Vintage Aqua

 Flowers just seem to look prettier arranged in something old

I have a small collection of odd vintage beverage bottles 

and ball canning jars

 These make a really nice little grouping and I love the aqua color

 Some have a bit of rust or are not really very clear 

but the color is a pretty vintage turquoise that only comes with age and time

 This is one of my favorite roses too: Tuscan Sun

Actually all of my roses are my favorites, this just happens to be the most gorgeous today

 Aqua bottles look so summer-y and beach-y...

and right at home with clean white cotton slipcovers 

and bright French ticking pillows

 a simple easy way to invite summer 

into the house...don't you think?

Herb Garden

 My vegetable garden is a large area of raised beds, 

fruit trees, grape vines and of course lots of vegetables and herbs

 I have six raised beds made from stacked stones all found here on our property.  

Each bed is about 8 x 10 feet and supplies us with an endless assortment of vegetables 

through out the year.

I usually mix herbs in with the other veggies and still do that 

but I decided is was high time to give the herbs a lovely little spot all to themselves

 I like the idea of adding height to a bed by using pots and barrels.  In fact, I like pots scattered about the yard in interesting ways to keep the garden playful and to add color into the mix.

For those that have read this blog for a while you may remember when I planted the lavender garden. Part of the design was to incorporate these inexpensive wine barrels and fill them with flowers

The barrels are filled with geranium now and bloom almost continually throughout the year 

 The lavender is just about ready for it's first bloom of the year

 Here the geranium filled barrels are peeking above the lavender

OK.....now back to the herb garden

The urn shaped pot in the center is filled with creeping oregano.  It can be planted as an ornamental but you can snip it off and use it in your sauces etc.

Another small decorative idea I used are these 2x2 stakes place in a grid pattern 

and topped with tiny vintage green house pots

The pots actually tend to keep 

the squirrels and raccoons out of the beds

The raccoons have played with the pots on a couple of occasions and I have found them broken in the morning but they have yet to actually climb into the bed and dig around.

I saw this idea on an English gardening website 

and though it was pretty ingenious

The herbs are all placed symmetrically and include 

sage, oregano, lavender, society garlic, rosemary and 3 or 4 varieties of thyme.

Society garlic (tulbaghia) is a perennial with pretty lacy purple flowers.  

The leaves have a really onion-ey smell and can be cut and used in cooking.  

They make a pretty cut flower for arrangements too

The oregano is great in sauces or just tossed into a salad mix

The thyme varieties were planted all along the edge of the bed 

and then criss crossed diagonally

I'm not sure if I will let the thyme spill over the edges 

or try to keep it neat and tidy...what do you think?

Either way...it smells heavenly and it is one of my most favorite cooking herbs.

I have used thyme in my large pots of color along our driveway too 

and it flowers with delicate lavender blossoms that cascades over the edges of the pots.

I really like this herb garden!

You could try this in a very small yard too

or 

how cute would this look along a walk way at your front entry?

Have a great week

&

Happy Gardening

Dusting, Cleaning and Re-discovering Favorites

 About this time each year, I clean out my shelves, closets and over loaded drawers.

I donate the items that have lost their usefulness (at least to me)

But books are sometimes the hardest to part with.

Book lovers would say that a good book never looses its value to the reader and I suppose that is true... but decor and lifestyle books are as bit different.

 Like all book lovers, there are the old decorating classics that I can't seem to part with even though they seem outdated today.

But looking through these older books (I found a few from the 80's...yikes) gives me an opportunity to re-discover things I really like.  

And what is really  interesting is how my taste has come full circle... from when I was young and a new wife and mom and loved really modern contemporary design...

then fully immersed myself into folk art and antiques 

and finally here I am today...

back to those more modern and spare rooms which are really appealing again

 The blurry definition of what is a "country" look 

is really at the center of my decorating style...and I suppose my dilemma.

I like to think today it is more about what is left "undone"

 than what is clearly "overdone"

 I have been a huge fan of Tricia Foley for many years and find her style to be so wonderfully pure and admire how effortlessly she masters the modern country vernacular 

In her book:  At Home With Wedgwood

She writes about about the history and design of this most beautiful and popular 

pottery and china

and shows the reader the beauty 

of the simple well set table

I love how the flowers are not in the center of the table 

and the lantern is placed at the very end

The history of Wedgwood is actually really fascinating 

and the variety of china amazing

Wedgwood is really beautiful!!! 

and all of the settings photographed in this book seem so natural 

The fork and knife on the napkin and the spoon on the far right...love that

 what is more beautiful than this drab ware with the silver chargers!

 Her style is somewhat Wabi Sabi in the true definition:

finding beauty in the most basic natural objects and perfection in the imperfect

everything is set a bit off kilter 

but perfect none the less...

perfectly imperfect

She seems very comfortable styling photos that are both formal and rich in texture and layers but manages to find that balance of simplicity and natural beauty in

what are very detailed, formal objects like the Wedgwood lamp

I love this mix of antique with modern 

and simplicity with formality...very Wabi Sabi

 Much of her design work features utilitarian furniture and basic shapes

 Tricia uses a very narrow color pallet too 

 A beautiful spare house in the country

 the trim detail on the back wall 

with the sliding doors is just enough...a bit un-done

 A loft space in Soho

 A penthouse in Atlanta

those chairs!!! and look at the collection of china!!!

and a romanic day bed...simple linen bedding with very formal furniture...

so pretty

you can find more about Tricia 

here

Thanks for hanging in there on my 

very much needed

blogging hiatus 

I've been a busy girl...but we all are really busy right?!

Cheers dear friends.....xo

kelley