Cottage Garden Update: Third Year

Hello readers, welcome to my blog, Panoply. Today I'm going to virtually walk you through my cottage garden, sharing updates I've made since last fall. This is our third spring in this home. Since we moved here in October 2021, my main focus has been in overhauling an overgrown Zone 7a landscape. For comparison purposes, this May 2023 update is a really good place to see my changes up until this point. Then, in this December 2023 update, I recapped work completed last fall.

Summer Meadow Bistro Tablescape

Hello, and welcome to Panoply! Today I'm sharing a summer alfresco tablescape - the Panoply bistro is open!

Monday Morning Blooms

Hello, and welcome to Panoply on this glorious Monday morning. It is a most special day, as I was invited to join my blogging friends for this June garden edition of Monday Morning Blooms!

Tales of the Traveling Tote #39 and Giveaway

Hello, readers, and welcome to Panoply! Today marks the 39th instalment of the Tales of the Traveling Tote, can you believe it? That's almost ten years of quarterly tales of ladies connecting friendship and stories of our everyday lives via a MacKenzie-Childs tote we all purchased at one time or another. If you're not familiar with the concept behind this series of posts, you can read how it started here. A link to all my previous tales can be found here. 

To summarize my past three months of travel, I have a little game for you to play. Remember Where's Waldo? Well, for these past few months it's been, Where's the Tote?

Spring / Easter Tablescape with Classic Blue & White

Happy spring, and welcome to Panoply! I am so excited that spring will officially be here this evening (and one day earlier than the norm due to it being a leap year). Although we've been having some very nice weather already, this week I'll necessarily be covering a few plants while morning lows dip below freezing. 

Today I'm also very happy to be hosting a group of table enthusiasts who are each equally excited in bringing you table designs to kick off your spring inspiration!

Tales of the Traveling Tote #38 and Giveaway

Hello, readers, and welcome to the 38th quarterly installment of Tales of the Traveling Tote. If you're not familiar with the concept behind this series of posts, you can read how it started here. My travel tales began shortly after the inception of my tote friends' travels, and you can see my history here.

Vintage Finds, Booth Displays, and Home Vignettes Lately

Hello, vintage lovers! Today I'm going to share a mashup of vintage and antique finds since my last Panoply update. Some of these finds will be shown fresh from the picking, others as displayed in our antique mall booth spaces and, lastly, a few which ended up in my personal collection, temporarily or for good. Find a comfy spot like the Art Deco girl below, grab a drink, and let's go on a virtual shopping trip!

Louis Icart's 1926 "La Robe de Chine" (The Silk Robe)

State of the Winter Garden

Hello, readers! Today I want to dish on dirt - the dirt of my landscape garden and its winter state. 

We moved here in October 2021, and I've been working on overhauling the landscape ever since. 

Pictured below is what my front beds looked like on January 26, 2024, the second of two really nice, warm days where our temps hit the low 60s (F), and I was out there weeding! This was just after nearly 8" of snow melting.

Color My World, Valentine

Hello, readers, and welcome to my blog, Panoply. I'm happy you're here today for my first post of 2024. Today I'm sharing a tablescape I've set for Valentine's Day, but it's one that works for both my honey's birthday and our anniversary, events which are just before and after Valentine's Day, respectively. Appropriately titled, "Color My World, Valentine", this tablescape works for all three occasions, and gives extra mileage to the elements in service.