AS-OF-LATE:

Umm...I may be the worst blogger in all of blogging. And I probably don't have a valid excuse. People love to say they are busy, and yes...Maple and I are busy...but that's not entirely why I haven't been posting. I guess it boils down to the fact that I, above anything else, am a creative...and my right brain facilitates everything that I do. Everything. So inspiration can be fleeting. Not to mention motivation, especially when you're lacking in the inspiration department. And the sweltering heat and humidity of Charleston summers downright suffocate me...and all that inspiration. But fall is on the horizon...which means a new season, a new start, new inspiration...and boots. Lawd I miss my boots. And that, my friends, may very well mean that I am back :)

So, a little recap of life as-of-late:

We're always gone, it seems. This time it was a biz-rendezvous to Atlanta...for Maple. 

I love this photo. Only because of the pink mohawk that's casually lurking behind us.

Rains from Isaac paid us a not-so-friendly visit. Charleston floods when it drizzles, 

so one can only imagine what might happen with 6+ hours of pounding rainfall.

But I love the rain, as it seems to soothe my soul. So we curled up in front of the window,

and watched cars and neighbors attempt to trudge through the flood. 

 Isaac gave us the briefest glimpse of fall, so of course I took advantage: the most delicious banana oatmeal muffins you ever will eat...homemade ciabatta...and butternut squash, winter greens soup.

With less-balmy weather on its way, Maple and I have been itching to start on our patio. You see, we have a giant, giant backyard that's overgrown and underused, and we've been so anxious to turn it into an enjoyable extension of our house. Last fall we planted Lonny our Loquat tree (his name is fitting, no?), who soon will be boasting gorgeous orange rounds of fruit. We eventually plan to build a giant gravel patio, but with that requires both time and money, so we decided to approach it a little bit at a time. So we dug a giant mud hole in our yard, and decided it would be our fire pit round. 

See the hot mess we started with? 

I paid a visit to my all-time favorite antiques dealer, and spotted our future fire pit (an iron antique hailing from India), and two giant, white-washed antique urns that I couldn't get out of my head. 

I needed them. Okay...our yard needed them. 

Then Poppy and I got to work.

Okay...more like Maple got to work.

But look...I helped! 

We graveled. And cut a bed all along the back of the house. De-weeded that bed, and mulched.

And filled-in giant-ish sinkholes in our yard with the dirt and sod we removed to make the pit.

And for some reason we decided this would be oh-so-fun to do on a 98 degree day with what seemed like 180% humidity amidst a swarm of ruthless mosquitos.

But it was worth it:

Because now we can enjoy our yard.

Or, a tiny smidgeon of it.

So now we're on the hunt for the perfect fireside furniture. I am unrealistically picky. 

And someday that will all be gravel.And someday my creeping fig will form a gorgeous green wall of cascading vines on the back wall of the house. And someday we will have a giant outdoor table, an outdoor kitchen area, pretty plantings bordering the patio, and some lounge furniture. 

But I intend to relish in the now...and for now...she's perfect.

HAPPY THURSDAY.

Glad to be back :)

P.S. Hannah Maple Studio is wrapping up big projects and back to accepting interior clients, whether it be e-design, or full-service interiors work. Get in touch via hannah@hannahmaple.com if you need help creating the perfect space for your home or business.