Spring is Finally Here!

Spring is finally here, and it reminds me every year that it's worth waiting for! This was an extremely long Winter, especially for California. With most of the Big rains behind us now, the Sun is shining. Yippee! I took my walkabout this morning and here's what I found! It may not look like much to you, but I know with a cold winter and lots of rain good things are happening in the Garden! This is when I went in and grabbed my camera!


A Beautiful volunteer of Sweetpeas up amongst the Grape vines really surprised me this morning. While the late planting of Sweet Peas are just barely above the soil.

Big Bearded Iris are beginning to burst!

Up in the Terraced Garden the Shrub Roses are beginning to really leaf out. Sweet pink blossoms are not far away!

Forget me Nots?

I haven't seen them in a few years! Now I know where the name come from!

Another round of Daffodils. Chubby blooms of Cheerfulness, a highly fragrant variety!

All the bees are happy. Buzzing around the Lavender in Full bloom!

The soft dewey leaves of Lambs Ears! This soft gray green leaf is just lovely combined with delicate English Roses.

Feverfew. I could never have enough. Be careful what you wish for.... It's coming up everywhere!

Here she goes! Just waitng for a stalk of Artichokes to rise up! Do we eat them or just watch them bloom?

A row of teeny tiny Alpine Strawberries never cease to amaze me. There is more sweetness and flavor in this little gem than a basket full of huge Berries from the market. A little treat for me in the garden.

This snowy white Camellia opening after the Rains. So worried I had lost them all.

A hardy shade Perennial, Hellebore, and such a great cutting flower.

Dainty Coral bells in a shady garden.

I love this Perennial Ranunculu. A yummy yellow, with more volunteers popping up all over my garden every year.


Hundreds of tiny Snowballs forming on the Viburnum bushes. This is going to be quite the show this year!
Big mound of Alstromeria. I love this particular one for it's variegated leaf. One of my favorite flowers to cut. Actually you just pull them right up out of the earth by the stem!


This is the first Iceberg Rose to bloom. I can hardly wait, there's so much more to come! Lilacs and Columbine and... Hundreds of roses! Oh My, I better get to gardening! Bye!

It's been A while...

It's been a while since my last post! The holidays at the shop were hectic and then it was off to Atlanta in January for the gift show. I returned home with a severe case of Bronchitis, which took me several weeks before I began to feel like myself again. That was then and this is now. What I have been hearing from so many people is that they are all feeling so overwhelmed! Well you're not alone... So am I!



One week ago this was the view outside my kitchen window... Don't I live in Southern California? It is just a few days until March 1st. and it was snowing madly!




Looking out, I realized I had so much to do in the garden and now this! With over 100 roses to prune and plenty of perennials that needed my attention I was feeling extremely overwhelmed. I'll never get it all done and surely Spring is on the way, Right?




Looking at the Big picture , whether it's your home, garden or business will drive you crazy! Thinking about this I decided to just look at one tiny snippet of my garden and what could I actually accomplish today! This is my favorite view to wake up to every morning so this is where I began.



Just pruning a few roses, cultivating the soil, adding a little compost and fertilizer, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. Because it's what's below the soil that you can't see that will be so rewarding in just a short time. Spring is coming! The Daffodils are beginning to emerge, along with so many perennials. The English roses will be blooming before I know it.




Tomorrow I will begin again in another area of my garden. With time and persistence, a trowel in one hand and clippers in the other, I will eventually be able to look at the Big Picture and say I did It!

Creating Fall in the Home

Fall is the only time of year we welcome all the warm colors of rust, reds, yellows, oranges, browns, blacks and creams into our homes without reservations. What inspires us to do so? In many parts of the country Fall comes naturally by way of Nature. In Southern California we need to create our seasons by bringing these colors into our Homes and gardens.


For me... It begins with hunting for Pumpkins out in the fields and bringing them back to the shop. But it isn't until the arrival of Bittersweet that really gets me in the hunting and gathering mood.


First I roam through the nurseries, the Flower market naturally, and then start in at home looking for different elements to inspire Fall decorating. Pottery, pots, garden tools, baskets, containers, linens and some treasured collections.


This Fall I seem to be drawn to whites and blacks and just a few accents of color. There's always a gardening theme in my home as well.


First I strip down the areas I want to focus on redecorating and then I begin adding in . White pumpkins are a must along with white pottery. I found this old quilt from India and hung it for pop of color


















For the dining room table I filled a Vintage French soup tureen with rusty red mums. More white pumpkins , white candlesticks and candles with a gardening motif.



I have a collection of white Ironstone in a small European hutch. I added a few pieces of Brown Transferware to give a Fall feel.Tiny mums in a bowl and hand carved giant acorns in another add unique touch.


In the bay window I went really tall! There's always something I can't resist like this beautiful orchid in the same colors as my quilt. Flanked by white pumpkins on vintage pedestals, with a violet under glass and terra cotta pots filled with color!




Ahhh... then there's Bittersweet. Every year it gets it's debut on the piano in this creamy urn with my beautiful carved birds!


Moving to the Fireplace I was inspired by this Garden Trophy artwork. On the left side I filled my little French wheel barrow with a collection of hand carved pumpkins. On the right side some collected garden elements . A vintage watering can, a French wire gathering basket, a mossy cloche brought in from the garden, a topiary for height, and a few more pumpkins.


Black and white Bridgewater Pottery is a favorite of mine! So are these delicious pumpkin chocolate chip muffins I've been Baking every Fall for 25 years. Yes, I'll share the recipe too!



So many think of Ranunculus as a spring flower, however they really begin blooming in the Fall. Love them!



















Even the guest powder room gets a mini makeover. Yummy French Orange Ginger soaps , new hand towels , fresh flowers, violets and ivy, and more little hand carved pumpkins too!


The Front porch definitely needs some attention. Even though Fall is a transition time for planting... mums, begonias, greenery and pumpkins will keep me happy til Winter! A fresh Rosehips wreath will dry beautifully on the front door.


A witches work is never done... or is it...There's no rest for the wicked!


Don't for get the Treats! Happy Halloween!

From the Ground up!

Going to Atlanta to hunt for all things great for the new shop was the easy part. Coming back to reality and realizing the goal was to open in just a few weeks was going to prove just a little more challenging! August 1st. we were happy to announce "We've got the keys to 1367 foothill blvd in La Canada." This was just a few doors up from the previous shop.


After taking a look around a few things were very clear. This was a much smaller location than the last shop. This was just fine. I felt I needed a much more manageable space. It has big front windows filling the location with sunshine. Lastly we would need to take down the mirrored monster and paint the entire shop walls and the floors as well. I needed a blank canvas to start!



My inspiration for the shop colors were a beautiful remnant of European Grainsack fabric. This was the look and feel I was so attracted to over and over again in Atlanta. Not to mention I love to collect old textiles. The colors I chose were Greek Villa for the walls and Sealskin for the floors.


Doing all the work ourselves, my husband Brian gets the Husband of the Year award for tackling this project. It took nearly a week from start to finish. Meanwhile I was painting, painting and more painting! Brian really pitched in when I came down with a nasty summer bug and my arms were ready to give out.


The result I was looking for was perfect. Crisp clean walls and the floors the color of 85% dark Valrhona Chocolate. Oh Yum!

It's time to start moving in. First I need to make the outside look like somthing belonged here. And... I hadn't gardened in over 2 weeks. Now I had a different Bug, The Gardening Bug!


With an over abundance of Terra Cotta pots at home into the moving truck they went. All filled with white roses of different varieties, I spruced them up with some summer annuals and herbs that could take the summer heat. Little did we know over 100' temps were on their way! Too many Pots in front of the shop? Who cares, I love it!



Aside from a few favorite Pine cupboards saved from the previous shop all my collecting has finally paid off. My love of garden furniture will now all be put to good use in the new shop. I'll also mix in the new furniture pieces from the Atlanta show that will be for sale. Brian's definitely been working to much. Silly Guy!


With 1 week to go before we open the UPS man is nowhere in site. I just keep waiting, very impatiently I might add. It's one thing to order the goods, but another alltogether to actually receive them in a timely manner. What's the one word a merchant never wants to hear"BACKORDER" Oh goody here he comes! It's going to take quite a bit more than one dolly full to fill up the shop!


Down to two days to go until the shop opens. My Topiary order arrived and I've been the mad potter! Still waiting for more merchandise to arrive. Nothing like waiting until the last minute!



The day before the shop's to open so much more arrived. I think it's the chair I've been waiting for don't you? Along with the tables and lamps and some other wonderful items tomorrow will be a good day. It's off to the flower market at 3am to put the finishing touches on the shop. What would my shop be with out a beautiful fresh arrangement of flowers to greet you on opening day!



Julie O'Keefe Home and Garden opened on Wednesday August 18th. All I have to say is" Good Thing Come in Small Packages" and" It feels Like Home to Me".

To view a current slide show of the new shop go to www.julieokeefehomeandgarden.com

Once a Shop Girl... Always a Shop Girl!

This year has not only been a year of rejuvenation for my garden, but for me as well. While working from home was a wonderful experience I found I missed being a shop girl. An extraordinary opportunity presented itself to begin a new shop. So off to Atlanta I went looking for wonderful new finds for Julie O'Keefe Home and Garden!


The Atlanta Gift Show is wonderful a source of accessories for the home, garden, gifts and best of all... inspiration! I just love these Terra Cotta Pot light fixtures. I must create one of these for the new shop.


There is a Vintage Area where it's hard to resist all the great Antiques. I wish those French bakery tins would fit in my suitcase. Makes a great statement on a wall for a kitchen. Industrial salvage is a big influence this show. The wheels in my head are turning!


Jewelry is a huge weakness of mine. Who wouldn't love all these stands of pearls around their neck. This new line of Pure Sanctuary jewelry will be in the new shop for sure.


Focus Julie! Back to what I really came here for. This new garden line is a must. Look at these vases hanging from a wire display. I can envision these at a party where all the guest could take one home. Those would be so fun in the new shop too.


In another favorite showroom, this fabulous stencil would make a very graphic statement. The poem is so charming. Maybe I will actually use the stencil with paint for an inviting entry to a home.


There's even a Band of hysterically funny costumed musicians playing through the floors in one of the buildings. You can't help but laugh out loud. This keeps a smile on my face the rest of the day.


Atlanta is always full of surprises! My room mate coaxed me into something new. A night out for Sushi and Cosmos. This was just what the girls needed after a 10 hour day of hunting and gathering for our shops.


Atlanta is always a worthwhile trip, but there's no place like home! I can't wait to get started. Bring it on UPS!