not here yet!!!

Oh, almost forgot.....this is in honor of Sylvia from Villa Extra in Sweden who always inspires me with her Outdoor Wednesdays. I can't even come close to recreating the beautiful images and collages she makes. She's truly talented.

Nice Change

I guess I don't need to tell you what an amazingly warm weekend we experienced. Unseasonably warm as they say. Throughout the whole country I think??? If only I had a crystal ball and could have seen it coming. Freezing one minute and summer like with people in shorts and sandals the next. But we have to remember it's only April 26th and it can still go back to normal temperature's. Well anyways it's a nice change and this coming week will be the same. It was wonderful seeing everyone so happy ...

Aren't my little boys sweet holding hands and saying "come on lets run thru the flowers ....they won't care."

I love planting herbs and flowers together. Varying the textures....some fuzzy,round,linear with varying color...green,gray,gold and blue all together in an interesting container.

These are mini birdbaths...Don't really think a real bird could ever fit in it to bath but there just so cute. Made by a company called Burly made in the US...gee how often do you see that??? The grass was left over from flats I seeded for Easter that were not big enough to use at the time. I may try to make little Happy Mother's Day Flags for them...I should have thought ahead and asked Rosemary to make me some.

I cheated here and just put in some plugs just to see how it looked but I'll have to find something else that's a little better rooted. I'd love to use the moss I have in my backyard that I showed in a previous post. It's so green and lush.

I didn't always love hens and chickens all that much before, but there are so many different kinds now and I am after all a foliage girl.
I know it's just lettuce but it also makes a great window box or container plant...and what else could you ask for....beautiful and edible. While your watering it you can stop and take a nibble.

Hydrangea....well what can I say???...it's probably our most popular flowering shrub. I vowed last year that I was going to remove some of the ornamental grasses and plant a ton of them ~ all kinds ~but we never did. We have many of them already but I want some varieties we don't have yet...

This is our beautiful flowering quince. Last year I never got to see it in flower. George kept saying you have to go look at it.... It's gorgeous!!! I kept thinking I will when I get a chance. And when I finally did it had gone by!!! You know what they say ~ Take the time to smell the roses. Well in this case ~take time to see the flowering quince.

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!!!!

Hugs,

Carole

Small bathroom ~ Big style

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I last went to Paula's house to see her newly decorated bathroom. The last time I showed you her beautiful garden and promised I would give you a tour of the interior of her home. Time flew by and I had almost forgotten....well I never forgot just haven't had the time. There's just so much to show, so this time it's the bathroom we're going to see since that was the pretence for the visit, but once there it was difficult to not want to take pictures of every amazing room. I remember the first time I went to Paula's about 10 yrs ago when she had just been there a year... I was so enchanted by the place and remember saying to her it looked like Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic....she replied "well yes... but more grungy". This has been her style for many years before she moved to this house and it seems funny now that it's become so popular again......proving that good taste never goes out of style..

This is the view as you walk in...forgot to get a picture of the clawfoot tub. Freshly painted with new linen shower curtain and window treatment. The big difference is the big cabinet that was exchanged for a smaller dresser.


Little birdy greeting you in the morning would get you in a good mood even if your weren't a "morning person"

Paula shopped from her spare bedroom upstairs and used a painted dresser where there once was a display cabinet she now uses for her clothes. It makes the whole room seem so much bigger and lets in more light.


Beautiful antique lace wrapped around old wooden spools



Newly purchased towels hung on an old wire hooks


Apothocary jars filled with essentials and antique buttons wrapped in more lace.

Love the wire frog hung on the wall purchased on our trip to Brimfield last Fall. Can't wait to go back with Laura and Paula.








Let's open the door and take a better look shall we?





She even makes a simple candle look special!!!









Little crocheted socks hung on this wire hanger also bought at Brimfield the time we all went. I think at first she was going to use them as wings for a doll but came up with this instead. I like it better don't you???

it's appropriate that Paula would have antique pharmaceuticals bottles and paraphernalia since she's a pharmacist.

I wonder what's in those bottles???Hhhhmm,,,,

Hope you enjoyed the tour.....thank you Paula for letting me come and enjoy your private sanctuary.

Inspirations

When we closed today after a day of crazy weather with rain and howling winds I told my husband I was going in the shop to work on a long awaited herb order. Now he said "no blogging, just get that order done" "I will!!!" I said but of course I fibbed and spent a couple of minutes checking by faves. Kim Caldwell's blog which is always amazingly beautiful blew me away with her April 16th post. Now you gals from the UK will probably have seen this clip and even in the US but I thought the rest of you may not have. I had seen a part of it on a late show but not in it's entirety. It really makes you realize that we judge people all too often. Please click HERE to go to her beautiful site and click on the video. After the video check out the rest of her blog...you'll love it. She is a women of many talents and helps people achieve their dreams.

Enjoy,

Carole

Signs of Spring

Is there any plant more cheerful than daffodils??? One minute it's cold and winter seems never ending and then there they are all bright and bold. They almost seem misplaced with everything else around them still sleeping.

Usually this garden is trimmed back of all the dead branches and debris but I rather like the way the daffodils look as they seem to force their way thru.

This is a variety I planted just for home...and if I was good I'd remember the name. ??..>.^(* Thank goodness I knew I'd never remember so I have it written down in a file. I wish I had done that with other plants in my garden....I've learned it the hard way and now I keep old tags and marking pen in my apron so I can quickly stick a tag by it then go back and record it later. Anyways I love the look of this one...it's creamy yellow, kind of doubly and really huge.




This beauty is one that came in a mixed bag of daffs so I don't know it's name but forever I've wanted to move it to a more prominent spot so last spring I marked it so I would remember to move it in the Fall. I know I did it yet this year it seems that it's only a foot away for it's original spot...I guess it didn't want to go far???

Hyacinth ....can't you just smell their sweet perfume???

These are growing nicely among the onion grass. I really have to do something about all that grass....wonder if you can eat it???

Daffodils

There flames the first gay daffodil

Where winter-long the snows have lain:

Who buried Love, all spent and still?

There flames the first gay daffodil.

Go, Love's alive on yonder hill,

And yours for asking, joy and pain,

There flames the first gay daffodil

Where winter-long the snows have lain!

Ruth Guthrie Harding

Sorry..... I don't have a poem for hyacinths!!!!

Take care,

Carole

Happy Easter!!!

When you walk into Paula's home you immediately know your entering a special place....much like the feeling you get when your about to enter a secret garden full of magical and wonderous things. Easter time is no exception.
These are just a few of her collection of bunnies. These were made by Evi of Evi's Country Snippets which Laura talked about in a recent post after going to one of her shows. Aren't they just so sweet sitting next to each other in their Easter clothes...

....and this little bunny who's just woken up from a long sleep and still in his bed shirt.
The other corner of the Strawberry room as Paula has appropriately named it. When her Nieces would come over for a visit they always called it the Princess room. You can see why......

Easter vignette with an antique postcard of lily of the valley and eggs tucked into small glasses with angelvine.

This bunny was made by Nicol Sayre. She sits on an old weathered Irish pine sideboard in her living room.

.....This little guy sits in a wicker chair waiting for you at the top of the stair landing. He may have been made by Lori Baker but I'm not sure.

Wooden eggs lovely nestled in angelvine in a wire basket

Fabric bird on a nest atop a wooden cup also made by Evi. It's probably all of 4 inches tall with such beautiful details. Looks so perfect against her collection of brown transferware. The name of the collection escapes me now. Charlotte something? We had been out one day shopping when she spotted a small tea cup. She was so delighted to find it and add to her collection. When we got back to her house she places in on a small shelf with the others. It looked perfect there. It had found it's new home.

May you all find your happy home...

Happy Easter everyone.

Carole