The kids are back to school and there is a crisp chill in the air. It’s the season for reuniting with warm drinks and comfort foods. These Butterfly Tea Bags are a novel way of enjoying your tea, especially with a friend. If you have young children in your life, these also make a fun […]
Living
(1.) For 130 years, Ward Clapboard Mill has been a major presence in the New England timber industry. Still owned by the Ward family, the company produces beautifully crafted quarter-sawn vertical-grain clapboard (prices begin at 92¢ per linear foot for the popular 6-inch extra-clear clapboards) from locally sourced timber at the firm’s mills in Moretown, […]
As August comes to an end I realize I have spent the summer enjoying the beautiful weather and thus ignoring the state of our house (where did all this clutter come from?). I am now slowly, but surely, coming back to reality that I need to get more organized. Making a drawer knob shelf — […]
Gardens
Lily Pads
The Paper Goods Pond in Berlin, CT, is so smooth, glass like. Just before the waterfall, there are bunches of these gorgeous lily pads. The contrasting bright pink flower was amazing- definitely photo worthy!
An enormous “O” hangs in Jeff Soderbergh’s backyard, dangling from a cherry tree like a giant earring. He eases inside the hand-forged wagon wheel, fitting himself to its iron contours. Who could have guessed, back in the early 1800s when it was first wrought in Pennsylvania, that this utilitarian hoop would achieve a life […]
How To
Design Your Own Lampshade
I have often wondered if a rumor in the crafting world were true– that it’s simple to create your own lampshade with a few simple craft supplies. Typically I favor crafts that use recycled materials but I came across this inexpensive lamp last week and decided I would finally give this project a try. And […]
Gardens
Lupine Beauty
These are some Lupines growing by a split rail fence in Fairfield Center Maine
Gardens
Vermont Daylillies
The weather has been so glorious lately and my thoughts are turning to the beautiful corner of northern Vermont where my gardening imagination is fed. In real life, I have a small backyard and we live with in blocks of the Boston city line, but I like to imagine that I can create a slice […]
I just returned from a short vacation in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. My son and I went camping in a caboose, searched for waterfalls, hiked trails in the woods, and visited a couple state parks. We also collected a plethora of brochures and maps along the way. As I unpacked from the trip, […]
Learn how a Maine couple added a budget DIY screened-in porch to their new home without subtracting too much from their wallet.
It couldn’t be more Vermont if you poured maple syrup over it: the winding dirt road, arching shade trees, fields sloping right and left, shaggy apple orchard, and finally, of course, the bent-over red barn, faded to a rosy blush. Midsummer afternoon in the hills of Putney, the light sharpens and spreads out, insects hum, […]
It’s flower season in New England — daisies, lilies, petunias, zinnias, and other brightly colored flowers are blooming in every corner of the region. If you don’t have a flower garden of your own, farmer’s markets are bustling with flower vendors. Road side stands also offer charming bouquets for reasonable prices. As much as I love […]