shaded pendants

I love shaded pendants. For some reason, I've always been drawn to them, and I think they make these rooms come alive. They are casual and chic at the same time, and these rooms inspire me to ditch the fan in our den, and add a big drum shade!

{photo credits} house beautiful, phoebe howard, suzanne kasler, coastal living, southern living, restoration hardware

Wednesday Words of Wisdom

So very true.

It doesn't matter what you know (let alone who you know), if you don't have passion.

Hadley Designs giveaway!

I'm doing a giveaway for a free set of personalized stationery. The winner will get to choose a font, color and motif, and will receive a set of 48 personalized cards and 48 matching envelopes for free! Become a follower, and you will be in the running. I'm going to draw the winner's name two weeks from today, so you have until April 12 to be eligible to win!

This is a wonderful way for me to thank my fans and regular readers. Thanks again for your support — I truly appreciate it.

Our Herb Garden

I planted our herb garden last weekend. Here are some pics, and I hope to do a follow-up post showing the rapid growth!:) We were very lucky because these garden boxes were here when we moved into our house...

Below is a picture of last year's herb garden in May, so hopefully everything will grow at the same pace! We love cooking with fresh herbs — it makes everything taste so much better!

I learned some things after last year, and I only planted my favorite herbs this year. So goodbye dill, arugula and cilantro... and hello again, basil, sage, rosemary, parsley, oregano, chives and mint...

parsley...

rosemary...

oregano made it through the entire year!

onion chives...

 
and of course, mint...

Yesterday we also planted a rose bush. I bought this at Sam's (the lady next to me swore by these bulbs, so I thought I'd give it a try!) Since I'm always buying roses (Fresh Market is too tempting for me),  I've been wanting to plant a rose bush for a while now. How wonderful would it be to just go outside and pick beautiful roses?

We planted the bulbs in a spot behind the house that gets lots of sun. Here's what it looks like as of now...

and here's how we hope it to look eventually...

We shall see...

Happy Monday everyone! xoxo

Springtime= Trina Turk

Trina Turk was one of the first designers I fell in love with.

Nothing says springtime like bright colors! And, I can't think of bright colors, and not think of Trina Turk and her bold, colorful patterns. These pictures make me want to go sit by the pool with an adult beverage in hand! Trina has drawn constant inspiration from the cocktail party and poolside lifestyle of the desert. Love. Love. Love...

 perfect outdoor pillows for spring and summer!

 love her new bedding collections!

Trina...my hats off to you! Thanks for your inspiring designs!

Wednesday Words of Wisdom

Okay. I can't say I found this quote on my own. I saw it on Sarah Beth Turner Photography's website. I became so enamored by her pics of this couple, that I literally sat there and stared....and drooled. Ok, is this girl not the most beautiful girl you've ever seen? I mean. Who would look that fabulous in a gray tshirt and KNEE length cut-offs?? Wow. They are adorable. I know my close friend Louise is good friends with her so I've heard she's awesome...maybe that's why I'm in awe... Anyways, love this quote, and I too hope to use up every ounce of my talent and gifts on this earth...