red, white, and brooklyn!

Happy Fourth of July from my Brooklyn to yours! We went to Chelsea Piers tonight to see the fireworks over the Hudson River, and it was fantastic. Nothing like a good display of fireworks to put a smile on your face!

May you wear your patriotism proudly on your sleeve all year long — like this guy!

oregano, lemon verbena, & basil

Today in the cool drizzle of summer rain, we gave the garden some overdue lovin’ — and that meant pruning, and lots of weeding. Where to start? Well, the oregano was starting to flower and the lemon verbena was flopping over, so it was time for them to get a haircut. The basil is ALWAYS going crazy (thank the Lord) and I decided I want to try rooting them in water, so out came the clippers.

I’m a big fan of the herb bouquet as I so enjoy their fresh scent more often than flowers, but feel free to tell me I’m wrong and recommend something that smells sweeter and I’d love to try it. Apparently, the kitten shares my fondness for a good herb bouquet. He is OBSESSED:

We’ve had family in town all week, so there’s been lots of sitting on the stoop and discussing what we want to do with the garden next. I’m excited for all the ideas that are percolating but eager to see the plants reach their full potential or find out what’s not working. I’m so impatient sometimes, and too much of a control freak to ‘zen’ out in the garden. GROW, PLANTS!@1! But I love this part, the pruning and the admiring and the pondering of the miracle of nature indoors. Man, that sounded so granola.

In upcoming projects, I really want to try creating a smaller, taller version of this genius modern DIY planter that Anna from Door Sixteen posted and use it as a divider between our stoop and the neighbor’s. And I’m dreaming about planting a fig tree, and maybe some more sedum and herbs and grasses for density. And then we have to start thinking about what bulbs to order for next year, omg and then it’s winter again. Okay, RELAX.

I’m going to go smell my little bouquet and chill out now.

i can’t believe it’s already been a year!

Today is an exciting day: it marks the one-year anniversary that I became a homeowner!

I vividly remember trekking to Midtown from DUMBO, the anxious trip to the bank, that crazy feeling of writing the biggest check of my life. Heading to the closing office, meeting the daughter of the former owners and talking with her attorney about how the ol’ neighborhood used to be. Signing a million documents. Sipping an iced coffee to calm my nerves. Hugging my attorney after it was all over because she was amazing and patient and helped answer all my questions through the process. And finally getting those keys!

Looking back, it’s so surreal. I still pinch myself sometimes when I walk in the front door. I feel so blessed to have found a house that I truly love, with beautiful bones and a lovely family history. And I am so thankful for all the amazing renovation and design bloggers that have provided so much inspiration and confidence through my most wide-eyed and panicky moments. The internet totally, totally rules.

So today, I wanted to share a few of my recent Instagram photos of day-to-day life at the house, and raise this year’s iced coffee to toast the best (and scariest) year of my life… so far!

the pigeon keepers of bushwick

Today, I was so excited to see that the official Flickr blog featured a wonderful set on the pigeon keepers of Bushwick by Chris Arnade, who’s no stranger to For the Love of Brooklyn. We’ve been a big fan of Chris’ work for quite some time and I’m so happy to see him get more well-deserved recognition.

Be sure to click on over to see the full set on Arnade’s photostream and learn more about this time-honored Brooklyn tradition!