A couple of weekends ago, my long time friends came to Kansas City for a visit. We had so much fun! We spent time visiting favorite local shops including Nell Hills at Briarcliff Village.

Spring Urn Design

One of the highlights of the trip was visiting the traveling Princess Diana exhibit. Photos weren't allowed in the exhibit, but the exhibit included photos, videow and mementos from her childhood, charity work, books and books of memorials from around the world and of course a room full of her designer outfits and her wedding dress. 

 I'm so glad Kansas City was one of the locations selected to host this wonderful exhibit and would highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Princess Diana and it was a good reminder about what a difference she made through her many charities.

We were lucky enough to enjoy a beautiful, rain-free weekend and spent time catching up over snacks and beverages on the deck. Thanks to my dear friends for making the trek to Kansas City!

Ladies Day at the Nursery

Great Quote

A great way to get inspired for the upcoming gardening season is going to this annual event held at Family Tree Nursery. The theme this year was "Dream Big", something I usually don't have problems doing when it comes to planning the garden! 

I Dream of Gardening

From the garden "bed" to the fairy garden, the displays were fun, colorful and imaginative.

Fairy Garden

This is one of my favorite places to find garden statuary. They have a wonderful selection and it was very tempting with everything on sale for 20% off! But this trip I just enjoyed looking.

Too Sweet!

Colors of Spring

Fun things to see in the greenhouse and in their store.

Sparkly Chicks

 

 

A Favorite Any Time of Year

This is one of my favorite places to find garden statuary. They have a wonderful selection and it was very tempting with everything on sale for 20% off! But this trip I just enjoyed looking at the decorative items and went with the practical such as bird seed and plant twine!

Wishing you spring-time weather and happy gardening dreams!

Hello 2011!

New Year Greetings!

I hope you had a safe and Happy New Year's Eve. I finished up my duties at work yesterday and left a little early to stop by my favorite antique shops in Greenwood, MO, where most vendors were offering year end discounts.

Inspirations

The shops looked festive and were packed with tempting treasures. All the vendors do a great job in finding spectacular primitives and take great care with their displays. I came away with just a few little things--wool from Anita White's booth, a hog scraper to use in future projects and two books packed with ideas for new creations and holiday decorating using natural materials (you can tell my little brain is already working by all the pages I've marked in Judy Condon's book.)

Apothecary from The Curious Sofa

Tomorrow I will run down to Prairie Village for one last stop at The Curious Sofa before they close their doors. Debbie Dusenberry has poured her heart and soul into this shop and it shows. However, as she so clearly explains in her blog, the passion that drove her to create the store and maintain it at that level took her away from the kind of life she set out to design.

Artful Lamp

The Curious Sofa will continue with an online store, so Debbie's talent and wonderful finds will still be available, but I'll miss the over-the-top sensory delight that was the bricks and mortar store.