What's Growin' On

One of the things I most anticipate in my garden each year is the opening of the clematis growing up the front of our house. Over the years it has become intertwined with a climbing rose that's a just-right creamy yellow, and the two blooming together make quite an impact.

The blooms over the door are my favorite...a few days away from opening, I suspect.

In related gardening news, it's getting closer to the annual Georgetown Garden Tour, one of the few remaining events of its kind in the city that is free to enjoy. The great thing about this tour? Anyone can participate. The bad thing about this tour? Anyone can participate.

We've opened our garden for the last five years or so, and it's so much fun to meet fellow gardeners, share ideas, and listen to people fawn over all your hard work. Strangely, it's also fun when they don't fawn and instead point out all the things you did wrong.

Our fabulous graphic designer has designed the promotional posters for the last few years, and she recently unveiled this year's design:

As the lovely poster indicates, this year the tour is on Sunday, July 12. Come on down, and don't forget to stop by 813 S. Orcas and say hello!

On the interiors front, I recently nabbed these for myself and am kind of loving them, despite their noxious vintage vinyl smell. (Please, no one tell me in any specific fashion exactly HOW bad that is for me.)

I found the '50s/'60s-era wallpaper on eBay a year or so ago, and just recently got around to doing something with it. The custom turquoise frames are by my best-friend-in-my-mind Jonathan Adler from his line for Larson-Juhl.

I love the connection between the glass mosaic backsplash and the frame color... Now if I could only get my act together and paint the walls! It's only been six years, after all. Don't rush me.

It's slo-o-o-o-wly coming together in the Living Room. Still on the list:

1. Sofa reupholstery (Fabrics all ordered. Woo hoo.)
2. Wallpaper in kitchen (Ordered. Double woo hoo.)
3. Paint for entire room. (Can't bring myself to deal with this one.)
4. Chevron stencils for entry. (See #3, though I do at least have the stencils. And the paint. Only lacking motivation. They were all out at Benjamin Moore.)
5. New side chairs (Just snagged on eBay for $40 a pop. Sadly, the fabric going on them costs 3 times more per yard than each chair!)
6. New kitchen cabinet hardware (I am so over the top about this that it will be the subject of an entire post shortly. One word: lucite.)
7. New floor lamps (All picked out. Waiting to win the lottery. Note to self: Buy lottery ticket.)

Is it just me, or is making to-do lists completely depressing?