An Architect's Garden: Conservatory

As promised last week, here is a look at the conservatory/greenhouses at "An Architect's Garden," which we visited a few weeks ago. There is a beautiful courtyard, with a pool, in front of the main door to the conservatory (shown above).

Inside, the conservatory is filled with antique furniture and gardening items. Don't you love those giant cloches (pictured above)?

And just look at those green glazed pots. Can you say "gorgeous?"

I'm thinking the small dressers on the table (above) must be furniture maker's samples. I love the beauty of these utilitarian pieces.

Just look at the brass faucet and stone farmer's sink in the potting room. Beautiful!

More casual beauty (above). Oh how I love this place! :)

And a huge antique chandelier hangs in the central room of the conservatory (above). Gorgeous!

I'm guessing that the small staircases (above) are architect's models. Wonderful and whimsical!

This is the gravel path outside the greenhouses. Don't you love the little stone tower and the purple catmint?

The conservatory and greenhouses from the back (above). I hope you have enjoyed the tours of An Architect's Garden as much as I have. If you missed the other installments, you can find them here, here and here.

Mosaic Monday: Purple Fields

This is the nature trail that opened last fall at our favorite park, Natirar. It's fun to see the change of seasons here, from the beautiful autumn colors, to the snow-lined paths, to the parade of blooms that come with summer. A few weeks ago, the field was lined with ribbons of purple thistle flowers. And the purple blooms were alive with the drone of bees, and dozens of butterflies.

It's been stinking hot here in New Jersey for the past week or so. Yes I know, hot weather in summer is not exactly news, but somehow I think the mild and rainy spring lulled me into a false sense of security. I just am not prepared for the 90+ degree days, and the awful humidity. ;)

How's the weather been in your neck of the woods?

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net.

Going Green

Don't you just LOVE green flowers? Well, maybe you don't. After all, everyone is different. But I adore green flowers! And I scored some green zinnias last week to put in the pots on my deck. In fact, now that I think of it, I posted a picture of the same green zinnias last Saturday. lol

And if I ever find my gardening bag, with the trowels in it, I'll actually plant them. lol Although at this point I'm thinking I'll just have to break down and buy a new trowel. :(

*********

Won't you please join me for Mosaic Monday? Mr. Linky will be up by 8:30 pm Eastern time, USA Sunday. I can't wait to see your mosaics! :)

An Architect's Garden: Courtyard Dining

I wanted to show you a few more images from the beautiful garden we visited a few weeks ago. "An Architect's Garden" was open to the public as part of the Garden Conservancy's Open Days program.

This view (above) is taken from a wonderful outdoor dining area, looking back toward the house. The owners have a design business, and you can see all the architectural salvage that they have incorporated into the garden design. The outdoor dining table, which you can see just a bit of in the bottom left of this view, is a huge slab of stone resting on two massive stone plinths. It must have taken a lot of muscle (or some heavy equipment) to move it there, but it makes a beautiful table.

There are many wonderful old iron gates and fences -- again architectural salvage -- which add rust and patina to this very formal boxwood garden.

I love the beautiful silver leafed tree (willow?) in the photo above, which blends with the silvery grey of the house.

There are several beautiful stone walls here as well. This one helps to enclose the dining area. Another slab of stone serves as an outdoor buffet. And a bit of decorative ironwork adds a beautiful backdrop.

In case you missed my earlier posts about this garden and house, they can be found here and here. Next week, I still have the conservatory and pool to show you. :)

I'm So Proud

Today my baby graduates from high school. I'm so proud of the person she has become -- smart and capable and kind. I know she will accomplish great things in college and beyond.

And I'm hoping she will forgive me for posting her photo. Or maybe if I'm lucky, she will not even see it. :)

Just Couldn't Resist...

I've been trying my best to stay away from the thrift store for the past few months. After all, there are only so many dishes and pieces of china and silver gravy boats and... well, you get the idea...

But every June, my favorite thrift store has a big sale before they close for the summer.

You understand, don't you? I'm afraid I just couldn't resist this little lidded cachepot (above) for $3.

And this beautiful little gilded cup (above) for 50 cents. Yes, that's right -- 50 cents! Now I just have to figure out what I will do with them. :)

Mosaic Monday: Summer at Natirar

My husband and I have been taking lots of walks at our favorite park, Natirar. It has been a wonderful spring so far, and we are beginning to see the fruits of summer appearing in the hedgerows and fields. The air is sweet with the scent of honeysuckle. There are daisies in the fields, and the berries are beginning to ripen. A beautiful stand of dame's rocket blooms at the edge of the field. The nodding heads of milk weed bow down over the edge of the stream. Summer is almost here. :)

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.
That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net.

I'm a Blah Blogger

Sorry I've been an absent blogger this week, but I had a few things on my mind, including the fact that my daughter was driving to Massachusetts this weekend. Do you remember a few weeks ago when she drove down the shore?

Anyway, I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things next week. In the meantime, I bought a few annuals for the deck containers and would you believe I cannot find my gardening bag, with the trowels and fertilizer in it? Aaaarrrgh.

*********

Yes, it's that time again... are you ready for Mosaic Monday? I hope you will join me. Mr. Linky will be up by 8:30 pm Eastern time, USA, Sunday. Hope to see you all then! :)

Vintage Nature

I haven't done a slideshow in awhile, so I thought I would offer this one to you now -- just a few images of nature, with a vintage twist. Enjoy, and have a wonderful day, dear bloggers!

Mosaic Monday: Summer Bouquet

I am late visiting all of your mosaics, late posting my own mosaic, and just... late. It's almost summer here, and as the days lengthen, I feel as though I must savor each precious moment of light... each soft color... each sweet perfume...

So forgive me, dear bloggers -- but the soft evenings call me home. :)

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.
That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net.

Just Noodling

Good morning, everyone! How are you today? It's quiet here this morning -- the kids are still abed and my husband ran into the office for awhile... so I'm noodling around in Photoshop and "wasting" time.

It's only partly sunny here this morning, and very humid. I'm thinking we will be getting some thunderstorms later this afternoon. The photo above was taken earlier in the month, and I just played with it a little bit to add the sun flares. This is what I do with my free time. Some of you knit, some of you quilt, some of you paint... I play with my camera and Photoshop. :)

Have a wonderful weekend, dear bloggers! I hope you all have some time to just noodle around. ;)

*********

Won't you please join me for Mosaic Monday this week? I always love to see what you've been up to, and what beautiful images you have to share! The new linky thingy will be up by 8:30 pm Eastern Time USA, Sunday night. Hope to see you then! :)

An Architect's Garden: Interiors

As promised, here are some interior shots from "An Architect's Garden," which we visited last weekend. We were surprised to learn that the house was open, and a little hesitant to walk into someone else's home. At first I felt strange about taking pictures, but I soon got over that. :)

I wish I could describe for you the feeling of walking into this home... the soaring ceilings, the faded leather chairs, the pieces of architectural salvage, the mirrors and prints leaning casually against a wall, the huge dried flowers arrangements... it was almost like stumbling upon a barn filled with a cache of antiques and faded flowers. Strange and wonderful and totally unique.

There were two fireplaces at either end of this great room, which had a dining table at one end (shown in the first photo) and a living area at the other end (shown above). As you can see the entire room was a treasure trove of architectural salvage and faded antiques. We later learned that the owners have a design business, and many of the pieces in the house are for sale.

Another view of the living room (above) shows the owner's wonderful collection of architectural salvage, including columns, statues, and light fixtures (bottom left of the photo above).

The garden is ever present and easily viewed from within the home because of the many windows and french doors.

The room above is a hallway that runs the width of the house, separating the great room from the kitchen. Sadly, I did not get any photos of the kitchen, but I think you can see some on the owner's design website. I'll give you a link at the end of this post.

Here is another view of the great room. I think it gives you a better idea of all the diverse treasures so casually displayed.

OK, I know some of you are going to say "hay in a garden urn as a side table?!" Perhaps not the most practical of design ideas, but somehow it just seemed perfect here... Now do you see what I meant when I said "strange and wonderful?"

I've still got some more of the garden and conservatory to show you next week. In the meantime, here is the owner's design website, Tendenze Design.

I'm linking this post to Cindy's Show & Tell Friday. Thanks so much, Cindy, for being such a gracious hostess. :)

An Architect's Garden

Welcome to An Architect's Garden, in Pottersville, NJ. This is the second of two gardens we visited over the weekend, as part of The Garden Conservancy's Open Days program.

This stunning house and garden are part of an ongoing project begun in 1992. The owners bought an eighteenth-century dairy farm on 35 acres and turned it's four barns into a uniquely beautiful home filled with architectural salvage and antiques, and surrounded by several wonderful courtyard gardens in the European style.

Don't you love the glimpse of the interior given here (above)? I was surprised to learn that the tour included the interior of the home. I'll be showing you that later in the week. Suffice it to say that it is stunning. :)

The west side of the house overlooks this fountain and water feature. The owners belong to the American Boxwood Society, and the garden features many different types of boxwood which give it a beautiful architectural quality.

Through the two open french doors of the house (above) is a great room that runs almost the entire length of the ground floor, with two gorgeous fireplaces at either end.

Yes, that is just a tease to get you to visit later in the week. lol

The steps up to the thyme garden (above) are beautiful with big clumps of hellebore on either side.

Salvaged architectural pieces are scattered throughout the house and garden, punctuating the ends of allees and leaning casually against the walls.

This is a view of the thyme garden looking toward the gravel courtyard outside the kitchen. Don't you love this beautiful olive jar (above)?

I love the mixture of formal French boxwood garden and exuberant English plantings. Just look at those huge decorative leaves in the thyme garden (above).

I'll share more of the garden and the house later in the week. In the meantime here is a link to the owner's website, Tendenze Design.

Mosaic Monday: Pondside

On Saturday, my husband and I visited two gardens that were open to the public as a part of the Garden Conservancy's Open Days program. This beautiful garden, called Pondside, was set on the banks of a small river. As the name suggests, there was a small pond on the property, as well as a beautiful terrace garden, a potager, and a lovely poolside pergola.

There were some wonderfully whimsical garden ornaments, in addition to the more classic garden statuary. The potager included roses, catmint and sweet peas, along with lettuces, tomatoes and asparagus. All surrounded, of course, by a very high deer fence. :)

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.
That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net.