From my personal textile collection…a rosy antique toile from Petitpierre…earlier post about rosy colored toile here. As you probably know by now, I favor 18th or early 19th floral textiles…particularly those with some added texture: embroidery, brocade, hand quilted. Wendy Lewis (Loody Lady) of the Textile Trunk here has a huge antique toile selection. Morgaine-la-Fay is the nom de plume of a UK textile dealer who sells on Ebay here as well and blogs here. The toile pieces above are from another UK textile dealer Sallie Ead who has a large collection of toile and early chintz and sells on Ebay UK here. I love how all three sources sell groups of smaller pieces that can be used for projects. Smaller, less perfect makes them easier to cut!  If you search Wendy’s listings by “project” you’ll get these wonderful, inspired grouping here. Though at heart I’m into neutrals…I love the deft mix of color and form! 

I’m moving a bit closer in my thought process to a garden project that will be started in a few weeks. The start is figured out…it’s the end that I’m not quite sure of! I’ll be sharing a few favorite inspirations and more of my plans in the next few posts. One of my long time favorites is local San Francisco Bay Area garden designer Scott Colombo (photo from one of his garden’s above). Elle Decor has more wonderful photos of his work here

A plateful of some of my best blooms from last year…all antique Bourbon shrub roses. March is the time to start feeding our roses out here in Northern California. One of my favorite “Rose Diets” is Rayford Reddell’s here…though I improvise with Maxsea Seawead plant food here, occasionally alfalfa pellets, love “Walt Whitman” compost from American Soil Products here. I rarely (if ever) use insecticides or fungal sprays. I give my roses as much sun, fresh air (don’t overcrowd!), and good food as possible and have “pruned with a shovel” any that just seem too “precious” to thrive in my particular micro-climate! The deeper a rose’s color, the more sun it seems to crave…so I position my white roses in shadier areas. Photo below is a June glimpse of my first garden…designed over 20 years ago. Once the basic structure is in place for your garden…it just seems to age so beautifully!

If you’re not a compost and alfalfa sort of a gal….if Paris in the Spring is more your thing….there’s still room in Jermaine’s French Kissed May Paris Shopping Party here and great photos on her Paris Shopping Give Away here

Maryanne at Beadboard UpCountry also has a great post about both Jermaine’s tour, and Kit of Chic Provence‘s Provence tour Going to France in Two Styles here. Beautiful photos from both ladies! Hope I’ve given you enough links to keep you busy!