Plant Invaders!

For a while, something was eating the leaves of all my flowers on the patio. I tried different natural methods to deter insects and other pests...nothing seemed to work. One day as I was watering, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye.

Caterpillar! And a big fat one too.

I couldn't help but think of Heimlich, and there was no way I could kill him. So I relocated him to another part of the yard where there are other leaves he could munch on.

By the way, my sunflower still bloomed and is now making our local bees very happy. :)

Life is full of beautiful things! xo, Mary

It's all happening

Lately it seems like inspiration is everywhere I look, and my brain is buzzing with ideas! I can't tell you how great it is after spending the first half of the year struggling to make progress and feeling pretty frustrated and unmotivated, to be honest. I'm not sure what sparked the change, but I'm really excited again about art and illustration and a whole bunch of other creative stuff too. I've been filling up pages and pages with sketches and ideas. The tough part, of course, is getting my ideas off the page and out into the world as finished projects. (That is always the struggle, but I'm working on it!) I'm doing a lot of creative experimenting and learning too, and it's been really fun!

So what does any of that have to do with pink roses? Not a thing, haha. I just thought they were pretty and wanted to share. We passed by them after sunset, when it was probably really too dark for photos (and they did come out a little overexposed), but I ended up liking them all the same.

Hope your week is awesome. xo, Mary

Old + New

Old houses and new blossoms...two of my very favorite things.

I took these photos last spring/early summer. I have lots more to share soon. xo, Mary

Today's Finds

Fauvism Midi Skirt from Anthropologie

I was browsing Anthropologie the other day looking for pretty things I can't afford, as one does, and I came across this skirt with an amazing pattern of painterly strokes and was instantly smitten. Then I saw that it's called the Fauvism Midi Skirt...as if the pattern wasn't enough, they go and name it after an art movement to really reel me in! I started skimming the reviews for sizing info as I always do before placing something in my cart, and that's when I saw the name Yangyang Pan. I was like, "Of course! That's why it's awesome!" The skirts (there's actually two different patterns/colorways) were made as a collaboration between Troubadour and Yangyang Pan. I blogged about Yangyang's work and her shop, Siiso, a little over 4 years ago (longtime readers might remember), and I'm still as bowled over by her colorful paintings today. Her shop is seriously one of my favorites, and it makes me super happy when Etsy artists get more exposure from collabs with large brands.

Greenhouse Necklace from Kate Rowland

Parni Bikini from ApartofmeAPOM

Small Crossbody Bag from Olula

Glass Flower Vase from AvolieGlass

Plant Babies

Long time, no blog! It has been a busy, busy summer. I've been growing lots of plants and flowers, and I wanted to share just a few of my plant babies with you guys.

My favorites are the ones that look like they could be sea plants or animals...I don't know why...I just love them! I also really love the Donkey Tail plant, and I plan on transferring it to a hanging planter when it gets a little bigger. A couple of the leaves fell off and already started propagating themselves, which is cool, so new ones should continue growing in the same spot.

They've actually all had a major growth spurt since I took these photos about a week ago, and some of them are probably ready to move into bigger containers now.

It's funny, all the years we lived in apartments, I didn't really care about plants that much. They rarely lived very long, for one thing, and they seemed to be more work than they were worth. But now I get so excited at every new leaf and tiny bud that pops up. It has been really rewarding to watch all my plants grow the past couple of years, much more than I would've ever thought. And I totally feel like they make a room happier just by being there. Is that nuts? Am I officially an old lady now? Probably. Just leave me alone with my watering can and my house slippers. :)

Today's Finds

Garden planner from Terrain

Handmade tool caddy from Strong Wood Studio

Pizza Collection seeds from The Living Seed Company, found at Williams-Sonoma

Spout yellow watering can from CB2

Set of 8 handmade garden markers from Paulova Ceramics

I'm planting some bulbs on the patio later today, and it got me thinking about cute garden things. That planner would make a great housewarming gift for a budding gardener. It comes with seed packets and labels, and makes it easy to keep notes about your garden. (I will forever prefer a notebook/binder to trying to keep notes in my phone/ipad, and I know there are lots of folks out there who agree). And how genius is that pizza seed collection? I can only imagine that making homemade pizza with fresh ingredients from your own garden would be heavenly.

Today's Finds

Handmade concrete stool with pine legs from Enkelhet

Kelim rug designed by Alyson Fox for Ferm Living, found at Vertigo Home

Pleated terracotta planter designed by MSDS for Umbra Shift, found at Unison

Grasshopper floor lamp designed by Greta Grossman and produced by Gubi, found at DWR

"Planta Melocotón" print by Depeapa

This week's finds are sort of earthy, minimal, and modern, with a bit of texture and pattern thrown in for good measure. I feel like a room with all of these things would look really clean and modern without feeling sterile.

P.S. The grasshopper lamp is obviously on my dream wishlist, you know, the one where I have $875 to spend on a lamp. ;)

The Last of the Spring Blooms

Here's a pic of this week's tulips cut from our yard. Sadly, I don't think we'll get any more because we've had to start mowing the grass. We put it off as long as possible because we had so many wildflowers pop up this year in addition to the tulips and daffodils, and the backyard looked like our own personal tiny meadow. It's too bad we haven't had any bunnies this year because they would've loved it. Actually, we used to get lots of wild rabbits, and this year we haven't seen a single one. We did see a fox a couple of times last summer living in our neighborhood (crazy, right?); we saw him skulking about when we went for walks after dark. Who knows where he came from or if there are several?? Anyway, I really hope the bunny population hasn't been wiped out! Sadness. You would think there'd be enough leftover food/garbage readily available for foxes to snack on in an area as densely populated as ours that they wouldn't bother chasing down all the rabbits. But maybe not?

I'm just going to pretend that everyone's getting along fine and maybe even having tea parties together in someone's backyard. That's what storybooks told me growing up, and I'm pretty sure it's still true.

Bits of April

I struggled with feeling uninspired to take photos most of February and March, and I didn't spend much time on Instagram at all. I think that probably happens to everyone from time to time when there's a lot of stress and other things going on in life. But April was a little brighter. Here's a peek at the last month through my phone.

Reading lots of art books; my handmade Easter gift from Peter which deserves it's own post (coming soon); it's been so nice having vases around the house filled with flowers cut from our own yard; and colorful houses spotted on an afternoon walk.

Exploring trails and spotting creatures; and the view from one of the rooms at The Kreeger.

I've been crushing on pink tulips in particular everywhere this spring...these were at a local garden; Frank Stella at The Kreeger; pink-blossomed canopies make a perfect spot for day dreaming; and cupcakes from Sprinkles.

I'm hoping May will be super productive, and I'll have lots of finished projects to share on Instagram too. It's so hard to stay indoors making things when there's sunshine and ice cream and walks along the water beckoning, which is exactly how we spent last weekend, but you know, I'm still making up for lost time and have lots of goals to reach! So with that in mind, I'm off to make this week count! :)

As always, if you'd like to follow along, my IG name is @my_hideaway.

Neighborhood Zoo

One day Peter and I were taking a walk in Old Town, and a woman stopped us and asked, "Have you seen the zoo?" We were a bit confused and responded in unison, "The National Zoo?" And she smiled and said, "Just walk around the corner there and look up." So we did. And sure enough, as we got closer a giraffe's head peeked out. Then we saw another giraffe, a billy goat, and a few other animals hiding among the potted plants.

This is surely the first time I've seen wild animals living on someone's patio. You never know what you'll find when you step out the door. :)

Surprise Tulips

We had bunches of flowers pop up randomly in our yard this year, mostly tulips and daffodils. It's kind of a mystery as to where they came from. We've lived in this house for just shy of 3 years, and it's quite possible the previous owners planted bulbs that didn't bloom for a few years. But these tulips have popped up in the most random places here and there; I can't believe anyone intentionally planted them that way. So I'm thinking maybe small animals had something to do with it? The thought of squirrels digging up bulbs and replanting them around the yard is really hilarious to me.

Anyway, thank you to whomever was responsible for the gorgeous colors dotting our yard this spring. I can't tell you how happy they've made me. :)

Field Trip to the Botanic Garden

Here are a few pics, as promised, from our latest trip to the US Botanic Garden. My absolute favorite time to visit is in winter because as we discovered last year, it's maybe the warmest spot in DC. It really does feel like walking into a warm tropical jungle or a hot desert, depending on the room, which is like heaven when it's 20 degrees outside. Plus, it's so nice to see vibrant, blooming flowers in the dead of winter. It's like a little pick-me-up when you're tired of everything being brown and grey outside.

There was a little terrarium tucked into a corner, and it was so cute! There were little fairies inside, and a miniature tricycle and garden table and lots of plants, of course. I don't know why, but the little potted plants killed me. I love miniature things in general, but I tend to get overexcited when I come across things like this unexpectedly. Wouldn't it be so great to have a sunroom or a little conservatory of your own and recreate something like this inside? I'll just file that away in my "future dream home" plans.

Anyway, if you are currently feeling winter blues, I highly recommend seeking out any type of conservatory or botanical garden in your area. You won't regret it. :)