Words an artist never tires of hearing. I’d be a liar if I said otherwise. At the same time, we always know more than the observer making the comment. Some might call it schizophrenia.
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My Garden is Growing!
Green shoots coming up everywhere, fat azalea buds busting free. And the lily leaf beetles keep surfacing on the lilies. I try to get them every day but it’s becoming every other day. I spent time this week preparing the new bed for the dahlia tubers and cultivating around the hostas.
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An Indonesian Door in Litchfield
Our Indonesian door was not intended for wintering over in New England. So, each fall we unlock it and haul it into the barn. Today, we had a good friend over for dinner who helped us install it for Summer 2015. I just love it. I can see it out the kitchen window and it makes me feel good –like an old friend.
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Leaving on a Train
It takes about an hour to get to the train from the northwest corner of CT so I was sure to leave early enough to be on time for the 6:48 to Grand Central. So focused on an early departure; I left my pocketbook home. GEESH.
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A New Paola Pillow Frontier
In between sales calls, printing oversight and identifying shows, I find myself at times rebelliously fading back to design exploration. You can see looking at my site that color is very important to me. The “pop” of color is better described as an EXPLOSION.
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Bringing the Outside In -Feng Shui
This time of year, I’m generally trying to shake off the old and get into the new side of life. Some of that just requires opening my eyes and allowing new things in.
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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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Paola Prints Green
Spring has not yet come to Connecticut- although I’ve had several sprout sightings indicating it’s not too far off…Better get out soon and rake off the beds. Today was spent making calls and working on a new print order.
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Garden Adventures
I found an article posted on Facebook I really enjoyed reading. A gardener/blogger by the name of Maggie Tran, recounts her visit to a private garden in the Loire region of France. Her descriptions of the land and its scents reminded me so much of early Spring.
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Spring Cleanse
Spring has always been an emotional roller coaster for me. On the one hand, it’s so drop dead gorgeous and fresh, you could stay outside all day long. On the other hand…
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