brenda's pots

recently i stopped at one of my clients homes to do a little "tweaking" as i like to call it...

a little trimming back, a little fertilizing, if needed...

and some picture taking ...

i'm very happy with the urns and pots i planted here this spring.

at the front of the house, are two urns which flank the front door to this large entrance.

scale and color very important here as this is the only "punch" out front.

i'm really pleased with the color combos achieved with just using foliage.

formula for a great planted pot=

something standy-uppy,

something round and fluffy,

and something hangy-downy

the potted plants on the back porch have done very well indeed.........



the owner requested a color combo of purple, peach (hard to find) and white...

i threw in chartreuse to punch it up.

o.k..........

you can see my trimmings laying there.

yes, i really do work, even though the view can not be ignored!

love them tennessee ridges! i do, i do.

i think one reason these pots have been so successful is the "drip line" of water from the irrigation system we had installed (you can see the little tube in the first picture...note to self...hide that thing!).

plants need water.

plants need water.

plants need water.

there...i said it.

remember...

something standy-uppy,

something round and fluffy,

and something hang-downy.

good ol fashion walking

it's a beautiful, coolish morning here in the south, so i headed out for a good ol fashion walk...

no 'bose' headphones attached to a fancy i-pod. nope.

no cell phone.

nope.

not even sporting a watch!

just walkin "old style"!

and boy did i feel naked!!

not so much naked really, more vulnerable, i guess.

good thing is...

3 out of the 4 other walkers i encountered were on the phone , so if i needed to make some kind of emergency like "what's for dinner" call (cause my hubby does all the cookin)... i could have borrowed one. phew!

these chics weren't just sporting phones, but they were ON the phone.

who are they talking to at 8 in the morning?

they must be really important people?

the fourth walker, she was very friendly and we chatted about her tiny puppy doing his morning "poop dance".

apparently, this little breed of dog circles in a counter-clock-wise circular fashion...before she drops her poopies.

"they all do this...everyone in this breed."

interesting..............

and cute, as far as poop dances go.

yes..

a good ol fashion walk.

try it.

and here is some really exciting news..........

see how unfocused my photo is?

that's because my Lumix digital camera does NOT have manual focus.........

and although this baby has taken some fantastic shots (everyone that you've seen here on my blog...)

it's time to UPGRADE!!!!!

yippie-skippie!!

tomorrow the u.p.s. dude will be delivering my new 35mm SLR camera!!!!!!!!!

i am so excited and of course a little nervous about all the new-fangledness of the new camera, but hey, i have been figuring out this blogging stuff (kinda) and the sky is the limit!!

so here's to staying "in focus"...

cause "happiness" should always be crystal clear.

new orleans hospitality part II

continuing my last post...

more pretty pictures of paulettes home in new orleans.

remember, she plucked us off the street, and gave us a private tour!!

an apology up front...

for the life of me, i can not figure out how to keep my photos closer together?!

sorry if your pointer finger becomes soar from all the rolling of the little wheelie-thingy 0n the mousey-thingy! hey, at least i have figured out how to enlarge photos! yippie!

every fireplace had an antique mirror above...

simple light fixture and modern art in the master bath .


can you imagine applying makeup at an antique dresser??


darn, i cut off the top of this painting.

walking downstairs.

check out the runner and gorgeous artwork!

love, love the stained floors!

looking towards the front door.

paulette pointing out yet another spectacular mirror.

this 17th c. french desk stills wears its original red leather!!

like i said before...cute shoes!

love, love this painting by the front door!!

well...

paulette,

thank you

thank you

thank you

your hospitality was certainly appreciated by this housoholic birthday girl!!

i only regret i didn't take a better shot of you

or get your last name!

hospitality, alive and well in new orleans...

new orleans hospitality...part 1

so, my hubby and i are having a lovely stroll through the "garden district" in new orleans and i am in birthday heaven!! i absolutely love, LOVE old houses and gardens and this area was doing it for me! oh, yea baby, baby! i mean i really do love old houses and go on every house and garden tour that i can and i've been known to walk my dog at night, just in case somebody is nice enough to let me see inside. oh come on, i know you do it too! so, we find ourselves on this cutey-patooty street and the friendliest lady pulls up in the front of this house, immediately engages us in friendly banter and invites us in!! now, mind you, we are total strangers, my hubby carrying his "guess what, i'm a tourist" backpack. and me, toting my camera of course and drooling at the mouth from all of the cuteness surrounding us..........


and yes folks................she invited us in!!!!!!!!!


not just "in",



but "come on in, take as many pictures as you want, "southern accents" magazine will be shooting here next week, sure you can go upstairs " in!!


so, with my camera snapping away... our new friend, paulette (at least that is what my hubby recalls her name to be, cause i was too excited to recall) flitts around turning on all of the lights and proudly gives us a private tour of her fantastic, light-filled gem of a house!!



sit back and enjoy the tour.........



i know i did!


and oh, by the way....



you are looking at 17th century antiques here folks!!

there's paulette reaching for a vase for the red tulips she bought for the office.



i love how she combines antiques with modern artwork.

paulette apologized for the mess out on the back courtyard...after all mardi gras was just last week!

yes...that IS indeed an antique sideboard sitting outside.

cozy courtyard here with creeping Ivy....

and creeping fig.

the collection of mirrors was unbelievable..........

there's the happy birthday girl in the reflection.

lovely fireplace........

ugh! that reflection yet again!

sweet little landscape paintings in the office.....

there's paulette in the newly refurbished kitchen making sure nothing was out of place!

cute shoes!!

looks pretty darn perfect to me!

at the top of the stairs we find the housekeeper in the laundry room.

love the floor to ceiling paintings!

ooh la la. this vignette is gorgeous... love the lampshades

i believe this was an office upstairs.

love the rug!

and i really love the nice calves on that guy with the tourist backpack!
well, needless to say, this was a

happy, happy birthday treat!

i have many more pictures to show you.

stay tuned!