Descanso Gardens

For more than 40 years I have talked about visiting Descanso Gardens and it finally happened.

The grounds were covered in thousands of tulips in varying stages of bloom.

Tucked throughout the tulip beds were a variety of flowers ready to take over when the tulips are finished for the season.

The tulips were the main attraction, but the diversity of flowers was wonderful.

In the southern California drought,

seeing so much color and greenery

 was wonderful.

The Japanese garden was spectacular

and the variety of trees

surprised me.

Little creatures seem to enjoy the gardens -

my friend captured squirrels and bunnies,

but I had to settle for ladybugs

and busy bees.

I've already talked to my sister about meeting me at the gardens next month

mainly because I missed out on riding the train.

Thanks for coming along on my visit to Descanso Gardens.

One Big Change ... and a whole lot of little ones

For several months I have been searching for a cabinet for our guest room and I finally found one.

Pinterest

This beauty was my inspiration - we've been working on scaling down the size of the furniture in each room to give the illusion of space.

I was really excited when I spotted this at The Great Junk Hunt at our local fairgrounds - the color isn't true due to the lighting in the building.

I love the cabinet in the room - the color is just what I had in mind.

I'm not sure exactly what I want to keep in the cupboard - books and a few craft items are perfect for now.

One item that will definitely stay in the cupboard is the box of 1946 crayons - a gift from my son and his wife found when we were in Kauai for Christmas.

Glass knobs replace the stark white knobs.

And then, after that one big change, a lot of little changes began.

Red and white pillows were replaced by pin tucked IKEA pillows and Mr. Goose came down from the attic.

I went with soft colors on the table and old door

and used dried roses to create a romantic look in the room.

The old ladder sitting in my garden house was brought in until I can find the perfect chair for this spot.

I love having favorite books on hand and the ladder gives me a place to set them out.

I ran out of roses so the dresser got chamomile or feverfew -

I can''t ever tell the difference.

 I resorted to faux tulips in the bedside cabinet because I never remember to change the flowers.

The guest room is fresh and awaiting any visitors

and Lulu has given her seal of approval.

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Hop on over with me to The Design Twins for Friday Friends Parade Linky Party

Where does the time go?

I noticed this morning that it's been over a month since I wrote a blog post

and I'm not sure why.

I have loads of pictures saved in folders on my desk top for a variety of blog posts,

but I haven't taken the time to sit down to write.

The entry has a fresh blue and white look

and Easter decor is popping up here and there.

I replaced a red EAT sign in the kitchen with a metal sign.

I've been quite busy rearranging furniture in the house - a dresser from the guest room is now in our bedroom, but I haven't taken a photo yet.

I've gone with a softer, 

more feminine look in the guest room.

So I was really excited to find this fun cabinet at The Great Junk Hunt last week.

I found this cabinet at a local shop, The Tattered Door, a few weeks ago, but I'm not finished organizing the living room and I only have this picture.

I have been doing lots of work in the garden - new flowers are popping up all over.

I posted this garden pic on Instagram 11 days ago and was happy that my photo inspired someone- 

because today on Instagram @lindamayclarkart posted her version of my garden.

And I'm pleased to say that changing something in each of these rooms was on my 2018 goals list and they were both completed before March 1 - I'll be showing you soon.

Writing this post showed me just where the time is going - 

I'm spending it doing all the things I love to do.