Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Happy Fourth of July!




Wishing you and yours a very Happy Fourth of July!

We're having a Fourth of July BBQ to kick off the summer just right...celebrating with good friends, some all-American hot dogs, yummy ice cream treats, umbrella drinks and plenty of fireworks late in the day. It will be super sweet using some of the fun crafty party ideas shown here to make things patriotic and special.

Wish you could be here...Hope you have a blast today too!

xxx









For those not in the United States... Independence Day, more commonly referred to as the "Fourth of July", is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. This fun holiday is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States.

...Martha Stewart Fourth of July clip art

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The Secret Garden: Inspiration

Recently I've become obsessed with landscaping our yard, which was left unattended for almost 10 years before we bought our historic property. We've been concentrating on the inside of the house so far, but I'm tired of looking at its lack of curb appeal...and I'm sure our neighbours are as well.

Turning an unkempt yard into something stunning is a daunting task, for sure. I've spent many days already raking,
digging up weeds and moving plants around...only to realise that not much has changed. My motivation upon surveying my progress has waned time after time. But, after reading through the current issue of Martha Stewart Living...I was inspired yet again, so I thought I'd share.

✿ ✿ ✿

In the March 2009 issue, be sure to read about gardener, Marney Bean, who started her garden more than 20 years ago. At her New Hampshire farm, Bean made the classic mistakes of every beginning gardener {me!}...but as her passion for plants grew, her garden became a brilliant study in composition.
I was inspired by her sprawling, plant-filled yard with its rhythmic and unified plantings, tones, textures, series of paths and borders, low rock walls and sense of intimate seclusion. I'm sure you will be too.










An old cherry tree (Prunus serotina) brings a sense of history -- and plenty of shade -- to Bean's verdant perennial borders.





















This spot is where Bean first cultivated her garden more than 20 years ago. It has since grown into a sprawling, plant-filled series of paths and borders.





















The view from a far, wooded edge of the property shows off a healthy, organic lawn.



















'Miss Kim' lilac standards are beautiful even when they aren't in flower, and they add a sense of formality to Bean's herb garden.














These sinuous lines delineating the bed and the lawn were made by tracing the arcs of an outstretched garden hose and then cutting the design into the ground, a trick Bean had read about.











Excerpts and photos: Martha Stewart Living