Decorating

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Time to Decorate

December 16, 2009 in Celebrating, Decorating, Remembering by Colleen | 2 comments

Isn’t it neat how life works out?  You think you are going to do one thing, but for some reason it doesn’t happen, and there you are doing something better.  That was our Sunday.  We got up and moving rather leisurely with the intention of walking to get the hubster’s hair cut.  However, once we found the coupon we were to use (our household is quite thrifty) and realized it wasn’t a walking distance affair, we had a change of plan.

Still determined to walk, we set out in a different direction and collected the greens for this year’s holiday mantel and window.  Though I was a bit worried about finding enough, there was plenty.  There always is.  Then we came home and decorated, taking in the heady scent of evergreen.  If Christmas has a scent, that is it for me.  Wonderful.   New additions include the diamond church (Gregory’s name for the sparkle) and the tall white house.  It is simple and pretty and a bit of a hodge podge, but I like it just the same.  The hubster thinks it’s pretty neat, too, especially since we have one small box of decorations and use what nature provides on a fun walk, together.  He is also quite fond of the fact that the greens go right into the fireplace when we’re done, filling the house with the scent of the holidays one last time.

This last shot is for my Dad.  When I lived at home, and all the decorating was done, he would turn off the lights.  We’d sit quietly in the glow of the tree and admire the beauty of it all.  Shh…

October Sky

October 7, 2009 in Cooking and Baking, Decorating, Eating, Exploring, Gardening and Nature, Practicing, Shopping by Colleen | 5 comments

So, I’ve got quite the hodgepodge for you today.  First off, isn’t this a gorgeous sky?  It was like the heavens couldn’t make up their mind, sweet, soft, and ethereal pink or menacing grey.  A bit like me, sometimes I just can’t decide.

Take, for instance, my sugar addiction.  One moment I am not at all interested in eating one more bite of it, and I get a little haughty, feeling, “Oh, I’ve really licked it this time!”  Then, I drive by Pix, pull over the car and eat half of a St. Honore before I am dumbstruck by what is happening.  Shoot!  As for this very moment, I am feeling, more than anything else, like I need to let the obsession go.  I am a pretty healthy person, all things considered, knocking on wood, etcetera, etcetera.  Why fret about it?  My cravings ebb and flow, like a river or the sea, just let it be.

Speaking of being and the flow of the sea, today my yoga practice involved a new, and rather exciting video (at least to me – it’s been out for a while) Shiva Rea: Yoga Trance Dance.  I’m pretty sure I have mentioned that I LOVE to dance, in a crazy, unscripted, primal, and occasionally, um, nutty, kind of way, really taking the rhythms to another plane, both physically and mentally (quite unlike my graceful ballerina friend Mara).  Thankfully, this DVD fully embraces these qualities, really engaging the practitioner in a dynamic and energizing flow, riding the waves of grace, energy, and movement.  I highly recommend it.

Now, a bit more of the sea, in a shopping and decorating note.  How about this painting gracing our bedroom?  There used to be a poster of an old map of Paris, but we had grown tired of it, and then I got, in a semi-paranoid state, to thinking that if the big earthquake comes while we are in bed and knocks it off the wall, we’re goners.  So, the other day at the Goodwill Bins, I found this.  It is an original oil painting by H. Walker.  I know nothing of this person, but bless his or her heart, the sea is right, and I got a bargain that will not kill me, my precious spouse, or cats, all for $20, including the frame.  Not bad, not bad at all my precious peeps.  Now if I could center the bed under the painting, my anal-retentive self would be super happy.  One thing at a time…

Finally, the last of the summer tomatoes.  We’ve had quite the season around here – I canned nine pints, made a big batch of Spicy Tomato Chutney (Zowie – I posted this recipe one year ago TODAY!), and eaten and eaten to my heart’s content.  These are the Sungold cherry variety from our rather prolific vines.  I sliced them, sprayed them with olive oil (using our refillable pump – love this gadget), followed by a sprinkle of salt, and two hours at 200 degrees in the oven.  With my instructions, because I didn’t want to stop watching the news and get off the couch (sometimes I refuse to budge), the hubster made this pasta dish.  Easy, delicious.   Why don’t you try it?  This serves two and is yummy!

Pasta (we used brown rice fettuccine, as we avoid wheat when we can)

1 handful pine nuts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

3-4 fresh sage leaves, sliced fine, as in a chiffonade

1 handful raisins

1 large handful of sun or oven dried tomatoes

salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste

While your pasta is cooking, toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet until light brown, shaking the pan to evenly brown.  Set aside.  Add butter and olive oil to pan, bring to a slow bubble, add the sage and raisins, cooking until the raisins puff a little, add the tomatoes and gently stir, just until warmed through.  Once your pasta is finished, toss everything together.  Season with salt, fresh ground pepper, and red pepper flakes.

If you have some green tomatoes left in the garden, fry them up!  We sliced ours to about 1/4″, dipped them in Ener-G egg replacer (regular egg will do), dredged them in brown rice flour (more crunch, but wheat will do), corn meal, salt, and pepper, and fried in enough sunflower oil to cover the bottom of the skillet.  Fry until golden on each side and voila, yummy (I can’t find the photo, sorry).

What a day!  Enjoy yours.

Raining…

August 12, 2009 in Celebrating, Decorating, Gardening and Nature, Receiving by Colleen

After what seemed an interminable twenty-eight days without rain, of living in a vastly foreign version of  Portland, the skies finally opened up.  I was watching television yesterday afternoon when I was hit by one of the most glorious scents – the first drops of rain hitting pavement – wafting through the air.  At last!

Thankfully, the the initially fleeting sprinkles were only a preview of what was to come.  As the hubster and I ventured out to the show, as my Grandma Frances would say, to take in The Brothers Bloom (more about that on Friday) on two-for-Tuesday night at our very favorite movie house, The Academy (two movie tickets + popcorn + Reese’s Pieces +  hard cider for the hubster + tip = $16!), the rain began again.   By the time we arrived at the theater, the drops had grown larger, more certain of themselves.

Much to my delight, the rain held steady through the gorgeous film, the tarred roads puddle filled and shimmering with moisture in the evening light.  At bed time, the gentle patter of drops on the tin shed roof lulled me into sweet slumber.  Thankfully, the rain has yet to cease, the sky a radiant combination of sun, cloud, and brilliant blue.  Portland, no longer foreign, is home again.

Welcome

April 20, 2009 in Decorating, Making by Colleen | 1 comment

I believe it is the Shakers that have the saying, “Own nothing that is neither beautiful nor useful.”  I would like to make an addendum to that: Or doesn’t have a wonderful story behind it.   I love how nearly every object in my home has a story.  Walk around each room and I will tell you about when we took a photograph, or the fun day we had when I bought a particular trinket, painting, or piece of furniture.

Take this glass.  Isn’t it pretty?  Many of you have already seen it as it adorns our front door, and for those of you who haven’t, welcome!  As you can see, the opening is rather large, and I never liked the idea of total strangers, or even people I do know being able to look right into the house when I have the door closed.

So, for many years, I had some maple leaves I collected ironed between two sheets of wax paper and scotch taped to the glass.  Oh yes, very classy!  Finally, after knowing there had to be a better way, my friend Sarah took me to Kurumi’s, a local glass artist, and I made this, as well as some sun catchers and necklaces, in her studio.  Then the hubster installed it to perfection.

I love it!  The flowers are like poppies, one of my favorites!  As well, it lets in light rather gorgeously and has the little cutout for a peep hole, so I can eye you before deciding whether or not to open the door.  I usually do; stop by and see for yourself…

Outdoor Living Room

April 20, 2009 in Decorating by Colleen | 2 comments

This past fall, I watched our neighbor’s dog Reggie while his humans, Pat and Kelly, were in Hawaii.  We had a grand time together.  Each morning and afternoon when I would arrive, he’d be sleeping in his dog bed, and I’d sit quietly on the floor next to him until he started to stir.  Then he’d run around the house like a puppy before I either fed him or took him for a walk around the neighborhood.

After this was done, I would sit on the back patio and read a book or magazine with Reggie either sleeping at my feet or with his head resting on my lap.  It was simply lovely.  In particular, I enjoyed how cozy it was outside, like I was in a living room, but able to feel the breeze on my cheek and smell the sweet scents of all the wonderful plants growing in the garden.

It was so pleasant that I decided then and there that I had to have a space like this at my house.  These photographs are the end result.  I am really pleased with it.  It was really a matter of furniture, as the potted plants (soon to be sweet smelling jasmine and bamboo) have been growing for ages.  We had one of the benches already, along with a round table and chairs, but the configuration just wasn’t right – no comfort, only awkwardness.  So, we gave said table and chairs to Reggie’s humans (we hardly used them) and bought another bench, two chairs, a side table, and coffee table (arriving in June) from a nice local furniture place.  We found the rug at Target along with the neat hurricane candle holder.  Which reminds me – has anyone seen citronella candles yet this season?  We’re going to need them!

Oh my goodness, it’s amazing how much more inviting it is.  Though the summery weather we’re enjoying certainly played a part in it, we’ve been outside every day and evening, sipping cool drinks, snacking, chatting, napping (the Hubster), reading magazines (me), and cuddling with the kitties.  The icing on the cake will be the cheery red cushions scheduled to arrive next week.  I love it!

p.s.  How handsome is my partner in crime?!

Bin Love

February 23, 2009 in Decorating, Exploring, Shopping by Colleen | 1 comment

A couple of weeks ago, I made my first trip to the Goodwill bins.  For those of you who don’t know about “the bins,” it is pretty much the last stop before recycling or the dump for the Goodwill. I had wanted to go for a while, but was seriously turned off by a former neat-freak neighbor who made me think everything was covered in slime and dust, and I would be lucky to get out alive.  Thankfully, my friend Maria had been many times and survived, and was happy to take me along on her last trip.  I learned, quite thankfully, that it is neither slimy nor dusty, well, not that dusty, anyway, but a little cold.

It is a pretty well organized place considering the nature of it – and like your typical Goodwill store, has the usual hodge-podge of items – furniture, housewares, odds and ends, clothing, linens, fabric, etc.  As the name infers, most of the items are in bins on wheeled tables.  There is great excitement and crowding when a new set of bins makes its way to the floor – fresh goodies!  Unlike a typical Goodwill store, with the exception of furniture and some housewares, items are purchased by the pound.  $1.39 for up to 50 pounds, and $.89 a pound for purchases over 50 pounds (don’t quote me on the prices, I’m not positive).

Pooled together, Maria and I had over 50 pounds, so we paid the bargain price.  It is astonishing how quickly it adds up!  This is what I got:

the lamp above, with the shade ($3 + $10 at Home Depot for a repair kit)

a pair of perfect fitting black leather pants (is this a midlife crisis?)

a nightgown

two vintage sweaters (one fisherman knit, the other beautifully beaded)

an apron

a crazy flowered housecoat (Oy, definitely a midlife crisis)

a tablecloth

a nutcracker – like the ballet

a cache pot

a small silver tray

a piece of Hawaiian fabric

Not bad for $25, including fixing the lamp (thanks for that Buddy).  The perfect adventure for tough economic times!

Reincarnation

January 19, 2009 in Decorating by Colleen | 2 comments

Hello there!  I thought I would show you our lovely reincarnated chairs.  I had some before pictures, but deleted them, so there is no dramatic reveal, I’m afraid.  Though you could say, Ty Pennington style, to “Move that cat!”  As you can see, Milo has set up camp on the yellow chairs.  As a matter of fact, he doesn’t quite know what to do when we actually take a turn on them.  The other night, we were sitting and happily chatting away, when he started to pace between us.  At first, we thought nothing of it, but then realized that we were on HIS chairs, and he didn’t know what to do about it.  We laughed and enjoyed a bit more pacing before Gregory moved.  Milo was on his vacated chair in an instant.  What can I say?  He really loves the fabric!

Unfortunately, he is loving the fabric on the grey chair too (which is in the bedroom), only in a rather destructive fashion while we are trying to sleep.  This however, does not serve him very well, as the consequence for that is spending the rest of the night in the chilly basement.  I wish he was capable of learning this.  Oh well.

So, here they are.  I am proud to have a successful reupholstering story.  Also, I forgot to mention that there is a little history here.  We bought the yellow chairs (formerly green) from a place called Old PDX Furniture on Hawthorne probably eight years ago.  The business wasn’t there for long, but, as it happens, the same woman who sold them to us is the one who just reupholstered them, and in a top notch fashion, I might add.  She’s done right at least twice!

If you’d like to have Erin work on your furniture, with eco-friendly fabric, she’d be happy to do it.  Her shop is called Acanthus.  We made our appointment before she made the change to eco-friendly fabrics, having purchased ours a while back, so I can’t say how expensive the fabrics are.  Her prices for the upholstering are right in line with others I was quoted around town and a whole lot less than buying brand new chairs.  She and her business partner are just plain nice, too.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep…

October 16, 2008 in Admiring, Decorating by Colleen | 2 comments

Hip hip hooray!  Our bedroom is complete, well, mostly.  I may make some tie backs for the curtains.  Close enough anyway.  Unfortunately, you cannot see what started the whole process in the photo – the windows.  I don’t suppose it would matter if you could, though.  They look pretty much identical to the other windows, but these aren’t seventy-seven years old, have cracks in the panes, or let in drafts when closed.  My home heating bill will soon say thank you.

Additionally, adding to the warmth factor, we got rid of the cheap and not terribly attractive plastic mini-blinds that came with the house and put up the gorgeous curtains.  They are heavy velvet and ever so lovely.  Additionally, when closed, they make the room super dark, even when it is light out, so we sleep better too.

Oops, I forgot about the cat chair.  The photo hides it pretty well, but in person, you can see the work the Little Man and Paris have done on it.  Oy, great lines, but not so pretty.  This will get some new upholstery in the near future.  I’ve got a dark grey (like the curtains) microsuede for it.  Hopefully their little paws won’t find it as appealing as the current fabric.

Something I love about decorating is filling the room with special memories.  Top to bottom:

The bedside table has a little Moomin plate that we bought in Finland on our honeymoon.  So very cute, it has a boy and a girl Moomin looking at a sailing ship.  It’s about love and seeing the world together.

The gold-framed painting is the first we ever bought at an art gallery (Saks in Denver).  By John Lencicki, it is of a Citroen Deux Chevaux (two horses), my absolute favorite French car.

Above the cat chair, the frame on the left has a neat old map of Paris in it – Jeff, do you remember giving that to us?

The neat mirrored chest was my mom’s growing up; it’s my favorite piece of furniture in the room.

Now you know where I sleep.  Sweet dreams to us all…

The Guest Room

September 29, 2008 in Decorating by Colleen | 2 comments

Well, as promised, here is the guest room.  I love it – so tranquil and pretty.  Sometimes, when Gregory and I want an extra peaceful night’s sleep, we come here.  The bed is a full, so it is pretty cozy with us and the cats, but it makes for such a nice change.

As for the updates to the room, here’s what I did:

The walls are painted in Butterfly Bush, trim He Loves Me (I know – how cute is that?), both from Miller Paint.  I added two pictures above the bed, one I made, one I bought.  The wall lamp next to the bed is the Arstid from Ikea and perfect for reading, as it has a neat swivel head.  I would like to paint the little side table and make a bed skirt.

Painting this chest has been on my to-do list since buying it ten years ago.  Yikes!  Better late than never.  The color is called Frog Belly by Pratt and Lambert.  Isn’t it just perfect?

Here’s what it looks like when you’re cozied up in bed.  Previously, the door and trim were the original wood.  Normally I don’t like to paint wood, but this wasn’t in very fine shape, having taken a beating over the years, so the paint really makes it.  The odd looking spot above the square painting (by Jamee) is a neat ceramic cicada that I bought in France last summer.  Of course it is green!

Pretty, Witty, and Bright

September 25, 2008 in Decorating, Thinking by Colleen | No comments

Have you ever played Jenga?  Just in case you haven’t, it’s the game that starts out as an orderly stack of wooden blocks that is eventually turned into a leaning tower of Pisa by the careful reordering of the pieces before crashing loudly down to the ground.  My desk looked like the aftermath of the crash until about ten minutes ago.

Only it wasn’t just neat pieces of pine.  I had stacks of paper, tags, receipts, books, magazines, catalogs, fabric, jewelry, and a digital timer piled in that relatively small space next to my laptop – a veritable wonder of physics, I tell ya.  It’s one of those things that drives me absolutely nutty, turning me into a three year old in dire need of a nap.  I am crazy tired and know I should go to bed,  but I’m seriously putting my foot down because there are so many other fun things to do!

It’s silly.  I also know that it is quite avoidable.  If I took that extra moment longer to put something away, I wouldn’t have any mess in the first place, yet I still don’t do it and then want to tear my hair out when it looks so disastrous – sometimes!  See that?  I was getting a little gloomy there but decided to use my dime store word and presto change-o!  I feel so much better.

My desk surely does as well, now that it can actually see its surroundings – like the nice lamp and all the fun objects on the bulletin board.  Yep, I can hear it singing – “I feel pretty, oh so pretty, I feel pretty, and witty, and bright!”

Hooray for little cleaning frenzies!

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