Shadows and Light

The sun was shining through the leaves and branches outside, and through the wavy old glass on my windowpanes this morning, and making a pretty picture on my wall.  It only lasted about 5 minutes until the sun was on its way moving through the sky and shining into other windows of the house.  I'm glad I captured it!

Wood's End Cottage

This was Saturday's find at Goodwill in Hudson, NY.  $4.99.  What the heck All Star is supposed to mean, I'll never know.  And I don't care.  I'm paintin' it!
When I bought my house and showed pictures of it to my (invisible) friends, my buddy Sally (Sal-pal) from Alabama told me it needed a name.  And she said it as if that was the FIRST thing I should have thought of, too.  Well, I had never HAD a place to name before, but I think I did OK with this one.  "Wood" is the name of the road I live on, and I'm at the end, so....the name sort of wrote itself, don't you think?


I broke out the paints yesterday and went to town.  I even painted my name on my mailbox (after painting OVER the previous owner's name).  Now it's MY house.  :)

P.S. Speaking of Google

Have y'all downloaded Google's new web browser yet?  It came out on Tuesday.  It's called "Chrome."  I like the interface a lot, but I'm finding that some of the blog widgets don't show properly, and when I scroll down a page, I can't scroll back up with my touchpad on my laptop.  I have to use the scroll bar on the right instead.  I haven't tried it on my desktop yet (you know--with a mouse), but I'd love to know your experiences, too.  I'm still figuring out all of its features, but so far I'm liking the bookmarks, the way the tabs work, and the overall speed of it.  So if you haven't downloaded it yet, get to it!  

Google Chrome

Stairs Before and After

Almost every bit of wood in this house was stained when we moved in.  Oh MY what a job it was to paint it.  These stairs (and all the doors to the bedrooms and closets) took three coats of primer, and three to four coats of paint to cover.  Helllooooo!  (I spent 12 straight days just painting before we came over for real.)  How 'bout those pink hall walls with burgundy trim?  Eeeew!

I found these scary before pictures on my computer today, and then I discovered that Picasa has upgraded to Picasa 3.0...lol...so of course I downloaded it, and looky there--new collages!  It does all sorts of other good stuff too, so do check it out and download it.  You don't even have to uninstall your old Picasa.  Boo ya!  Have I mentioned lately that I heart Google?  :)

Oh, and the floors upstairs were (are) all rubber tile, which I painted with dark brown deck paint.  Two coats on those, and I couldn't believe how great they came out!
Linda (from Lime in the Coconut) had suggested that I stencil numbers on the risers in black.  This was, of course, to dissuade me from putting zebra carpeting on them.  I'm mulling the numbers idea over, because I think it would be just quirky enough for me, and easy to undo if I hated it.  What do you think?
This last shot shows the brown floors really well, and also the final wall color, which is sort of a creamy yellow.  I could use a pretty window treatment here, as it's all quite boring.  I'm also mulling around the idea of what art to put on the walls.  Hmmmm.....

Getaway Drive

I drove and just kept on driving the other day, and ended up in Windham, NY, which is about an hour from my house. We've had gorgeous weather here lately, and I just couldn't resist taking the time to give myself a mini getaway. It was relaxing, and somewhat head-clearing, which is a good thing.

First Day of Eighth Grade

"Slipping Through My Fingers"
(Mama Mia soundtrack)

Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile
I watch her go with a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while
The feeling that I'm losing her forever
And without really entering her world
I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter
That funny little girl
Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Sleep in our eyes, her and me at the breakfast table
Barely awake, I let precious time go by
Then when she's gone there's that odd melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt I can't deny
What happened to the wonderful adventures
The places I had planned for us to go
(slipping through my fingers all the time)
Well, some of that we did but most we didn't
And why I just don't know
Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture
And save it from the funny tricks of time
Slipping through my fingers...
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Schoolbag in hand she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile...

Kathleen and I saw Mama Mia on Monday. We both cried our eyes out when they were singing "Slipping Through My Fingers." *sigh* Being a mom is hard.

Just One of Those Days

Kathleen's Point of View: Ocean City

I just had to share Kathleen's pictures from her camera with y'all. I had to crack up as I clicked through picture after picture of food (see the ham sandwich?!), self-portraits, and goofy toe pictures. (Those are Madeline's toes.) The kid is a crackpot. She came home all freckly and gorgeous today after her week in Ocean City, NJ with my sister . I missed her and her goofy self! I'm glad she had fun, though, even if it was without ME!

Google's Sketch Up

Holy schmoly! Do you guys know about Google's free 3-D software download called Sketch Up? I just discovered it last night, and although the learning curve looks like it's going to be a bit steep, I managed to design an entertainment wall for one of my customers in it. I'm telling you, this thing is so cool I might have to do the next room challenge with it!! You can download furniture models from West Elm and tons of other places, too, if you don't want to create stuff from scratch. It's beyond cool. I think this may really come in handy for my work. I just emailed my model off to my customer. Too cool for school!!

Go check it out, and let me know if any of you start playing around with it. I'd love to know what you create!

Whose Tooth? Houndstooth!

Kathleen wanted a tote bag this year, instead of a backpack. And of course she wanted something that noone else was going to have! So....while she's been down in NJ soaking up the sun and sand, I've been slaving away on her bag. :) I know she's going to love it. I even found that matching notebook/binder in Target last night. Coolio! This bag is so cool I want one too! However, now that she's 13, the idea of Mom matching her doesn't hold the appeal it once did. No more "twinsies." *sigh* I wish she'd quit growing. Darn kid. I'm glad she'll be back on Saturday, though. I'm missing her. She's missing her cats. Hmmmf.

Teen Room Challenge--COMPLETE!

Thank you, Sandra, at Canyon Wren Cottage, for giving us this challenge. I had a lot of fun with it, and spent WAY too much time cyber-shopping for it. So let's not do it again sometime soon, ok? Hee!

Here's an overview, put together in the awesome Picasa.

First, the inspiration for the room: an Amy Butler fabric at $14.98 per yard from Fabric.com. I'm assuming two windows, at 2 yds each for London Shades = 59.92, plus one yd for a sham and throw pillow on bed : $14.98

The big ticket item is the circle cutout bed from West Elm coming in at a big $429, which I would most certainly like to try cutting out of half inch birch ply myself, and attaching it to an existing twin bedframe. How difficult could it be? Hmm. And the price would be considerably lower, then, for about two sheets of plywood and some black paint (which I already have a gallon of, leftover from painting the stairs): $60 for wood

The painted floor cloth is perfect, and perfectly priced at $65 for a 28" x 6' rug. Too much taping and measuring involved for me to tackle that one on my own, although I know I could do it--just don't want to! It's from Ebay, and she'll make any size and color you want!

The IKEA Hemnes bedside table comes in at $129, which I'm thinking I could, of course, make myself out of one sheet of 1/2" birch plywood for about $29. But I'll go with the IKEA version, since them's the rules.

LewasDesigns at Etsy's Dandelion in the Wind wall decal set is a bargain at $60. My even bigger bargain alternative: paint that puppy on the wall myself! Cost: about $2.00 for craft paint

Every teen must have a desk, and storage, so I've chosen the Expedit desk in brown/black, with the Expedit shelving unit to go with it. The grand total for those two items is $209. Make it myself? What, are you nuts? You can't beat $209 for all that! And finally, the Forsytia bedspread from IKEA for the bed, in the green colorway, as a base for the Amy Butler fabric that I would make into a sham and throw pillow. Bedspread: $29.99

Total:
$996.89

(not including tax and shipping, because it was too much trouble to figure that all out. I'll let the extra $200 Sandra gave us cover it. Deal?)

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

What I didn't include in this design tally was my paint for the walls. My palette (made it myself at Colour Lovers.com) would be grabbed from the Amy Butler fabric, and I'd paint three of the walls the yummy green, and one wall a paler version of the turquiose. I'd put the dandelion decal (in white) on the blue wall, I think. Not sure.

Ok, now, since the proceeds from this dalmation painting go to a no-kill animal shelter, can't we call it a taxable deduction donation and not include it in the $1000 budget? Whatever. I'm buying it anyway for this imaginary room. As of right now, it's $50 on Ebay.

I also needed lighting, which didn't fit into the budget either. I figure, hey, if I make either that bed, or the table, or paint that dandelion-thing, I'd have plenty of money for lights, so here's what I'd get if I did that: This modern chrome light from eBay, for $59--it looks kind of like a dandelion, right?! Too much? Eh. I like it.

And then, since it's a teen room, and I'm always looking to repeat a "theme" if you will, I choose this floor lamp from Pier 1, because it picks up the circles in the bed, and the price wasn't bad at $125.

This pillow would be perfect on the bed with the Amy Butler sham. $30 from Pier 1.

I loved the mobile I had as a kid in my room. Just watching it slowly move would help me get to sleep at night. This one is from Denmark, and can be purchased for $56 from the Museum Store Company.

Finally, I would buy this Calder calendar for $14.95 from the Museum Store, and frame the artwork in simple black frames, and hang them in a grid on one of the walls.

Additional accessories: assorted clothes heaped on floor from daily try-ons and take-offs. :-/ (Hey, I'm just speaking from experience here), and a little cat hair for texture. ;)

Total cost of extras (because there really always needs to be wiggle room in a budget): $340

That's all, folks! I'll add live links if you want them. I'm BEAT!

Alex Pifer's The Seraph

My friend Kelly and I decided to blow off all important household duties yesterday, like mowing our lawns, etc, (which I should be doing RIGHT NOW, but instead I'm posting to my blog), and we drove out to Sturbridge, MA for a day of shopping and searching for the ever-elusive perfect gifts for Christmas.

Old Sturbridge Village is a living museum, built within the town of Sturbridge, MA, and is filled with period buildings from the late 1700's, to the mid-1800's. According to their website, Old Sturbridge Village is the largest outdoor history museum in the Northeast. I took Kathleen and two of her friends there a couple of years ago and they loved it. Everyone who works at the museum is dressed in period garb, and it's just like stepping back in time. If you're up for a drive, it's definitely worth the trip. Especially for 5th graders, because their school curriculum corresponds with the time period.

The acual town of Sturbridge, MA, is chock full of fun colonial inspired shops and eateries. Country Curtains is out there, and they even have a big blowout sale once a year. (At least, I think they are still doing that). We didn't go into there, but we did eat at The Publick House Historic Inn, and had a lovely late lunch. I grabbed some yummy sticky buns from their bakery to bring home as well--you must do the same when you visit Sturbridge!

The big treat that Kelly and I found in town was a wonderful shop called Alex Pifer's HOME, which is part and parcel of The Seraph, which used to feature colonial reproduction furniture only. Now, along with an entire building of gorgeous period-style colonial vignettes, there is another whole building filled on one side with European inspired furnishings, and the other filled with what Alex is calling Eco-Chic--and let me tell you--it was chic all right!! From the inspired chandeliers to the linen slipcovered sofas, to the gorgeous original accessories, this place was a treat for the eyes! Actually, it was a treat for the senses, because there was some great music playing, and the place smelled divine. Seriously, this shop made not only my day, but my MONTH. I love finding a jewel like The Seraph in a sea of the "same ol', same ol' " which seems to be so prevalent around here.

I would like to thank Alex for letting me take pictures of the shop, and for letting me drool all over everything. It was great to sit and chat with her and one of her employees, Laura, as well. We learned a lot, and hope to come back in October for another visit.

Please visit The Seraph's website, where you can see pictures of the colonial parts of the place as well. And if you're ever within a couple of hours of Sturbridge, MA, definitely stop by and tell her I sent you!!

The slideshow below is pictures that I took yesterday. I took so many, I couldn't post them all individually. Enjoy!

Find of the Day

So, when you see this necklace, are you thinking (like BF) that I've strapped some dinner plates around my neck, or are you thinking "Hey, that Turkish necklace is SO stylin' that I'd LOVE to see the awesome HOME DECOR place she bought it from today over in Sturbridge, Massachusetts?" If you are in the latter group, be patient. I'm going to post pics from the shop, with the enthusiastic approval of the owner. As I'm going through my pictures, I'm realizing that she is right in telling me that pictures don't quite capture the place, but they'll have to do, until you can get there in person yourselves. I was gobsmacked, and you shall be too. If you are in the former group: go away. ;)

We Have a Winner!! A NEW one! Ha!

Update: I'm an idiot! Oh wait, that's not an update, is it? Hee! Anyway, the wonderful Fabulous Fifi responded to my prize-winner notification email with a "Hunh?! I didn't enter any contest!!" So I clicked on the Fifi that posted on my blog, and it's Fifi FLOWERS! She paints fabulous fun paintings from photos! It's a case of mistaken identity, people! I had assumed it was the other Fifi, because I had forgotten there was another Fifi out there! What's that they say about never ASS U ME? *sigh* My apologies to BOTH Fifis. But Fifi Flowers, you will be receiving something really great from me as soon as I get your address! Count on it! And let that be a lesson to all you cheaters. You don't even have to ENTER my contests to win stuff! Bwa ha ha ha ha ha!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
See that up there? That's a screen shot of my random-winner-choosing-dice-roll...lol. It's a 16, and so, the winner is.....FIFI of Chez Fifi! Congratulations, Fifi. Thanks for playing! I'll be gathering some things together for you tomorrow. Now that I know who the winner is, I can tailor the gifting accordingly! I have JUST the thing for you! I'll post pics tomorrow. (P.S. Lest some of you start counting the posts, I eliminated all double-posts, 'cause y'all are the worst . cheaters. ever.)

As for the rest of you cheaters and non-cheaters, there are no losers here, because of course, you still have the extreme pleasure of visiting me here daily and hanging on my every word. Which I know is what makes your day go 'round. (God, I'm even making MYSELF barf a little...hee!)

Seriously, though, I've got so much stuff that I could give away, I may even choose a runner up tomorrow, after I get done digging for Fifi's stuff out in my unpacked-as-of-yet boxes in the garage. So keep tuning in! You never know! (Yeah, I know--it's bribery--but whatever. You're still here, aren't you?! See??)

Thank you ALL for playing. I appreciate the enthusistic comments, as always. ((((All y'all))))

Mission Impossible!

My friend Sandra, over at Canyon Wren Cottage, has decided to have a little fun this week! And we get to join in! This is the deal (from her website):

This week's mission, should you choose to accept it, is to create a teen/pre-teen room, using only furniture and decor from catalogs and the internet. Your budget is $1000, including shipping. (We won't count tax, since that varies from state to state). If you're in, send me [meaning Sandra] your link by Monday, August 25th to be included. Posts must include pics of your chosen items, as well as prices, including what the shipping would be.Feel free to share the idea with fellow bloggers. It'll be fun to see what everyone comes up with, and exciting to find out about some internet decor sources we might not already be familiar with!

So I've been shopping and planning for the last few days, and have a really good head start on y'all, but if you're game, run over to Canyon Wren and let her know you're interested. I'll be posting my finished room concept here on Monday. I've shown my virtual purchases to my daughter, and she has informed me that I'm losing my mind. So I know it's good. It has to be. Kids don't know diddly. Do they? ;-)

P.S. Don't forget to scroll down and enter my 100th post giveaway! Only one more day to comment, or you lose for sure! Come on, now, quit lurking and get on that list! You KNOW you want to!!! :)

Red Bamboo?! Crazy Town Part Deux

Puff says: "I don't know. I haven't decided if I like it yet."
Tess says: "Why YES! The fabric matches ME! I think I'll pose with it!"

Gratuitous caladium and maidenhair fern garden porn.

I found my 3/4 yd piece of zebra ultrasuede! I could only do two of the chairs with it, so I need to hunt some more down on ebay. Or somewhere.

I love my new eating area! The table under there is an old painted drop-leaf that was on our back porch when I was growing up in New Baltimore. I "called it" from Mom's house. (My sister and I actually didn't fight over much stuff, surprisingly enough!) I need to paint it, so it can be used without a tablecloth, even though I really like eating on a tablecloth. Lord knows I have enough of 'em!

Details: Spray paint Rustoleum American Accents, Colonial Red, Smooth Satin Finish (Lowes)
Wall Paint: Olympic Premium, Satin Latex, Color: Morning Fog (Lowes)

All of the trim and wainscotting paint is Olympic exterior satin finish white off the shelf.

Don't forget to scroll down and enter my 100th post giveaway! Drawing is Friday!

100th Post Giveaway!

100 POSTS and COUNTING
I had to hop on the bandwagon, right? All of you have had givaways for your 100th post, so I figured I should celebrate too! I should have planned ahead, but I didn't. AND I can't decide what to give away! I have some paintings that I've done, a lime and chocolate tote bag that I made, earrings, perhaps?! Hmmm....I'll have to think on it. In the mean time, I'm going to randomly select one of you from the comments on this, my 100th post thread (or is that thread tomorrow? no matter...I'm using this thread for the comment count) on Friday evening. If you'd like, you can express what you might like for the giveaway. I may have to do a smorgasbord of sorts. We'll see!! Let's call it a surprise package, shall we? Tell all your friends! Send 'em over here! This is BIG, people! Hee! I'm going to be around for another 100 too, so get ready! (I know, you can't WAIT to see what I'll say next! LOL)

ATTN: All you lurkers, y'all can join up too! I don't discriminate! :-D