AND THE WINNER IS....

Congratulations to Cora of Heartfelt and Homemade!

You have won a copy of Waterside Cottages.

Thank you to everyone who entered and keep visiting because I'll be running a contest of my own later this season. Hint: my giveaway will be a signed copy of Fabulous Fifi's Romantic Prairie Style.

A big hug and thank you Lidy at French Garden House for the chance to share my story and get to know your fabulous fans!

For the next few weeks, I am going to share some sensational photos that I have in my "Future Blog Posts" folders.

Knitters have a term--STASH-- for yarn that piles up in your closets. It's all wonderful yarn, of course, and when you got it you planned to make something wonderful with it. Now, alas, you've moved on, and the yarn just sits there.

I'm a serious knitter but have always tried to resist developing STASH.

While I've done a pretty good job of keeping my closets clear and free (okay, there ARE a few shopping bags tucked into a corner or two...), I've not done nearly as well with Blog Photos.

I've got hundreds on my computer (organized in neat little folders) that never got into blog posts yet.

I spent this week looking over my PHOTO STASH. Most are too good not to share. Some never got used because they didn't relate to Coastal Decorating. Others languished because life moves so fast that they missed their chance before I moved on to other posts.

I've organized my photo folders into themes and come up with a plan on how to showcase the best of the best.

SO expect the unexpected as I spring clean my photo files. Hold on to your hat, it's going to be a wild ride.


SPRING BULBS: At this time of year, I crave flowers. And the flowers that are coming up in my garden are my Fall bulbs. These gorgeous Spring bouquets, courtesy of the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center, all started with papery skinned, onion-like bulbs that are planted in Fall but bloom in spring.

Each year when my hyacinths, daffodils, tulips and small bulbs bloom, I take photos. That way when the bulb catalogs start popping up in my mailbox, I can remember where there were blank spots that need filling in.

The deer, squirrels, chipmunks and even my own chickens are hard on bulbs. That's why I grow so many daffodils. Everyone loves to nibble on tulips but no one disturbs my daffs!

BOOK GIVEAWAY

I love March!

It means the end of winter and the beginning of flower season in Virginia.

The month is barely 6 days old and the first Tête a Tête daffodils and tiny iris reticulata have already opened in my garden.

In 1992, when I planted a handful of Tête a Tête bulbs, they were a novelty-- and very expensive. Now, these early-blooming mini daffodils are one of the most popular daffodils in America. You can buy pots of ready-to-bloom Tête a Tête are for sale at my local grocery store. This March, I estimate that nearly 200 of these cheery little dafs will appear in my yard.

This year, there is another reason I love March... Lidy at French Garden House has posted an interview with me on her beautiful blog.In the interview, I've shared my Five Favorite Tips For Decorating Coastal Style, shared advice to folks who want to become writers and explained how I got interested in Waterside Cottages.

Dan Mayers contributed a dozen of his marvelous Waterside photos to the blog post, too.
Lidy is also holding a Book Giveaway. You can enter to win a copy of my book Waterside Cottages, but you'd better hurry. A winner will be chosen on March 8th (my son's birthday!)
There are several ways to enter and additional ones for improving your chances of winning.

Just click on the photo at the right to enter.