Last night, Trevor mentioned to me that the blog used to be more fun to read -- there used to be more little stories and blips of things that we do together. So I'll try to bring a little more of that back again. Maybe we've been lacking in those 'blips' around here lately, we've been on a big house kick (I think the nicer weather has something to do with it) so there's more domestic things going on.
I've been working in the garden, prettying things up. I have a bit of a lawn obsession this year (either that or I've finally figured out how to care for it -- not difficult seeing as our lawn is about the size of a postage stamp) and I'm loving the wild-looking tulips that have come up in the yard. The lilacs are going to bloom next and are going to smell fantastic. And then the peonies will pop out in their white and deep fushia blooms. The best part is that this year I get to see it all happen (thanks to working at home), and on those warm summer days when most of my clients are on holiday I can take an afternoon here and there to putter around the yard (although I know my enthusiasm for watering things will wear out by about mid-July, lol!).
I think this is a parrot tulip. I could be wrong, though!
This is half of the tulip action in the front yard, with some really pretty pink and green star-shaped tulips.
A box I had started over the winter with pansies and dianthus from the year before...crazy what some fertilizer can do!And on the reno front, our renewed enthusiasm for finishing things around here has us (or Trevor I should say) almost finished the tub surround in the basement bathroom, and we're on to the floor tiles soon (which will then mean a disaster in the master bathroom as we're pillaging from there to supply the basement bathroom with a toilet and vanity so we can put the 'good stuff' in the master). It will make for a messy house, but it can't really get much worse than when we first started on things last summer (disaster!). There are many (MANY) things that we still need to do to the house: finishing the laundry room, laminate on the stairs to the basement, finishing strips, painting moulding and doors, installing moulding (crown and floor in the rest of the house), painting the main floor a different colour (with new drapes, yay!), cleaning gutters, cleaning vinyl siding, painting the exterior trim, replacing the outdoor carpet on the front steps, finishing electrical work on the garage, finishing the gate/back fence panel... Lots to do.
I'm sure there will be many interesting posts coming up this summer, so the entertainment value of this blog might go up a notch or two. I'll still be posting lots of things that inspire me (of course, as an artsy fartsy person I eat it up!). There should be a nice combination of artsy inspiration and dysfunction (reno meltdowns, losing our minds and just general chaos) to keep everyone going. ;)
Domino magazine officially takes the cake. After Blueprint folded I thought that I would never find a magazine that appealed to my interior decor/crafty side like it did. This month they have a profile of a mother/daughter decorating piece and I'm having my eyes pop out over the daughter's foyer and office. I love the idea of pairing some ornate pieces with some very minimalist ones. Plus the combination of muted colours and ones that pop. Time to warm up the spray paint cans!
I think this is a parrot tulip. I could be wrong, though!
This is half of the tulip action in the front yard, with some really pretty pink and green star-shaped tulips.
A box I had started over the winter with pansies and dianthus from the year before...crazy what some fertilizer can do!
Well, here it is. It's not a personal zamboni, pencil sharpener or leaf-picker-upper.
I've been looking for some nice yellow flats for a while (yes, I know, NOT green) and found these in-store at the Gap yesterday. The best part was they were marked down from $39 to $10!
