Love Notes

Or more specifically, birds, bees, butterflies & Bunny - with a dash of Oscar.  

Lucky me spent this past Saturday at Bunny Mellon's Oak Spring Garden in Upperville, Virginia.     I was there for an embroidery class, but also to drink in all the loveliness that exudes from every nook and cranny of this aesthete's oasis nestled in Virginia's Hunt Country.  Mrs. Mellon was an accomplished and avid collector, and we were treated to a tour of her library, with a special focus on needlework-related books and objects.  In all things Mrs. Mellon touched, she left beauty.  And that's before we even begin to talk about her garden.  READ MORE

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It’s July, how could that be?  My mind today is on the fleeting nature of things - flowers unfurling, bees buzziing, champagne bubbles rising and vanishing into the warm summer air.  I watch from my desk as a hummingbird feeds on a coral honeysuckle vine.  My lilies above have just put on the most spectacular fireworks show.  And now, they are mostly gone, petal after petal scattered across the garden like confetti after a parade. 

Last week, I broke a rule and cut some stargazers to bring inside, hoping to coax a few more days out of their riotous celebration*.  As they fade, I try to remind myself that the future holds new surprises in its tightly closed fist.   For evidence, I turn my gaze to the tomatoes ripening on the vine, while my tangerine tree teases with its promise of tiny fruit.   READ MORE

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I had the most glorious intentions of sending you a postcard from the Cotswolds, but one thing led to another, and I did, literally, end up stopping to smell the roses.  So today's note is a longer version of that postcard, with some dreamy images and inspiring highlights from my ten day garden tour through the Cotswolds.   I think I visited a total of eighteen gardens, all offering unique beauty and much to ponder in dreaming up my own garden schemes for many years to come.    Among them was Highgrove, and its the beautiful thyme walk shown above.   READ MORE

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Welcome, summer.

There’s something about these first few white-hot (or not) days of summer that feel like a blank page—sun-drenched, wide open, and humming with possibility. Maybe it’s the light: longer now, softer, spilling into the evening with no sense of hurry. Maybe it’s the white dresses—satin and linen, cotton and embroidery —appearing like a quiet little parade of joy in motion.   Or maybe it’s just that this season, more than any other, invites us to softly begin again.  READ MORE

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Is there such a thing?!   Usually, I'd say no.

You know how I say that writing this note is one of my favorite parts of the week?  And oh it is oh so true.   But today, I’m coming to you from beneath a glorious, slightly teetering tower of too-muchness.

Between a flurry of bespoke design projects (really dreamy ones - new scarves and so much more - I can't wait to share!), along with prepping armfuls of flowers for the grand Historic Garden Week house tour this past Saturday, my days have been brimming. Truly brimming. With lilacs. With lovely dressmaker details. With logistics. With laughter. With lists I’ve lost track of.

It’s all been an absolute joy — and also, a gentle reminder that even beautiful things can be a lot.  READ MORE

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