Charleston Part 1: Lots of Eating!

October 3, 2011

A Beautiful House and Gate in Charleston

I had big plans for posting while we were on vacation last week! Then I discovered that it is really hard to edit a post on an ipad! I had a couple of posts almost ready to go, but I wanted to do the last of the editing while I was down there, which became very difficult so I decided to put off posting and enjoy my vacation. So alas I am behind! I will work on getting some of those posts up in the next couple of days while I try and catch up on everything else.

The Restoration on King, which has large 1 and 2 bedroom loft apartments with full kitchens

We really enjoyed our vacation and anniversary last week! We spent part of the time in Pawley’s Island with my inlaws and then had a few days away in Charleston (without the kids). We love Charleston and if the weather wasn’t quite so hot I would definitely consider moving there. Lots of beautiful houses and window shopping! We stayed in an amazing hotel (Restoration on King) and ate a LOT of good food. We are foodies and especially LOVE local and regional food. In Charleston there are no shortage of great restaurants. Here are some of the restaurants we tried…

Amen Street, where we had delicious fresh local oysters for lunch

McCrady's is kind of fancy and where we dined on a 4 course meal including crab salad, duck, lamb and goat cheese panna cotta

At Husk, just named Bon Appetit's best new restaurant in America, we could only get lunch reservations. All the food including the olive oil in sourced from the South. I had butternut squash soup and Mr. S. had some REALLY creamy shrimp and grits, but the best part was the bacon butter!

Fig (which stands for Food is Good) was our FAVORITE restaurant. I had the best soft shelled crab ever and Mr. S. had some delicious pig. From the outside it isn't as pretty to look at as the other restaurants, but it more than makes up for it in its food!

I still have more photos to go through from our trip of some of the beautiful architecture and details of Charleston so stay tuned for another post highlighting some of my favorite!

In FAMILY, TRAVEL
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Our 10th Wedding Anniversary!

September 27, 2011

Me and Mr S. circa 2001

This week is our 10th Wedding Anniversary! Kind of hard to believe! I pulled out the wedding albums for the kids to see. They were pretty interested (and wondered why Mommy’s hair was “yellow”). There were lots of questions as to why they weren’t there! I loaded up a few for your viewing pleasure (try not to laugh at the “yellow” hair).

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I just recently saw a post on another design blog and they commented on how they would change their wedding venue and style if they had it to do over again. I would totally disagree with that. Sure there are little things I would change, like the rented tuxedo that Mr. S. was wearing, but otherwise I would pretty much keep it the way it was (minus the stress).

 

Fonthill, Doylestown,Bucks County, PA

Wedding Party on the Balcony of the Carriage House

Our wedding was held on the grounds of Fonthill in Bucks County. It is an amazing cast concrete castle with lots of amazing tile cast in. Here is the description from their website:

Fonthill History

Built between 1908-1912, Fonthill was the home of Henry Chapman Mercer (1856-1930). Archaeologist, anthropologist, ceramist, scholar and antiquarian, Mercer built Fonthill both as his home and as a showplace for his collection of tiles and prints. The first of three Mercer buildings in Doylestown, Fonthill served as a showplace for Mercer’s famed Moravian tiles that were produced during the American Arts & Crafts Movement. Designed by Mercer, the building is an eclectic mix of Medieval, Gothic, and Byzantine architectural styles, and is significant as an early example of poured reinforced concrete.

Entry Drive to Fonthill

Needless to say, it was amazing to be married to such an amazing man at such a beautiful location! Love you Mr. S!

In ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN, FAMILY
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Plant of the Week: Common Toad Lilies (Tricyrtis hirta)

September 26, 2011

Toad Lily Buds & Flower

Toad Lily in my Shade Garden

Common Toad Lilies (Tricyrtis hirta)

Type: Perennial (Zones 4-9).

Light Requirements: Part Sun to Shade

Moisture/Soil: Average to wet moisture.

Blooms: Early to mid  fall. 36″ Tall.  Orchid like flowers are white with dark purple spots.

Leaves: Medium size pointy leaves on multiple arching stems.

Size: Height: 36″ Tall.

Additional Info: I bought my first toad lilies last year. I bought some big plants at an end of season sale and divided them and put them in the ground. They bloomed for a long time, during a period in fall when most plants are past their peak. This spring they all sprouted right back up and I have been anxiously waiting for them to bloom.

Pros: They are low maintenance and bloom when not much else is in bloom.

Cons: The bunnies have eaten the buds closer to the front of the border.

Origin: Not native to the US. Asia.

Varieties: There are a few varieties with several different flower colors including purple, white and yellow.

Plant Combinations: These look good paired with variegated hostas.

*The Plant of the Week is based on plants that do well in my 7a/6b garden in SE Pennsylvania.

In -Plant of the Week, GARDENING & PLANTS
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Andi & Neil’s Kitchen Part 13b: Cabinet Door Hardware Winner!

September 23, 2011

Hand Painted Red & Blue Knob w/ Silver Insert, $7.99 from potteryknobs.com

After lots of debate Andi and Neil have agreed on a hand painted ceramic knob for their kitchen cabinets! It only took 44 knob choices on Pinterest. I’m very glad that they decided on one that they can both live with. I think it is a lovely choice. Which is great news because I was starting to picture someone feeling angry every time they opened their cabinet doors!

Tile and Knob Rendering

As a side note, we looked for a knob that matched their Fiestaware. It turns out such a knob exists! The company (Bauerware) just appears to be VERY bad at advertising. It took a LOT of searching, but here it is….

Fiestaware Inspired Ceramic Knobs, $15 by Bauerware

These are available in a couple of different sizes for all of your retro cabinet needs.

 

In -Andi and Neil's Kitchen, -Kitchen, -Victorian, INTERIOR DESIGN CLIENTS, INTERIOR PRODUCTS, FURNITURE & FABRICS
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New Plants from the Scott Arboretum Plant Sale & Carolyn’s Shade Gardens

September 22, 2011

Shade Garden this Morning

I thought I would highlight the plants that I decided to purchase at the Scott Arboretum Plant Sale and Carolyn’s Shade Gardens. I am much pickier than I use to be in choosing new cultivars to add to the garden then I use to be. Qualities that I am always looking for include interesting variegated plants in both green/white/yellow and green/red/purple and a mix of plants that do well in dry sun (front yard) and part shade/shade (back yard). I am also a pretty lazy gardener so I like plants that generally take care of themselves and don’t require a lot of trimming and staking (of course I have been known to make an exception for something I really like). The one major weakness I have is for plants that have a tropical feel. I LOVE giant leaves and exotic flowers. That has lead me to own a number of hardy hibiscus and my beloved big leaf magnolia ashei. I have also tried several banana musa basjoos without much luck getting them to succeed and a number of cannas (which generally need to be lifted and brought inside in the winter).

My shade garden near the garage is looking pretty good these days, so for that area I am looking for a few plants to up the texture quotient and lengthen the growing season.

My Selections:

Carex muskingumensis 'Oehme' (just planted)

Carex muskingumensis ‘Oehme’:
I picked up two of these (one for my mom) at the Scott sale. These carex are suppose to do well in part sun to shade, but like good moisture. I like their loose, slightly wild look. These are native to the central US and get 18-24″ high. I planteed mine towards the back of the planting bed.

Tasselfern, which is suppose to be an evergreen (just planted)

Tasselfern (Polystichum polyblepharum):
I have several varieties of ferns. This one should do well in part to full shade (and likes constant moisture).  I liked the idea of one that was an evergreen since I am trying to add more winter interest to the garden. I picked up two at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens this week.

Hellebore: Helleborus 'Golden Lotus' Strain of Winter Jewels (just planted)

Golden Lotus Hellebore in bloom (picture from Carolyn's Shade Gardens)

Hellebore (Helleborus ‘Golden Lotus’ Winter Jewels)
I am in LOVE with Hellebores! They start to bloom quite early and the blooms last for months. The foilage is also evergreen. When I saw the email from Carolyn’s Shade Gardens (thanks to Stacey forwarding it to me) offering some relatively new varieties I was VERY excited. After a lot of debate I decided on 3 of the ‘Golden Lotus’ variety since I thought a white flower would stand out  in my shade garden.

Muhlenbergia capillaris (waiting to be planted in the front yard)

Pink Muhly Grass (image from landscapedia)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Pink Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris)
For my front sunny, dry garden I am looking for a few plants to fill the middle of the beds and provide some height and texture. I saw these grasses listed in the Scott Sale Plant Directory and decided to give them a try. Right now they don’t look very exciting, but fingers crossed they will do well and provide some beautiful foilage and its pink plummage next year. This is another native grass and will hopefully adapt well here. Apparently it does better in slightly warmer clients but fingers crossed it will be okay here.

What are you planting this fall?

In -Plant of the Week, GARDEN DESIGN CLIENTS, GARDENING & PLANTS
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Andi & Neil’s Kitchen Part 13a: Cabinet Door Hardware & Tile

September 21, 2011

Inspiration for tile from "Sarah's Summer House" on HGTV

I stopped over at Andi and Neil’s house on Monday to check out some sample marble tile samples that they picked out over the weekend. We started out with this tile inspiration from Sarah’s Summer House on HGTV.

"Biltmore" Marble Tile in 2" Hexagon Pattern

"Biltmore" Marble Tile in Basketweave

This inspiration lead to these a couple of potential backsplashes from the Tile Shop. These were in a marble called “Biltmore”. Unfortunately this name doesn’t match any other manufacturers and these are only available online (they don’t have any stores near here), requiring ordering samples and waiting for delivery. The prices were quite reasonable, but we wanted to check and see if we could find something local.

Polished Ming Green Marble Tile w/ Granite & Painted Cabinets

Andi and Neil took a look this weekend and picked up these samples up at Century Tile . This tile looks to be the same or very similar to the “Biltmore” but is called “Ming Green”. We are all in agreement that the variation in the marble is quite lovely. Two questions came up:

1. Was the tile color TOO simliar in color to the cabinets.
2. What size and shape tile should we use.

Our decision was that it was okay to be somewhat monochromatic with this but that we should pick a different contrasting color for the cabinet knobs (more on that in a bit).  Also the tile looks quite nice with the granite counters, picking up some of the green flecks. And after some discussion we decided that the 3″x6″ tile across the backsplash would look clean and not take away from the nice variation in the marble tiles. If there were a bigger backsplash behind the stove I would recommend changing patterns, but because the backsplash is fairly low and continuous I think this is the best decision.

So now that the tile is decided on what do we chose for the knobs. Andi pulled out some of her fiestaware to look at for inspiration. The “persimmon” color (orangy red coral color shown in bottom left of picture above) is a lovely contrast to all of the cool blues and greens. This meant back to the drawing board for more knob options. I had trouble finding just the right color. Here are some of the knobs I came up with:

1. Coral Ceramic Knob, $8

2. Red Granita Knob, $8

3. Resin Knob, $14

4. Ruby Glass Knob, $3.49

5. Honey Glass Knob, $2.99

6. Amethyst glass knob, $3.49

7. Amber Glass Knob, ~ $5.50

8. Blush Glass Knob, ~$4

9. Button Knob, $8

List of Knobs:
1. Melon Knob in Coral, Anthropologie, $8

2. Red Granita Knob, Anthropolgie, $8

3. Resin Kelmscott Knob in Plum, Anthropolgie ,$14

4. 5. & 6. Ruby, Honey & Amethyst Glass Knobs, Look in the Attic, $2.99-$3.49

7. Amber Glass Knob, Amazon, 6 for $33.30

8. Blush Rose Glass Knob, Amazon, 12 for $42

9. Orange Resin Button Knob, Anthropologie, $8

My preference is for #1 but I think any of these would look nice. I also did a quick rendering to see what the space will look like with the tile and a bright knob. It isn’t a great rendering but it does give a general feel for the tile and knobs.

What is your preference?

Quick Rendering with Tile and Bright Knobs

In -Andi and Neil's Kitchen, -Kitchen, -Victorian, INTERIOR DESIGN CLIENTS
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The Sideyard & A Pair of Blueberry Bushes

September 19, 2011

My gardening helper!

After edging and weeding

This past weekend was the Scott Arboretum Plant Sale (held every other year). In past years I have bought a LOT. This year, I definitely did not need as many plants. I am finally at a point where most of changes and additions in the garden are smaller. That said, the sideyard is a bit of a mess. We added the new steps and a bluestone landing back in May, then I proceeded to ignore the area, except for the occasional mow/weed wacking. The area was in desperate need of some edging, weeding and planting.

New Steps with Blueberry Bushes on either side

I also decided that this would be a good spot for blueberries. I have thought about planting blueberry bushes for the last few years, although I hadn’t found a good spot until now. This area is in sun for a good part of the day, so I thought it would be a good choice. Additionally the blueberry bush leaves turn a pleasant reddish color in the fall (and go with the coloring of the front porch). I picked up 2 of the “Patriot” variety. These get 3′-4′ tall and wide (smaller then a lot of the other varieties) and tend to look good most of the year. I think the kids will really like being able to pick blueberries, although I have a feeling we will be covering these with mesh so that the birds don’t take them first.  This area is right off of the kitchen, which is nice too.

Sad and embarassing weedy patch! Home of future raised bed. I also need to transplant the cedar tree that seeded itself here.

Part of this area is also going to be designated for a raised planting bed for veggies. I haven’t started on the future planting bed area yet, but I did manage to get the edging done and began to battle back the pachysandra. The pachysandra was brutal and I know there are a ton of roots still there (they tend to break when you are trying to pull them out). This will be a multi-year battle! At least it is mostly gone from the upper portion of the hill.

In -Porch, -Victorian, GARDENING & PLANTS, OUR HOME
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Design*Sponge Book Signing Party

September 19, 2011

Design*Sponge at Home Book on Display

Grace and Amy

The crowd with all of the twinkle lights

I had a lovely ladies night out on Friday at Terrain at Styers. It was the book signing party for the new Design*Sponge at Home book by Grace Bonney. The party was pretty short, but I did manage to get my book signed and a picture.

Grace and me

Terrain at Styers (owned by the parent company of Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie) is always full of LOTS of eye candy in the form of plants, pots and old wood. The party was in one of the old barns on site. The classic twinkle lights hung on the ceiling made the space feel really initiate (although a little dark for shooting photos). They served a delicious punch (I should have asked for the recipe) in jelly jars w/ little ribbon stirrers. They also had a raffle for a beautiful table spread (items were picked out by Grace and Amy from Terrain). I didn’t win, but it was still pretty to look at. All in all a good time, especially considering I heard Grace speak in the same space over a year ago when she was finishing up putting the book together. Grace is lovely and gracious, just as one would expect!

Lantern and Plant Display

Beautiful Plant Display mixed with rough wood

Table display that was auctioned off. I really love the apple pot, not that I would ever actually use it.

 

In -Design, INTERIOR PRODUCTS, FURNITURE & FABRICS
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A Nice Fall Day & Design*Sponge at Home Party at Terrain

September 16, 2011

Design*Sponge at Home book by Grace Bonney and some delicious Golden Crisp Apples from Linvilla

It was a beautiful fall day here. I actually had to dig out some jackets for the kids. We spent the morning over at Linvilla Orchards playing on their giant playground, feeding the chickens and peacocks, eating apples and admiring the pumpkins. It was such a lovely day to be outside! It would have been perfect except for the yellow jackets swarming us as we tried to eat the apples.

Tonight I am off to a book signing party for the new Design*Sponge At Home book by Grace Bonney at Terrain at Styers! Hopefully it won’t be too crowded (I see that it has sold out in the last day). I always love visiting Terrain and it will be nice to be there for a special event. I guess I shouldn’t be picking out perennials in a nice dress and shoes. hmmm…maybe I should bring an apron just in case! If all goes well I will post some photos on Monday.

I have already opened and taken a peak at my book (I ordered the Barnes and Noble copy with extra content online). It has some nice home tours (called sneak peaks) and DIY projects. It is quite a long book (over 400 pages) and you definitely feel like you are getting your moneys worth. On my first pass, my only disappointment is that some of hour tours were a little short. To me it feels like you are peaking in the door of someone’s house and getting a glance but not really getting the full tour. I’ve seen a good number of the DIY projects already (since I read the blog) so there were only a couple of news ones that perked my interest.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

In -Design
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Our Basement Part 2: Does it look like I own a paint store?

September 15, 2011

This is the shelf AFTER I got rid of the old paint cans. The top shelf is exterior paint and the bottom shelf is interior.

So it is time for some more embarrassing photos of the house! Believe it or not I just got rid of about 12 oil based paint cans and miscellaneous chemicals today (before these photos were taken). It was hazardous waste drop off day at one of the local parks. If I had been more organized I would have dropped off some old computer equipment too, but I was proud of myself for at least getting rid of some gross old paint cans. Since we are now trying to deal more proactively with our basement (which is putting a damper on the master bedroom work) I decided it was time to spend a couple of hours sorting through the paint. So on Sunday I spent the time while Maisie was napping trying to get rid of some of the paint. It doesn’t help that we have 6 7 colors of paint on the exterior of the house. We also had left over paint from the “not quite right” color selections. Plus we have matching stain from the garage and shed. As a side note, I guess you can see our preferred exterior paint provider. I love my MAB exterior paint. MAB is now owned by Sherwin Williams, and I am waiting for them to close my local MAB store (where there is a Sherwin Williams only a couple of blocks away). Then I won’t be able to get my beloved Seashore paint! Our whole exterior is painted in the seashore paint. You can see that I am not as loyal with my interior paint. Most of the time for that I am lazy and hop over to the local Home Depot.  For our next painting project I am looking forward to trying the relatively new Behr Ultra (primer and paint in one with low VOC).

Pile of latex paint cans waiting to be dried out for the garbage.

Latex Paint Cans drying out on the steps to the basement so that they can be thrown out (don't you just love astroturf).

The pile on the floor is the paint that will be next to be set out for drying and throwing out. I am currently using the back steps to the basement. These are covered by a plywood door (to keep unsuspecting animals from investigating) but won’t be offgassing into the house. Hopefully these will be dry for next week’s garbage. If not I may need to resort to the kitty litter method, which involves pouring the old latex paint into a cardboard box with a bunch of kitty litter to help it dry out more quickly. So far I think most of this paint will dry on its own. A lot of it is quite old, so the drying process started long ago!

I did manage to combine a bunch of the exterior paint cans. Because of the complicated house paint scheme we ended up with at least 2 partially opened cans of each of the main colors. Fortunately now that has been compressed and now I will be able to find each color more easily for projects like the porch swing.

Paint Sample Reference from www.domestically-speaking.com

I also have plans of putting together a couple of rings of paint sticks containing all of the interior and exterior paint colors, for handy reference. Kind of like this one I found on Pinterest which was from Domestically Speaking.

In -Basement, -Paint Colors
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