Work and out-of-town weekends have prevented me from finishing most of my projects, lately, but I was reminded of this post on the Crafts Dept. Blog at Martha Stewart when I came upon this little courtyard outside of the new Comcast Center, today. These flowers were so neat, and so big! I tried to take pictures with my new iPhone, but it didn't do them justice.

Gardening, Part Deux

As the house comes together, and the veggies in the backyard have started to grow (thanks to a week's worth of rain!), my husband and I have been able to turn our attention to decorating our front walk and the back yard with flowers...beautiful, beautiful flowers!

We are lucky to live just a few blocks from the wonderful and always-evolving Greensgrow. When we first moved here, Greensgrow was a new venture that had taken over a former-superfund sight to grow some hydroponic stuff and administer a CSA. They were only open a couple days a week and their selection was tiny. Today, they are a full-fledged garden center, their CSA has expanded to include a winter option, and they also have a produce market. Plus, they are open all week long. Not only is their product well-cared for (compared to the wilty, brown mess that we saw at Home Depot, today), but their staff is also extremely knowledgeable and friendly. We have decided to plant our flowers in stages this year, but it's even more exciting because I'll be able to go back to Greensgrow again and again, all summer long!

Outdoor kitty friends inspecting the new flowers out front. Oreo is on the left and Harry is on the right.

We love these galvanized tins from Home Depot. We drill holes into the bottom and presto! Large, sleek, sturdy planters!

This lovely lady is right outside the back door. You can't really tell in this picture, but she has bright purple flowers along those stalks.

One of our eggplant starters didn't make it, so we replaced it with a strawberry plant!

Our new herb garden. We have SO many of these kitty litter containers, that we decided to put them to use. We planted chives, rosemary, two types of oregano, and basil. Plus our mint crop has taken over two big containers, too!

We've had this raspberry vine for a while, but she is much happier with her new trellis!

A Laura of Anothah Mothah

This is not one of my designs, but it is the design of my good friend, Laura. She's got an amazing knack for creating centerpieces and party accessories that are simple and elegant. Her handmade centerpieces for her own wedding were made with store bought glass candle cylinders, paper, and ribbon, but they looked like a million bucks. And this arrangement, made for one of the tables at our friend's bridal shower, consists of a craft store vase, ribbon, and fresh flowers from Costco.




Laura's talents extend beyond flowers, too. She and I have fantasized about starting an event planning business, specializing in bridal/baby showers, jack and jill parties, and engagement parties. A celebratory niche, if you will. Maybe some day we'll make it happen...