Nice.....

So sorry for the lack of post...hit with the flu bug, but all is well now, just not well enough to have a point to my post. So here are some pretty pictures in the mean time :) I have had tons of readers sending in photos, I can't promise I will be able to put all of them up, but I will try ! I'm so impressed with all of your homes ! Hope your having a good weekend !

Fallen Leaves

Fallen LeavesOctober 28, 2010
A sure sign of winter approaching is the falling leaves.  We get a lot of leaves because we have 3 large maple trees in our back yard and the neighbours on both sides of us each have a large maple tree.  Across the road in front of our house there are more trees that drop leaves, neighbouring properties with lots of trees and our huge, old willow tree.  Most of our

Bringing in Potted Plants

When frost threatens the garden, bringing in potted plants and tender plants is an ideal way to keep plants for the next spring.  There are a couple of problems with bring in plants with the main one introducing insects indoors.  I kid you not, I brought in an asparagus fern that hid a spider almost the size of a quarter!  Other common insects in potted plants are ants, earwings and pill bugs. 

Food in Uncertain Times

I've been following a discussion about the 5 crops (foods) that should be grown for sustainable living in uncertain times.  They are: potatoes, corn, beans, squash and eggs.  My gosh I have to say I disagree with the potatoes and corn.  I will be discussing this in greater detail on my cooking blog but from a gardening perspective you really do need a fair amount of space to grow enough potatoes

Palm Trees

Palm TreeOctober 7, 2010
Palm trees are very popular where our vacation home is.  They are rather problem free, tolerating the heat and humidity well.  Pictured is one of the palm trees near our vacation home.  Now palms actually come with one itsy, bitsy problem.  They attract palmetto bugs aka American cockroach.  I am not impressed with palmetto bugs at all even though I know they don't bite

Caladium

CaladiumOctober 6, 2010

I love doing a bit of garden surfing so to speak in our vacation home community. Our vacation home is is Zone 9B so considerably warmer than our home Zone 6 B.  That means I get to discover a lot of rather interesting tropical plants.  This is a showy bulbaceous bulb that does not do well at temperatures below 60ºF.  While I won't be able to grow this gorgeous plant

Corking in Jalapeno Peppers

Corking in Jalapeno PeppersOctober 22, 2010
I picked a fair amount of various peppers over the last few days in anticipation of frost soon to come.  Pictured are some of the jalapeno peppers.  See the thin white striations on the lower three jalapeno peppers?  These striations are known as corking.  Some believe that corking is an indication of that jalapeno pepper being hotter than those without

CREATING WOMEN and GIVEAWAY

I have so missed blogging, reading blogs, responding to my favorite blogs.........life has drastically interfered. Real life work has been the culprit.........landscape installations before the weather changes, interior designs before the holidays, ordering Christmas for the shops....YIKES........should have been completed eons ago! Where has this year gone?

 Take a look back with me if you will, to a post I intended to write ONE MONTH ago, our trunk show.

The goods and the talented women of Chicago that I would love to share.

PHOTOGRAPHY      By Rebecca Plotnick

A board spotted in Paris.............LOVE this photograph!
Rebecca's collection starts in our beloved Chicago to Paris, England, Italy and recently Israel.

What a unique eye to look at the Chicago 'EL' tracks and find art. Rebecca's goal is to "encourage people to linger over the beauty of life a little longer" I believe she succeeds.

Impressive isn't it? All of the photo's shown here are printed on a canvas frame, 12 x 12, and ready to hang. Custom sizing is available.

Cannot decide which is my favorite, but this photograph really speaks to my soul. Upon reflection it brings me back to fond childhood memories. Here is a ceiling in the old Marshall Fields store on State street. Our special treat was a meet up, "I'll see you under the big clock!" my grandmother would say. Could not wait.

 

Meet an amazing powerhouse of a woman, Jess Constable
Jess is as beautiful inside as her gorgeous outward appearance. Spend time with her, and you will be instantly energized.....this girl has a lust for life . She began her biz when she was fifteen and is now nationwide. Jess and I are in the beginning stages of contemplating  'Empowering Women' get-togethers at the Chicago shop, would you be interested?. Visit her blog, Make under my life for inspiration.

All of Jess's collections are named for renown streets in Chicago. 

This line, 'Diversey' was launched at our event

.

 Diversey earrings. All jewelry is Paladium gold plated

This is my next purchase..........from the Armitage collection

The classic Chevron pattern, 'Division', in sterling silver

Here is Ali wearing a necklace from the 'Franklin' collection, as shown in People magazine

I am very lucky to call Cynthia Espy a friend. Warm, funny, great hostess......Christmas Party this year Cyndy? A successful business woman; Interior Designer and the founder of Amenities Home.

For impact, the reversible 100% Silk Dupioni shawl in fuchsia and orange. Think 'little black dress'

Have a favorite qoute? All of Cynthia's products are custom made, to order, in silk.

Choose your color combination

Wonder who Winston is? Why Cynthia's dog, of course!

Again, chose a saying or look through her extensive suggestions ......... a memorable hostess gift

Jewelry    by Lisa York

 The first copper cuff is a New Orleans route, above is Brooklyn, from vintage maps and routes. 

 Chicago EL stops. Whenever I have mine on, I am stopped, and soak in the "oooh's and ahhh's"

Vintage New York City map.
Jewelry maker +  private chef = a life lived creatively and passionately.

Beach Grass earrings in industrial eco- resin (40% recycled) with sterling silver. Lisa's favorite materials are silver and resin.

Soapmaker and Body Products by Amanda Konieczny

 Sugar Cookie soap bars..... mild with gentle exfoliating. No calories!
Amanda named her purposeful company after her toddler Genevieve, "Veve" for short. Her mission statement is less chemicals, small footprint, natural ingredients for a superior product all crafted by hand in small batches.

Coffee for the kitchen, maybe for a morning shower?

Who knew? That hops are a natural anti-inflammatory and ultra skin softener with great lather. Imagine the natural aroma of Blue Moon Beer with a hint of orange essential oils. Great stocking stuffer for the men in your life

These bath salts are to luxuriate and relax in a warm bath while taking in the scent of a just baked chocolate cake.

 Cocoa/Lavender bath melts

My gift to you, dear readers........... choose any one of the items above and share your thoughts. If Veve is your favorite, pick three. Have fun!

P.S.  The extent of my seasonal decorating...........oh well............so easy I do not even have to think! Happy Autumn
Next post..........another giveaway!

Best of luck
fondly,
Debra

A Pot of Onions

Potted OnionsOctober 22, 2010

The milder weather has given me extra time to get plants indoors.  Yesterday I brought in a pot of onions.  I planted the onions in early June but by mid-July they were pretty much done.  I intended to dump the pot and replant but forgot.  When we returned home from our September vacation I was pleasantly greeted with some rather healthy looking growth.  It looks

Hail!

The sky was a gorgeous blue yesterday morning.  It had rained the night before so I was waiting for the gardens to dry a bit before raiding them again.  I figured I would get the last of any of the green tomatoes since if a frost hits them they won't ripen off the vine and gathering a few herbs.  I didn't get the chance.  By afternoon the skies turned ominous looking then let out a blast of hail!

Last Large Vegetable Harvest of 2010

Last Large Vegetable Harvest of 2010October 20, 2010 
My gosh, by any stretch of the imagination home gardeners and commercial growers in our area have not had a good growing season.  Despite that the fall has been rather on the mild side meaning the garden has been producing longer than normal.   It is beyond our ADFF and we have yet to have a frost.  The weather is turning and based on the

The Weather is Turning

I spent the morning bringing in plants and doing a bit of picking in the garden.  The weather is still quite nice but it's easy to see it is turning.  The weather forecast for today is a low of 0ºC and a low of -3ºC tomorrow making the possibility of a frost all that much closer.  I decided it would be prudent to make a clean pick of the remaining vegetables.  That way if we get a frost they

Waiting on First Hard Frost

We still haven't had our first frost so things are still trickling in from the garden.  I don't clean out the garden beds until after first frost which kills off the plants making clean out a bit easier.  Leaving the plants also protects the soil a bit from erosion.  Many of the farmers here have gone to leaving the stubble in the fields rather than plow the field under for the same reason.  The

A Leopard Frog Visits the Garden

Leopard Frog(Rana pipiens)October 16, 2010
Oldest and youngest grandchildren visited yesterday.  On their way to the car after our visit we stopped to check out the garden.  Imagine oldest grandchild's squeals of delight at spotting this beautiful leopard frog.  This is the first time I've seen a frog in the garden.  It sure was a pleasant surprise.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

A Bit of Nice Weather

My gosh!  Like many I've complained about the local growing conditions this year.  It was certainly by any stretch of the imagination brutal.  Autumn has arrived and guess what despite warnings of an early frost we haven't had one.  That means I'm still harvesting peppers, tomatoes, herbs and chard.  It really is nice after having such a nasty season that we are seeing an extended harvest.

Happy

Reader Home !!!!

May I just say that I'm LOVING the reader photos that are coming my way ! Keep em coming !!! This beautiful kitchen was redone by a reader Karin from Wilmington, North Carolina. She and her boyfriend redid the entire thing themselves, including the plumbing and electrical work and more ! Her home is 1000 square feet in total. Her kitchen was 10 x 8 and now is 10 x 15. I love the whole look and feel of the kitchen. The cab and tile work is stunning ! Great job Karin !!! (and boyfriend :))

I Need YOUR Help !!!!

I would like to feature photos of my readers homes! I will post "reader photos" every so often.. so send me your best shots ! It can be of any rooms and/or your outdoor spaces. I can't promise every photo will make it on, but I will try and mix it up. Please send them to me at smallplacestyle@live.com. No professional photos please! Please include your first and last name in the email and where you live ! (I will not post last names, just general info) Thanks so much you guys, can't wait to see your spaces !!!

The Spider

The SpiderOctober 1, 2010
If you have been following this blog you will know that I now garden in two very different hardiness zones.  My home hardiness zone is Canadian Hardiness Zone 6A but our vacation home is in US Hardiness Zone 9B.  I am learning so much about gardening in a warmer climate!  We were out doing a little yard work and discovered this huge and I do mean huge spider.  We have

The Salamander

SalamanderSeptember 15, 2010
A couple of weeks ago we went down to the clubhouse for dinner.  Surrounding the clubhouse are lovely raised garden beds as well as traditional style.  What is really nice is they have placards with the names of many of the plants to help other residents in the community identify the plants they may want to use in their own gardens.  A cute little salamander darted

The Homeside Garden Report

We are back homeside after being away for a couple of weeks.  It wasn't the ideal time to go away with respect to the garden but it was a much needed break for us.  I can't believe what a difference a bit of time away from the gardens made.  Apparently we got a fair amount of rain because the lawns look lovely.  They are nice and green!  The herb bed is doing wonderful and I just picked oodles of

Kitchens !

Proof small is beautiful !!! Have a FANTASTIC weekend !!!

Rich Colors !!!

Who says you can't use rich dark colors in small spaces !!

Plumbago auriculata

Plumbago auriculataSeptember 30, 2010
Plumbago auriculata is a very popular garden plant in Zone 9B where our vacation home is.  This is an evergreen bush with showy blue flowers that remind me of phlox.  I think it is quite pretty so will be planting a few bushes at our vacation home.  Propagation is by semiripe tip cuttings in the spring or by seed.  However, the nurseries in the area sell

Build an Inexpensive Self Watering Container

Now that our gardening season is starting to wind down with the ADFF quickly approaching, I am looking for a few winter gardening projects to test out.  This year was quite dry throughout the summer creating problems with the container plants that easily dried out just a couple of hours after watering.  I didn't use the watering globes outdoors but I did use the SoilMoistTM granules on some of

Seed Banks

There are many ways to get seeds for your garden with one of the most popular being through seed catalogues.  Another popular method is collecting seeds from plants growing in your garden.  If you join a local garden club they usually offer a seed an/or plant exchange.  You can also get seeds from family and friends who garden.  All of these methods are great ways to get seeds.  One method of

Growing Heirlooms

When it comes to gardening, the choice of what to grow is reduced to heirloom varieties or hybrids.  By far I prefer heirloom varieties because I can save the seeds that breed true.  Seed can be saved from hybrids and I do but quite often they do not breed true.  There are also asexual propagation restrictions on some hybrid varieties.
One commentator asked me back in the spring if I could list

Joining A Garden Club

There are many benefits to joining a local garden club.  Not only do you get to interact with other gardeners you can get a lot of growing tips as well a exchange clippings and seeds.  We have a local garden club where we live as well as a garden club where our vacation home is.  I think they are a great way to extend your gardening knowledge while meeting other gardeners! 
Happy Gardening!