Queen Anne’s Lace and Little Details

Phyllis Lifestyle 21 Comments

Details, Details, Details— Maybe it’s me, but have you ever noticed how small details suddenly become big details? And once you are aware, you notice it everywhere you look. I have a tendency to fixate on something and drive myself crazy with it. Now you know what I am talking about—you focus on one thing, and it becomes an obsession …

Garden Harvest

Welcome Fall with Garden Harvesting

Phyllis Lifestyle 10 Comments

Have I told you about the garden we had? A couple of years ago, we decided to start growing vegetables right outside our kitchen. This time of the year during the fall harvest is the perfect time to try your hand at gardening and see if you have that green thumb. For our garden, we transformed a flower bed that’s …

Springtime

Love on the Table by Beth Albright

Phyllis People 16 Comments

Written by Beth Albright As a Southerner, I’ve always known that food and love are one and the same. My grandmothers both knew this secret and, as we do down South, passed that bit of magic down to future generations, the same as with our stories. Memories and shared recipes all get wrapped and tied with ribbon in faded, stained …

Happy Groundhog Day!

Happy Groundhog Day!

Phyllis Lifestyle 16 Comments

The whole concept is amazing to me. As one of our most popular and widely anticipated folklore celebrations, Groundhog Day is such a seemingly-silly tradition. How does the groundhog seeing his shadow determine if winter remains or if the season has come to an end? I always watch with amazement at the man who holds up the groundhog for all …

Laburnum Arch at Bodnant Gardens from European Treasures

Exploring Europe’s Gardens with Victoria

Phyllis Inspiration 9 Comments

The Norton family, of which I am a descendent, came to America from England. In fact, when we were publishing needlework magazines, one of the great historians of needlework Joanne Harvey told me that she had created a needlework kit whereby I could re-create the Hannah Norton sampler from the Historic New England collection. The original was stitched in 1795, …

Why Hydrangeas are a Special Favorite in My Summer Garden

Phyllis Inspiration 4 Comments

I am in love with hydrangeas. My bushes are in full bloom right now, and I wish they stayed that way year-round. I started my hydrangea garden after listening to my dear friend Alexandra Stoddard speak of her writing room. The white-drenched room, complete with open windows and billowing curtains, overlooks her French hydrangea garden where the beautiful blue blossoms nod …