Gardening The Easy Way

You know you are itching to get out and dig in the dirt, even if you are a city dweller with a pot on the fire escape.

A nice new magazine is just out, Gardening The Easy Way. It has the feeling of a vintage seed catalog, and is very useful.

From the press release:

Make this the year you succeed in the garden with expert advice and inspiring photographs harvested from Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Country Living and Woman’s Day.  Whether you’ve never picked up a garden spade or you’ve been digging in the dirt forever, you’ll find useful tips and breathtaking pictures (full of ideas to steal).  Find out:

 

This Provence inspired garden uses only two plants in the knot garden, boxwood and lavender

*which always-reliable plants the pros go to first

*the best way to start an organic vegetable garden

*how to raise old-fashioned favorites like peonies, dahlias, and climbing roses

 

Love the striped shades on the porch - from Gardening The Easy Way

Plus fresh ideas for window boxes and container gardens, insider tips from gardeners across the country, and so much more.

 

Get this special edition for only $6.99, available at your supermarket or bookstore, or as a digital version at Zinio.com or Nook.bn.com.

I'm dying to try climbing roses over my garage! From Gardening The Easy Way

Love the idea of raised beds ever since Brooke Giannetti put them in in her front yard

In Gardening The Easy Way they show you how to turn your garage into a potting shed

There's a story about turning a garden shed from Lowe's into this sweet retreat

I enjoyed the entire issue. There's a feature on peonies and dahlias, two of my favorite flowers. This is one of those special little magazines that you will save forever to use as a reference and for inspiration.

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Robert Allen Sale!

Robert Allen fabrics have been a favorite of dabblers and decorators and design pros.

For over 70 years, The Robert Allen Group has been the source for the world’s finest fabrics. Long recognized as the vanguard of innovation, the Company pioneered the broad distribution of fabric books. The renowned Robert Allen Color Library, with its exceptionally effective method of organization by color, was another industry first introduced by the company.

fabric.com is having a flash sale of Robert Allen right now. They have several collections at discounted prices, and this sale is even better. So stock up for those Spring projects.

Here are some of the collections at fabric.com:

And here's a round up of some images with Robert Allen fabric to inspire you!

The fabulous Dwell Studio features Robert Allen rabirics

More Robert Allen at Dwell Studio

Outdoor fabric by Robert Allen

The fabulous Sarah Richardson uses Robert Allen fabirc

More Robert Allen used by Sarah Richardson

Robert Allen from UK House and Home

Happy Weekend!  Have fun shopping!

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Attention All You Downton Abbey Addicts!

I'm sure you already know: The creator of Downtown Abbet, Julian Fellowes' "Titanic" will make its US debut on Saturday, April 14 at 8:00 p.m. EST on ABC. Parts one, two and three will air on April 14, and the miniseries will conclude with part four on Sunday, April 15 at 9:00 p.m. EST.

I just got my Town and Country Magazine in the mail yesterday and they did a four page spread about it.

Town & Country April 2012 - This magazine confuses me, and they have no decent web site, so here you have a crappy snapshot I took of the article about Julian Fellowes

Town & Country Magazine article about Julian Fellowes' Titanic

There's a quote from Lord Fellowes about his upbringing that intrigued me: "My father came from a very minor posh family, and my mother did not."

The posh Lord Fellowes via

So I did a little research about his childhood (via Superior Pics):

Julian Alexander Fellowes was born on August 17, 1949, in Cairo, Egypt. He is the youngest of four sons to Peregrine Fellowes, a diplomat, and Olwen. Julian was raised in an aristocratic family and attended Wetherby School and the prestigious Ampleforth College in York. After earning a degree in English Literature from the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, he attended the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art before moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting.

Julian later returned to England and on April 28, 1990, he married Emma Joy Kitchener, who is a Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Michael of Kent and the great-great-niece of the 1st Earl Kitchener. The couple had a son, Peregrine Kitchener-Fellowes, in 1991. Currently, Julian and his family reside in Dorset, England, near the cottage once owned by writer Thomas Hardy. He has two dogs named Meg and Humbug.

Now I don't know about you, but I think a mini series about his life would be kind of fabulous!

About Titanic via:

Julian Fellowes admitted there was "a slight temptation" to put some of the characters from his country house drama on board his new show about the sinking of the Titanic.
The very first episode of  Downton Abbey began with the news that the doomed ship had sunk with the heir to Downton, James Crawley, and his son Patrick among the dead.

Fellowes' new show about the Titanic mixes fictional characters with portraits of some of the ships real-life passengers in a four-part ITV drama that stars Linus Roache, Celia Imrie and Toby Jones among the cast.

Can't wait! Sunday nights are so lonely without Downton Abbey.

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Copy This!

We all do it. We see something in a book or magazine or on a blog, or in a catalog or shop, and we love it, and we get inspired to try it in our own homes, or maybe for a client.

When I was in art school I had a wise professor that told us that nothing is original. Crestfallen we wondered how we would make out mark on the world.  He further expounded that everything had been done, and the best we could do was to develop individuality through experience, and then use that experience when we created something. He shocked us by saying that the shorthand for his message was to steal from the best.  You have to realize this was the heyday of revolution, with Abbie Hoffman's "Steal This Book" at the top of the best seller list.

So today I give you one of the best: Mary McDonald.

Yellow vases, skirted table - by Mary McDonald

Few of us have the budget or the talent to do what she brilliantly does. However, we can still be inspired and perhaps steal a little of her best.

I love the way Mary has infused freshness into skirted tables. Talk about nothing original, and yet the way she does it seems new and even exciting, and of course beautiful.

Taking this idea down to basics, the key element is the tailored table skirt. No money to have a custom one made? No sewing talent to make one?  Well I found one in basic white that you could customize by dying it, or better yet by adding some ribbon trim on the edges.You could make it a no-sew project by using hot glue or fabric glue, or iron on no-sew tape. I would use black ribbon.

Tailored table skirt $59. 0r $69. - By itself not too remarkable, and this catalog photo and styling is hideous -  But it's an affordable good basic piece if you can't sew or don't have a budget do to custom - Add  borders of black ribbon to customize it

Use  1 1/2" wide black gross grain ribbon on the top and bottom border - $5. for 25 yards

Tuck your table into your space, and then style it up. Again Mary uses the best,  and the yellow Imperial Chinese vases she uses costs thousands. I found some affordable things that would work pretty well. Then add a tall arrangement of flowering branches or tuck an orchid plant into the top of a tall vase. Pull up a chair next to the table, and there you have it.

Set of Chinese style yellow vases at Neiman Marcus or Horchow are $245. for set of six

Yellow lacquer vases from Z Gallerie

You could change it up and use something other than yellow vases - I would use two of these large yellow lanterns and three medium and forget about the little one - Get them at Z Gallerie

C Wonder has these yellow lacquer boxes in large and small sizes - You could use this with  a stack of books, and a vase of flowers, to create a gesture of the inspiration, rather than the literal interpretation

Add a tall  dark vase - I like this one, for the texture

Add yellow Oncodium orchids, faux or real

Add this black Louis style arm chair only $349. for the finishing touch

Do tell, and share some of your copy cat ideas with us! I love how creative you all are!


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Get On The Green Bandwagon

Six months ago I started a master bedroom project using green.

I'm still working on it, and it's almost "done". In the meantime the color green has exploded as the big thing of the moment (I am sure you all saw the current House Beautiful). Every blogger is gushing green.

Today's tip is about fabric dye. Good old Ritz is good for the basic, but I have been using dye from Dharma Trading for the past few years, especially the greens.

Check out the huge selection of green dye at Dharma Trading -  I have used Emerald and Chartreuse - With just a little packet of fabric dye you can get on the green bandwagon too - Over dye anything from sheets to slipcovers

The dyes are saturated rich colors, and the selection is incredible.

I used Dharma fabric dye on this slipcover

Right now they are having a sale on the already low prices of their dye. Be sure to check out their Spring colors inspired by Pantone colors for 2012. They are a limited edition, so order right away.

Orange Marmalade perfect to pair with Tangerine Tango

10 new colors of fabric dye from Dharma Trading

Dharma Trading - A favorite source The Visual Vamp shares with you

And stay tuned for the reveal of my green master bedroom...

A work in progress - The green master bedroom I have been working on for six months

And in case you've been caught under a rock somewhere, House Beautiful did the green issue

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Kelly Wearstler Does The Dishes

Kelly Wearstler china! Great patterns and colors of course!

Kelly Wearstler chine - So pretty for Spring

Love how you can mix and match the Kelly Wearstler china

You can order it at Pickard China

Kelly Wearstler china

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Pleat Talk

Young designers are not as well versed in custom window treatments as in the old days. Design schools nowadays teach the business of interior design, but nary a course on designing and producing custom soft furnishings. Most young designers buy off-the-rack.

Goblet pleat silk drapes on a return rod

Here's an easy crash course for all you wonderful home decorators buying drapes.

There are three types of pleats that I use: French, Parisian, and Goblet. I have French pleat in every room in the house, except the breakfast area, where I use Parisian.

French is the classic and can work in all types of rooms.

French pleats

Parisian is more relaxed.

Parisian pleats

Goblet is a little too formal for me, but some people love it.

Goblet pleats

I only use one type of rod, a return rod, sometimes called a blackout rod or a French rod. I am not into finials, and I love the way the return rod curves to the wall so the windows have a covered side edge.

Buy this return rod HERE

I match rings to rods, utilizing drapery hooks (pins). Sometimes the rings are sewn in so a drapery hook is not required.

French rod from West Elm

Industrial style rod from West Elm

For silk drapes, silk taffeta is what I always use. Libas is a great wholesale source. All the silk drapes in my home are made from satin silk taffeta from Libas.

Libas for great silk

I also like to use linen.

I like to double line drapes, with a flannel and cotton lining. I've used fabric.com for lining.

A good seamstress is gold. However, if you have to buy drapes ready made, Half Price Drapes is fabulous, and the chain store Curtain Exchange does nice work. A really great budget online store is Curtainworks. The silk is thinner, but at very affordable prices for faux and real silk, you can have a hint of custom luxury, to use as a respectable place holder. Casa Fiori is another great online source for drapes.

A handy reference guide to pleats for drapes

I like to puddle drapes, or have them just graze the floor. I hang rods as high as possible, and the width of the window.

When you do custom drapes, use a width-and-a-half of fabric for one panel. Store bought drapes are usually just one width, and if it looks too skimpy get four panels per window.

I do like grommets and again would use a return rod or a rod without finials. Velvet and menswear type fabric looks great using grommets, and so do silk and linen.

Silk grommet drapes

Linen grommet drapes

Hope this helps you out a little. No pole tops if you can avoid it. But if you must, just sew a ring to the top, spacing about four to five inches between rings. This will make a natural looking relaxed pleat when you slide the ring onto the rod.

I love an off the rack faux silk stripe panel that is so affordable and pretty, but it's a pole top. Sewing the rings on as I explained works perfectly.

Love these drapes Mary McDonald uses - Half Price Drapes has a similar very well priced panel with a pole top - I have had clients sew rings to the top, to create a pleat, and it works really well

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