Take A Picture~It'll Last Longer!

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As a designer, there are a few things I always have with me whenever I meet with clients, things I could not live without. None of them are surprising...bet you would guess that I always have my trusty tape measure along &  my paint color paddle. Yawn, yawn. Something that is SO important whenever you are trying to create a feel or look in a space is a visual reference. You know, A PICTURE! And now that most of us have a handy dandy camera on our person almost all the time, this is a tool that is so easy to use, but one that is often overlooked.

It is really hard to exactly remember what a room or piece of furniture looks like. Like a lamp....I wish I could find something that would work with my office lamp. SNAP!

That was so easy! Now I have the lamp in my pocket whenever I want to see it with something I come across in my travels.

Right now I am getting ready to plant some pots that I just moved to a new spot in my garden. I really don't know what I want to put in them, but hey! , if I have a picture with me I will have a much better idea of what I may like in the space while I am in the garden center.

Views from different vantage points will help me to see what may work best for the plantings....

So, next time you are working on a decorating or gardening project, don't forget to grab a few images before you go shopping. You will be amazed at how much help it is to you!

He's Been Workin' on the Railroad

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I know someone who has always wanted to own a railroad.  Large, loud machines to move cars, miles of track to maintain, factories to supply, passengers to shuttle, schedules to keep. It is possible to have everything you want in life, if you just use your imagination.

There is a lot to running a railroad.

I mean, this guy is under A LOT of pressure.

He may snap at any moment.

Sure, sure there are the usual grumpy passengers, occasional track washouts, the rare derailed train. Those are petty annoyances.

All can seem so quiet and quaint along this line of track, in this beautiful part of the country.

The serene setting can lull one into submission.

But always at the back of his mind is the Lenape Legend of the Nulhala Mwekane --a creature known for its stealth and insatiable appetite for steam engines.

This engineer must always be alert.

Some dismiss the stories of this beast as pure myth. But is it??

He thinks he has seen some evidence, and felt an unexplained chill on his spine on more than one occasion. His friends think he is nuts--maybe all that coal dust is getting to him.

But hearing thunder when there isn't a cloud in the sky?

Having the strange sensation that one is being watched?

What could all of it mean? I will leave it up to you to answer the questions for yourself....

and take whatever precautions you deem necessary.

(These are photos of my husband's amazing garden railroad in our backyard--Sweetie, we have way too much fun :) )

Inexpensive Inspiration

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I have been meaning to spruce things up in my office, and it seems that Someone Else also felt I needed a nudge and some inspiration to keep me going. Swallows are an important symbol to me. Their beauty and grace are something that speaks deeply to my soul....and what did I find just recently when shopping for a project??

A beautiful book with swallow silhouettes on the cover...for $1, no less!!  I tucked it under my wing when I found it on a crowded shelf at my favorite consignment shop, brought it home, and continue to be delighted by it.

I put it on the library cabinet in my office right across from where I sit while working. I glance over at it all the time, and it makes me feel joyful.

Inside are even more beautiful images which I am tempted to frame. Lovely!

Do you have something in your workspace that inspires you?  Being surrounded by things that have meaning, things which speak to your soul, can have a far-reaching impact on your day-to-day joy and productivity.

Flowers of Freedom

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It has been so cold. It has been so icy. It has been so WHITE everywhere for the LONGEST time.  When I got up yesterday morning, I felt compelled to go get a little slice of spring and bring it home with me. I am having a few ladies over this evening (can't wait!) --seems we were all reading the same book, so why not discuss it over a glass of wine?? All the more reason to go to the flower market.

The book that we will be discussing, Martha Beck's Steering By Starlight, talks about thinking of the things you do during the course of your day, and rating them by how they make you feel, "shackles on" or "shackles OFF." Well, I don't think that it is any surprise that working with flowers is a complete SHACKLES OFF activity for me, that further leads to SHACKLES OFF feelings each time I walk past them in the house thereafter.

Doesn't it just make you want to stick your nose in it and breathe deeply?

Ahhhhh.....

I had so much fun assembling the arrangements, and putting them all through the house.  I tucked some in my little wall pocket vase next to my kitchen sink...

on the kitchen table...

and I was sure to put some beside my bed....a real way to pamper oneself!

And, of course, in the dining room where I will be hosting tonight's get-together.

Almost makes me not mind having to go out and shovel some more snow off the drive before everyone arrives... Almost.