Picking Paint Colors

Amy Emery, a dynamic Interior Designer from South Carolina, agreed to share some tips on choosing paint colors. Can you relate to this?  I can. Amy says: “Selecting paint colors always sends people into a state of panic.” No kidding. Related Images:
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Flowers and Jazz

I’ve been reading about the Golden Age of Gardening and formal gardens created in America starting in the 1880s. Wealthy Americans emerging from over- industrialized cities arrived in the countryside, acquired very grand homes and proceeded to create an oasis of continual blooms. Just like me. (Hah, I can dream, anyway) Related Images:
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The Art of Decorative Pillows

Speaking of decorative – June is when colors slow down in my garden. I miss them! I’ve been so busy inside-even though the peonies have started blooming, I have yet to get the camera on them. Tomorrow is another day. Related Images:
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Living Green

We make Paola Pillows from 5.6oz. 100% cotton sateen, and I love to work with it. It’s soft to the touch and the fabric saturates intensely with the beautiful colors from my garden. La Violetta is a dramatic looking pillow I re-created in Photoshop from a photo of a hybrid lily. Quite the showstopper. Related Images:
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My Dirty Little Secret

I don’t like dirt. I’ve gardened since childhood and can speak with authority on the subject. I garden because I like flowers and I want them to be successful. It takes time and good care. Related Images:
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The First Flower of Spring

Skunk cabbage, aka Symplocarpus foetidus, is sometimes called the first flower of Spring. It’s not surprising that its flowers never fully emerge from their protective hoods (spathes)- because we know how cold and damp it STILL is in New England. Skunk cabbage has always been something I’ve alternately ignored or feared- especially if it’s encroaching on my gardens. It smells awful (exactly like a skunk) and lives in muck. My friend and nutritionist Alison Birks describes its habitat well in her poem: Symplocarpus Flowers in Spring– “A fetid odor wafts over tangled root masses– over dead leafy thick mats– over
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Fighting Off Cold Weather Naturally

Frigid outdoor temperatures, indoor heating, crackling fires in the hearth -these hallmarks of winter can take a toll on skin and lead to dry, cracked hands, flaky, itchy bodies and rough red faces.  Enough! You too, can beat winter dryness with a few changes to your daily routine and proper nutrition. Alison Birks is my nutritionist and sometimes I twist her arm to give me health tips. I was whining the other day about my dry hands and feet and here’s what I got…Thanks Alison! Related Images:
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