Dear Friends,
Please join us at the Sawyer Free Library on Thursday November 12th at 7:00 pm for my Monarch butterfly program. I am especially, especially excited to present to our community. I hope to see you there! Please note that this is my photo and lecture program, not the new film, which will be coming soon.
For more information visit my website Kim Smith Designs.
Special thanks to Valerie Marino at the Sawyer Free for creating the program flyer!
Cosmos bipinatus
In preparation for my upcoming season of programs, which are centered around designing gardens to support pollinators, one of my jobs is to refresh and update the photos that are an integral part of the presentation. This past month I have been immersed in colorful images and tomorrow I am giving my new monarch butterfly presentation at (the other) Cape. Here are some of the outtakes from my pollinator habitat programs for our winter weary eyes.
Phlox and Luna Moth
Sunflower and Joe-pye Weed
Monarch Butterfly and Cape Honeysuckle, Goleta California
The tulips are at peak perfection, and just in time for my Artist Spotlight Event! The warm weather this weekend coaxed many to bloom, and the cooler temperatures predicted will keep them very pretty.
I hope you can come and enjoy an evening of Willowdale’s hospitality and signature refreshments, the garden tour, and screening of my film, Life Story of the Black Swallowtail Butterfly.
Happy Spring!
Lana Rudym, current President of the North Shore Women in Business and Sarah Boucher, Senior Sales and Marketing Manager, Willowdale Estate
Briar Forsythe, proprietor of Willowdale Estate, generously donated the venue, her fabulous refreshments, and outstanding staff.
Anthony D’Elia, owner of Revelation Productions, donated the stunning lighting and parasol design decor for the event. More about Anthony in an upcoming Antennae for Design post.
Kim Smith “May Basket” design for the courtyard urns.
The Twelve Days of Christmas Dinner Napkins
Last week Good Morning Gloucester contributor E.J. posted photos of Haiti Projects merchandise for sale. I thought you might be interested to know that the set of four napkins pictured above was designed by me.
My designs were inspired by the first four verses of the English Christmas Carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas–A partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves, three French hens, and four calling birds. Perhaps knowing what the images symbolize, you may be even more interested in purchasing as a holiday gift!
Daisy Table Mat with Matching Napkins
Over the years I designed many items for Haiti Projects and The Twelve Days of Christmas set of napkins was one of my favorites. All of the Haiti Projects linens are exquisitely hand embroidered, not machine embroidered. Additional photos are of several more of my designs for Haiti Projects, along with links to purchase each: Dove of Peace, Daisy Table Mat with Matching Napkins, Dragonfly Eye Pillow, and Sweet Dreams Eye Pillow. See also Apple Blossom Table Mat. The prices are all very reasonable and make very special gifts–as E.J. said, Give a Gift for Good.” Photos courtesy Haiti Projects website.
Dragonfly Eye Pillow ~ filled with lavender
Dove of Peace ~ Also available in white ground with red embroidery
Yesterday was the grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony of the Gloucester Harbor Walk. I designed the pollinator gardens that you see along the walk. While there photographing, deadheading, and weeding in preparation of the big event, not only did I see myriad species of butterflies and bees, a flock of goldfinches flew into the scene and were dining on the seed heads of the Echinacea. Needless to say, I didn’t do much dead heading of the coneflowers!
Helenium autumnale ~ a bee and butterfly attracting magnet
A few ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos of the area know as I4-C2. The before photos were taken only a few short months ago, in May of this year. The after photos were shot in August. Click photos to view larger images.
I4-C2 May 2012
Gloucester Harbor Walk August 2012
Congratulations and thank you to Mayor Kirk, Sarah Garcia, Chris Muskopf, Jay Ramsey, and including everyone involved (there are many, many more than named here–these are the people I have had the pleasure to work with on the project) for having the vision, courage, tenacity, and talent to create Gloucester’s Harbor Walk.
Gloucester Harbor Walk ~ View of Gus Foote Park
The Harbor Walk is nearing completion. Despite the plethora of unforeseeable problems with the landfill at I4-C2, and current drought, the walk looks gorgeous. Come, take a stroll!
Gus Foote Park Last Year at this Time. What a difference–the build phase of the project was accomplished in only a few short months!
I will be bringing you more ‘before and after’ photos, as well as information about the native plants habitat gardens (and how you can translate that information to your own garden), in the coming months.
This is a view into the courtyard garden I designed for Willowdale Estate. The tulips are at their peak. I call this mix of colors my ‘Bridal Mix,’ because it provides a symphony of watercolor hues for the April and May weddings. Don’t you think too that the satiny sheen of the tulip petals looks like the silk satin gowns of wedding parties?
Spring Flowering Tulips Willowdale Estate
Click photo to view larger image. More from Willowdale spring to come.
Happy Birthday Briar!
As many know from reading my posts, my dear friend, and one of my favorite design clients, is Briar Forsythe, proprietor of Willowdale Estate, located in Topsfield. I was delighted to attend Briar’s birthday party, which was a wine and food tasting event, and held in the new conservatory at Willowdale. Usually when there I am up to my elbows in design projects so it was a real pleasure to get a sense of how it feels to be a guest.
The party started at 4:00 and the late afternoon sunlight streaming through the conservatory windows lent a warm and welcoming glow to the event. The service was absolutely impeccable (do you find that is not often easy to say?). Chef Joe Joyce and staff had prepared simply the most elegant and divine tasting courses, paired with wines that perfectly complemented each dish. All the wines were delicious and I can imagine they would be great paired with any number of meals.
Unfortunately, I did not take a snapshot of the first course, which was a Duxbury Oyster with Champagne Foam and Blood Orange Caviar, served with a sparkling Dibon Cava Brut. I love sparkling wines and found this perfectly not overly sweet. I am not going to go on and on telling you how super delicious was all–it was–and hope the photos give an idea. The wines were provided by Geoffrey Fallon.
Sweet Pea Agnolotti, Lobster Tail, Vanilla Aioli and Pea Shoots Paired with Lamoreaux Chardonnay
Braised Lamb Shank, Grilled Polenta, Mustard Greens and Baby Turnip Paired with Armandiere Cahors Visit Willowdale’s website—they are a full service special events venue, specializing in their own in-house fabulous catering. Tours are offered throughout the year and many Gloucester companies do business with Willowdale, including several of our local florists and photographers.
Click last photo to see slideshow of all party pics.
The Butterfly Garden at Willowdale Estate
Support the Wenham Museum in this week long event of beautiful “favorite spaces” created by north of Boston designers, along with lectures presented by Kim Smith, Jerry Arcari, and Kevin O’Connor. To see the full calendar of events, follow this link 2010 Spring Benefit.
Glitter Greetings from Anthropologie–a sweet set of twelve Valentine postcards in a handy re-usable tin.
Haiti Projects Mission Statement
The mission of Haiti projects is to lift the families of Fond des Blancs out of extreme poverty. Our goals are to empower the community to become self-sustaining:
By training its members to develop marketable skills that generate revenue that goes back into the community.
By providing emplyment and educational opportunities that open minds to unlimited possibility.
By empowering women to have control over their own fertility.
When you empower women financially, you raise up a family, which in turn raises a whole village.
Excerpts from a recent study of Haiti Projects (conducted in December 2009) provides evidence of the powerful impact the Women’s Cooperative has had on the lives of its workers, their families, and their villages:
“I have been able to feed my children and start building a house for my family.” – Women’s Cooperative embroiderer
“I can feed my children and send them to school, now. They have a library where they can borrow books.” – Women’s Cooperative seamstress
Haiti Projects is a beacon in the village.
What was that cacophony of scritching and scratching coming from behind the bed? Several years ago we found a mouse stuck in one of the clothing trunks stored there, but this was impossibly loud. What now, a super-sized mouse? While gingerly poking around the trunks, I realized the noise was coming from inside the wall. I peered out the bedroom window, and to my dismay, met the eyes of an eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) as he cautiously appraised me from the electric wire that connects the telephone pole to our home. The squirrel quickly scurried back into the perfect silver dollar-sized hole he had gnawed in the right front corner soffit. The unusual sounds we had been hearing for the past several days were the squirrel zooming back and forth along the length of the soffit, gnawing, tearing, shredding, and generally having a grand time building a nest and making himself a home. Continue reading
Dear Friends,
From the safety of Miami I am sending you a message of appreciation to you who have shown such an outpouring of love and concern for my well being in Haiti.
I hasten to tell you that I am well and have recovered, at least outwardly, from the anguish of leaving Haiti. I thought that, all things considered, it was prudent to grasp the offer to be evacuated quickly when I had the chance.
I am glad to be back in the USA where we are privileged beyond measure. However, it is a powerful culture shock filled with sadness. Continue reading
