Spring is a glorious time of year with the exception of the dreaded chore of mulching (well that and breathing in pollen). Last week I had the largest pile of mulch in the history of gardening delivered to my yard! I stared at the gargantuan pile with laser beams shooting out of my eyes – I was hoping I could move the pile with my superpowers but no such luck. SO I chugged back an icey water, put on my girly gardening gloves and lined up my various shovels, steel rake, and wheel barrel. It was time to break out the biceps…..and the quads….and the core strength (aka use my back instead of my abs and hurt myself). 
Mulch is what I refer to as a necessary evil. If you want a garden oasis small or large you need mulch to retain the moisture of the soil around your plants, suppress weeds, keep the soil cool and make the garden bed look more attractive. But it just SUCKS, period. There I said it…..MULCH and everything to do with mulch, SUCKS……until you are done and it just looks so beautiful!
SO anyway, back to my 5 days straight of mulching. I attacked the 10 yard pile with reckless abandon. We have various garden beds that literally span our 1 acre property. There is one on an uphill slant at the end of our long driveway, a large one in the front yard, then the actual massive bed that flanks the front porch and runs all along the entire side length of the house, a bed that runs along the 40 foot long pool and lastly, the backyard patio bed which is like a small yard in itself. Just picture the amount of wheel barrels I had to motor to all the corners of the Earth (while sweating profusely and getting an occasional beep from random people driving by….they must have been in awe of my landscaping skills!). By the way the beeps usually make me jump and involuntarily fling mulch onto myself.
Like moving the heavy stinky pile isn’t bad enough, then you have to spread it evenly and meticulously around your 80 million plants. Maybe if I really had 80 million plants, at that point I might be able to afford a crew of more able-bodied men to tackle the job. Anyway, I did my job (and my husband helped a little but not really) and it was totally worth the effort. Everything looks so clean and refreshed and I think I secretly enjoy the quiet time and physical exertion. Oh and I forgot to mention, we always get our mulch from Grillo! This year we used Grillo’s highest quality mulch – 100% pure Hemlock Tree Bark Mulch – a unique and beautiful looking mulch with a dark brown appearance.
There’s still no shortage of things to do around the property but at least the evil mulch is done!
Erica Baker is the co-owner of Bakermedia, a popular Connecticut web design and social media agency, and creative blog writer of Classic Peach
One Dollar Idea
I often get frustrated when trying to find artwork to accessorize a room. While I always see things that I like, I get them home and they just don’t work for whatever reason (i.e. color/pattern clashes, too formal, don’t tie the pieces of the room together…stuff like that). I had these beautiful frames that were going unnoticed in our home office so I moved one into a small nook in our living room and used it as an opportunity to get creative. For only $1, I purchased a piece of decorative scrapbook paper with a pretty birdcage design to fill the frame. There were so many designs to choose from at AC Moore, but this particular sheet actually feels like artwork, and when paired with the frame, fits the style and colors in the existing room. Everyone has an extra picture frame laying around so hit your change jar and grab yourself some artwork! The awesome blogging couple at Young House Love gave me the idea –
http://www.younghouselove.com/2011/03/five-dolla-art/
Candles + pastels + eggs + tulips = SPRING! I always enjoy this time of year because it means I can break out my favorite fake birds nests again. The pearls are probably a little over the top but I just couldn’t resist, and the vintage coca-cola bottles seal the deal. OOH LA LA!
My life is filled with a lot of blessings but I wouldn’t consider my kitchen one of them. Over the last 5 years in our house, we’ve survived a flood, a lightning strike and some really big spiders, but I am afraid my kitchen may kill me!!! Seriously, it’s not thaaaat bad but one can dream of the possibilities. Let’s start from the top! 
Here’s what’s good about our kitchen:
1- It gets nice light from the garden window and window to the backyard.
2- It has updated recessed lighting and a ceiling fan.
3- It has a stainless steel range and dishwasher.
4- It has nice crown molding and wide baseboards.
5- It opens to the family/living room.
That doesn’t sound so shabby but here are a few of the problems:
1- It’s a wee bit tight up in there ; )
2- The backsplash would be cool if I was a farmer or a shepherd.
3- The countertops are the same ones Tony and Carmela Soprano had in their kitchen : )
4- The cabinets are one scotch glass away from collapsing.
5- The fridge would fit better in Tony Soprano’s kitchen because it’s four times the size of ours.
So what are such deprived people to do? We will focus on what’s good and do the best with what’s not. We can’t change the size or layout just yet (in the long-term, we’d love to add on and double the size of our kitchen and living room) but we can create a charming little kitchen with a not-so-charming budget! Here’s how:
1- Make necessary adjustments and repairs to salvage cabinets at least for a while longer.
2- Paint cabinets and replace hardware with updated iron knobs.
3- Demo backsplash and replace with beadboard (beautiful charm, low cost, less labor).
4- Replace counters with something up-to-date and affordable and maybe even throw in a farmhouse sink for good measure.
5- Purchase stainless steel refrigerator that not only matches other appliances but is proper size for the current space.
Can you picture it now? Okay I’m off to go nag my husband….
Cool like a Nantucket Breeze…
I would say that picking paint colors is like drinking red wine – when you find a good one, it is your duty to tell the world. I took a risk and picked a color from one issue of Pottery Barn, you know the little tiny paint drop samples they show you in the center of the magazine? Yeah one of those! I wanted a calming yellowish green that would add simplicity to the space yet bring contrast to the beadboard trim and dark wood highlight pieces in our bathroom. When we had the space renovated last year, the one thing I had to have was this amazing shower curtain I saw online. I went to a local Pottery Barn store and although they didn’t sell bathroom items, I was able to view the fabric pattern on a set of sheets and later purchased it online when the price dropped to $25. The curtain became the starting point for color and accessories in the bathroom. I chose Nantucket Breeze since Pottery Barn is magnificent at incorporating beautiful hues in their textiles that blend seamlessly with Benjamin Moore colors used in their gorgeous room displays. It turned out better then I imagined and it feels so soft and pleasant in the bathroom whether the sun is shining in or it is late at night. Another important thing to consider is creating a nice flow of color from one room to the next and Nantucket Breeze worked well with our existing color palette of Benjamin Moore historical colors. Next up, Alaskan Husky in the Master Bedroom.
In our dining room we have a simple dark wood farmhouse style table and a set of 4 wicker chairs from Pier 1 Imports. The set was a hand-me-down and it works with our style so we can’t complain, but unfortunately it doesn’t offer enough seating when entertaining. I happened to have another set of 2 wicker arm chairs so I decided to keep them in the room for added seating even though they aren’t the optimal scale for the small space. The wicker seats aren’t very comfortable so I placed neutral seat cushions that we once used for our outdoor patio set on all 6 chairs. The calming brown walls, charming white trim details and casual café style window treatments set a neutral palette for a cozy ‘eat-in-kitchen’ feel. I like to change things often so this allows me to switch up accessories with ease and create a different look when I feel like one. This is the only place in our home for sitting around a table so it needs to be functional for both everyday living and entertaining.
Dear Classic Peach,
I am decorating challenged! I know you have only been in the house once, but I need a little advice. I want to get an area rug to cover much of the huge space in the living room and separate the room a bit. We have a variety of browns in there with the couch, loveseat and chair being medium and tables, bookcase and TV stand being very dark. The curtains are light and have a very faint pattern to them. I wanted to put something in there with a dark red or burgundy that would also match everything else.
All that being said, could you look at the attached site and tell me which rugs, in your opinion, would work best? I narrowed it down to the desired specs. Oh, and I would prefer not to spend more than $500. THANKS!
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/7×9-10×14/Burgundy,Traditional,/color,style,/608/subcat.html?sort=Lowest+Price
Hello!
A rug is the anchor in any space. It defines your seating or conversation area and can either fall short design-wise or be too overpowering if you make the wrong choice. Since you have a lot of dark in the room, I would go with this one, the lightest out of the choices http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Handmade-Elite-Traditional-Wool-Rug-8-x-11/3005740/product.html I like the earth tones and they will work well with the contrasting woods and leather. I cannot remember what the window treatments look like but the rug is a larger impact purchase so if you get it home and aren’t happy with the way the rug matches them, they can always be easily replaced for very little $ at Lowe’s. They have a great selection for windows.
Also, you might want to grab some inexpensive throw pillows to spruce up the couch. Burlington has great pillows for less and I would suggest ones that are light in color and have a larger scale pattern (i.e. pale green or yellow shade like in the rug but a thick stripe or check pattern). This along with some fun accents will help tie the space together. Good luck with your purchases and please send pics of your updated family room!
What makes you happy? Apparently, for me it is dried hydrangea in a weird asian vase my neighbors gave me : )
Family photos make the best artwork to hang in your home. They represent the meaningful moments that we’ll cherish forever. Thanks to our very talented friend Nicole Quattone Staples of Love & Light Photography, we have these beautiful photos of our boy in his early months. Now I can’t help but smile every time I enter our master bedroom. The simple frames balance the scale of the cozy chaise lounge and add a personal touch that just makes sitting here feel special.
