Most everything outside is green right now (except for lazy azaleas with lingering blooms.) I took this hosta leaf photo and got some great ones with the sun playing through it in the early morning. My Paola pillow called Aquilina is headed for the sunlight. Aren’t we all looking for sun this time of year? Related Images:
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Hey, you do great work
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. Related Images:
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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. Related Images:
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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. Related Images:
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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. Related Images:
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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. Related Images:
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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. 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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Raising Sunflowers
The sunflower on this pillow is actually a baby sunflower. I started it from seed inside, until the plant was strong enough to stand up to the elements. Weaklings at birth, sunflowers grow into amazing, strong sun worshippers. Related Images:
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