Philosophies
My ‘philosophies’ have been with me for so long. Raised in a home where we went to antique shops after church on Sundays. Raised on Princess Diana and spectator pumps and summers on my Grandparents’ farm, it is not too difficult to see how I could become rather set in my ways.
I have to imagine that’s rather refreshing in a world that is constantly bending to the latest rage; I’ll simply be over here in my garden, with my red lips-ripping out some perfectly good part of my home so I can replace it with something old-drooling over a new gorgeous pair of shoes whilst cleaning the garden dirt out from under my fingernails. That’s pretty much a snapshot. Beautiful Old World design. Keeping it feminine. Loving motherhood and constantly growing something.
Select the Philosophy of your choice and for a collection of articles on Design, Gardening, Femininity, and Motherhood.
Fancy Nancy Strikes Again
Bon Vendredi to you! That's fancy for "Happy Friday." Remember the Fancy Nancy children's books series? I always thought it was adorable how she would speak French and then say, "That's fancy for..." Let me tell you; sometimes French doesn't feel that fancy. I'm...
Giverny Made Me Cry | CLAUDE MONET’s HOUSE AND GARDEN FULL TOUR
I know I've shared this on Youtube with you, but I had to take the time to share with you a few stills from my day at Giverny. My fourth trip to Paris and first trip to the iconic home of this incredible artist. Did you know that our Sur le Rocher design is very much...
Slow Down for Christmas
It's a week before Christmas, and all through the house, I'm taking a deep breath like a woman who's just given birth. And I have, creatively speaking of course... A few years ago, I got an idea for a short film for our Youtube Channel. I took a few tries back then,...
Interior Design Principles with Angela
As part of our Old World Design Society studies, we are taking a basic look at the principles of interior design and how to use them in our homes every day. A basic understanding of these principles can help the design enthusiast hone in on giving her home a "designer...
One Spot, Two Tables, and 3,000 Macarons
Girlfriend! Another week to go, and then it's my FAVORITE Holiday of the year... or maybe it's Easter... but then, I really do love Christmas... AH! I can't decide. The Holidays give this Farmgirl a chance to indulge her Parisienne. Pretty dishes, pretty dresses,...
Maidens and Their Artist
This lovely lady has a spotlight in my YouTube video from the other day. I look forward to sharing that with you here: She’s a lovely maiden in bronze, and someone made her by hand, and yet, I can find nothing about her creator. She lives on, but her artist’s name has...
First Thoughts on Returning to Paris
I’ve been sitting here for a week now, trying to decide what to write. How does one even begin to put into words the joy of returning to something that you thought was lost to you forever? I’ve typed and deleted about a hundred sentences in the last half an hour… I...
Everything You Need to Know About Snapdragons
Oh! this special, fabulous flower! If you don't grow them yet, give me the pleasure of convincing you to! I was raised with these dragon-faced flowers. They were my Great Gramma's favorite (aside from lilacs) and my mom grew them in that tradition. We had a long...
Gardener’s Creative Block
Gardener's Creative Block - it's a thing and until recently, I've had a pretty mean case of it. I've been in a bit of a panic the last few years. Every time I look out my window, I take in the beauty we've created in the last few years and I'm grateful, but...
Far North Gardening CAN BE DONE | Potager 2022 Week | FRENCH FARMHOUSE
The tulips from last week have died back, the peony are trying to come about and I'm experimenting with some grasses to compliment the future blooms of the digitalis. Morning is my favorite time in the garden. It's very quite aside from the bird song and the sun isn't...
Potager 2022 Week One
In this video, I'm sharing what I would call "Week 1" of the gardens. Don't get me wrong... I've been working my tail off for weeks, but as far as something to stroll through, the time has come. For our 2022 Youtube Summer season, I'd love to focus on the gardens...
Monet or Pollock
Happy almost weekend to you! It's raining; cold, in fact. I made the kids a cozy fire and sat down to stare at a blank screen...It's raining; cold, in fact. I made the kids a cozy fire and sat down to stare at a blank screen... Thursday is a computer day for me. In...
Why Keeping it Fresh Matters
I've been pretty committed to my kitchen lately. There's a lot of work to do there and even more if I'm really in the zone. I've got my new freeze dryer and I'm pretty GIDDY about it. Talk about freshening things up??!! It's added a whole new element to my home dairy...
Three Easy Design Questions to Ask Yourself
Where there is a will, there is a way. Adapt and overcome. Don't take no for an answer. A quick cozy photo I grabbed early this morning. Dirty floors and all, friends. Though I fear I exhaust the people around me, these are the mantras that drive me each day. I don't...
My Love for an Overused Word
Spring is in the air. Sort of. By that, I mean there is a fresh blanket of snow here in Door County, but I've got my snapdragon seeds started (my signature Potomac Appleblossoms), and it's supposed to be 45 degrees here today so bring on the MUD! I swear, I'm...
PVC Pipe Makeover – Adding Old World Charm to Your New World Home
What’s a girl to do? She finds a dream-of-a-sink in the woods; a sink that would have cost $1200 at a big city salvage store but the drain is a cruddy mess and proper plumbing seemed rather impossible, cue the need for PVC. However, nothing kills an Old World look...
What’s Wrong With This House!?!
Well, well, well. So what do we have here? A brand new year and a brand new website. A girl needs a pick-me-up now and again. I know you know the feeling - looking at the same thing over and over again until you about go crazy. Well, it's not only my old blog that was...
We Made a British Style Conservatory! With some serious New Orleans Vibes.
BEFORE: AFTER: The conservatory is FINISHED. Well, as you will hear and see in the video, it's about 97% finished. I knew this house was special (though I scoffed at it for many years!). Who in the world find's a home that's designed with TWO stories of greenhouse...