Under a Blue Moon

Hobnail glass

I moved out of my parent’s home and into my own apartment when I was 20 years old. My Mother looked through her cupboards to see what she could spare so I could set up my own little household and one of the first things she pulled out and handed to me was this hobnail glass pitcher.

It’s lived its entire life as holder of flowers and never as it was intended, as a beverage container. I love that my mother’s instincts were not to load me up with pots and pans but with things of a more decorative value.

"Take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves" ~ Dorthy Parker

I have a terrible habit of purging things I think I won’t be needing anymore. I am getting better about just storing things rather than donating or tossing them is some kind of misguided organization frenzy. I am so glad that I didn’t get rid of this pitcher in my early 20’s when my decorating esthetic was still floundering a bit and I hadn’t quite developed my style. Whew. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve mentally kicked myself for doing just that.

I’m guessing this piece was made in the 1950’s – and, like many, many things from that era of decor, it just has a sweetness about it. I don’t think I would amass a collection of it but I do love how this piece looks sitting on the table with a simple bouquet of roses in it.

You’ll notice I’ve done a bit of redecorating on my page here. I’ve organized the links and added a few new ones. My desire to freshen and change things up a bit extends further than just my home.

I’m struggling with what to do with framed photos. I used to have them all displayed on a round table in the corner of my living room but I gave it to my oldest son when he moved out a couple of months ago. For now I have them on an ugly old enterntainment center but I don’t like them grouped the way they are. They just look cluttered and each treasured picture just gets lost in the general messiness of it. Ideally I would have bookcases spanning the living room wall that I could display books, treasures and the photos but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

I’m sure I’ll figure something out and in the meantime I have all these lovely new links to gather inspiration from.

Cashmere

One of my very favorite sensations is that of cashmere against my skin. To me it is the tactile equivalent of Creme Brulée. Elegant and comforting. And yea! It’s on sale right now.

I really don’t like clothes shopping. For one I’m not exactly lithe and I think most clothes look better on lithe people. But, on the other hand, my wardrobe pretty much sucks and I find myself wearing the same black velour yoga pants and old white hooded sweatshirt. Lucky for me most days I don’t actually have to leave the house but I’m betting the UPS man would probably like to see me in something else once in a while.

I ventured out with the idea that I would find more upscale looking comfy clothes. One of my favorite things is a periwinkle blue cashmere cardigan that I inherited from my sister (she joined Weight Watchers and is now in the ranks of the lithe people). I love that sweater. I love how it feels and I love how it looks. My goal was to find more of the same. So I ended up at the Stanford Shopping Center (which is a lovely place – I could spend an entire post or two discussing their planter boxes and what a cush job the woman that designs them has) and, what do you know, Macy’s is practically giving away their cashmere sweaters. 50% off. So I bought two of them. A pretty ballet pink and a classic black. Granted they aren’t the thickest cashmere but they are the perfect transition sweater for when a heavy sweater is too much but it’s too chilly to go with out.

The best deal I ever got on cashmere was a throw I bought last year from Wal-Mart of all places. First let it be known that I despise Wal-Mart. I can’t exactly pin point what it is but I get all twitchy and annoyed the minute I walk into one. So I don’t. I ordered the throws online and actually found them by doing a Google search on cashmere throws. Up pops Wal-Mart in the search results. Standard size throw in a very serviceable ivory color for something like $40. Before you go off looking for one they don’t list them on their site any more. I wish I had bought a dozen of them.

All of this cashmere is coming in handy since there is a thermostat war going on at our house. One of us is freezing all the time and the other, who actually knows things like how to program the thermostat, likes it much cooler in the house. Fortunately ballet pink cashmere looks lovely paired with black velour.

Nest feathering

If you say nest feathering several times it doesn’t sound right…nest feathering…….fest neathering.

I’m still in the bedroom redo mode. I picked up some sheets and pillow shams at Target. Gotta love Target. Some seasons it is hit or miss but I can generally find something there.

It’s funny, whenever I bring home something with blue in it Rick looks at it askance and says "we don’t do blue, do we?" The first thing he ever bought me was a blue and white comforter for my 19th birthday so you would think he knows I do blue.

I’m trying to amass a collection of things that can be mixed and matched. So the sheets and the shams, while they go together splendidly, may actually end up on different beds. We shall see.

My absolute least favorite chore is making the bed. I hate it. It takes, what? Two seconds to make a bed but half the time I just leave it a mess until 10 minutes before Rick gets home. Last person out of the bed has to make it – is the rule. Which seems unfair, if you ask me. I means it’s not like I’m messing it up more or getting more use out of the bed.

So it helps to have cute, new things on the bed to encourage me to make it. It’s either that or get up earlier.

Coveted things

(Images from GreenGate catelog)

Even though Spring is weeks away I’m already longing for it. That lovely feeling of walking outside in the morning and having it be just ever so slightly not cold. Not warm exactly – more the promise of warm later on. Having the garden wake up and stretch itself with daffodils and hyacinths. Pinks and greens and butter yellows.

Looking at the GardenGate catelog is not helping either. Actually I do believe it is the cause of this sudden need for balmy breezes and bare legs. It further does not help that I can’t actually have anything out of the catelog making for unrequited longing. Oh I suppose I could have things shipped from Denmark but it would be rather dear, wouldn’t it? There just isn’t anything, that I have found, quite like GardenGate or Cath Kidston or the like here in the States. Add that to the list of businesses I really should start.

It would be nice to have a different set of dishes for each season of the year. I do get tired of looking at my same old dishes day after day.

My mother in law likes to entertain one on one. She’ll invite a girlfriend over for lunch or for dinner. She has easily half a dozen sets of dishes that only have two place settings. Sure makes storing them easier and whatever your mood you have the appropriate dinnerware.

My dishes are actually mix and match. I like that kind of look but my sister and my niece have the exact same dishes and I’m getting tired of it frankly. Time to move on.

What I really like about that image above is how leisurely it looks. A big, fat comfy chair to settle in with the morning paper and your croissant. That is the way to start your day.

The Knave of Hearts

Seems a bit early for hearts doesn’t it? I was listening to our local news station that features Narsai David. He was going on about these wonderful shortbread cookies he had at a friend’s house so I went online and looked at the recipe. I love a recipe with only four ingredients:

Narsai’s friend’s Shortbread cookies

1 lbs. unsalted butter
3 cups flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup corn starch

Mix together and then let sit in refrigerator until you’re able to handle. Roll out and cut into desired shapes and bake at 350 until edges are golden brown (I found this to be about 10 minutes for the size cookies I made). It will make about 3 or 4 dozen cookies (again depending on the size).

The only non Christmas shaped cookie cutters I have are a heart shape or a fire hydrant. I think the fire hydrant came with a mix of dog biscuits. So heart shaped it is.

I also didn’t have any food coloring so I experimented to get the icing tinted (I just made regular old royal icing for these). First I tried a few drops of Chambord but that is actually an orangish rust color when you get right down to it. So I was forced to dig way back into the liquor cabinet where I found a bottle of Watermelon Schnapps. I cannot even begin to fathom why I would have this particular libation in my cabinet but it did tint the icing a pretty ballet pink.

Rick came into the kitchen to see exactly why I was rummaging in the liquor cabinet so early on a Sunday morning. And he tried to steal my tarts. Before I could even ice them! I gave him one broken one and banished him. The cookies are rather delicate and I think would be easier to handle if they were cut into smaller shapes.

I really should be working on my Valentine quilt, shouldn’t I?

Guest rooms

Since I’ve been monkeying around with the bedding in our guest rooms I wanted to do a post on them. But then I cannot take a decent picture to save my life (darn gloomy lighting). And when I look closely as the ones I do take I suddenly see flaws in the room that aren’t visible to the naked eye. Take that side table. How skimpy is that?

Case in point about two second after taking that picture I bumped it gently and sent the little pot of flowers flying and the glass I had it in shattered into a million pieces. Also the sconce thingie above the bed. Yuck on the gold – I took them both down and painted them cream colored. Much better – more like old plaster.

I take our guest rooms seriously. I want people that end up sleeping here to have a sense of ‘ahh – it’s so nice to be here.’ instead of wishing they were at home in their own bed. The beds are comfortable, so I’ve been told. In fact one sister sleeps in so late when she visits that we crank up the heat in an effort to flush her out in the morning. Hmm ~ that’s not sounding very hospitable, is it?

We live a couple of hours away from our family so when we do get together it is almost always for an overnight stay. It’s in my best interest to make them want to come back. I like to put a framed picture of whomever is staying in the room to make it feel homey to them. I don’t know if that works or if it just comes across as calculated. Look ~ it’s my dad on a pony. Actually that picture stays up all the time.

What I should invest in is one of those schmancy cappuccino makers. We aren’t coffee drinkers in my house and I never remember to get fresh coffee or how to use my 1/2 cup coffee maker so I end up offering up stale, not very well made coffee in the morning.

So come visit! I can guarantee a comfy bed, bad coffee and picture of yourself on your wobbly bedside table.

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