Technical difficulties...and summer gardens

This week I was hoping to blog on my afternoon in Concord, MA and the lovely stores there.  However, my laptop (which has all my photos) has been acting up ever since my 6 year old  was using my computer while eating a drippy, sticky popsicle...Ugh!  So until I get it up and running again (hopefully soon!), here are some garden photos to inspire you.

I love climbing roses.  I have them on my backyard fence and pergola.  Cut back spent blooms to encourage new flowers.

Garden accents can add height and interest to your garden beds...
 
Above, beautiful hydrangea and phlox stand together.
Below, while adding color to a shade garden can often be challenging, focus on texture and different colors/shades of leaves to make your shady spot interesting.



What's blooming in your garden?
Let me know in the comments below.

Let Summerland Homes & Gardens help you transform your gardens.  Contact us  for details.

All photos are from my Pinterest boards.

I'm dreaming of a white kitchen

I love white kitchens.  If you take a look at my "Kitchens" page on Pinterest, you 'll see what I mean.  I'm drawn to these light, airy and classic spaces...and can't get enough!  I spend so much time in our kitchen (sometimes I feel like I can never get out!), and find myself trying to invision what our wood cabinets would look like if I painted them.  After looking at these inspiring spaces, I may finally tackle that project this year. 


A farmhouse sink is a must!

A tile backsplash...


Natural wood floors to warm up the space...

Some blue accents...

 
Pretty white dishes on display...
Perhaps some gray cabinets mixed in...


And a few more...




Do you love white kitchens?  I'd love to know what you think!  Please feel free to leave a comment or question in the comment section of this post.

Happy Friday!  Enjoy the weekend!

All photos were taken from my Pinterest page.

France & Italy Trip

Hello friends!  Sorry for the long absence, but I just returned home last week from a month long adventure in France and Italy.  I was hoping to post while over there, but between the unreliable Wi-Fi (Wiff – Ee as they call it there) and our busy schedule, that didn’t happen.  So I’ve got some catching up to do!  With over 1000 photos to sort through, its going to take me a while to get them organized, but here are a few to give you an overview of where we were.  I was inspired daily by the architecture, the colors, the gardens, the landscape, the food, and the people.

 We started our trip on the southern coast of France, flying into Nice and spending five days there.  We explored the surrounding towns, and cheered my sister on as she competed in the IRONMAN Triathlon.

 

 

 

My sister Rowena and her Tri buddy Zach.

From Nice we drove to Cinque Terre, Italy and spent the week exploring the towns along the Italian Riviera…enjoying the villages, swimming and hiking.

 

 Next stop was Lake Annacy, a turquoise blue lake in the French Alps.  We enjoyed the cooler weather in the mountains while hiking, biking and sightseeing.

 

 

 From there we drove four hours to Gordes, in the heart of Provence.  Each day we would head out to a different town, finding hidden gems along the way.
 

After a week in Provence, Ryan and I took the train to Paris, while my daughter, mom and sister flew to Holland.  We spent 2 days in Paris, and were there for “le 14 juillet” (Bastille Day), their national holiday commemorating the beginning of the French Revolution.

I will be posting more photos of our trip in the coming weeks!