A Splash of Color

As the holidays draw closer, the New England landscape adopts a very subdued color profile- all things tan and brown. The addition of grey skies completes the picture, signaling impending snow events. Related Images:
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Holidays Incoming

“Happy Thanksgiving”  is over. Onto the holidays. Makes me tired even thinking about it. It was good while Thanksgiving  lasted. I always love the preparation for kids coming home. And, hosting them at our local White Memorial gangplank… Aside from cooking for family and eating steadily, it’s been a big week for Paola Prints. We just went live on HOUZZ- still working out some bugs. I’ll have a HOUZZ link for you next post. If you’re looking for festive pillows to warm you in the winter season…we have ten designs in stock-check them out here. We’re selling wholesale and direct.
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Standing up to Thanksgiving

Every year about this time, a vague feeling of dread comes over me—time to cook for Thanksgiving. (I’m babysitting cheesecake as I write). I decided to get a jump on dessert and just say no to pies this year. Besides, cheesecake will freeze and improve with age. Related Images:
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Heavenly Hosta

Ancienne is a pillow of a certain age. She has character.  And a certain “je ne sais quoi” we all hope to have, right? This photo reminds me of the beach. Related Images:
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Romance in the Garden

Late summer is an awesome time in the garden if you just relax and recognize that the dominant color is green, AND, even the once vigorous skunk cabbage becomes invisible with age. Its leaves literally become transparent. Time passages. Related Images:
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Cutting the rug

Defined as: “Dancing well and with energy”. If one dances a lot, she WILL wear out or “cut a rug”. We each have a bit of the show person inside- it just manifests itself in different ways. I love to entertain- Partly because I enjoy cooking and I like to show off my place. Related Images:
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Coming Up Green

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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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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Home Décor Trending 2016

Attending trending seminars for fashion and home décor is a little like preparing for Valentine’s Day. Growing up, we had eleven kids congregating around a dining room table overflowing with piles of valentine cards- all kinds of red, Related Images:
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