Spring Fling

I landed in Iowa two days ago to join my sister for her hip replacement. Great little town called Ames- if I ever make it out to the great walks and shops. I’ve heard it’s a great place to enjoy the out- of-doors too. Love the people. This was the week for flat out work on fair prep for our Spring show in Simsbury. Then, re-locating all Paola Prints pieces to the car…in the pouring rain. This gala event was the day before my flight to Ames. Great planning- not. And who knew, the flight took 7 additional hours due
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Relief From the Everyday

So much in life can become mundane if we’re not careful. Stay alert! Spring offers so much new life without any effort on our part except to stay alert to the signs. Smells, bird sounds, new green and yes, daffodils and hyacinth scattered about the slumbering beds. Gardeners experience firsthand the benefits we draw from gardening. I love my gardens and am inspired every time I look out over them. Others take comfort in ways that are uniquely healing for them. This week is full court press getting ready for the Simsbury Flea and Smorgasbord Show. Saturday, (rain or shine)
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Spring Sale- Scarf Prices Are Going Up May 1

We’ve been sewing and ironing like crazy to get ready for the Simsbury Flea and Smorgasbord Show. It’s next Saturday, (rain or shine) April 27, from 9-5. The show is one day only and I’d love to see you there but if you can’t make it, no worries, scarves in stock today and ordered before May 1, will be sold for the current price of $42.00. After May 1, the new price will be $44.95. SORRY- THIS SALE IS OVER!! Peony Heaven Takes Planning Spring is the time for fertilizing some plants. Today, it was time for the peonies. Having
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Spring is Sprung

Sedum (aka Stonecrop) is a beautiful succulent that appears in early Spring (that’s today in Litchfield). I recently posted a new scarf design and asked people to guess what plant I drew the green from. Sedum!  An unusual shaped succulent that spans the length of our growing season in New England. Sedum is a hardy, perennial addition to a sunny garden. There are both tall and creeping varieties. Mine get pretty tall- up to 2.5 feet and leggy. One might choose a creeping variety for a more tidy garden. It’s early Spring in Connecticut and the usual suspects are slowly
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Your Home Can Be Your Personal Art Place

 “Artists are picky people. The objects they live with — furniture, artifacts, ceramics, works by other artists — are usually carefully chosen, and they look it.”* My parents were both ceramicists, clay their primary medium. They engendered in us a certain mysterious connection between creativity and nature. Potters surround themselves with organic materials including plants. As children, we were in the garden daily in warm weather, playing and raising flowers and vegetables. Bennington Pottery, Bennington, Vermont Last week we visited Bennington Pottery in Vermont, a business that put its town on the map and employed many local residents for years.
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Easter Bonnets

We found Jack in Savannah a few years ago just about this time. He was buried in the basement of a familiar antique haunt. He caught our eye because he was alone. How many fu dogs have you seen without a partner? Few fu. Because they’re generally conceived in pairs. We brought him home and welcomed him into the family. Today, it was just too cold for me to pose outdoors in a hat. Then there was Jack. For years, my mother dutifully attired myself and my six sisters in thin dresses and flowered bonnets for Easter Sunday. It was
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