On The Backside of Hurricane Sandy

 

 

Hurricane Sandy is over, and it's nice to finally be on the backside of that terrible storm.  We are safe and our house is safe.  Miraculously, all of our trees stayed strong.  Some of our neighbors weren't as lucky and are dealing with more serious storm damage.  But all in all, I think we dodged a bullet.  We were prepared for this storm (especially after dealing with the emotional roller coaster of Irene last year).  I stocked up on water, flashlights, and non-perishable food.  Over the summer, Dave installed a sump pump and rerouted our gutters.  As a result, we never had a drop of water in the basement (yay!).  Our power went out on Monday and thankfully came back on last night.  We are so grateful for power! 

 

 

from CBS3 here in Philadelphia

 

On Monday night, the eye of the storm passed over southen New Jersey and then over Philadelphia.  The screen shot above was posted on CBS Philly's facebook page.  Pretty crazy, isn't it? 

 

 

 

Instagram shot of a neighbors uprooted tree...  this is sadly, one of many around here.

Last night, the brigade of clean up trucks coming into town.  There must have been 6 or 7 in this line up, one after another.

 

If you live on the East Coast, I hope that you made it through with minimal damage (and that your power was quickly restored!).  My heart goes out to the residents of New Jersey and New York who suffered such tremendous loss.  Please donate to The Red Cross to help those who need assistance.  You can donate HERE.

 

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Around Town

I dropped by a Philadelphia client's home for a little visit on Monday, and snapped a few photos...

we can't get enough of Peter Dunham's "fig leaf"

(how cute is this chair?)

her new credenza arrived (topped with 1960s brass table lamps);

and I love her vintage runner in the entry

I presented some new designs for a master bedroom...

and, a little boys room (love the twin beds)

I managed to get myself downtown this week...

new haircut (at Jason Matthew Salon on Chestnut Street, in case anyone is interested-- ask for Kathy.  It took me two long years to find her)

After that, I stopped by the Philadelphia design center...

loving this purple ombre velvet stripe;

and, I'm also digging that ruffle trim.

Yesterday, I dropped by another client of mine for a quick visit...

she has the prettiest backyard,

complete with bluestone patio (I love the pea gravel detail!)

this is the lovely view from her family room window.

Happy Friday everyone!  I have a date with my husband tonight for a competitive round of mini golf.  :)  I hope your weekend is as equally joyful.

xx

Kelly

 

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Instagram

I've recently discovered the wonders of Instagram.  This little iPhone app is pretty fantastic (and somewhat addicting).  Are you on Instagram? 

Dave and I had a very relaxing 4th of July holiday.  We spent the afternoon walking around some of our favorite Philadelphia neighborhoods (taking notes on wonderful landscape and hardscape ideas).  I snapped these pictures and posted them on Instagram...

hydrangea, in the most sensational shades of pink and purple

can you believe these ivy swags??

I love the pattern on these brick steps

charming little entry

I'm posting on Instagram more often than the blog... so if you want to follow me, my username is kellyrobson.  I've also added a window along the right-side column of this blog-- it updates regularly with my Instagram pics.  :)

I hope you all had a Happy 4th of July!

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Stalking Chestnut Hill

Dave and I took a walk through Chestnut Hill this weekend, stalking some of the neighborhoods for landscape & hardscape inspiration.  This stunning historic neighborhood never disappoints...

Not a bad house, if you're into this kind of thing (how gorgeous is this place?).  We were looking for driveway ideas and this house has a fabulous cobblestone + finely crushed stone combo.  Love everything about this house.

retaining wall, perfected.

Vertical running bond in brick-- we love how the pattern follows the curves of the pathway.  Also, the planter side of the pathway has a raised edge to contain the garden, while the other side is flat (for easy mowing and minimal weed wacking).

never ending stone wall-- gorgeous!

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The Weekend

And, what a lovely weekend it was...

It snowed:

We made a trip to Terrain to get a little landscape inspiration (Springtime is right around the corner, after all)...  and I got distracted by the merchandise:

An antiquing trip through Bucks County ended with a visit to Linden Hill Gardens, and a strool through their gorgeous greenhouses:

And, we have a new project in the works for High Street Market!  Here's a hint of what we'll soon see stocked in our shop:

Happy Monday!

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Thanksgiving Sky

I hope you all had a delightful Thanksgiving weekend.  We drove out of town to visit with my husband's family in upstate New York.  And as tradition goes, we completely over ate (feasting on 8 different side dishes!  My mother in law outdid herself, that's for sure).    We snapped this shot from our backyard once we returned.  That pink sunset took our breath away!

Much to be thankful for this year.

xoxo,

Kelly

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Hurricanes Are Emotionally Exhausting

image from picturephilly.com

So, Hurricane Irene hit us a little harder than I anticipated.  My God!  What an emotionally exhausting weekend!  Were you in harms way?  How did you fare during the storm?  We experienced lots and lots and lots of water.  High winds and tornado warnings.  Our home survived with very little damage, but other people in our area weren't so lucky.  Some of our friends lost power early on, and ended up with completely flooded basements (horrifying).  Other families in the Philadelphia area suffered major damage from floods and high winds.  I listen to their stories on the local news and my heart breaks.  It was a very scary night and I hope we never have to experience something like that again.


After this weekend, I learned a few things:

1.  We need a sump pump (and maybe a generator-- can't be too prepared!)
2.  We have way too much junk in our basement
3.  There's a leak near one of our chimneys
4.  My husband and I work very well together under pressure
5.  The Philadelphia news teams on ABC, CBS, and NBC are tremendous.  These people stayed on the air for 12+ hours straight, giving us the latest updates and weather reports.  They helped people stay connected and get prepared. 
6.  I'm so proud of my new city.


This storm has set me back a few days (let's put it this way: there are half a dozen storage bins in my office that were previously living in the basement).  The house is a total mess.  So, I need a take a quick little break from the blog this week to recover.  But, I promise to be back soon. 

Until then, I'm sending lots of love to you, my dear readers! 
Have a fabulous week!

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It's Hot In Philadelphia!

When my sister and I were little, my mother used to read us poems from Shel Silvertein's "Where The Sidewalk Ends" and "A Light In The Attic."  We had so many favorites, and we would ask her to read them to us over and over, and over again.  This one was one of them:

I've been thinking about this poem all day given the tremendous heat we're experiencing here in Philadelphia.  It's Hot!  To escape the sweltering temps, I spent the entire day shopping at the Philadelphia Marketplace.  I stopped in at Lee Jofa to see the new Lilly Pulitzer collection, I swooned over the Oscar de la Renta furniture line at Century, and seriously contemplated buying this Regency style cabinet at Robert Allen's floor sample sale.  Unfortunately, I don't have $6,000 to burn.  So I had to pass.  But the air conditioning was lovely.

Today reached 97 degrees and tomorrow it's going to be 102 degrees... 

with a "RealFeel" of 113!!!

I wish I could sit around in my bones.  It's hot!

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Terrain Summer Tent Sale!

For you local Philadelphians: the Urban Outfitters brainchild, Terrain, is having a tent sale!  Lots of great summer pieces are 25% - 75% off.  I'm a fan of their modern outdoor furniture, and if we weren't renovating our house (and if we actually had a back deck), I would buy this set.

Here's what I would pick up if I went to the sale (and had an unlimited budget):

Those tiny pewter bees?  They're actually cheese markers.  Stick one in the Vermont White Cheddar at your next party!  There's a tiny slot behind the wings that allows you to slide in a label.  Genius.

And, I love the way those walnut coasters stack up.  How chic is that?

To shop the sale items online, click HERE.

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Happy Summer Weekend!

Happy first official weekend of summer!  I hope you all have a sweet weekend ahead of you.  The fireflies are out in FULL FORCE here, and I plan on watching their natural fireworks display from my porch this evening.  Is there anything more magical than fireflies at dusk?  It's one thing I love about east coast summers.

Some exciting news:

• It's that time of year again!  High Street Market will be hosting the annual Vintage Baby Sale within the next coming week.  Tons of baby-themed vintage pieces will be in the shop, and they're only available for 24 hours.  The early bird gets the worm!  Check back on Monday for more details (or, sign up for our newsletter at the top right corner of this page!).

• Rumor has it that there is a Million Dollar Decorators marathon on Bravo tomorrow.  So, if you've never seen the show, now's the time to catch up (I was apprehensive at first, but now I love it).

• And, finally...  on my walk last night, I spotted this lovely lady tip-toeing through the grass:

she let me get within 25 feet (close enough to snap this picture with my iphone)...

and then, just like THAT.  She was gone.

Have a great weekend, friends.  And, I'll see you back here on Monday.

xoxo,

Kelly

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Philadelphia Home To "Marley & Me"

Remember the idyllic Philadelphia home from the movie Marley & Me?  Well, it's for sale.  Located in Chadds Ford (Chester County) this historic stone farmhouse was built in 1837 and is listed at $1.45 million.  It sits on 16 acres of land and includes a 6 stall horse barn with fenced pastures.  (Speaking of the barn: remember the scene in the end of the movie where Marley is lost, so Jennifer Aniston looks for him in the barn?  For a split second, we get to see the gorgeous sliding barn doors and horse stalls... I gasped, the barn was so pretty.  And, that's just for the horses).  The home has 5 bedrooms and 3.5 baths and still looks the way it does when it was shot for the movie...

exterior shot from the MLS listing

and, the shot from the movie, Marley & Me

In 2009, Philadelphia Magazine featured this marvelous 19th century farmhouse in an article called "Farm Charm." 

I love the chunky baseboards, wide plank floors, and historic details of this home.  This shot with Jennifer Aniston (below) shows off the yellow trim and built-in window seat:

Here's a shot of the bedroom (with yellow trim) in the MSL listing:

The living room, from the movie:

And the living room, from the listing:

Here's the dining room, featured in Philadelphia Magazine (I like the dark trim at the window):

And, the dining room from the MLS listing:

I particularly loved this image of an antique daybed, covered in colorful, eclectic linens...

Heres the shot of the same room (with the daybed) in the real estate listing:

The kitchen is brand new, but the homeowners built it to look original to the house (with the beam ceilings and large windows).  Nice work, wouldn't you say?  I love the windsor style barstools.  :)

So, if you're looking for a little piece of historic Philadelphia, maybe this home is for you! 

Click HERE to check out the MLS listing.

All images from Marley & Me, Trulia and Hooked On Houses

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