STYLE FILE: The Origins of Style Part I

	The other day I was thinking about what it is that truly inspires us in regard to our decorating choices. Of course, most of us seek and receive many inspiring ideas from blogs, books and decorating magazines.
A selection of some of my favorite books and magazines

Some of my favorite magazine sources are, Flea Market Style, Victoria, Romantic Homes, Romantic Country, Elle Decor, and the now defunct Domino. My collection of books and magazines is one of my most prized possessions because it continually sparks new ideas, which in turn, become fresh updates for my home.

But then I started thinking a little deeper. What is it that defines our sense of taste? Why do we purchase the books and magazines that we buy, while passing up others? What is it that causes certain styles to pull at the heart strings?

	I think our sense of style is cultivated though our life experiences; from both from having, and not having, and from being exposed to various sights, sounds, and stimuli. For instance, I always tend to incorporate some elements of neo-classical design in my rooms. I believe this has its root in the fact that as a sixth grader, I devoured
Vestal Virgin from Roman Mythology

our class studies on Greek and Roman mythology. As a result, I sought out books and movies with mythological themes, and found myself day dreaming in scenes from Pompeian villas and classical architecture.

I also have a strong penchant for roses, old china and linens, and “girly” décor. Why is this so? I’ve had to think about that one, as my mother’s taste was completely opposite this style, and the houses that I grew up in were mostly done in a transitional decor, heavy on colonial style
	Roses and Hats, and some of the vintage items I love

reproductions and interpretations. My mother’s color schemes were typically comprised of the popular color choices of the ‘70’s….avocado green, gold, and rust. When she did deviate to brighter colors, yellows, oranges, and lime greens were her picks.

	Where did I develop my taste for pale pinks, blues, and greens? Perhaps this stems back to some of my earliest childhood memories at my Grandmother Mull’s home in South Carolina. Grandma Mull lived in the country and dressed in
Me circa 1978 in our 1970's living room

styles more suited to the first half of the twentieth century than the second. She was a talented seamstress who made quilts, aprons, and bonnets in some of the most beautiful old fabrics. She allowed me to play dress-up in her old clothes and flowered hats, which certainly represented an era long passed.

Her dishes were flowered and mostly chipped, but ever so pretty. To many adults in the family, these items seemed terribly dated and, if they’d had their way, would have wound up in a trash heap. But Grandma had a strong sense of
	Grandma Mull

the past, and this was not her way. To a tiny girl these items were a vast treasure chest!

I can remember many times as a teen and pre-teen, hiking downtown to peruse the dusty antique shops there.

My purchases were usually limited to an old postcard or a chipped floral tea cup…all that my meager allowance would permit, but these treasures are still a part of my life and home. Another thing that I loved about visiting Grandma Mull was that she always had lots of animals around.

I loved playing with her dogs and cats, and on occasion, she also had chickens and ducks for me to enjoy. But the dogs were her favorites and mine.

	As a tiny tot, I remember riding her dog, Rusty like a pony. Rusty had endless patience and loved me dearly as I did him. Unfortunately he passed while we were away, and while he still has a very important
Rusty and Me

spot in my heart and memory, Grandma acquired other dogs who also became quite special to me. One was Judy, Grandma’s

German Shepherd Dog. Judy took me under her protection and was probably the world’s best babysitter. She’d position herself between others and me, and no one dared to cross her line -- especially when I was in
	Judy and Me

my little plastic swimming pool! And then there was Penny, who appeared to be an Irish setter mix. From morning ‘til night, she was a constant companion; and of course, little Pete, whom we rescued from the roadside on one of my visits to Grandma. In looking back at old photos I notice that my current dog, Lucy, bears a remarkable resemblance to him.

Of course, being a dog lover, Grandma had lots of little dog figurines that I found fascinating. I can remember sitting on her sofa and playing with them for hours! I still have the ones I was fortunate enough to acquire when she passed on, and have added to the collection through the years, so, I’ll

have to conclude that my love of dogs, humble little dog figurines, old hats, chippy

rose-covered china, vintage linens, and most things old fashioned was cultivated by pleasant childhood memories of visits to Grandma. But there’s also an edgy side to me. Where did that come from? And how does all this come together?

To be continued….

Until next time,

Addendum: Click here for part two.

GARDEN TOUR: Irv and Louise Dingus

	"The kiss of the sun for pardon, The song of the birds for mirth, one is nearer God's heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth." - ~Dorothy Frances Gurney, Garden Thoughts This is a popular poem, but I think I never really understood it fully until I experienced Louise's garden. You see, Louise is my father's wife, of more than 20 years now, but as I got to know her
Gladiolus

during their courtship, I couldn't help but admire her taste and style, both indoors and out. But we'll save indoors for another day. Today is the day to explore the beautiful garden that she and my father, Irv have built together.

Dad and Louise began their marriage at Glenmere, a wonderful old 1920's bungalow in Kingsport, Tennessee, but as time passed, kids moved away, and grandchildren were born, they decided to relocate in order to share more fully in the lives of the little ones. As they contemplated the move, one of the things they
	Hydrangea in bud

most hated to leave behind was their garden; so, they brought as much of it with them as they could. These Hydrangea plants were one of the very first plantings in the new garden. In order to save her beloved Hydrangea, Louise dug small shoots from around the original plant in Tennessee and planted them at their new home in Alabama. I am amazed at how those tiny shoots grew and developed!
But, while several plants made their way to a new home, it was time to say "goodbye" to others and start afresh...just like these cheerful Daffodils that herald the beginning of Spring.
Other early blooming plants included were, Creeping Phlox, Azaleas, Pink Dogwood, and some beautiful Irises.

	Both the Bearded Irises (above) and the blue Siberian Irises (left) were artfully planted. As you can see in the background, the roses have now started to bloom.
Siberian Iris in Spring Garden

Yellow flowers are one of my dad's preferences, so these yellow roses were one of his garden picks.

The Stella d' Oro daylily is probably, however, my dad's favorite flower. He likes this variety so much that he named their adorable little
	Stella and the Daylilies

dog Stella after them. Dad and Stella share a May 5th birthday, so a couple of years ago, I gave Dad a Cinco de Mayo Rose. I felt that it was an appropriate choice to commemorate the special day.
	Cinco de Mayo Rose

Louise planted it in the perennial garden near the patio so that they could enjoy it often. Rosa Cinco de Mayo is a floribunda variety. It has performed very well in the perennial garden, and during first bloom, is nearly completely covered in small semi-double blooms. The colors are reminiscent of a Mexican fiesta; reds, yellows, and peachy oranges all combined in one lovely flower!
One of Louise's choices was the Cecile Brunner rose, a blush pink heirloom climber. This is one of my favorites!

	The flowers in the vase are another of the pink rose varieties in the summer garden. Other flowers grown for summer bloom include purple coneflowers and a large variety of daylilies, including of course, Stella d' Oro. You can see the plant bearing the roses in the vase near the bottom left corner of the photo below.
Pink Roses

Since Louise is an avid swimmer, one of the first things they did when they relocated was to install a swimming pool.

This is the view from the pool itself. I think I could spend all day here! Dad and Louise's yard is not only beautiful in the spring and summer, though; they have truly planted a garden for all seasons.

	In the fall, Black-eyed Susans, Chrysanthemums, and Sedum Autumn Joy begin making an appearance. I think the gold and rust tones
Autumn Garden

combine beautifully with the purples and blues that are still in bloom from the summer garden. I hope you've enjoyed the tour of my parents' garden, and that perhaps it has provided ideas and inspiration to you as it has to me.

Until next time,

Project: Easy Planters from Flea Market Finds

This is the time of year that most nurseries put their annuals on sale. Sometimes you can pick up some incredible bargains, but by now, most of your flower pots and planters may already be in use. Here are a couple of fun, easy, and inexpensive ideas for transforming some of your flea market finds into clever planters.

I found this pretty old silverplate chafing dish for $1.00 at a local flea market. While it would certainly serve its original purpose, I decided that it would be more fun and practical to repurpose it.

Silver Chafing Dish Planter

To begin the project, remove the bowl and turn it upside down on a towel. Using a large nail and a hammer, punch holes in the bottom of the bowl. You could also use a drill with a bit for metal to make the holes.

Once the holes are in place, return the bowl to its normal place above the water reservoir. This will serve as a "saucer" to hold water that drains from the plant.

Now for the fun part! Fill with potting soil and the flowers or plants of your choice.

And now for the lid! Just add a plate hanger. The lid will be a clever and unusual accent to any wall, indoors or out!
And here's another idea. This one's even easier. Just fill an old colander with potting soil and plants. The colander makes a great planter because it already has plenty of drainage holes! You'll want to place it in another container to catch excess water. I used yet another flea market find, and old enamelware bowl.

Once you get started, you'll see lots of potential planters all around. Just about anything that will hold soil and accomodate drainage holes will work. I'd love to see what you're doing. If you'd like to email some pictures (see my profile for email address), they just might wind up featured in a future blog entry. Happy creating!

Until next time,

Wildflower or Weed?

I love the wildflowers here in Maine.  Even many of the ones that most people consider to be weeds.  Take this one for example.  I'm not certain as to what it is (most people call it a milkweed because of its milky stem), but it is one of my favorites.

I love the large purple flowerheads that begin dotting the perimeter of my yard in early July.  What I love most, though, is the sweet, heady fragrance that it exhudes.  I think it is reminiscent of a lilac in both scent and intensity of fragrance.  I just cut a bouquet of these and placed it in the living room.  I can smell them all the way across the room, and by tomorrow the whole house is likely to be perfumed by these lovely "weeds".

Whatever they are, they attract more than their share of bees and butterflies.  I like them!  I think the happy bee below would agree!


I hope you're having a delightful holiday weekend.
Until next time,

My Front Porch

For my first blog post, I thought I'd share with you one of my very favorite places in the summertime....my front porch. Living here in Maine, spring and summer are always a welcome treat after the cold, gray of winter. Each year one of the things I most look forward to is decorating my porch, and every year, I try to do something a bit different. Feeling the budget crunch, I've tried to recycle, re-use, and "steal" from other parts of the house to come up with a new look. The photo at left shows some of last year's tag sale finds put to use: A wire header, a vintage cherub, and a pair of cherub wall hangings.

I always pull this iron table and pair of chairs onto the porch. This year, I decided to dress them in blue and white, and to carry the blue and white theme through out my porch and plantings. The tureen lid (right) and the wicker chair (below right) were borrowed from the house for this year's porch setting. The wild violets and pansies (below left) were a welcome return from last year.

This is the plant stand that sits on the left side of my porch.

The planter on the far left on the bottom shelf is one that I made last year from an old silver plated chafing dish.

Since this is the shady side of the porch, I planted some white impatiens along with one of my very favorite plants, dusty miller. I hope they do as well as last year's plantings did. The step stones in front of this flower bed are one of my favorite things....My father, his lovely wife, Louise, and I made them last year when they came up for a visit. In addition to being quite pretty (I think), they bring back some wonderful memories! Another of my favorite things is my pair of cherubs. I call them, 'my girls' and love to dress them up!

On the other end of the porch, I have one small window. I planted the window box with pretty white petunias and blue lobelia. I've also got some dusty miller planted at the back of the box, but so far, it's not tall enough to be seen. This table sits under the window. Aren't the pansies just beautiful?

This is an old child's chair that I picked up along side the road. I love how it is so naturally distressed! I planted a colader of petunias and used an old enamel-ware piece as a drip pan. I think this looks so cheerful! I love mixing refined and rustic elements together!

The last photo is of a friendly cat who stopped by to watch me work. I just love summertime!

Thanks for stopping by today. As this is my first post, I'm hoping my layouts will improve as I get used to using "Blogger". I hope you're having a wonderful summer, and I'd love to see what you're doing with your outdoor spaces. Until next time,