Pizza Pizza

Although my heritage is Irish and Czechoslovakian, I think I could be Italian...I LOVE their food.  If I had to pick one cultural food to eat forever, it would be Italian.  So when my in-laws suggested a new pizza place that opened up a few blocks from their house I was ON BOARD!

From what I have researched Rosso Pomodoro (translated to "Red Tomato") is a chain that started in, you guessed it, Naples Italy in the 1990s.  They have over 80 restaurants globally.  And they are MUCH more than just a red tomato I assure you! 

The wood floors and chairs match, tables are sleek and the red pleather is stylish and easy to clean.  They also have high tables (which I dig) but you probably can't see. 

Yes, this is the bathroom sink.  I couldn't resist!  What a great bow front dresser!!  It was shiny, shiny!  I LOVE a piece of furniture with a great shape and legs, and I especially love things in high gloss, so this met my quota for cool, hence the photo...don't worry I was alone in the bathroom so no one else thought I was crazy for taking a photo of the sink.  Well, aside from you all, but hey, you blog too, we document all kinds of crazy stuff! 

This was the bar area where you enter the restaurant, sleek white pleather swivel bar chairs with tufting, sign me up!  The slick red counter played nicely off the chairs in the restaurant area, partitioned off by a large sheet of glass.  Oh Italians, you are so stylish!

Here were the two pizza chef's in front of the pizza oven.  In case you were wondering, yes, it was encrusted in tiny gold metallic mosaic tiles.  *I die*  Who wouldn't love a gilded pizza oven??  And yes, my dinner was a thumbs up, grazie mille!

Have you eaten at this chain?  Or do you have a favorite pizza place?  Please share!

Mangia Bene,

*Amy

Traditions

It's rare for me to give up a beach day for anything...

However, this shop...Traditions is TOTALLY worth it!!

It is in downtown Naples, FL just off the main drag 5th Avenue (I think every city has a 5th Avenue...I mean, it's not NYC, but it's still pretty cute.)

Loved this couch in the window, it was a woven seagrass with nail head trim and white cushions.  I also LOVED the pillows, I think by Barclay Butera (correct me if I'm wrong), but for $500 a pop, they stayed in the store...

Digging the star burst mirrors, I liked that the mirror was SMALL compared to the frame, and it looks like a flower, another plus in my book.

I loved this pillow, white linen with a tan pattern on top.  It was very textural, important for me because I like a LOT of WHITE.  So having some pattern on a neutral gives things longer lives in our house.

I was surprised my husband sat down in it's matching partner and said "I love this chair, the fabric is awesome."  Haha, what have I done??  Hey, at least he appreciates good design!  I also loved the scalloped detail on the bottom, and those over sized nail heads, mmm, mmm!

This white cane chair was very cool, liked the soft linen with the piping and buttons in a different color.  Can you all tell my house is khaki, blue, green and gold??  Hey, at least I'm consistent with what I like...

I thought this lamp was too cute not to share.  Stacked turtles and a rectangular shade, modern yet a little traditional.

To me it was worth swinging by, you never know what you'll find!  What treasures have you found lately?

*Amy

Back in Action!!

The first day back from vacation is always hard!  Especially when you've left the BEACH!

I miss waking up when my body is ready instead of when my alarm sounds.
I miss tooling around on our bikes and checking out the flora and fauna.

I miss drinking my coffee while reading a magazine and munching on AMAZING pineapple.
I miss being spoiled by my in-laws when they cook or take us out for cocktails or dinner nightly :)

I miss wandering 5 blocks to hit the beach when we're ready, whatever time that may be,
But MOST of all,
I miss being with my husband all the time.

Cheesy, I know, but we really do have a blast together and vacation is the only time we really get to chill out all day every day.

I will put up some more Florida fun photos tomorrow, I did get one afternoon of shopping in, so stay tuned, they had some GORGEOUS things!

Can't wait to see what you all were up to!  Did you miss me??

*Amy

Shed some light

So many garden sheds are eyesores...

Don't worry, I fixed the access to this one...

Sorry it's at an odd angle, I will go back and take a better one the right way...

And then there are some that I WISH were my own!

This was designed and installed by a company called Living Roofs, Inc. they have implemented some BEAUTIFUL designs.  I can't wait until we build or buy a house (we're currently in a townhouse with an HOA) so we can use this technology!

Here is a cedar shed we built and installed in a display outside one of our stores, I love that it looks like it could be used as an outdoor room.

The fall leaf wreath and chimnea are a nice touch to warming up the space.  That cute little sedge by the door is supposed to be that color, it's not dead :).

Here's the left side of the shed, the planter with the face holds an upright pyracantha.  Great orange berries in the fall, wicked thorns all year 'round!

Of course I'm sure you've all seen the beautiful shed/outdoor playroom the talented Lauren Liess and her handy husband Dave built, but if not, go check it out!  I was lucky enough to "find" Lauren online when I was looking for someone to help us with some window treatments almost two years ago and am thrilled to count her as not only my go to resource for any of my interior design dilemma's, but also as a friend.  She is truly as sweet in person as she comes across online and we feel lucky to have her and her family in our lives!

Garden sheds can often be tucked into the landscape so you don't even know they're there, but when you have one that's this beautiful why hide it??

Do you have a shed?  Would you deep-six yours now that you've seen what can be done??

Happy Weekend everyone!

I will be away with my honey all next week in Naples, FL visiting my in-laws.  I will do my best to post, but will mostly be enjoying some fun in the sun and a few mojito's!

Can't wait to see what you've all been up to when I get back, I know I'll be sharing some beautiful photos so check back in Monday the 25th.

Until then,
*Amy

Random, but I like it!

As I was perusing my daily "deal" websites, I came across this set of mugs, plates and a serving platter called "A Walk in the Woods" by Rosanna, no idea why, but it really caught my eye.

Perhaps it's the color?  Maybe it's that each mug has a different print on the inside of the mug (I LOVE a good surprise when drinking a cup of tea or coffee) or perhaps it's the deer with the wreath around it's neck...very fall like, very hunt country meets mod.

Or, perhaps it's just because it's Thursday, raining, I have a ton of work to do and I leave for vacation on Sunday and all I can think about is the beach...

Do you ever see things that aren't normally your style but catch your eye?

*Amy

Fall Tidbits

I thought I'd share with you some recent fall photos I've taken at one of our stores and then a couple of plant photos I thought were timely for fall!  I really love this book 'Plant Driven Design', it's always nice to have good reading material to inspire you and this is a nice one.  I fully admit to being a plant geek so when I saw the title I knew it was for me!  However, I know not everyone shares my sense of enthusiam for plants, and it is a great book for the average weekend gardener.  It teaches a lot about plant selection as and is full of inspirational photos.  I also really loved the dark landscape painting on the white wall, that olive green is the right shade of green for this time of year.  I wish that glass canister was a bell jar, I am on the hunt for a smallish one...

In my opinion, fall is the perfect time to showcase some sunflowers.  They are a happy addition to any yard, or home, that splash of late summer color is much needed (for me at least) before I put my garden beds to sleep for the winter and plot and plan what to add for next season!  I love that yellow tuscan urn, but I really love the cabinet everything is housed in, that tall first shelf allow for a lot of storage or display space and the glass lets in a TON of light to showcase all your goodies.

Here is a beautiful close-up of a River birch on our lot before it headed out to a planting job.  I love the texture of this plant, the peely, shreddy bark only gets better as the plant matures.  It has GREAT winter interest, beautiful leaves and rustle when they move in the wind and a good yellow fall color.  Yes, they can be messy and drop branches, but their other merits still put them on my must have list!

And finally, FALL COLOR!!  With the drought we've had for the past several summers it's always a toss up as to whether or not the color will be good in the fall. 

(Oh science class how I miss you) Here's a little info on why the leaves change, very interesting for those who don't know...

During winter, there is not enough light or water for photosynthesis so the trees go dormant, and live off the food they stored during the summer.  As their growth slows in the fall, they begin to shut down their food-making factories.  The green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves.  As the bright green fades away, we begin to see yellow and orange colors.  Small amounts of these colors have been in the leaves all along.  We just can't see them in the summer, because they are covered up by the green chlorophyll.


The bright reds and purples we see in leaves are made mostly in the fall.  In some trees, like maples, glucose is trapped in the leaves after photosynthesis stops.  Sunlight and the cool nights of autumn cause the leaves turn this glucose into a red color.  The brown color of trees like oaks is made from wastes left in the leaves.

This is a gorgeous maple, I'm just hoping we don't have any gusts of wind so I can continue to enjoy these brilliant colors for a few more days!

How about you?  Do you get great fall color in your area?  Do you like it?  Do you miss it?  Or are you happy to have sun all year long??

*Amy

The Watergate...With no Scandal...

I was lucky enough to get some very sweet customers who live in the Watergate.   Yes, THAT Watergate...

Image from: here

They have a first floor apartment, actually first and second floor, but they have a ground level patio.  The fountain was there when I began working with them although we have "redecked it" because the wood was getting old.  The cedar is turning a nice silvery gray now that it's been in a full season.

You can see it in this photo, their sculpture is stitting on the pond ledge.

I update their containers every 4 months so things are fresh and they have season color to enjoy when they entertain.  The wife will leave me a message letting me know "It's time for you (meaning me) to work your magic, put us on the schedule."  Who doesn't love a voicemail like that??

I added this very cool Cinderella pumpkin to the grouping of pots and stuck a little pansy in their terra cotta fish container.

Here is one of their stuccoed walls.  The trellis was there when I began working on the space.  There was a wisteria on the lattice that had never bloomed.  So I removed it and added Carolina Jessamine a semi-evergreen vine with a beautiful tubular yellow flower and a purple clematis.  They now have color spring, summer and fall and have something green covering the wall in the winter.

I got a happy phone call from them last night saying "We love it all!"  So if they're happy, I'm happy!

*Amy

Burned

Nothing like checking your e-mail at the end of the day when you're feelin' good about all you've accomplished and the new customers you've met that day to read one from an unhappy customer.  Someone I have worked with for several years is mad because we cut a lighting line (UNDERGROUND, UNMARKED that we didn't install!!) when we were planting two weeks ago.  And I told him we could fix it but there would be a charge because it is not our responsibility to not hit things we can't see.  Seems like a reasonable policy.  Apparently not.  So we are going out, at no charge to fix it and hopefully make him a happy customer again.

So I'm feeling a little burned at the moment, sorry for no Watergate photos, I will put them up just not this moment...I'm really ready to call it a day.

*Amy

Warm Welcome

Fall is most certainly here in Virginia.  I had to wear my North Face jacket to work today-ahhh, I am NOT ready for the cold!!  I'm off to a container planting job in DC (at the Watergate) some very sweet customers, I will post photos tomorrow.

In the meantime I thought I'd post some doormats I found at my most recent trip to IKEA.  I like to put out a new doormat in the Fall.  We entertain a lot and I think it's nice to have a fresh, clean mat on your stoop to welcome your guests, maybe it's just me??  When I get around to putting out my pumpkins and freshening up my containers this weekend I will post those photos as well.

For now, here are these lovelies.

Round Mat (I like the unique shape!)

Rectangular (But love the geometric pattern!)

Rectangular Mat (I think I could stencil a border or put our initials on it...hmmm...DIY??)

 Any you can't live without?

*Amy

Passionatley Pink

I am a little late to the dance with this post on blogging PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but better late than never!

There are some amazing organizations out there bringing awareness to a disease that has affected many of us, I feel like every family has at least once cancer story (if not more), but even one is one too many if you ask me.

The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) organization is a partnership of national public service organizations, professional medical associations, and government agencies working together to promote breast cancer awareness, share information on the disease, and provide greater access to screening services.  Please go check out their website if you want additional information or are interested in learning more.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure is another wonderful organization which I have supported for many years now.  My Aunt is a two time breast cancer survivor, one time ovarian cancer survivor and one of my best friend's mom's lost the battle to breast cancer shortly after we graduated from high school.  I have participated in many of their events and think they are a wonderful cause with a TON of positive people.  Again, feel free to pop on over and check out all the information and support they have to offer.
 
I know there are SO many more companies, organizations, products, etc. that support, promote and bring our attention to this disease so if you have a favorite or one you want other people to know about, please share!  The stronger we are by supporting one another hopefully the fewer people we will lose along the way.
 
Yesterday when I was watching some FOOTBALL I noticed a lot of the NFL items are pink, and I loved it!  What a great way to get the word out on the field.  Many people think this is just a female disease, but many men are affected as well.  So great job to the PR departments and companies who teamed up, I am proud of you!  Now hopefully they will auction off their gear at the end of the season to raise some $$$$.  Not that anyone that high up reads my blog, but it's **Just a hint**
 
I wanted to share some PINK flowers that I have taken photos of.  These plants are my small tribute to those who fight courageously and those who support them.  Know that lots of people are going through your struggles and are here to support you.  We are your cheerleaders, and you are our heroes!
 

*Amy

Off the wagon

Okay, so apparently I fell off the blogging wagon this past week...

We had a TON of rain which meant catching up on paperwork, drawings, phone calls, emails, billing, and all the other office things you never have time for when you're busy putting plants in the ground!

I promise this week I will be much more dedicated and organized so I can be here for you guys, I do have some new posts and a few projects I've been working on!

When I started blogging I never thought it'd be something I'd enjoy, but I've found that when I don't post for a few days I miss it.  Even if I'm not one of the "top blogs" that's not the reason I blog.  I blog to get my ideas out there, keep my creative juices flowing and pass on some good tips (I hope!) now and then.  It's also a wonderful community of people who have inspired me, so I hope to pass that along as well.

Hope you all had a great weekend, we just returned home from the THIRD wedding!  Woot-woot!  Three down two more to go!  I will post wedding photos this week, so stick around.  And feel free to drop me a comment or an e-mail, I love to see who's reading!

*Amy