Bragging Rights

Joey in his own kitchen in Rosemary Beach.

Joey and John Besh at a charity event. They worked hard that night!

I love to brag about my children from time to time as you will see. My daughter was the topic yesterday, so here goes...

My son is a seasoned chef, and has cooked beside some of the top chefs around. Do I sound like one of THOSE mothers yet? I WILL ADMIT IT--I am.

He has so many talents and is one of the most creative people I have ever known. Now I am not saying this because I am his mother--I am saying this because it is the gospel, and in the south that means something! I will have to give a little credit to those he learned from--some of the best french chefs in the country.

I am looking forward to some fine vittles soon, and I was thinking along the line of his brown sugar and balsamic Salmon or chicken anything. This child CAN create miracles with a chicken.

At the moment he is creating marvelous web pages. As I said, he is a very creative person and successful I might add! I think he may have found his niche. I have seen several of the web pages he has done and his artistic experience jumps out at you!

Joey has brought me many years of joy, and he will be getting married in June to a precious young lady. Then in years to come, the pitter-patter of tiny feet--the most perfect (of course) grandchildren.

That will be another story, along with the numerous blogs about the christening gown and the beautiful dresses and gowns for this angel from God. Yes, in the south boys do wear day gowns for at least six months, and move into smocked or french hand sewn ensembles, haha. Oh, and by the way, we also like to stick a few magnolia leaves in the background if pictures are being made.Oh--Ok Ok--enough for this blog.

Have a great day and enjoy!
Teresa

Unbelievable: Jackie VonTobel

I can't contain my excitement: Jackie VonTobel (of Jackie VonTobel Home ) just launched her new fabric line & online store today!!!!! You HAVE to check it out -oh my gosh her things are SO BEAUTIFUL!! http://www.jackievontobel.com/



Her designs are too pretty for words... But I'll try of course! ;)




Everything is so fresh & energetic& happy!!!:
Lots of them are whimsical takes on the classics: enlarged florals & toile-like patterns (The design below is just perfection... It reminds me of a modern version of one of my Grandma's plates... Oh how I need it!)...



...chinoiserie in unexpected colors...



beautiful peacocks, huge paisleys with an enormous amount of white space ...



...Cheerful graphic patterns that are still curvy enough to be super-pretty. (Sometimes graphic patterns can be a bit too much for me & feel a bit trendy but not these!)



I could seriously find a spot for every one of her fabrics & pillows in my house. (I would love a closet full of her pillows to switch in & out seasonally. Just one of these would make a room!) You can choose to go with organic cotton or eco-friendly linen, depending upon the look & feel you're after.


She uses so many different color palettes & here are images of just a few:

.... had to share the greens & grays of course!!! But this blue too (below) - oh my goodness!!!

Anyway, you've got to check it out!! I am in love and cannot wait to use some of these for projects!!!

xoxo,

lauren

all images from jackievontobel.com

Forcing Paperwhites/ Narcissus Bulbs

Paperwhites or narcissus are named after the mythological character Narcissus. There a few different versions of the myth of Narcissus (some including the nymph Echo & a curse) but most end with the haughty handsome boy falling in love with his own reflection in a pond and staying there loving himself until the day he dies. (hence the term "narcissist.")

A narcissus flower is said to have bloomed in the spot after his death.

Every Winter I think about forcing paperwhite bulbs. I just love the idea of having fresh flowers all winter & of course the small is insanely good. (I tried it one year but they don't do very well when you don't water them.) But THIS year, I'm doing it. I want that smell and I want those beautiful little white fowers all over my house. A neighbor of mine forces amaryllis & other bulbs as Christmas gifts & I think it's just a perfect idea. She times them so they're in bloom when she gives them.

I'm going to give them to all of the people in my life who love themselves too much as a hint for them to change their narcissistic attitudes- it's about time! (hahahah no, totally kidding... I'll give them to the people I love too much ;)

If you're anything like me & often a little short on time (and you're giving it to someone who you think might enjoy a mini-project & the waiting & watching for blooming bulbs) then you could also make them a pretty bulb-forcing kit with all of the ingredients needed: beautiful container, stones/gravel/etc., a bulb, and directions. How perfect are these paperwhites in julep cups (real simple mag) below?!

I'm loving them on this Christmas mantle (below, Martha Stewart):

And look at this huge trough on a kitchen island from here :

And pretty much anything in an urn is gorgeous to me (image below from tickingandtoile.com):

I'm loving the wild-vintage look in the photo below (from the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information center). Clear glass vases are easy to come by (in fact, pilsner glasses from a place like Ikea would be really beautiful & affordable) and I love seeing the root systems. A very raw/ natural look:

There are so many different options for planting. One of my favorites (and I cannot find the photo I'm looking for- arg!!) is to use vintage tea cups. Oney teacups are so inexpensive at flea markets & thrift stores and would make a beautiful gift. Check out this gorgeous metal (can't tell if it's copper or something else from the pic, gardensnob.com) pot below:

And they look perfectly simple in even just a plain white pot (uniquegardens.net):

Here's a quick How-To for forcing paperwhites:

( I got the information from an article on about.com with photos by Kerry Michaels)

1. Pick your container: If it's tall, you won't need to stake the paperwhites when they eventually bloom, but if it isn't, be prepared to have stakes, chopsticks, etc.

2. Add 2-4 inches of stones, pebbles, gravel, anything non-porous to your container. (This keeps the bulbs in place & out of the water.. you just want the roots in the water.)

3. Add the bulbs. If you're doing multiple bulbs , make sure they're all at the same level & nestled into place so you can keep the roots (not bulbs under water- bulbs will rot)

4. Water & Alcohol:

***UPDATE*** I've gotten lots of great emails & comments from readers who've grown narcissus themselves and they mention adding alcohol to the water to keep the plants from becoming too leggy. They say to just use water until the first sign of a green shoot arrives and then use approx 1 part alcohol to 10 parts water or 4-6% from that point on. (There are lots of different ratios floating around out there for how much alcohol to use & the article I read said no more than 10%.)

4. They do best in a cool spot out of direct sunlight for a couple of weeks. After they root, put them in a bright warm spot to speed up flowering. (The author of the article says she just keeps them on her kitchen countr the whole time.) Once they bloom (4-6 weeks after planting) you might need to stake them with something to keep them from falling over.

The year I tried forcing paperwhites, I used a faux conch shell. I saw this article from Cottage Living (below) and just had to make one! The problem (for me) was that because it was a faux conch shell, there wasn't much room for water and so it needed daily waterings and sadly, the love just wasn't there. The bulb never actually died but it had the tiniest nub of a shoot for 3-4 months and then it was Springtime and I gave up. But I think it would work beautifully in a real conch shell like the article recommended.

Here are a few inexpensive sources I found & thought I'd share with you:

For a vase similar to the one in the image above, try here (2 for $8.98)

Buy (already started/ forced?- It was hard to tell) bulbs here: $16.95 for $25

And here there's a deal with 30 for $19.95 and 15 for $10.95

I'd also heard that Walmart has them but don't have one near me...

SO, I'm going to give it a go this year & of course I'll take pics & show you how it goes when they bloom. I'm very impatient with these sorts of things but I'm going to try my best to water the bulbs this time!! (Image below from Country Living) I want these flowers!!!

xoxo,

lauren

image #1- whiteflowerfarm.com, image 3- greayer.com

Onyx Black Modern Bathroom Furniture Collection

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Beautiful Design French Country House

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Residence in New Delhi, India

picture source

Being an Indian blog, we would adulation to see added of area this came from! Indian architectural close Morphognesis delights us with this beauteous abode in New Delhi, India.

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Unique House Design in Landscape

Unique House Design in Landscape

Unique House Design in Landscape Kitchen

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Outdoor Lighting Designs-Modern Outdoor Furniture

Outdoor Lighting Designs-Modern Outdoor Furniture

Outdoor Lighting Designs-Modern Outdoor Furniture

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