Wednesday, April 14, 2010

~C & R book winner & the project I wasn't looking for~




There's a gorgeous blue sky today.....

in the middle of a VERY rainy & dreary spring
here in the Pac NW....

it's amazing what a little sunshine can do for
your soul? 


I thought it very fitting to post this picture....

it's from the garden of...

the winner....


of...



Christina Strutt's new book

"At Home With Country"


The lucky winner is Carla
from




these are all shots from her beautiful garden....


I'm waiting patiently for my lilacs to bloom....
you can almost smell them from here huh?


aren't cherry trees just divine?
their blooms are just beautiful...


It looks like she's quite the gardener....

if you have a minute, go over & check out her
lovely site...

Congratulations Carla!

I'm sure you will thoroughly enjoy your new book!


Christina also left a comment for
me on the post!  I thought you would like
to read what she said!

Dearest Shellagh,
thank you for lovely interview and thank you to all the heavenly people who have made such lovely comments.

Kate and I are coming to New York in May and our lovely PR Suzie at Branding inc might be able to organise a book signing - we will keep you posted on our blog.

xx christina

Is she the sweetest? I love how she says
"Dearest Shellagh" ...reminds me of
Emma Thompson in
Sense & Sensibility...

and of course you are ALL the
heavenly people she referred too!

She's right! You guys are the best!

now I know I'm risking
a very lengthy post.....

but you might be wondering
what I'm up to now......

well.....the stairs...

we have gone back & forth on finishing the
stairs ourselves....or hiring it out...


this is similar to what we want
but maybe painting the steps a light grey

all the trimwork is what we think
we will struggle with....not being
finish carpenters ya know....

Oh Yeah....I almost forgot
about another "fall in your lap"
kind of project....

you know, like the free boxwoods off craiglist?

well, our neighbor just told me she wants
to get rid of 14 good sized arborvitae!

and we really need a hedge across our back fence
to block {what once was a horse pasture
& is now a paving company..long story for another day....argh}
an unsightly view....

hence, "the project I wasn't looking for"
am I crazy?  no...... don't answer that! ;)

Mr. T & T wants to do it...
especially after looking at buying a bunch
at Costco @ $17 a piece.....

we will probably be digging (big ol') holes....
and doing some transplanting....
this weekend.....

rent a back hoe?
maybe.....


and

I got to meet up with

for a very fun day of shopping at my favorite
antique store in Portland, "Monticello"

Kathleen does the wonderful "white wednesdays"
each week, and what an eye that girl has!!
&
 Kim has a very cute blog & etsy store
and also can spot a 2die4 item 50 yards away! ;)

we had a great time ~ I love meeting new friends

well I could go on & on but I know
you need to keep blog hoppin'
so I will see you next time!


xoxo,



Shellagh







30 comments:

Auntie Cake said...

Good luck with your latest project! Sounds like the perfect solution to your ugly neighbors though! Wish I could help you! Okay, those holes sound rather large... Just pretend I am there, cheering you on, and serving you a big glass of lemonade while you are digging!

And congrats to your winner! And sounds like you and Kathleen had a great day! Remember that when you are digging those holes!!
Kate

Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage said...

I hope the sun stays awhile so you can get your new gardening project complete. Happy planting :)

Your idea for the stairs sounds really lovely!

CosmoGirl Carla said...

Oh my, Shellagh!!! I am so honored to have won this wonderful book! Thank you so much for the opportunity to win. I'm truly not a very "lucky" person.

I must add I'm equally honored and humbled that you posted some of my garden snaps here at your blog. (it's a good thing I got those white sheets nice and clean: ;o)

I'll email you straight away with my addy.

We did our steps a while ago. Although they didn't come out at all professional-looking, I'm glad we did it. No more nasty carpet! They could look a little more finished, and we may work on that a bit . . . someday . . . !

How you can you pass up free shrubs? Even though it's going to be a job, sounds like you'll be glad you did it in the end. I would say definitely rent something to help you out - back hoe, or power auger, something.

Thanks again and have a fantastic day!
Carla

BellaRosa said...

Shellagh amor, I had already congratulated Carla on her beautiful win, I was visiting her blog and I commented right after you :) I am so happy for her, she is a love :) I can't wait to see how your stairs turn out, we need to redo ours too...1 more thing on our never ending list of todo's on our old home :) Your new project sounds like a lot of work, but one that I bet you will end up loving the results! Have a beautiful week! Besos, Rose

Tricia said...

You are just too cute with your 'going on and on'....love it! Congrats to Carla, she is one lucky lady with a gorgeous garden.

Beach House Living said...

Congratulations Carla. Good luck with that transplanting!

Anonymous said...

Another gorgeous post, Shellagh! Congratulations to Carla - her photos are fabulous. I adore C&R, and now that you've done the interview, I can see why - Christina is wonderful!!!
Love your stariwell inspiration pic, and very cool fall-in-your-lap surprise!
The projects are starting to mount up here as well - come on warmer weather! :)
Wishing you a very happy day,
Zuzu

di bianco e d'azzurro said...

Congratulations to Carla!!!
Have a good evening!!! Annamaria

Hearts Turned said...

What a lovely post, Shellagh! Beautiful things are never too long! What lovely garden views you shared--my lilacs are just beginning to bloom--heavenly!

Hope you're having a wonderful day!

Alison Agnew said...

What a lovely garden! I'm waiting not-so-patiently for my own lilacs to bloom.

Free shrubs are wonderful...but there's always a little cost to pay, huh? Just think how great your garden will look when the labor's done.

And I have a similar dilemma with my own staircase...just cannot decide what to do. I'm leaning toward black, but not sure if I have the courage. I'll be checking back to see what you come up with!

Alison

Privet and Holly said...

Oh, I will have to remember Monticello for my next visit home to the Pacific NW! Sounds like a lovely outing. Your hedge will be wonderful....but the work.....yikes! But, you can't look a gift arborvitae in the mouth, right?!
Loved your interview with Christina and I promptly got on Amazon and ordered the book ~ can't wait for it to show up on my doorstep! xx P&H

tara said...

Hi Shellagh, looks like you and I are on the same wave length, we are talking about doing stiar skirting in our home too...I give you a huge round of applause if you do that yourself...so much work!! but looks so pretty!! Good luck and what a wonderful score from your neighbors! :)

It's me said...

Congratulations to Carla..


Have a good evening..hugs from me......

Brenda Pruitt said...

Congrats to the lucky winner! I'm a gardener, so I know just how much these mean to you.
Brenda

AuroraSuzette said...

Congrats to Carla. Her garden is gorgeous. Love your 'free' hedge you'll be planting. What luck!

Rust: Vintage Inspired Design said...

That stair case is to die for....I think I will have to get busy collecting more old mirrors!
Happy day!
xojanis

Blondie's Journal said...

Dearest Shellagh!! I love it! Congrats to Carla! Yay!! I may still buy the book.

I think your idea for the stairs sounds great and your solution to your privacy problem. I wouldn't want to be the one digging the holes!

How nice to have some time out and about with other bloggers. Hope you had a great time!!

xoxo
Jane

DustyLu said...

Congrats to Carla! Wow! Beautiful garden. I love the choice for the staircase! ~lulu

Julie@beingRUBY said...

Congratulations to Carla.. lucky girl.. and what a beautiful garden she has... good luck with your project!!

Shabby Vintage Junk said...

Hello Shellagh....Sounds like a BIG project...Don't over do it with the digging...You might end up down here....hahahaha...!!

CONGRATULATIONS to Carla on TWO fronts....Your lucky win AND your LOVELY garden....!!

Cheers,
Tamarah :o)

Debra@CommonGround said...

Congrats to Carla, I'm going to try and find the book. It looks just like what I love, I've seen an article or two on Christina and I DO love her style. Don't overdo it on the projects, all that planting can really be work!
hugs,
Debra

WhiteWhispers2u said...

Congrats Carla Enjoy! Girl you do like a serious project don't you.Free is a great deal! Happy digging..................

Thank you for inviting me along to Monticello, even though I was only half there I had a great time.We all found some awesome items.~Cheers Kim

Unknown said...

Congrats on the giveaway winner, Shellagh! What a lovely book, she's lucky! And I wish that more things like boxwoods and plants would fall into my lap, the only thing my neighbors are ever giving away is garbage bags full of rotting leaves, lol!

Alicia ~ time worn style said...

Congrats to Carla :0) Looks like I will have to buy a copy of that book, after reading your interview I think it is going to be fabulous. It was a terrific interview too, not sure if I mentioned that in an earlier post, great reading!
Alicia

Leslie {Goodbye, house. Hello, home!} said...

Congratulations, CARLA!!
And congratulations to you, Shellagh, that you get to play in the dirt all weekend!

One of my favorite Spring sayings is:
~~~In the Spring,
at the end of the day,
one should smell like dirt!~~~

Cindy said...

Congrats to the winner, she will enjoy the book so much, I'm sure. I will need to purchase that book, it is divine. Thank you for the chance to win it.
You will do a great job on your stairs! I can't wait to see them.
Sounds like you will have a busy weekend, I'm glad the sun has finally come out for all of you. My daughter lives in the NorthWest also.

Hugs, Cindy S

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to Carla :)
What a lucky gal!

Unknown said...

Montincello is my fav antique store in Portland! I lived in Portland for 9 years and miss it - every chance I get back there I make sure I get to Monticello! Enjoy your day!
Jill

Faded Plains said...

Your sound a lot like me...full of ideas...and projects. Love you stair inspiration...our stairs look a lot like that...except they're the original wood...I'd love to make them look like that...but I don't know if I have the heart to paint 120 year old stairs.

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