Patty Van Dorin

simple works best

 a sturdy can and a rubber band

unpacking journals and sketchbooks

 
it's starting to feel more like home

arch nemesis number one

 
Is it the engine noise of the truck or the brown color scheme?
Whatever it is Ralph the Dog detests UPS.
It makes him insane, foaming at the mouth crazy.
Just UPS, not FedEx, not USPS, not any other carrier.

This sun room is going to be my first project. I am thinking a white on white color palette since it gets so much light.
Right now I am leaning towards a pale grey white something on the cool white side.

Do you have a favorite white?

do you garden?

For every house, I keep a garden journal.
The garden journal is started on my first day in the house.
You see, I love to garden and I love to journal.
 
I have been doing this for years.
A simple composition notebook is the type of book I use for my journal.
Using the same type of book makes for a nice orderly shelf of garden journals.
Every year, a new notebook and every house that I have lived in has a notebook, full of gardening memories.
 
When I first move into a house, I will take quite a few pictures and that is where I start with the garden journal.
This is not a fancy journal or scrapbook.
 
In my garden journal on the first of every month, I will take at least two pictures of the front yard and two pictures of the back and date the pages.
It is nice to see the progress made in gardening.
 
My new place offers lots of opportunity for documenting progress.
Let's just say the previous owners left tons of junk treasures and were not interested in yard work.
 
But there is potential here and many happy years of gardening.

 
This type of journal is a perfect place to make brief notes, tags from plants, jotting of what you were doing and what is working in the garden. A place to make notes of favorite plants and things to try.
I also will paste on the back pages of the notebook, pictures and inspiration for ideas that I may want to try.
If you like to garden, a garden journal may just become a favorite. Something to look back through over the years.

As I continue to work on my little beach cottage, I will post pictures of my garden journal.

this makes me happy

 
Yes, it is just a mailbox but it is the mailbox I put up by myself. It is strudy, opens and closes and I didn't hurt myself during this project.

This makes me happy.

Siam Tulips

 
My favorite flower this year is hands down the Siam Tulip. 
Curcuma alismatifolia
I broke a couple of blooms when pruning a tree and thought it was the perfect opportunity to bring some color inside. 

These babies knock themselves out with continous flowering.

lemon yellow and soft lilac

 

Passiflora

 

the owl with googly eyes

 
Hi

السلام عليكم

reunited

 
With each box that I have unpacked, I am finding treasures that have been stashed away for what seems like years.