Sunday showhouse.......and you're invited

Happy Sunday! Hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend. Mine has been quite busy so I am looking forward to a day of semi relaxation (son is in a lacrosse tournament all day long, who am I kidding). As I do every Sunday, it is a day to showcase and  enjoy three spectacular homes.But before I begin, on a sidenote......I have to say I recently more than once experienced "peony envy" particularly after eyeing Elizabeth's gorgeous freshly cut peonies from Pretty Pink Tulips blog. Peonies and hydrangeas are my absolute favorite flowers (and orchids). Well- yesterday I was at the new house, taking a walk and lo and behold..what do I see? Is that a wild peony bush I spy? Yes...it was. I was so excited!! I quickly got a pair of scissors and started clipping away.....ran home to make up two small arrangements. They also happened to be my favorite color peony, the palest blush pink.... peony envy problem solved!

The unsuspecting peonies "hiding"

And there they are just waiting for me to find them!

Beautiful color....

Perfect bloom

It only took a few minutes to make those babies mine!

I found a pair of small blue and white Chinese vases

Voila! Simple and elegant...

Love the color and lushness

My peony wishes come true!

Moving onto to our three beautiful homes......

BARBADOS. You could probably give me a pretty little tent on a beach and I wouldn't complain as long as its in Barbados! But then you get this fabulous formal vacation home, and its really over the top! Rene Margie's built this home from scratch and is responsible for all the decadent interiors. The grounds are a lush tropical oasis and the opulence continues inside, it looks like something from another era. Here is his formal take on a Caribbean colonial plantation home..quite the getaway, don't you think?

I would be spending A LOT of time on this hammock

This back has almost a theatrical feel to it, its so lush

GREENWICH, CT. This beautiful home situated in fabulous back country Greenwich was done by arhictect Ike Kleigerman Barkley. This beautiful coastal home situated right on the Long Island Sound was born out of the owners desire to build a smaller home than they previously owned, which would be a modern take on a Gothic and Romanesque style home. The result is the wonderful stone, glass and wood structure. The interiors features a lot of warm rich woods and a slightly more traditional feeling decor. An indoor pool pavilion completes this fabulous home. (and what a view)!

Check out that view from the indoor pool......stunning!

With a view like this, I would never again complain about having to sit and pay bills!

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. We stay in Connecticut and move onto this black singled home decorated by Alexa Hampton. At first I thought black shingles..how odd! But I actually really like the look of this rambling English inspired country home. On one side of the facade is the black wood and on the other stucco. The interiors reflect an ongoing eclectic mix of new and old, the decor is fresh, alive and young.Interesting to see the mix of the traditional style home outside and the surprising more modern interiors. Come on in and see what you think!

This is a great and cozy room

So what do you think? Do you have a clear cut favorite? I think they are all interesting and very clearly defined by their own personal style. Its always fun to see otters interpretation of their "dream house" isn't it? Hope you have a wonderful and relaxing Sunday!

Gentle Pinks

Hello everyone,

          I hope you are enjoying the sunshine, as it seems to have escaped us again, and it is remaining cool also.As a gardener, I love how long the blossoms are lasting though. Last spring was a lot warmer, and drier ,and the blooms did not last half as long as this year. So it is true, behind every cloud there is a silver lining!

   I have a few soft pinks to share with you for Pink Saturday.

The appleblossoms are so pretty right now- I love to see the wild ones blooming in the hedgerows along the farm fields.

This rose impatients is just so pretty.

The pansy looks so charming in the pretty planter my sister sent me. It came from Ikea in Vancouver.

We have had a few sunny warm days,--  here that meant it was time for the pink lemonade .

I am joining Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for PS again today and also Haken for Show off Saturday at The Rose Garden in Malevik.

Thank you to all of you who left such sweet comments on our garden photos being included in the Summer book from Norway -you are always so supportive!

I hope you all have a wonderful relaxing weekend,

Carolyn
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the pizza grill is here!

I'm just back from a little getaway to Carmel, quite possibly the most relaxing and romantic place on the planet.  I will share more of it next week, but for the weekend, let me leave you with this...  Have you seen the pizza grill at the Willows yet?  It is the absolute coolest.  You can even put it right on the beach over a fire.  Have you tried grilling pizzas before?  I think they always turn out so delicious, I can't seem to get enough!  We will definitely be trying the pizza grill on the beach this summer and I'm gonna bet when you see how magical it is, you will be so sad you didn't run down and get one for yourself.  Stop on by the shop and take a look!

Indoor Garden at Crystals in City Center, Las Vegas

Indoor Graden at Crystals in City Center, Las VegasMay 9, 2011
One lovely benefit of vacationing is checking out gardens in other regions.  We recently spent our spring vacation split between Las Vegas and Florida so I will be sharring some of the gardening pictures with you.  Pictured is one of the cute indoor gardens at Crystals in City Center in Las Vegas.
  The ginormous bunnies were quite

Tole Treasures

Hello everyone,

    I wanted to share a beautiful shop here on the Island with you today. It is called Tole and Treasures and it is east of Crapaud - about a 20 minute drive from Charlottetown. When I first started going there, the shop was in the house(above) but now it has grown, and it is in a large new shop adjacent to the house.

The shop is filled with so many antiques and treasures that it takes awhile to take everything in.

Notice the red and white toile on the bed- I couldn't go home without one of those pillows!

All that beautiful china!

The shop owner talking to my sister.

I love this garden bench!!!

and don't we all love chintz???

As you can see besides having beautiful antique furniture it is a haven for all dish lovers too! This beautiful shop is now open for the season and I am sure if you are on the Island you will enjoy a visit. As luck would have it -it is also near Victoria by the Sea another lovely place to go meander around or have afternoon tea.

I took these photos last summer during one of my visits-hope you enjoyed the little tour!

Have a good day,

Carolyn