Photography, Design Work and Pinterest: Who owns What?!

 Let me start by saying that I really like Pinterest...I have lots of boards and have pinned hundreds of great ideas that are clearly the work/design/photography of others and

I usually try to give credit to the source... if possible.

 Lately I have seen quite a few photos from this blog that have been re-pinned over and over with no reference what so ever as to where the photo originated...in fact it is usually linked to some really random blog that I never knew existed, with a nice comment like "great couch"

 So here is my dilemma...why does seeing my photos pinned and used by others, which link back to their web sites etc feel like a problem to me ?  

Am I being silly or is this something that we should all be concerned about?

Now no one will probably pin the photos of my vacations

 but they might pin this laundry room

 If any content on the Internet is fair game to be pinned 

then how is it possible for credit be given to the photographer or writer, even

 if it is copyrighted material? 

If the whole process of pinning and using photos 

for either personal use or as a "visual" by a professional is just part of 

"the way things are today"...

does any one really own anything once it makes it's way onto the Internet?

 Would it be possible for someone to make money by e-publishing a short story or a poem that was written by someone else?

 What if you created the ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

 and it wound up in someone's new cookbook?! 

 I find this really troubling 

 Should I start watermarking every photo that I post ?

or am I being too "self important" in thinking that a landscaper will steal this photo of these urns and show a client for his own benefit?

Perhaps the biggest slap in the face lately has been seeing details from my design work show up in other designers (yes designers) work...with similarities that are too close for comfort....

really?!

Is the copy cat thing flattery...It doesn't feel like it!

I know this is a bit of a rant, which I try not to do on this blog

but it's really been bugging me

I am really curious what you all think!

Wicker In The Kitchen and Some Magazine News!

You can never have enough little carriers, baskets and interesting things to serve and store things

 in the kitchen

especially when you have a large garden

I picked up this cute little wood berry basket carrier 

for 10 dollars and while I like it just "as is" 

I kept thinking how much better it would be with some baskets

I searched and searched 

and finally found 3 of these great vintage 

French Banneton proofing baskets

They are lined with old linen and as luck would have it 

they fit perfectly in the little carrier

Perfect for fruit from the orchard 

and tomatoes form the garden...

yes I'm still getting tomatoes but just the little cherries

The old linen liners are really beautiful and can be washed if you need to

And now a little news...a few weeks ago Country Living Magazine was here

and took tons of photos of our home in Ojai...two days worth!

The new kitchen, the gardens and orchard 

and all of the interesting little small rooms

 that make up a country home

The house will be in a summer issue

 in 2013

Here is a little shot of Millie that photographer Victoria Pearson took.  Victoria is an amazing photographer and has worked with some of the best magazine editors out there.   And she happens to live here in the Ojai Valley too.  

You may have seen her home and many other photos in House Beautiful 

She worked for many years with Martha Stewart her photos are light filled

 and extraordinarily  beautiful

Stylist Heather Bullard and her assistant Pam Garrison 

did an amazing job and added beautiful flowers and perfectly edited details to every shot

Millie was a model...and now is demanding special kibble and a down dog bed

OH millie...not you too!

thanks for stopping by!

have a great week

xxoo

kelley

petite niche flowers

when ever I feel like giving a friend in need

a little something to cheer them up

I make these little small bouquets

they are usually filled with the odds and ends...

the little scraps from the garden 

that seem to go un-noticed by most

but they tend to be the prettiest 

and the most thoughtful little blooms 

sometimes dirty and tattered

but always perfect to me

 a single rose

mixed in with succulent blossoms

 a green branch 

from a fuzzy shrub

placed in a juice glass... 

can become a wonderful little gift 

flowers lacking all the petals

single drooping limbs

with crusty brown edges

the orphans and misfits of the flower garden 

can become the

happiest of bouquets 

so don't forget to look for the stragglers 

and the lonely little ones

most beautiful and courageous things

 (and people)

that are often dismissed as not perfect enough

can be our most inspiring 

and are usually found in the most unlikely places...

like right beside us

this I know is true

have a beautiful weekend 

&

 make it your own!

~kelley~

Having Babies....

Not me...but our Agave plants!

When I purchased plants for the our Ojai landscape, I included three varieties of Agave.

They are very drought tolerant and add so much interest to our garden beds. 

 I wanted these to be companion plants, to the many other softer,

 more willowy plants that complement the style of this garden

Sometimes they are called a Century Plant, 

because they bloom about every 15 to 20 years,

but what I have learned is that they will bloom sooner

 if you pamper them a bit...which it looks like I have done!

Most of the Agave that we planted were in 3 and 5 gallon containers...actually pretty small

I planted the T Webber's Blue, Americana 

and my favorite the Desmettiana Variegata

Almost all the Agave have become really large, 4 years later

 and most of the plants are surrounded by "pups" 

 We will try to dig up and divide these this winter or early spring 

to use in other areas of the garden.

Let me add that these pretty but pesky plants 

are really difficult to dig around...my husband and I have both gotten some pretty nasty "pokes' from the sharp ends 

and they leave bruised and tender lumps when you get jabbed!

 now for the 

"plant sic-fi"

 part of this post

  about a month ago two of them started to sprout this 

crazy weird asparagus stalk thingy...

what is that....?

oh no...

I don't think this is a good thing!

the stalks are about 4 feet high right now 

and seem to be growing about a foot each week...

it's like a Jack and the Beanstalk event

 I did some research and came across a great blog called  

Gardening Gone Wild

You must visit this site

 if you are even somewhat into gardening...trust me on this one.

 One of the blog writers happens to be a well known author and lecturer named Debra Lee Baldwin. 

 I realized when I read her bio, that I have one of her books, which I love:

Designing With Succulents.

I highly recommend her book 

if you have a desire to use succulents in containers 

or in your garden.  

It is full of info and inspiration!

 Agave are a type of plant called Monocarpic,

 which means the plant will die after if flowers.

  The mother plant grows this tall stalk, in order to reproduce more agave

and expends all of her energy as she does this. 

In the photo above you can see where the stalk is staring to produce 

the beginnings of lateral branches.

Here is a photo of what this stalk will eventually look like

 courtesy of Debra's web site

 The stalks will go from green to red 

and form these 20 foot tall "trees"

Each branch will have many groups of blossoms.  

When the stalk can no longer support the weight of the blossom clumps

 it falls over.

  The idea is 

that the small little Agave babies 

will start to grow where they land...how efficient is our Agave mom!?

This type of agave offers highly nutritious nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds too

It is also used as a sugar substitute 

which I think we have all seen in the super market  as 

Agave Nectar...

similar to honey but much sweeter

 The longer I garden in this climate 

the more I have come to love succulents 

and the beauty of these unique plants

 I will keep a good "gardeners journal" on this happy event

 because 

I may never see this happen again in our garden..or in my lifetime even!

  I have decided to buy a pair of really long leather gloves for dealing with these beauties...and maybe a pair of goggles...

and a helmet

and a...OK I'll just show you

happy gardening!

It's been way too long....make way for the chickens

 It 's been so long since I have posted... I almost forgot how to upload photos!

We have been super busy with design projects and yard work 

that sometimes blogging gets put at the bottom of the list

We are finally going to tackle the chicken coop and garden shed project.  I have been collecting photos for quite a while and I like so many different coops it's hard to pick a favorite.

People have gotten so creative with this urban chicken craze, that I'm glad I have waited to build a coop, because there are so many great designs out there

Most coops follow a pretty standard design formula...

the chickens need a coop to nest and lay eggs

they need a place to scratch and feed and a spot to hang out and perch

 they need fresh air and sunshine 

but need protection from critters that like to have 

chicken for dinner 

and they need to be warm in really cold weather

 We have decided to use cedar siding and redwood for the coop and some old windows and doors we have saved from our remodeling projects.  The roof will be galvanized metal which will be good because the coop will be located under some big oak trees.

Here is our chosen spot...across the creek

 What i like about this spot is it has filtered sunlight...

It is easily accessible from the vegetable garden 

and I will be adding another compost bin 

adjacent to the coop to toss in chicken poop

Next door to the coop will be a new garden shed 

for storing all of our 

"stuff" 

like mowers, fertilizers, clippers, hoses etc

This is a big open area between the two bridges 

which has a great view of the yard

We are going to build the coop first and get the design right 

so we can repeat some of the same elements in the shed

 Here are some great coops...

Heather Bullard built this one and I purchased the plans from her....It is so cute!

 this little gem I saw on Pinterest

what a great door and window

 I not sure who's coop this is but it is wonderful

I think using the up-cycled material really adds to the charm

 This one I found on backyardchickens.com

Another great coop with clearstory windows

I love the white trim

This is a modern looking coop which is really cool painted black

and has little candle lanterns...very nice don't you think ?

I like the idea of painting the trim a color maybe green or black or white...maybe even red!

 If you have a coop or a chicken story 

I'd love to hear your advice!

In the mean time I'm clucking along....and so happy fall is finally here

smiles

~Kelley~