Friday, August 28, 2020

This & That

Carolyne Roehm

Yesterday was gardening day. The previous owners of my home were clearly not gardeners, and many of the shrubs desperately need macro and micronutrients and I picked them up for some TLC for the garden. This will improve the blooming on the Ixora, Hibiscus, and Bougainvellia. I also hand pruned everything.

I found this photo above of Carolyne Roehm's Charleston garden with palms alternating potted in blue and white Chinese porcelain fishbowls and in the ground. Quite stunning. I have a narrow side yard on the south side of the house that I'm thinking something like this would be lovely. Not exactly like this of course, but this got my wheels turning.

I actually spoke with the chairman of Compliance in my community yesterday and ascertained that there are no limitations on planters in the side or back yards.

On another subject, I mentioned that my wardrobe has turned into colorful maxi dresses and sandals. Here are my two latest from J.Crew - not for gardening though.



And on another topic, I have decided to try one of these premium delivered dog foods like Farmer's Dog or Ollie. Have any of you tried these - not personally - your dog - LOL?  Margot votes for McDonald's french fries. The two of them also adore the Taco Bell 7 layer bean burrito.

Margot

My handyman is coming over for the day and I hope to get through a bunch of items on the punch list so that I can move forward on things like scheduling the wallpaper hanger. Oh no - he just texted and canceled. Darn it.

Also on the To Do List is some garage organization. I'm thinking about having the garage floor epoxied. Any experience with that?

46 comments:

  1. Beth, everything is looking fabulous. I love enjoying your posts with my morning coffee! I did the garage epoxy thing and love it. So easy to maintain and so pretty. Plus you can pick custom color flakes for it - navy blue, metallic gold....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much. The garage floor sounds like a fun project.

      Delete
  2. Again, your dog is just the best! What an adorable, sweet thing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She is the sweetest thing in the world. Thank you.

      Delete
  3. Your pup is the cutest! We are having our garage floor epoxied in a few weeks. My husband who spends lots of time working on his cars is very excited.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I had the garage floor epoxied and it is awesome! Flecks were used. The garage appears neat and clean always as a result. I did add some pads under the cars to absorb any oil dripping. One note: Even with the addition of the flecks, the flooring is very slippery when wet.

    The dresses are lovely. I just purchased the tiered cotton voile dress in floating sunflowers as I believe it will be nice when temps fall a bit.

    Cute french-fry nibbling pup!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. She loves her fries. Is the dress J.Crew?

      Delete
    2. Yes, it is. The dress comes in a yellow or navy and is sleeveless. I have not worn this style as of yet, but you have inspired me to try something new. The JCrew sale prices are hard to walk away from.

      Delete
    3. Thanks. I thought their collection this summer was great and the prices are unbelievable. I hope they emerge from bankruptcy.

      Delete
  5. Beth, we know you like pink and if you also like it in your garden, Laura from Garden Answer youtube channel is planting some hydrangeas today on her new property.
    The first couple of minutes are where she describes this variety of hydrangea https://youtu.be/Z3uPOAyfb0g.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, there are some stunning pink cultivars, but hydrangeas are not happy about living in South Florida unfortunately.

      Delete
  6. Love those dresses! Such great style.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks - J.Crew actually had a wonderful collection this summer.

      Delete
  7. I have epoxy in FL. In NY, the garage was epoxied by the previous owner. Because of the underlying conditions, it cracked. We covered it with a newer type of floor. We selected the color and design. We used two grays and delineated the cars but it is available in many colors and designs ranging from checkerboards to zigzags. We painted the walls to coordinate and hung an antique Grand Prix poster that once resided in our som’s room.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Legal Lioness, would you mind telling me what the type of floor is?

      Delete
    2. My pleasure. There are a lot of companies. Home Depot sells the tiles for self installation. They interlock. Www.swisstrax.com has good design examples. The same companies typically install custom garage storage solutions, too. It was half the price of re-epoxying the floor. I must say that it’s a matter of which look you prefer. Epoxy has many options as well but we were afraid that it would crack again because of a combination of cold weather and the underlying slab conditions. In Florida, our epoxy floor is in better condition even though I think the color is drab. The interlocking tiles can be hosed down and always look great.

      Delete
    3. I love putting some thought into the garage visually. My last garage had French doors and chandeliers and art. Some walls were exposed brick. This garage in Florida is freshly painted and pristine and has a window and plantation shutters. I think a nice floor would be a great upgrade. Thanks for the ideas.

      Delete
    4. Thank you for the info, Legal Lioness. A friend of mine, who has always had her garage floor epoxied, (by the same company), had it re-done at one point after that company was sold. The new owners did not do a good job. It didn't hold up, so I was wondering if perhaps the NY garage may not have been done properly.

      Delete
  8. We use the delivered dog food from the company named Nom Nom. We have used it since last February and like it very much.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love those dresses and your precious pup, too. I've nothing to offer on the dog food, as we only feed Fromme and buy it locally. I am eager to learn what you decide on and the results. Can't wait to see what you do in the garden, although I know it will be lovely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. My dogs are picky, so it will definitely require some experimentation. I am having a great time in the garden and learning so much.

      Delete
  10. First, your picture of Margot truly made me chuckle! Second, LOVE the yellow dress. Third, we have an exoxied garage floor (in California) and I love it. It is much easier to keep clean and it feels much better if you walk on it barefoot. And you can pick what color you want. Maybe you could choose a blue and white combo! Please keep the pictures coming. Enjoy your blog everyday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much. I wore the dress last evening and got lots of compliments. Everyone who has done epoxy seems to love it. The blue and white is an idea!

      Delete
  11. The dresses are perfectly perfect.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks - very "Florida" with those great colors.

      Delete
  12. I tried to epoxy our garage myself. Lots of work and looked beautiful....for a week. Have a professional tackle the job. I joined the 'Nextdoor' website and asked for recommendations. Depending on your neighbors, it can be most helpful. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I agree that it definitely sounds like best left to professionals. I am not a big DIYer myself.

      Delete
  13. Those dresses are so lovely,I can imagine you having evening cocktails with the puppers at your feet wearing those dressed.
    My chihuahua is so particular about his food,even people food. Please keep us posted if you have success with the new foods!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My two are very picky and generally just eat what I eat - they love Brussel sprouts, okra, edamame, pickled ginger, prosciutto - hysterical. I will report back if they like the new foods. I'm hopeful but skeptical.

      Delete
  14. My garage floor is just concrete, but I have a friend who has hers epoxied, and it's beautiful, but her entire house is to-die-for. She even takes the brass fixtures in her kitchen to the jewelers for polishing, if you can believe it! I vote for the epoxy.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm with Margot-- McDonald's french fries beats all!

    CR's garden is heaven on earth. Love everything about it, would definitely use it for inspiration. BTW, how would hydrangea's do in Venice?

    Your dresses are fun and breezy. You live in a perfect place to wear them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hydrangeas do not like South Florida but the potted palms are stunning. We might have to go through the drive through today for a special puppy treat.

      Delete
  16. We thought the realtor in N.VA was CRAZY when she told us we had to do the garage floor prior to selling...but we did it anyway. Let me tell you!! It was gorgeous and we sold the house at a premium before the sign or listing even happened. The buyers drove by when all the garage contents were out on the driveway while the floor was being epoxied. They stopped to ask if we were getting ready to sell and made an offer that night. I hated to leave that floor! Nan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great story. Garages and laundry rooms are both important to buyers today.

      Delete
  17. We did ours grey and white. It was beautiful and so clean. Nan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Beth, there’s a store here in s sarasota that specializes in raw dog food, have you been there? Here’s the link: https://marlinsrawsuperfood.com/
      They’re near Trader Joe’s, maybe the pups will like what they have on offer😊

      Delete
    2. I am headed to TJ tomorrow and will check it out. Thanks.

      Delete
  18. Your wonderful first photo is from the SUPER GREAT Quintessence video Susannah Salk did w/ Carolyne in her Charleston House. I can't imagine that you haven't viewed it, but on the off chance that you haven't, then prepare for a visual Chinoiserie treat! You are going to swoon and faint at the lavish gorgeousness!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=dQW_SdTHJ_w&feature=emb_logo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quintessence is a wonderful blog to follow!

      Delete
    2. Indeed, and they've catalogued all their "At Home With" videos on a separate tab for easy reference.

      Delete
    3. CR is amazing. A true Renaissance woman with exquisite taste. I refer to her as I would a dictionary. When in doubt, I always ask myself...what would Caroline do?

      Delete
    4. I will check out the video - thank you!

      Delete