I have a weird fixation with pets. I love animals, and it has always been my fantasy to have a menagerie of critters that follow me around and love me. I was probably indoctrinated with this idea by watching Cinderella one too many times as a child. Growing up I had (not all at the same time) [...]
Last weekend I measured and mapped our front yard. It took forever, but I really needed to do it. My planting up to this point has been almost completely random, so my gardens are chaotic eclectic. I want to do some rearranging. First, I stood outside and tried to plan all the changes in my head. I stared [...]
I’m always drawn to interiors that feature maps. It’s partly that I love the way maps look and partly that I find traveling to be both incredibly thrilling and terrifying (the good, push-me-out-of-my-comfort-zone kind of terrifying). Seeing a gorgeous room with great map on the wall gives me goose bumps. Did anyone else see Jenny [...]
Lately all I’ve been doing is working in the garden and shipping Mother’s Day orders. Speaking of which, thank you for the tremendous support! There are going to be lots of happy (or possibly horrified) mothers out there when they receive their Wit & Whistle cards next weekend! Taking breaks from filling orders to dig [...]
Back in February West Elm posted an interview with Justina Blakeney. She mentioned that she was obsessed with a book called A House and Garden Book: Decorating with Plants by Marybeth Little Weston from 1978. Naturally I wanted to check it out, since I have a thing for houseplants. It’s no longer in print, but lucky [...]
As a cool weather lover I do a lot of whining when warm weather rolls back around. The spring allergies, the heat, the humidity, the sweating, the mosquitos, I miss my boots, Christmas is so far away, wahhh… But, a visit to the garden shop makes me forget all my warm weather woes! My favorite shop [...]
Daniel and I got married right after we graduated college. We were broke and had no furniture. Daniel’s dresser was a plastic storage bin with drawers, and my clothes were stacked in laundry baskets in the corner. Thanks to some generous wedding gifts, we were able to get a bedroom set. We found one for a [...]
I rearranged the mantel a bit. Not a major change—just enough to keep things from feeling stagnant around here. I decided to move my dirt collection to the mantel since I love it, and it was previously tucked away in the guest room. I also wanted to display the burned horsehair vase Daniel got me [...]
When I was a little girl my dad taught me that spring was on its way when the hepaticas bloomed, because hepatica meant “bringer of spring” in Cherokee. More recently I found out that he made up that bit of trivia, but for years I remember digging down in the dry leaves each winter looking [...]
Over the past few years I’ve been trying to gradually mix a few mid-century modern pieces into our living room. My birthday present came a few days early, and I think it’s the missing piece. Just look at those sleek flared legs and beautiful button tufts! It’s one of those classic pieces that will last [...]