Inspiration Archives - Page 2 of 8

FALL DECOR: COLOR, LIGHT, and INTERIORS

By Libby|2014-10-26T17:31:23-04:00October 26, 2014|Inspiration, Shopping|

How do you feel about Fall decor?

Do you like the season? Do you like the colors, the textures, and the feel of images having to do with Autumn?
Are you an Autumn person?

Do we call it Autumn or Fall? Both are “correct.” According to LiveScience, Autumn is the preferred term in Britain, and Fall in the United States. It was in the 18th century that both words began appearing, replacing the season that had been known as “harvest” because, after all, it was the season of the harvest.

My friend Linda at Surroundings did a post last week, ” Elegant and Subtle Fall Decor.” I totally agree with her in that I don’t do a lot of seasonal decorating in my house. Christmas, yes, I bring down the bins from closet storage and, I have to admit, it can be fun and nostalgic to see decorations from Christmases past. It brings back memories….But Fall or its subcategory, Halloween, no. I’ve never, ever been a Halloween fan; it just doesn’t do it for me. And Fall, well, I like to photograph leaves, pinecones, acorns, the light, the grass and the changing colors but more than that I don’t do. My mantel does not change with this season!

But I do have a Pinterest Board, […]

OUTDOOR SIDE TABLES

By Libby|2014-06-01T17:05:17-04:00June 1, 2014|Garden, Inspiration, Shopping|

Now that summer is really here it’s time to focus on our outdoor space.
One of the most important items in any outdoor seating area (in my opinion) are the tables. You want to have enough of them, at the right height for your furniture, and a size that works for your area.

What kind of space do you have? Is it a deck, a stone terrace, a screen porch, a trellis covered area, a gazebo? I think one of the biggest differences in all these is whether it is covered or open. If you actually have a roof over your outdoor area well, then, you don’t really have to worry so much about the weather, right? For the most part, your furniture will be protected from the rain.

But if, on the other hand, your outdoor space is open to the elements….well, then you must consider just what kind of furniture to use. I’ve rounded up a collection of small tables which can be used as just that…tables…and some can double as seating. All of these are weather resistant. No, you cannot leave them out all year and you might want to check if the color will fade in continuous bright sun but otherwise they are good to go.

As you might expect, I love the colorful tables!

Look at that […]

TAKE A LOOK AT THE NEW PASTELS

By Libby|2014-04-27T20:07:59-04:00April 27, 2014|Color, Home Design, Inspiration|

If you think you have been seeing more and more pastels
out there…you’re right!
They are appearing on all sorts of home accessories from dinner ware to furniture to organizing items to fabric.
I’ve been filing images away for a few weeks now and here are some ideas for you.

1. bowls 2. lamp 3. wire basket 4. water bottles
5. scarf 6. recipe cards 7. star vases 8. liberty fabric 9. trays 10. towels

These are only a small, small sampling of what is out there!

While I am not generally a fan of pastels on the wall, I like this one. The gold flecks make it interesting and add some texture:

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And how about one of these mid century tables? love, love…

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What do you think of this? Like or not?
A giant canvas as headboard, and lots of pastels!

A DAY WITH URBAN JUNGLE BLOGGERS

By Libby|2014-04-23T17:55:06-04:00April 23, 2014|Garden, Inspiration|

Today I’m joining up with Urban Jungle Bloggers
and their monthly photo challenge. This month, to post on April 24th, is “Show Your Green Balcony or Windowsill”. Well, I don’t really have either, but I have lots of green! In fact, I didn’t quite realize how much green I had…

New “Irish Moss” ground cover . Can’t wait to see this spread!

Euphorbia “Tiny Tim”

Hosta: not my favorite plant (sorry, you Hosta lovers…) but at this time of year it DOES look great!

Love my Heucherella “Alabama Sunrise”
Again, I’m generally not a big Heuchera fan, but these are wonderful for the light shade. Last fall, when I bought them, the leaves were a red/gold and now in the spring this gorgeous green.

Soloman’s Seal: […]

IT’S LOCAL: VICTORIA PARK FLORIST

By Libby|2014-04-20T20:07:16-04:00April 20, 2014|Inspiration, It's Local|

Today I’m going to introduce you to a very special place and special person.

Victoria Park Florist in Chapel Hill

Victoria Park is owned by Margaret and David Pender. I met Margaret last November when she spoke at our Garden Club meeting. Her story is so unique that right away I was entranced and knew I had to, someday, feature her on the blog.

Meet Margaret:

Margaret and Poppy, her gorgeous yellow love bird and constant companion!

We spent an hour together in the shop with me taking pictures and getting to know Margaret, her space and her inventory. I then sent her these questions as part of our interview:

I know this is a very broad question…but how did you come to live and work in Chapel Hill? Did you consider other places in North Carolina?

Margaret: We were living in Zimbabwe in southern Africa but the political and economic situation made things increasingly difficult for us and the security in the country was deteriorating rapidly. We sent our two daughters to college in the northeastern United States. When we were at our youngest daughter Michelle’s graduation, we decided to stay […]

FRIDAY FLOWERS and more

By Libby|2014-06-04T15:42:23-04:00February 27, 2014|Friday Flowers, Inspiration|

I have been participating in an Instagram photo project from
Artsy Forager aka Lesley Frenz

Each day there was a word, or photo prompt. You may remember I did another one of these back in August with August Break 2013.
I love doing these challenges! They are fun, the words are a wonderful way to rethink taking photographs, and I’ve “met” so many new friends. I will certainly continue with these projects.

Here are just a few of this month’s prompts and images. If you follow me on Instagram, you have seen them before…

(Starting off with a flower, since it IS Friday!)

Spring has arrived: Grape hyacinths popping up all over!