Oh So Beautiful Paper

It’s been a few weeks since we moved to our new house, and although we’re still not completely unpacked I have lots of house-related things on the brain as I dream about all the updates and improvements I’d love to make to our home. I hope you won’t mind if I share some of my thoughts with you from time to time? And since spring has firmly arrived here in DC, I thought I’d start with my plans for our outdoor spaces!

1. Patio; 2. Rain Spout Trellis; 3. Foundation Garden; 4. Foundation Garden; 5. Camellias; 6. Herb Garden

Outdoor space wasn’t a high priority when we first started looking for houses, but somehow ended up with a house with a bit of green space in both the front and back! Our back yard is more of a patio with a large area of paver stones and a smaller space for planting, but it should be more than enough for my limited gardening skills. We’re planning to fill our space with some of our favorite flowers and shrubs, including lilacs, English garden roses, peonies, and hellebores. I’m also hoping to train a few vines (I’m thinking jasmine and clematis) around the yard and perhaps even create some narrow raised beds for herbs and select veggies along the fence. My goal is to create a colorful and fragrant little oasis for eating and grilling outdoors during warm weather months.

TOP ROW: Roses, Peonies, Lilacs

BOTTOM ROW: Phlox, Jasmine, Hellebores

In our front yard, the previous owners left us a mystery rosebush (I can’t wait to see what color blooms emerge soon!) against the foundation and some wonderfully fragrant lavender closer to the sidewalk, but there are some bare patches to fill. The front yard receives lots of direct sunlight in the morning, so I’m thinking of doing pretty spring-blooming phlox next to the lavender and a colorful foundation garden under the mystery roses. The yard in front of our old apartment was completely shaded by a giant old maple tree, so I’m excited to have a full sun area to dig into!

Are any of you planning new garden projects for spring?

I’ve always tried to make my rental apartments as home-like as possible, but now that I’m preparing to purchase our very first home I’m stepping into a whole new realm of decisions and possibilities. I can’t wait to invest in a few things to really make it our own! I’m also loving the sentiment behind these prints from the ladies of Curious & Co. – a perfect reminder for what really makes a house a home.

 

 

 

Available at Curious & Co.!

p.s. Curious & Co. is offering Oh So Beautiful Paper readers a 10% discount to all orders orders placed by 11:59pm EST on February 28 – just enter “OSBP” at checkout!

Photo Credits: Curious & Co.

Normally Fridays are all about pretty paper artwork, but I recently came across these adorable hand painted and illustrated ceramics from Asleep From Day and couldn’t resist sharing.  I’m completely smitten with the mugs in particular, but the vases, candle holders, and platters are just as fantastic.  Here are a few of my favorites!

Check out more right here!

Photo Credits: Asleep From Day

For the final post from the January 2012 NYIGF, I’m focusing in on a few interior design exhibitors at the show.  I happily stumbled into the booth of Cose Nuove, which specializes in Scandinavian design – from eco-friendly dishtowels to textiles to mugs and votives.  So pretty!

 

 

Cose Nuove

I can never resist the bright colors and patterns at Jonathan Adler – and while it might see random, the two things that really caught my eye this year were some new fun bath towels and shower curtains!

 

 

Jonathan Adler

Designer Christen Maxwell isn’t exclusively about interior design – she creates some truly lovely tote bags and clutches – but I absolutely loved her new pillow patterns and designs.  I’m particularly smitten with the watercolor houndstooth pattern and the pillows with neon piping.

 

Christen Maxwell

Well, that’s it from the January 2012 NYIGF!  Do you have any particular favorites from the show?

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

I adore these stacking vessels – a collaboration between Pigeon Toe ceramics and illustrator Shanna Murray.  They would be so cute together as salt and pepper cellars, vessels for sauce, or even for votives.

 

Available right here.

Photo Credits: Pigeon Toe