The house with blue shutters

I really don't know why I've become obsessed with shutters, especially faded, gently chipped, aged blue ones. I first realized that the invention of shutters was to "shut out" the heat of the day, and cool of the night, when in Tuscany a few years ago. Nothing excited me more than rising in the morning, pulling the windows in and then throwing open the wood shutters. Of course seeing the stupendous views beyond the windows didn't hurt either. Will have to dig out photos (pre-digital days) of that trip later. Hanging immobile plastic shutters outside American windows isn't really what it's all about!

Again I recall loving their look several years ago when I saw my dream house being built nearby - one of those multi-million dollar McMansions. Not that I would ever want a spread that huge (we cottage gals know what we really love), however it's a stunning French style house with lots of windows, each cozied by a set of gorgeous blue/green real wood shutters, complete with iron hinges and shutter dogs. I drive to this exclusive subdivision every now and then just to stare at this lovely home and the shutters!! Guess this would be an entry for the " 7 weird things about me" list.

While visiting my brother in the Minervois area of the South of France last Summer, I was in heaven - surrounded by blue shutters, most with that aged look. Then during a three day side trip to Provence there were more - here are some pics.

This building "HOTEL DE VILLE" (Town Hall) even had the perfect shutters!
Now these below I could actually view from inside as this is my brother's newly restored (four years of very hard work) 200 year old village house in the Minervois - I'm glad he decided to keep the old shutters. This window looks out onto the front garden. My granddaughter had just as much fun as I did opening the shutters.

Yeah! These are the old shutters I told you about - they were hanging about at SuzAnna's Antiques calling for a window to grace. Now they're hanging in the bedroom on each side of the bay window (yes DH did think I'd gone nuts, however he seems to like them too!), and I have my own version of the perfect faded blue, shabby shutters giving the room a bit of that old village look. I can at least look at them and love their chipped paint and wrought iron "dogs", even though I can't throw them open and see the 9th century Abbey and vineyards (like my brother in France), the olive groves and hilltop castle in Bagno Vignoni Tuscany, or the the red tiled roofs of Cortona, Sienna and Montepulciano in all those wonderful Italian hill towns.

Next project is to paint/age a wonderful old sewing machine table I inherited - going to use it here next to the bed in place of the round one. Also, have a sweet crystal "candolier" to hang in this corner above the table - aging it right now as it's too white. This is one of the pleated chiffon lampshades I made several years ago - can't part with it even though it's pale pink and maybe doesn't fit the new scheme perfectly. Perhaps I can come up with a new trim color!

Flagstone Pathways

Has anyone had success planting between flagstones? The pathway we had laid around the gazebo looks OK but I would really love to have some low growing, creeping plants as shown in this landscaping book. These appear to be creeping thymes which will take foot traffic. Yesterday I dug holes, added good potting soil, and sprinkled with expensive, organic, thyme seeds. My fingers are crossed. I feel this is a leap of faith. Will the squirrels dig up the dirt from above, or the chipmunks and voles from below? Will the rains come and wash it all away before the teeny tiny seeds have a chance to grow a root, a stem, a little leaf?

If the thyme grows I may try other low creeping plants and would love lavender and chamomile along the inside edges, perhaps some Irish moss - want the area to look more like a "Secret Garden", a little overgrown and faded by time. Actually some of the flagstones have already started turning a bit green where they remain damp - these pics were taken late last Summer when all was new and perfect!

Vintage Bird Prints

While on the popular Spring subject of nesting birds, I so love these amazing little cards (4X6) printed to advertise the Singer Sewing Machine Company in 1926-1927. My fabulous friends Susie and Anna at SuzAnna's Antiques showed them to me this week and I picked these to use on a six paned vintage window. Not only are the color illustrations of bird and egg just exquisite, the reverse side gives bird notes, and such an interesting article on the machines and sewing projects. Hoping they enlarge when you click so you can read.

Itty Bitty Birdies!

Do you get all soppy over the birds who choose to make their homes in your garden? I'm really hopeless at this time of year, spending far too much time looking through binoculars and spying on the backyard shenanigans of feathered friends. Remember these so called "decorative" boxes on my back fence? Well this Spring the white one became the nesting site of a pair of tiny Chickadees. Out of the original four teeny tiny eggs, only one became a real live little birdie - who knows what Nature's master plan is? Here he was peeking out the day before he fledged.
Next morning, while walking around checking everything, the sprouting shoots, the unfurling hosta leaves, the climbers, and the bursting buds - I heard the chick cheeping from the ground, and the chirping of the parents above in the tree. Ran for the camera - got this shot of him clinging to the bluebell leaf. Amazingly, the chicks seem to be the same size as the parents, and only two weeks old!
Later that morning, having a coffee on the deck while the carpet cleaner worked his magic inside, I saw the chick standing quietly on the bench cushion - wish I'd seen how it got up there. Then the parents both brought it a tasty lunch. Soon they all fluttered off into a brushy area to do whatever proud parents and their new offspring do.
The year's at the Spring,
The day's at the morn,
The Morning's at seven,
The hillside's dew-pearled,
The lark's on the wing,
The snail's on the thorn,
God's in his heaven,
All's right with the world.
~Robert Browning~

Inspiration Friday ~ Sit awhile

Now the bright Morning star, day's harbinger,

Comes dancing from the East, and brings with her

The flowery May; who from her green lap throws

The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose

Hail! flowery May that dost inspire

Mirth and youth and warm desire.

Woods and groves are of thy dressing

Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing

Thus we salute thee with our early song

and welcome thee and wish thee long.

John Milton ~ MAY SONG ~

Hope these pictures will remind you to sit and relax in a favorite spot this first weekend in May. A pot of tea, or a tall glass of cool lemonade, perhaps a pretty decorated cupcake or something chocolatey - of course a good read, your current novel, a decorating book full of inspiration for that next project, or that new magazine which arrived in the mailbox this week.

ENJOY!

Flowers for you from my garden

The past couple of scorching days have been spent in the garden planting the vegetables - assorted tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, beans, squash and numerous herbs. Sometimes I think it's so much work and it would be easier to pop out to the market or a roadside farm stand. Then comes hot, steamy July and I watch DH filling a basket with warm, sun ripened tomatoes, placing them on the kitchen island alongside shiny peppers and tender new zucchini, and I'm thankful we did all that work to encourage those little flimsy plants, and tiny seeds to burst forth, climb up those cages and stakes, and bring forth their tasty fruits to grace our plates..............................and then to keep me so darned busy making gallons of messy tomato sauce and dozens of containers of pesto to fill the freezer for another year.

Would love to know who grows a vegetable garden ~ always happy to get tips, or share tips, for making it easier, if possible!

Meanwhile, until the veggies start to grow, I'm sending you flowers from my garden. I looked around today and was pleasantly surprised to see so many beautiful new blooms. Guess these last two days with temps. in the mid 90's have really got things growing - and now some rain expected in the next day or so which will be great.

The Allium is like a cluster of stars ~ the purple Clematis on the porch rail is one of my favorites. This very rose pink Clematis is on my mailbox post.

This rose "Peace" is one one of two bushes in the front beds - it's so beautiful.

The gorgeous pink Geranium buds.

Bright and brilliant yellow Lantana ~ and then the amazing yellow blooming Jasmine which is covering about 20 feet of chainlink fencing installed by my neighbor along the back side of the property - yeah! chainlink now almost invisible and I planted just one small plant a few years ago. The perfume is intoxicating.

The coral blossoms of the Honeysuckle on the back fence.

Blue Ridge Mtns. "Wildlife"

I know there are a lot of doggie people out there - how about this one whom we met in the delightful small Western NC town of Waynesville. The owner, sitting on a bench eating his lunch, said the doggies, four rescued Huskies, wouldn't allow him to eat in the vehicle! Their leashes were attached to bolts in the floor and they were being so patient - not a bark or growl. He ran them every day in Maggie Valley - a must for sled dogs. Notice his license plate!
This bronze fox wasn't going anywhere either - thought it a beautiful piece of sculpture and of course have an affinity for these animals ever since watching the family living in our garden last Spring (see my pics in post of 3/16/07). We have seen one adult this Spring - think it's either the same Mom from last year or perhaps one of the four now grown juveniles who is hanging about the wooded area across from us. It actually walked across our back deck one evening last week - that was a surprise.
In another delightful mountain town, Hendersonville, the current friendly painted and decorated animals on Main Street are bears - last time we visited there were horses. These were two of my favorites - the botanical theme, and a traveling bear preparing to see the world.

VICTORIA will reign..........again!!!

As I mentioned, I was thrilled to find a bundle of VICTORIA magazines, plus this book by Victoria called Intimate Home, when I was in Asheville.

As if this wasn't fun enough, I've now discovered that VICTORIA magazine is to be relaunched and the first issue (November/December) will be published for purchase this October! Apparently Hearst Corp. have partnered with Birmingham, Alabama publisher, Hoffman Media to bring our beloved mag. back. Newstand price will be $4.99 and they hope to have a paid subscription base of 250,000 after the first two publications. Hopefully it will be just as good as when Nancy Lindemeyer started it and we will all want to subscribe.

Other fun items recently found at SuzAnna's - the old brass letter box which would have been part of a front door - the type we have in England - no curb boxes there! Postman still comes on foot and pops the "post" through one's door - you hear it plop onto the mat and the box slot slam.....................I love that sound.

Now, don't think I've lost it as DH does! The heavenly blue shutter, one of a pair, complete with iron shutter dogs, are to be hung inside - yes that's inside - on the sides of my bay window in the master bedroom. I'm still working on the "romantic somewhat Bohemian" old world look, and think this will clinch my idea of a slightly faded over time European cottage look.
Funny thing is I had bought another set of old shutters which have heavy white peeling paint and would really require a lot of scraping and then washing with a blue paint to get this exact look. This set is just about ready to hang and are the perfect blue against the already blue gray walls.

Around Asheville

A few pictures taken around Asheville, NC. The Grove Arcade, a beautiful historic building, contains some lovely, and of course expensive, shops - clothing, shoes, furniture, bath & body, home accessories, galleries full of North Carolina artisans' work, a lovely yarn shop (for Peg!), and cheese - an amazing selection supposedly from North Carolina to Tibet!! Personally I'm a "cheese-aholic" so found this one quite interesting.


A stunning work in wrought iron - would like this bench for my garden!

Gorgeous carved stone frieze on an old bank building - this mason also worked on the Biltmore House.

And then, in the search for cottagey bargains....................my best find, a huge and fabulous antiques, garden, vintage barn called "ScreenDoor". I spent so long browsing through here that DH read the entire daily paper and then fell asleep in the car. He's such a dear though, never complains, just wonders where the stuff will go in our small house!

Guess what I found besides some interesting odds and ends that would fit in the car................nine years of the October issue of VICTORIA magazine for just $10.00.......I was thrilled because, like many of you, I threw out my entire set from issue one through the last, and now want them back so badly!!!!

I really loved this place and will drive back to Asheville (5 hours) just to visit here again some day...............and I'll rent a truck so I can bring back the beautiful old doors, windows, cottage furniture, wire garden stuff etc. Anyone want to go along for the ride!!?