All Things Pretty...

I need a gardener...

We've had continuous rain for two days now... the rose petals are strewn over the lawn.... leaves and branches are drenched and bending...  the weeds are dancing.

Each Spring, I have the very best intentions:   spend at least 4 hours each Saturday and Sunday weeding, mulch all beds (which requires 50+ bags) before Memorial Day weekend, plant vegetables and herb garden on first weekend after "last frost date" ... and so on.   

 

Then Memorial Day comes around and I realize that I was dreaming.  

Such was the case today... when I walked around my garden snapping photos.

 

I did manage to spend 6+ hours last weekend just weeding... my knees, back and hands reminded me for days that I had done way too much.

But the results were well worth it.

Of course, that was only a fraction of what needs to be done.

So I've learned to just enjoy what is beautiful about my garden at the moment...

 

 

...to stop and smell the roses (literally)

 

And maybe....just maybe.... 

hire a gardener.

 

The lilacs...have finally bloomed

I've been very patient this year.... waiting for my lilac trees to bloom. 

 

To me, they are the "sign" that Spring is finally here (to stay), that our chances of frost are slim (although we've had snow in June before)....

 

 

I love coming up the driveway after work, getting out of my car, and being accosted by their sweet fragrance. 

B.L.I.S.S.

Can you smell the roses?

We are one week away from the time change for Spring and I can hardly wait.  The gardener in me loves this time of year....  the anticipation of things to come; if only the Minnesota weather continues to cooperate.  

First the grape hyacinths will peek through the soil, then the tulips and daffodils... (sigh)

We did quite a bit of Spring cleaning around our house this weekend... including having our carpets shampooed, moving of furniture, cleaning out closets.  

The bunnies have started to make their appearance for the season (more on them ina later post).

I decided my photo folders/files were in need of a bit of cleanup as well.  (But gosh, why is it so darn difficult for me to delete anything?)  As I went through the 100's (no, make that 1000's) of digital images, I would often stop at some favorites.

 

 

call me crazy, but I love taking photos of wilting blooms and fallen petals...

 

 

a heavenly scented Easter lily

 

 

when the garden is still at rest in the earliest days of Spring, the forsythia smiles as if to say "wait until you see what's in store!"

 

 a close second behind roses (my favorite~), lilacs are a must-have in my garden

 

 

(photo taken at the Macy's Flower Show, 2010)

 

 

(hydrangeas.... they appear everywhere around my home when in bloom)

 

...let us not forget the romantic peony...

 

 

 

 

 

geraniums from my in-laws' garden in Philadelphia

 

 

ah yes, I did promise some roses...

(with a few others beauties mixed in)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Wishing you many lovely things this week...

don't forget to stop and smell the flowers (even if they are store-bought)!

 

 

Chippy chintz...

What is chintz porcelain?  

I recently sold a set of chintz plates on Etsy and the buyer asked me for a definition of "chintz."  It was then I realized that I myself didn't know much about chintz, or its history.

After a bit of online rearch, the best description and history I found was on Replacements Ltd. :

Floral chintz patterns date back to the early 17th century. English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian adventurers were busy exploring and searching for the new world. Many visitors who explored the East returned with treasures from the lands they had visited. Several explorers brought with them fantastically decorated fabrics from India. Generally, these fabrics were thickly woven and featured brightly colored floral and bird designs. The intricately decorated fabrics became popular throughout the European continent.

At the same time, a renaissance of sorts was occurring in the pottery and porcelain industry. Pottery producers were experimenting with new glazes and decorating techniques. Josiah Wedgwood, Josiah Spode, and John Doulton each experimented with new clays, glazes, and decorating techniques. The pottery industry witnessed a number of advances during this period thanks to the hard work of these entrepreneurs.

Several pottery manufacturers wanted to replicate the brightly colored Indian designs found on chintz fabric. However, there were a number of obstacles to overcome. At the time, a suitable technique for transferring intricate motifs had not been developed. China manufacturers found it equally difficult to reproduce colors that were true to the flowers they represented.

Two brothers, Sydney Richard and Leonard Lumsden Grimwade, were instrumental in the development of manufacturing processes that allowed for the production of chintz china. They acquired the Winton Porcelain factory and renamed it Grimwades, Ltd. Before opening his china factory, Leonard Lumsden Grimwade worked as a lithographer, or print maker. Drawing from his background in print making, Leonard Grimwade developed a method of decorating porcelain that is similar to printing images on paper. This method allowed for the brightly colored layered designs of Indian chintz fabric to be replicated on porcelain. The intricately detailed designs produced by the Grimwade brothers quickly won them the patronage of the English monarchy.

 In 1928, Grimwades, Ltd. released their first chintz pattern entitled Marguerite. The design for the “Marguerite” pattern came from a pillow that Leonard Grimwade’s wife was stitching. Mrs. Grimwade’s pillow was decorated with a replication of an Indian chintz fabric. “Marguerite” became an instant sales success. Two years following the release of this pattern, Grimwades, Ltd. changed their name to Royal Winton. Since that time, the Royal Winton name has been associated with fantastically designed chintz patterns. 

Following Royal Winton’s success, many other china manufacturers began reproducing the elegantly detailed chintz fabric designs. James Kent pottery released several chintz patterns, including Dubarry and Rosalynde. Johnson Brothers released Summer Chintz and Rose Chintz. Both patterns were immensely popular. Today, Minton China continues to produce their ever popular chintz line, Haddon Hall. Chintz remains immensely collectible throughout the world. Royal Winton’s original patterns are highly prized collectors items.

 Such a wonderful history!   So now we know friends, why those chintz pieces we spot at the antiques stores are so pricey...

I was fortunate enough to find my own little pieces of history recently; at a garage sale of all places!  

One is a small pot...  it has a few dings, but ask me if I care...

... this piece is so old that the markings have faded into oblivion...  I will be doing more research on chintz to see if I can identify the pattern and maker.

 

... isn't the pattern lovely?

 

The other piece I found appears to be either a small coffee or chocolate pot... maybe a creamer...  Equally lovely, but with a long vertical crack which has been glued.  I'm so happy someone took the time to repair it!  Again, no markings.

 

If there are any chintz experts and collectors out there, please feel free to email me with any information you may have on these pieces!  I'd love to hear from you; as I have so much to learn.

 

I'm linking (a bit late) my chintz finds to Beverly's Pink Saturday party.  Stop on by for an eyeful of pink deliciousness...

 

Summer's last hurrah...

As much as I love the Fall and everything it represents (the changing of the leaves, roasting marshmallows over a bonfire, picking apples at the orchard and baking fresh apple pie...) I'm always saddened by the waning of summer.

The days are getting shorter; the garden is looking tired.  Earlier this week, I started seeing the first golden, crinkled leaves of autumn on my lawn.

Over the years, I've learned to pick flowers up to the last moment - virtually the last bloom.  I know that with our Minnesota 6+ month winters, it will be a very long time before we see anything blooming again!

 

I appreciate every bloom, every branch, every leaf....

 

...like this white hosta bloom...  

they have a lovely scent that reminds me of gardenias.

 

 

 

... one of my favorites this time of year:  scallion blooms....  their dainty white flowers are a contradiction to their strong, heady scent.

 

 

Unusual and unexpected foliage can look beautiful in your bouquet... like this dogwood.

Today's bouquet consisted of:  hosta, scallion, dogwood and lamb's ears.  I don't think you would find a similar one at your local florist!

 

Using old, chipped containers (like this vintage teapot) adds charm and character.

 

 

I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of my rosebushes still had a few buds; which have been paired with clusters of sedum.

 

 

... hydrangeas which have naturally "dried" on the bush are always beautiful.

 

 

 

I hope you are enjoying your last few weeks/days of summer 2011.

 

I'm linking up to these great parties:

White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Show and Tell Friday @ Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground

 

The porch is blooming...

I've been working on re-doing my porch... not a major project, just a cosmetic, low-budget makeover (the major projects, like stripping and repainting the entire porch - floor and beams - still need completion before summer ends!)

My white wicker was looking a bit tired, so I decided to paint it all black ("Black?" my husband asked with some trepidation), cover (the no-sew type of "covering) the old cushions with vintage matelasse, tablecloths, throw a few floral pillows (love how the florals looks against the black!)... and there you have it.

A new look with minimal cost.

(the most expensive items were the 5 cans of spray paint!)

 

I purchased used floral pillows and shams from local thrift shoppes (the beautiful one above is a Ralph Lauren sham)...

 

 

 

The new color scheme required that I come up with some coordinating accessories...

This little lamp ($3.99) is perfect - the black/white stripes look great with the "new" wicker. (It looks like it might be a Tracy Porter lamp...)

 

 

I had an old frame which I had decoupaged a while back and was just sitting in my studio... I stapled a fabulous sateen in black with roses... hung a cream vintage plate from some black ribbon... a few seashell flowers.

 

Some fresh-cut flowers always add instant ambiance...

(yes, I'm still cutting armfuls of hydrangeas!)

 

 

I have a collection of vintage bunny planters and doorstops that come out to play every summer. Some have a nick or two, but I don't mind! I like to "hide" them among my flowers and plants for an unexpected surprise...

 

And recently, I've been buying "bird" planters and doorstops...

(the bunnies need a little vacation)

So far, I'm pleased with the porch makeover.

 

(still have a few little projects to complete before the final reveal).

 

I'm sharing my porch makeover with the following parties:

Show and Tell Friday @ Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground

Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound

Fun with pink...

I picked some beautiful blooms from my garden this week...

(my garden is exploding with color right now!)

 

 

The hydrangeas are in full swing.... some lilies (love the fragrance!) ... wild geraniums, even some oregano blooms! I planted one of these a few years back and they're trying to take over my garden! I keep yanking them out and giving them to my neighbors (with a warning)... the leaves are so fragrant and the blooms are so pretty that I can't get myself to totally get rid of them.

 

...can't get over how pretty these look together... the elegant with the wild (or "beauty and the beast")

 

I have so many hydrangeas that you can see them in every room of my house...

(p.s. see my 5-cents-for-3 jelly jars? keep an eye on them, they are featured later in this post)

 

...one of the armfuls I cut this week... sitting outside for a bit to make sure all the bugs are off...

It's been a productive week... hours and hours of weeding and many trips to Home Depot for bags of mulch... we usually use about 50 bags each summer, so I'm a bit behind this year - and it shows; the weeds are thriving.

I've been redecorating my screened-in porch (or as they are called here in Minnesota, our "one season" porch). I've been painting furniture, scrubbing floors and screens, and lots of other "fun" chores. My new color scheme will be black, red, and cream with touches of gingham. Very reminiscent of the Mary Englebreit style (I might even incorporate a few cherries, just for fun). Hopefully, I can finish this weekend and share photos next week.

In between the weeding and the painting, I did manage to finish a couple of small refurbishing projects that I've been meaning to get to.

This candelabra was purchased a few months ago at one of my neighbor's garage sales. I paid $4 for it - couldn't resist those pink dangling grapes! Plus, it had good "bones" and I knew I could have some fun with it.

... so I did (have fun, that is).

Several coats of creamy white spray paint later... my candelabra was transformed! But something was missing... I grabbed my 5-cents-for-3 jelly jars (remember those?) and tested to see if they fit into the votive grooves... yes!

But the jars looked a bit plain... so I dressed them up a bit with some vintage lace.

 

Now it's perfect.

... don't you think?...

 

 

 

 

... told you she had good "bones" ...

 

(Special thanks to my ever-patient husband, Steven, who ran to the store at 10pm tonight to buy white tealights for me! Of course, I HAD TO take these pics tonite! The paint is barely dry on the darn thing and here I go photographing... do you do that?)

 

Wishing you all a very happy, summery weekend!

I'm linking to :

Show and Tell Friday @ Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound

 

Silver Pennies...

... the fairies visited my garden recently...

 

 

 

 

... may the fairies watch over you...

 

Bellas rosas rosadas.... (beautiful pink roses)

I cannot get enough pictures of my garden!  Does that happen to you?   I can step outside my door several times each day, and every single time I will spot a new bloom that I want to capture with my camera.   The camera has become as somewhat permanent fixture around my neck.  Will I ever tire?  

 
The roses seem to open right before my very eyes....  some of my favorite "shrubs" are so tall that I can't reach the top blooms!  (I am positive these are not climbers!)  My husband is convinced it's our great soil (I just learned that our property used to be part of a dairy farm 70 years ago) and all the worms...

 

.... I love the look of the hot pink roses against the rustic arbor....

 

 

(playing around with Picnik...)

 

Another favorite are these soft peachy pink roses.... an everblooming shrub (the only flowering plant I "inherited" when we purchased our home...)

 

...they remind me of Victoria magazine photos from the old days....

 

Other pink blooms in my garden....

 

 

 

 

I'm linking up to Beverly's Pink Saturday blog party for my weekly dose of pink.

HAPPY SATURDAY!

  

 

 

 

 

Peonies and angels...

My peonies are finally blooming!  This morning, still wearing my PJ's, I toured my garden (the morning dew touching my bare toes) and smelled their delicate fragrance...  

 

I cut an armful of blooms and arranged them throughout the house...  a single, beautiful white one now sits next to my angel.

  

...and a big armful in my $3 garage sale find (from one of my neighbors!) white pitcher...

 

 

 

 

 

Happy White Wednesday!

 

I'm joining the party over at Faded Charm...  stop on by for some white inspiration!

 

The scent of white lilacs...

 

Have you smelled them yet?  The sweet, intoxicating scent?  I have!   I cut me my first armful yesterday!

Then last night, when I went into the dark kitchen around 3am for a glass of water, I smelled them...  their fragrance filling my sleepy senses.  I remember smiling in the dark... then creeping back to bed (why was I "creeping?")

There are two scents I associate with Spring here in our Zone 4 garden:  lilacs and peonies.  One down; one to go.

 

OK, so it's my second post this week about lilacs...  I'm a bit addicted.

Happy White Wednesday!  I'm linking up to Faded Charm Cottage today.

 

 

Nesting

I started out my day yesterday with the best intentions (see Sunday's post)... I even had a "to do" list.  But every time I stepped outside to work on the garden, it would start pouring. 

During those brief periods when the rain stopped, I would walk around my garden to inspect what's growing, what was damaged during the winter and needs to be pulled out (didn't lose any roses!  yay!)...  I discovered many things, including several birds' nests in my birdhouses...

 
... I sat still for a bit, trying to see if the mommy birds were visiting their nests.

 

....  my patience was rewarded!  There was a cardinal flying repeatedly into one of my evergreen shrubs (right by my front door!)...  No birdhouse there?!?  I carefully inspected the shrub during one of her absences...

 

At first, all I saw was the carefully contructed nest, well hidden at the center of the shrub.  But after a more thorough inspection, I saw the eggs...  three maybe?

 

 
No!  Four!  Four lovely, blue speckled eggs!  I quickly took my photos and recovered the nest before the mommy bird returned.

And then, when I walked around to the back of my garden and onto my deck (which is off my screened porch and attached to my dining room/kitchen via a sliding glass door), I noticed that one of my fall wreaths was still hanging by the back door.  Yikes!  It looked terrible, all dirty and faded; it was ready for the trash.  I quickly grabbed it, yanked it (literally) off the wall peg and PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! PLOP!  I heard these strange little noises.  

As I was turning around to take the wreath to the garbage, I looked down and saw four little ovalish "things" on the deck floor.  They were pinkish/yellowish and I couldn't quite distinguish what they were as they were very odd, but moving!  I bent down to take a closer look and... YIKES!  They were FOUR little newborn birdies!  Their beaks were opening and closing very rapidly, they were on their sides or their backs, with poop coming out of their tiny rears...  YEP!  There had been a bird's nest in the darn wreath and when I yanked it, the birdies went flying across the air (and not in a good way) and fell 5+ feet to the ground!  I felt terrible.  I wanted to cry.  

I quickly and gently picked up each one (still warm and wriggly) and placed in back in its nest (I had already put the wretched Fall wreath back on the wall).  I heard chirping behind me and saw another cardinal (who I could only guess was the mommy of the unfortunate birdies) "walking" along the deck railing.

I walked back into the house and kept a close watch out of my kitchen window to see if the mommy would visit her nest.  She did - but only once and briefly.  So now, dear friends, I am worried.  Worried that the mommy won't take care of her babies because they've been touched by me and have my scent...  that she won't feed them and they will die.  Can that happen?  Does anyone out there know?  I'd love to hear any advice you have.

I learned a lesson today...  slow down, Mercedes. 

Why are you always in such a rush?  I hope the birdies are okay.

I'm linking to Blue Monday at Smiling Sally's. 

 
 

Today's "to do" list...

Another rainy, swishy day here.... but that's OK.  It makes it that much easier to pull out weeds!  And the best thing about the rain?  It's NOT snow!!!

So I'm off to do some chores, and some fun things:

1.   weed those darn dandelions

2.  cut some lilacs

 
(the branches are drooping from the weight of the blooms and all the rain)

 
...the white and pale lavender are in full bloom

 

...however, the darker lavender ones are still in bud.  They always bloom a week later, but their scent is heavenly!

 

 

3.  work on transplanting hostas and other shade plants into my new, expanded  "shade" garden

 

...my new area needs alot of plants!  Thankfully, I won't need to buy much...

 

 

 

 4.  finish my Altered Paper Whimsy Pocket Swap item

5.  finish my "good-bye" embellished scrapbook for a coworker, Marcie

6.  start my Birthday Treasury Swap shadowbox project (need to scour the local Goodwill, Bethesday, etc., for more tiny vintage birthday items)

Whew!  I'm tired just writing my list!  I'm off to the garden....

 

HAPPY SUNDAY!

 

 

My garden is abloomin' (finally!)

 
Many of you have shared with us your beautiful Spring blooms.... tulips, daffodils, irises... I've even seen a few roses in blogland!

But alas, here in my own  backyard, no Spring blooms anywhere to be seen.  My lilacs, which are usually blooming by Mother's Day, are barely in bud.  The trees have finally started to sprout some leaves (as of this past weekend).  Really!!!

We've had some nice, warm sunshine for the past two days and all of a sudden, things have started happening!  Overnite (almost).  I quickly grabbed my camera as dusk was coming in and took some photos of my first few blooms of the season. ((smile))

 

(only a few tulips - out of 100+ bulbs - have survived the ravenous rabbits and squirrels)

They are precious.

 

(My very favorite picture of the day....  the lovely bleeding heart...  they always look so delicate and fragile, yet this shrub is almost impossible to kill given the right soil.)

This garden stake says it all...  this time of year, the weedin' is a full-time job! 

 

I'm joining the party White Wednesday party over at Faded Charm... stop by for their 100th post celebration and giveway!

P.S.    OK... so this last one is not white.... and it's not "growing" in my garden; more like "planted" in my garden straight from the nursery.... the every-lovely dahlia!     

 

May Day

Happy May Day!

 

I can't believe May 1st is finally here... and although our Spring blooms are weeks behind, I was thrilled to see that my forsythia and magnolias have arrived ... 

 

..yay... the cheery yellows always make me smile...

 

 The sky was a crisp blue...

 the magnolias seemed to be reaching out to embrace the sunshine.

 

 

 

 
...this little guy was relaxing.... taking a break from eating all my tulip bulbs!

Since I had gotten a bit impatient waiting for flowers in my garden, I was forced to do a bit of improvising with silks and others...

 

 
... nope, I'm not embarrassed to admit that I've had to use silk "fillers" ... and a few bunnies in between.

 
(this gal sits on a bench next to my front door... waiting to greet you!)

 

Wishing you lots of sunshine and flowers on this May 1st!

 

Hydrangeas

Much has been written about roses and their meaning.  But do you know the symbolism behind the hydrangea? 

 (dried hydrangeas cut from my back yard shrubs... the bird's nest found hidden within the branches was a wonderful surprise!)
  

Japanese legend has it that the emperor once sent a bouquet of hydrangeas to apologize to the family of a girl he loved, his only recorded apology. This radiant flower has come to symbolize earnestness, and is ideal for communicating any heartfelt emotion, from joy to grief.

Other meanings found online (depending on where you look) are: Thank You for Understanding, Friendship, Frigidity ,Heartlessness.  ((talk about a confused flower!!)

Symbolism aside, I fell in love with the hydrangea from the moment I caught a glimpse of my first bloom (not until 16 years ago).  What is that?  I wondered.  I was not much of a gardener back then; and having lived in South Florida most of my life, had not ever seen the hydrangea.

Today, hydrangeas are an integral part of my Minnesota garden and my life.  I enjoy the lushness of the cut blooms; the variations of colors; watching them change hues right on the shrub as they "dry"; incorporating them into my Fall arrangements.

 
...this wreath gets refreshed each Fall with freshly dried hydrangeas.  This year, it gets a place of honor on the garage entry side door.

 
 I love sharing my hydrangeas!  Recently, I mailed a boxful of hydrangeas to a new blog friend, Sarah, from Gypsy Mermaid, all the way down to Louisiana... 

 

...I'm hoping they get there in one piece!  They are so fragile, and the UPS lady assured me they would do their best to "handle with care" (although she did make me tape over my black/white rosette on the shipping label!).   I'm keeping my fingers crossed on that one...

 

Dear Sarah, I hope you like your hydrangeas!

Love, Mercedes

Last Blooms of Summer...

I have really neglected my garden this summer....  and i'm feeling a tiny bit guilty.  I''m hoping it gives me credit for the hundreds (literally) of hours I have lovingly dedicated to it for the past 12 years...

So I'm joining Beverly's Pink Saturday party and dedicating this post to the last blooms of summer my garden has given me.  As I walked about taking these photos, I was once again awed by nature, the cycle of plants, their ability to thrive even when neglected (a good lesson for us all)...  the many textures, shapes, variations of color...

 ...my sweet petunias survived our scorching heat of summer....

..the potted geraniums had a tough summer, but managed to hang in there!

 

 

... I adore the soft, faded pink of this echinacea...  I have several other types/colors of this plant in my garden, but the original pink is still my favorite.

..notice the remnants of a bird's nest in my sweet lil birdhouse...

 

..had never realized just how gorgeous the sedum's blooms are up close...  I have many of these in my garden, as they are very hardy, are virtually maintenance-free, and add a splash of color to the late summer garden.

AND last (sorry about the million pics!!), but NOT least, the staples of my garden, the ROSES...

... and the HYDRANGEAS...   pure bliss.

Wishing you a fabulous Labor Day weekend!  Thanks for visiting!

 

 

 
   

Happy Friday!

It's Friday again... can you believe it?   First week of August is already gone!  I'm a bit sad about that -- but that means that we're just one week away from my baby girl's 21st B-Day!  Bianca will be home next Friday to spend her birthday weekend with us....   we'll have her for a mere 48 hours, so we need to enjoy and treasure every single moment!

I discovered a new (to me) thrift shop this week.... just down the road from my home really (5 miles or so)....  I walked in a bit skeptical (it's located in a strip shopping mall), and walked out with a cart full of goodies and a big smile on my face!  Brought home lots of "little" things.... the kind of stuff that most people consider junk.... like these glass handpainted jars.... I'm a bit obsessed with any non-comercial painted glass, so at $0.29 apiece, who could resist?

 

....and of course, I ran out to my somewhat forgotten garden (need to spend some quality time on it this weekend!!) and quickly snipped a few blooms.....  some white phlox, cream hydrangeas, the half-wilted bloom of a hosta...

 

 
 
 
 
And a lovely thistle......  I also found this adorable creamware wee pitcher for $.49..... 

It's Fall! ...or is it?

I awakened this morning, anxious to get my day started (schools are closed today and tomorrow!).... went to the kitchen for my morning chai latte, gazed out my window onto the back yard.... eeks!   Snow!  Snow?   I thought it was "Fall" -- 15 days into October and we've already had 3 snowfalls!  ...this is the time of year that I dread.  I know that the beautiful colors of Fall will dissappear virtually overnite (it's happened before!).   Also the time of year I question our sanity in living here; knowing we have six to seven months of winter coming.   There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide...  So I quickly grabbed my camera and took some photos to capture this "Fall" moment... oh, did I mention it's 35 degrees???????

Where did the summer go?!?

Favorite Blooms of Summer 2009

 
  

Life in a Minnesota Garden