At the start of summer I like to head to an art supply store and pick out a spiral bound sketch book. Throughout the summer I bring this book with me on hikes, road trips, and other adventures. If there’s an available moment, I draw doodles, stick figures, and even sketches of things I have […]
Living
Roses belong to an enormous family called Rosaceae, encompassing thousands of plant species from apples to strawberries. Here are a few hardy-rose suggestions: Canadian Explorer Series (Zones 2–7): Developed in Ottawa at Agriculture Canada’s Central Experiment Station; exceptionally hardy roses bred from rugged parents with spectacular results. Vigorous climbers and shrubs; primarily red or pink; […]
How To
DIY Repurposed Memo Books
Have you ever spent time at a lakeside or mountain camp with friends and family? It is one of my favorite New England traditions. One thing I have always loved about “camp” is exploring the magazines, puzzles and games that have been used through the generations. I love finding handwritten scoreboards from previous visits, discovering […]
Built on the banks of the Mystic River in 1791, the historic Captain George Eldredge House is finally available … There are many wonderful restaurants in Mystic, Connecticut. On the night we visited a few months ago, however, we chose one called The S & P Oyster Company, simply because it’s located right on the […]
Homes
Tips for Displaying Art
“Art doesn’t need to be priceless or exotic to create warmth and personality. It just has to be meaningful,” designer Kevin O’Brien says. Here are his tips for displaying it with style: Try displaying many pieces of artwork in similar frames and mats and hanging them together as a collection. This is a gallery trick; […]
A Providence designer turned a tiny, dilapidated 1800s house into a nautically inspired New England haven.
Gardens
Build a Rock Garden in a Day
A rock garden is a striking architectural feature, and if you think small scale, it’s easy to build a one in a day. This gardening project can be as simple as grouping a clump of large boulders together or stacking a small tiered rock wall – both of which will leave a lasting impression and […]
Gardens
Gardening Superstitions
Folklore and superstitions have swirled around gardening for years and go well beyond lucky four-leaf clovers or moon-phase planting. Gardening superstitions have been passed down through generations orally, tidbits of advice rumored to bring good luck — or ward off bad — to crops and home. While some may have origins seeded in truth, others evolved […]
Gardens
SLIDE SHOW: Spring Flowers
Spring is well on its way here in New England. As the snow melts there is nothing more exciting than the first tulip bulbs that burst forth to greet us; even the skunk cabbage is a welcome sign of the changing seasons. To celebrate the beginning of another rebirth, here are 25 user-submitted images of […]
When Dan Thibeault moved into his second-floor condominium in a rehabbed 1830s-era mill building in Peterborough, New Hampshire, he didn’t let a little thing like lack of ground space get in the way of creating a garden area. Thibeault, a chef and painter, set his sights on transforming a “boring” long-and-narrow rooftop section just off […]
History
Fruitlands | Local Treasure
A visit to Fruitlands begins with the view. Perched at the top of Prospect Hill in Harvard, Massachusetts, it’s impossible to resist the miles-wide, postcard-perfect rolling landscape below along the Nashua River. “When people drive in, you can see it on their faces,” says the museum’s marketing manager, Mary Delaney. “Even for us, it’s a […]
How To
Make Inspiration Tags
Inspiration Tags are small tags created from cardboard, or repurposed from countertop samples, that you decoupage with words and pictures that inspire you. The tags can be strung along a garland or ribbon, a stick, or in this example, a pickle fork (I love discovering new ways to display items and repurpose household goods). You […]