Treated Royally and A Shout Out

Yesterday my family gave me the royal treatment.  It started with sleeping in, followed by yummy scones for breakfast/lunch, and then a delicious dinner complete with a beautifully set table.

Our daughter came home for the weekend, which is always a treat.  I just love having everyone under one roof!

On Saturday, my son asked what I wanted for Mother's Day and I told him not a thing.  He then informed me that if I didn't tell him something I wanted, I would get something I didn't want.  

When I opened my gifts there was this single asparagus shaped taper candle (pictured above) and as I pulled it out he was grinning from ear to ear...so was my daughter who had gone shopping with him!  He said it was the ugliest thing he could find and that because I hadn't given him any ideas this was my "something you don't want" present.  I hate to tell him, but the joke was on him since I like my pretty little asparagus candle, and my only disappointment was that he could only find one!

Along with the soaps, a gift certificate, and the candle, I also received this wonderful book Perfect English by Ros Byam Shaw with photography by Chris Tubbs.

If you've been reading my blog for awhile now, then you know how much I LOVE design books, especially beautifully photographed ones and this one did not disappoint!

It's full of wonderful text and glorious imagery of quintessential English country design and decor, which allows it to live up to the title of Perfect English!

My roses are now in full bloom, and my daughter created a lovely table arrangement for my Mother's Day feast yesterday evening.  We had grilled steaks, fresh asparagus, organic potatoes, and berry sherbet for dessert...yum!

Mr. Tide's gift to me was doing a ton of yard work this past weekend and buying me some blueberry bushes and flowers that will bring me lots of enjoyment for years to come!

I also treated myself to a few pretties the past few weeks, including these lovely green cut glass votive holders, which we used at dinner last night.  I also picked up a few pieces from Mason Cash to add to my ever growing bowl collection.  I bought a set of pudding basins, a mixing bowl, and then 4 small oval baking dishes which I hope to use to bake individual pot pies this winter, or maybe yummy creme brulee!

I hope you all had equally wonderful Mother's Day celebrations yesterday!  And thank you to my family for helping make my job as a mother very easy!!!

This week will be another busy one as I am hosting our local garden club this evening, working on a story that was due 2 months ago (yeah this is the life of a writer sometimes...things get delayed or pushed back and you just have to go with the flow), a photo shoot on Wednesday, and I have an art show this weekend that I'll tell you more about in an upcoming post, so it's push time!

But before I go, I wanted to give a shout out to my dear friend Fifi O'Neill!  Her book has been burning up the charts...and is topping lists everywhere!  Congratulations Fifi, I can't think of a more deserving person!!! xoxo

Romantic Prairie Style ranked #6 in sales on Nielsen Bookscan
for two weeks in a row in the Hardcover House & Home category, as reported in the
Best-Selling Books listing (week ended April 17th) in the April 23, 2011 edition of
The Wall Street Journal
Circulation: 9,963,418

Romantic Prairie Style

As I mentioned in my post from last weekend, I received my copy of Fifi's wonderful book entitled Romantic Prairie Style recently.  Many of you already own a copy, and if you've been visiting my blog for any length of time then you may have noticed a link to this book in my sidebar, and for good reason.

You see, I was fortunate enough to get a sneak peek at a few of the photos from Fifi's wonderful book ahead of time when she was here shooting last summer.  She and the very talented Mark Lohman, who photographed the entire book, were here shooting the stories I recently had published in Country Sampler Magazine and Cottage Style Magazine, and Mark and Fifi were fresh off some of the shoots for the book.

I knew right away that this book was going to be something special.  After watching Mark and Fifi work together, you get a sense that they make a wonderful team, and it shows in the finished product...Romantic Prairie Style. 

The book, which has been a dream of Fifi's for some time, reflects her love of everything romantic, country, and also her love of the simple beauty of living.  Together with Mark, she more than captured the idyllic prairie style that so many of us try and capture in our own homes and lives.

Like summer soirees or intimate family gatherings spent chasing fireflies amidst lush green lawns and the backdrop of farm fields.  Or humble, sturdy homes that are filled with useful yet beautiful things that remind us of days gone by, and connect us to those who came before us.

I love that these are real homes, owned by real families who have found a way to mix the gritty realities of life with the beauty life has to offer.

As  with any book, be it a novel or a decorating book chock full of beautiful images, you need to be moved by it, and this book moves me.  It is my very own grown up version of the Little House on the Prairie books which I read when I was little.  Those books made me don bonnets and skirts and pick berries in the field across from my house.  Fifi's book has that same effect on me, and it makes me want to make my own jam, raise chickens, and live simply and beautifully.

Inspiration, glorious photos, and a warm happy feeling...that's what Romantic Prairie Style provides!  And to my friends Mark and Fifi...congratulations on a job well done, and big hugs!


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Meadowbrook Farm...(loved her latest post, it so could have been about me!)

Somebunny Loves You

Thank you everyone for your sweet comments about my cherry blossom photos from yesterday's post.  The cherry tree actually belongs to my neighbor, but she kindly lets me snap away at it each spring.  Her yard is so lovely, and we benefit from her master gardening skills.  We also feel a little bad about not reciprocating by having our own lovely gardens.  She says she's content to watch the dogs run around, so at least we offer her something besides weeds to stare at each day!

Several people asked how I got the blossoms to look so soft and delicate.  The truth is that those shots, except for some minor cropping on a few, were straight out of the camera.  The reason they looked so ethereal is that it was actually pretty windy when I was taking them, so that subtle motion was captured by the camera and gave the shots a softer look than I normally achieve.  I also shot them in AV mode, with the lowest aperture I can get with that lens, around 4.0 to 4.5,  and as always in RAW format.

You all may not know this, but I have a thing for bunnies.  I love them, and have quite a collection.  Besides my Beatrix Potter bunnies, I have all sorts of bunnies tucked around my house.  Some only come out during Easter, while others find a home all year long.

The cute little bunny above was a gift from my daughter Angelfish a few years ago and I love how pudgy and simple he is.  Somewhere along the way I decided "he" was a he.

We've had crazy weather here for the past week, with sun one moment, only to be replaced by thunder and lighting a few minutes later.  But I ran outside today between rain storms and snapped a few pictures in the sunshine.

I received Fifi's wonderful book, Romantic Prairie Style, a few days ago, and I plan to do a full review on the book next week, but it was so inspiring that I felt compelled to create a little prairie style of my own today!  The book really embodies all that makes life in the country so wonderful...wide open spaces to live in and enjoy...something I've always loved about being a country girl.

When you live in the country, you can haul your wicker out into the new spring grass and sit and read a book, or use it to photograph a bunny and some tulips.  Out here where I have very few neighbors, I am free to do these sorts of crazy things without people thinking I'm crazy.

Being crazy in the country is kind of expected, and I love that about growing up with land around me and getting back to my roots again. 

As kids we wandered the fields and woods all the time, letting our imaginations run wild.  I find now that I have lots of space around me, I am able to unleash my imagination once again and for that I'm very thankful!

It allows me to focus on the simple things in life, like the beauty of a few fallen petals on an old wicker rocking chair.

Or the graceful petals of a nearly perfect tulip that will soon begin to fade.  Slowing down and enjoying life is the premise of Fifi's book, and it's the way my family and I have chosen to live out this stage of our lives.  I just wish I'd done it so much sooner.  I'm glad my children had the neighborhood experience growing up too, and they were fortunate to have my grandparent's farm to wander and play on as children, so they had the best of both worlds.  But out in the country, far from stores, traffic, and often people, is where I feel the most at home. 

Miss Kylee agrees, she's happy somebunny loved her enough to move to a place where she can run free too!

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Vintage Gal

Book Love

 

I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge reader.  It's rather ironic that I'm a writer, yet I don't really enjoy reading, so it stands to reason that books with lots of pictures would be the kind I gravitate towards.

I don't own a ton of decorating and design books, but I do own a few.  Some I've had for years, like Malcom Hillier's Wreaths and Garlands, and John Hadamuscin's Special Occasions.  Both of the books I just mentioned are more about entertaining and floral arranging than decorating, but I still love the photography and wonderful ideas they give you in books about floral design and entertaining.

The other design books I own have mostly been gifts, or books I've purchased after having them recommended by a friend.

For some reason this spring has me itching to add to my collection of design books, I just love the permanence of a coffee table book that I can go back to time and time again.  I do that with magazines, but in most instances there are only one or two homes or features that really catch my eye in any given magazine.

With books, the whole book will have a design style and I find that I love nearly 80% of what I see in any given book.  Plus, now that my interest in photography has taken off, I find that I pour over books in a totally new way.  I cherish the composition or lighting of a shot now where I once was mostly interested in the decor.

When Terry John Woods friended me on Facebook recently, I felt it was a sign that I needed to buy this talented man's book.  I had seen it many times and knew I would love it, but I'd never made that commitment and gone ahead and purchased it.

I ordered it from Amazon along with my pre-order of Fifi's book, but Terry's book arrived just a few days ago, and Fifi's is due any day now!

I have to say that from the moment I opened this book, New Farmhouse Style, I was completely blown away!  The styling, photography, everything about this book had my heart beating faster and my fingers ready to turn the page to see the next delightful image and read the heartfelt text.

Now as you might imagine, writing about beautiful homes and even getting to visit some of them for a living can make it a little harder to be wowed by anything home related, much less a book, but this one had me at hello.  

I mean just look at the photo above.  Terry loves white tulips and ironstone and so do I.  I even have white tulips at my house right now, and I also have lots of little white pitchers floating around this very dusty place of mine!

The incredible photography by Kindra Clineff, paired with Terry's simple yet elegant sense of style had me rethinking everything I thought about photos and styling for shoots.  His book proves that less really is more when it comes to the new sense of country decorating.

This book made me want to pack my bags and move to an old farmhouse in Vermont and instead of filling it with stuff, fill it with only the stuff I love!  Yes folks, this book is truly that good!

Now, just in case you are thinking "hey has Kat lost her mind, is she now on Terry John Woods' payroll, what does she stand to get from singing his praises?"  The answer is yes, I have lost my mind but it's totally unrelated to Terry John Woods or his book.  Two, I'm not on Terry's payroll gosh darn it!  And three, I stand nothing to gain from my gushing review except to give credit where credit is due, and that means telling all of you so that you too can discover this wonderful book for yourself!

I did a photo shoot at a lovely home yesterday, and I have to tell you that I was very much aware of each and every shot that I took.  I carefully edited out what wasn't necessary, taking my cues from Terry's clean, inviting style.  And I have to say that when I reviewed the pictures, I couldn't have been more pleased with the end results.

Today or tomorrow, Fifi's fabulous book, Romantic Prairie Style, should be showing up on my doorstep, and I know that it will move me in the same way that Terry's book has.  I've had a sneak peek at her book, and I can't wait to get my hot little hands on it as well.  And the best part is that Terry has a new book called Summer House, which you can pre-order now, and Fifi has begun work on her second book too!

At this rate, you may not be hearing from me for awhile!  Remember what I said about not being able to live in a mostly white house...well I may have lied when I said that...never say never....Benjamin Moore store here I come!!!

Until next time friends...

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Ocean Soul   (from now on I'll be posting just one link because blogger doesn't like it when I post 3 and it makes my pictures go all wonky!)  ***I love, love, love how this blogger's daughter took the whole family along with her on a school trip to Italy...check it out!

Luck of The Irish and a Giveaway

This past year my daughter did some genealogy research on my side of the family and found out that we had English, Irish, Welsh, and Scottish heritage.  I was thrilled since I've always had and affinity for Ireland, England, Wales, and Scotland, and I have always felt that I've been blessed with the luck of the Irish!

Even our dogs have lineage that ties them to some of these countries!


 

If I ever had any doubt about how lucky I am, I would never wonder again after all of the amazingly supportive and wonderful comments, phone calls, and emails I've received over the last few days regarding my new photography venture.

You may think that you are simply leaving a comment, but you are in fact bolstering my soul and propelling me forward with your wonderful words!  I read each comment and although I don't get to reply much of the time, they touch me in a way that I can't even put into words, and you can't get much more lucky than that in life!

This afternoon after Mr. Tide finished work, we took the dogs out back and laid in the hammock.  It was chilly but swinging in a hammock is such a comforting thing and so very relaxing.  As we chatted about the day's events and everything we have going on he said, "are you ok, or are you trying to do too many things?"

When I asked why he was wondering that, he jokingly said that I sounded a little Charlie Sheen like today, trying to juggle this and answer that.  I laughed but then I said to him really?!  Do I really sound like Charlie Sheen.  He said, "well you are so full of ideas and always working and creating things and I don't want you to get overwhelmed trying to do too much."  It's true, my brain is always ticking away, always thinking, always moving forward.  It's amazing I actually get to sleep at night, since I go to sleep thinking and wake up thinking...ideas are always freely flowing around here...which I consider lucky too!

This week has been filled with wonderful surprises and chance encounters....

First I met Terry John Woods completely by chance when he sent me a friend request on Facebook.  If you aren't familiar with who Terry is, you will surely know his work.  When I first saw his friend request I thought oh that name sounds familiar, and then I saw his profile picture and I thought WOW!  You see Terry is not just anybody, he's a talented artist, a renowned teddy bear designer, stylist, and the author of an amazing book called New Farmhouse Style, which has sold like hotcakes since its release in October of 2009.

Now you could have knocked me over with a feather when he friended me, and even more so when I sent him a  message and he responded back!  And today I got a chance to speak with him on the phone and I have to tell you all that he is all that and a bag of chips!  He is a down to earth man who has a passion for restoring and decorating old homes.  And if you loved his first book, well you're in luck, he has another one coming out called The Summer House which is due out in late spring/early summer, and he has a shot from the book as his header for his blog.  The photos in his books are by Kindra Clineff whose work is jaw droppingly gorgeous!  You can pre-order his new book on Amazon, and I'm sure it will be equally, if not more successful than New Farmhouse Style!

I feel so very lucky to have met Terry and I hope to stay in touch with this truly talented and inspriring man!

Some of you may be wondering why I included a picture of crystal in my header and on a post about St. Patrick's Day.  The photo is of some of the wonderful Irish crystal made by Waterford that I got as wedding gifts and another pattern I inherited from my parents.  My parents actually drove all over the DC metro area amassing a large collection of 3 different patterns of Waterford years ago.  And the best part is they actually used it often when they entertained friends and family.

My daughter Angelfish sent me a lovely email today where she confided in me that since my mother passed away St. Patrick's Day has always made her sad.  Though I don't know if  my mother knew of her Irish heritage, she certainly loved the holiday and made traditional dishes like corned beef and boiled cabbage each year on March 17th.  And there were lots of little leprechauns and shamrocks scattered about her house as well.  My daughter said that my header reminded her of her Nana and she though my mother would like it as well.  I created the header on a whim yesterday, so perhaps my mother was smiling down and wanted my daughter to learn to not be sad and love St. Paddy's Day once again...I hope she will!

I also spoke to Fifi today which is always a treat!  If my husband thinks I have a lot of irons in the fire well he needs to chat with Fifi!  That woman has more irons in the fire than a ten armed smithy!  She will soon be on a whirlwind book tour promoting her wonderful book Romantic Prairie Style.  I have my order in and can't wait to receive it!   Have you ordered your copy yet?!  If you haven't then you better hurry, I've seen some of the pictures and I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that you will fall in love with this book!  And Fifi hasn't asked me to tell you any of this, I just know that you will want to have your very own copy to hug and squeeze and drool over! Click here to order a copy from Amazon!

You can also visit Joy's wonderful blog Savvy City Farmer to win a copy, but hurry, her giveaway ends soon!

The other two phone calls I've had this week were with a lovely woman about maybe showing my artwork at a local fundraiser.  We ended up talking about all sorts of things besides the fundraiser, like how we both learned to drive a tractor before we learned to drive a car, and how very lucky we both were to grow up in the country with fields and woods to play in!  We also knew a lot of people in common, such a small world I tell ya!

The next phone call I had this week was with Becky from Sweet Cottage Dreams.  Becky lives out in California and truly does live the sweet cottage dream life!  She has a wonderful sense of style and we had an instant connection, and talked for over an hour as my son drove me up the road to Whole Foods.  She shares her charming home with her son, husband, a cute kitty, and two of the most darling Scottie dogs you've ever seen.  Plus, she plays wonderful music on her blog which makes me feel like I'm having a pint at a Scottish pub!  I feel so very luck to have met Becky, she is an inspiration and an amazing person!

And last, because even I am thinking I'm sounding a little like Charlie Sheen with my ramblings, I wanted to tell you that the latest issue of Cottage Style is out and I have 2 articles in it.  One even made the cover, but that's not my photo, I just wrote the stories!!!  The best part is that both articles are written about homes owned by friends of mine, so I'm super excited to see these beautiful homes gracing the pages of Cottage Style!

The whole issue is full of great homes and wonderful inspiration!  So...

I also have a copy to give away.  So if you'd like to win one (and the giveaway is open to anyone) all you have to do is leave a comment telling me what makes you feel lucky!  I will chose a winner this Sunday, March 20th and announce the name on Monday.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!  May the luck of the Irish be with you, and to my dear Irish friend Julie...Happy Birthday AND Happy St. Paddy's Day, you are a true belle of Ireland!

Don't forget it's a Vintage Source weekend this weekend!!!...check out their New Arrivals!!!

Continued well wishes for the people of Japan.

Spread the Love by donating to help rebuild their country...

American Red Cross

Manic or Maniac and a Giveaway

 Orchid #1

Yesterday after posting about my bedroom, I casually read the post again and saw that instead of the word manic I had written maniac.  I had to laugh because I did it every single time I was supposed to have written manic, so I went back in and corrected it before you all thought I was a maniac.  And after the last few days I've felt a little like a maniac, so I think it may have been subliminal!

Orchid #2 Original
(this is for Sherri! or those of you who might not be in to textures)

I loved reading everyone's take on making their bed or not making their bed.  I try to keep the public areas of our house nice and tidy, but the bedroom often takes a back seat!  Sorry if this spoiled anyone's illusions that I'm the perfect housekeeper, I just know how to position a camera so that you only see the good stuff! ;-)  I think a lot of us bloggers do that!  And it's why you don't get to see my bedroom that often.  I figure you probably don't really want to see my unmade bed and the pile of laundry waiting to be done!

 Orchid #2

Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments about my bedroom and the wall color.  It's funny, the paint color was something I chose almost 4 years ago and I'm SO tired of it!  I'm amazed that I've kept it this long with my penchant for change, so as soon as the weather warms up and I can throw open the windows, I'm thinking the walls in there will be sporting a new color.

I've been so inspired by some of the beautiful white rooms I've seen in blogland and in Fifi's new book Romantic Prairie Style, especially Maria's beautiful home from Dreamy Whites, that I'm thinking I might try white walls in there for a change.  I know I couldn't have an all white house, not with 3 mostly black dogs and my love of color, but my bedroom might be just the place to try my hand at living with and loving white!

 Sailing #1

And speaking of Dreamy Whites, be sure to stop by Maria's to see the wonderful giveaway and interview she did with Lori from White Flower Farmhouse.  I've long admired Lori and have even purchased things from her shop, so you won't want to miss this wonderful giveaway!

And speaking of Giveaways...

 Sailing #2

You may be thinking that I've completely lost it by posting such a hodge podge of pictures, some of which are repeats.  There is a method to my madness though I assure you.

You'll notice that all of the photos have a name underneath them and that's because I'll be doing a giveaway of one of these prints to 2 winners and you'll be able to select which photo you would like to receive.

 Iris #1

The prints will be your choice of either one 5 x 7 or one 8 x 10 print on archival paper and then mounted on single weight matboard.  The matboard adds to the sturdiness of the photo and makes it easier to frame.  The print also won't have my lovely watermark on it!

 Iris #2

So all you have to do is pick out the picture you like the best and leave me a comment letting me know which one you would like and in what size, either 5 x 7 or 8 x 10.  If you don't like any of these, you can visit my Etsy Store and pick one of the designs from my card selection instead of one the ones pictured here.

I will announce the winners on Thursday March 10th.  And I have another surprise giveaway coming up soon too, so keep your eye out for that one sometime this week too!

Iris #3

And before I go, I would like to ask you all to please send some healing thoughts our way.  Last week, our son Bugs did something to damage the cornea of his eye, but he didn't realize it so by the time he was in any sort of pain his cornea had become infected.

Thankfully it was caught early on Saturday and he is now undergoing intensive treatment with antibiotic eye drops and ointments to help his eye heal and to prevent any permanent damage.  Our wonderful ophthalmologist even opened up her office this morning at 9 am just to see him!  You don't often hear of doctors going out of their way to see a patient on a Sunday morning anymore, but she is truly a great doctor!  He's not out of the woods yet with this nasty infection, but he's not contagious and he's doing well.  Any healing thoughts would be greatly appreciated, thank you!!!

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