An aged pastoral painting inside the piano and Reeve

My French Piano and a slice of life. 

 Last post I showed off how I painted the exterior of the piano with stamps and a pattern to give it a toile effect.  But I still was unsure how I wanted to finish the interior to give it even more of a French look.   I had a few days in a row off from watching baby Reeve, and I decided to tackle the piano.  The thought of putting a pastoral landscape for the interior came to me as I went to sleep that night, as often many creative ideas do.  The next morning I got up and took the piano lid off its hinges and started to paint a landscape similar to the few that I have been painting around our home.

This pastoral landscape, my largest, was painted on a big canvas.  

Searching for the landscapes that I have painted to show you, I realize I 

may not have posted on them at all, so look for that post shortly.

Back to the piano...

I unloaded the cans of Annie Sloan paint I had and started to paint a scene

 from my imagination.  After painting the landscape, I brushed white paint 

over the whole thing to give it a dreamy look.

The painting took me about four hours and I was thrilled with the results.

It was soft and elegant and old looking, something out of an old painting from

 the French countryside.  It is really pretty now that it is all finished! 

I wasn't sure if I should gild the edges, but for now I don't feel it....

and I always say: Doubt means Don't.  At least for now.

 My life is more balanced towards a family life these days, and when I get a chance

to do something creative its all the more enjoyable and special.

Reeve is nine months old and is such a JOY!

The weather has just started to creep into the fifties in Boston, and you can see the baby

carriage in the dining room all ready for afternoon walks with Piper.

 Piper and Reeve are such a great pair! 

 They both look forward to being together, and they are side by side most of the day. 

 Piper is so gentle, and its true that Goldens are great with kids!

Click HERE for how I painted the exterior of the Toile Piano.

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Purple Transferware Lamps

Hello hello hello!  

Happy to be back in blog land after a nice respite. A happy holiday season is in the books for 2017.  Unlike many bloggers, I try to blog only when feeling inspired about something I want to write about it.  Bleak weather is certainly uninspiring, and many of us in New England have learned the art of hunkering down for a few months.  Hibernation? Yes, it feels like that, especially in January after the Christmas tree and the twinkling lights are all packed away.  With a stretch of winter ahead of us, I tend to get into cooking, and reading, and more quiet pursuits that don't involve leaving my nest.  Decorating takes a back seat to everything, but recently I got a tip from a friend about a pair of lamps that were up for auction on an online site. Purple transferware lamps to be exact.  While my collection of purple transferware has bordered on an obsession, I have come to a place where I only want to collect the rarer and more special pieces of transferware.  

A pair of lamps in purple transferware?  I had never seen such a thing,

and so I was definitely interested. Bidding  on the Everything But the House website 

was a first for me.  As you can see, I prevailed and the pair of lamps arrived well

packed and in fabulous condition.  They are a pattern match to some of the transferware I 

own, a pattern called Tonquin, by Royal Staffordshire designed by the artist Clarice Cliff.

They set on reticulated brass bases with brass finials.  A pair of lampshades were 

purchased at the local big box store in a silvery grey, to complement my home.

Not sure where they will end up going, but for now I have them in the 

living room on either end table next to the sofa.  Winter is also a good time

to think of what to do for the spring and summer, and its also a good time to

get indoor projects done.  Of course I am babysitting my darling little Reeve several

days a week, so that helps the winter fly by as well.  But as far as projects go,

my darling dog Piper decided to dig her claws into the arm of the sofa slipcover

and so a new slipcover is in order.  Winter is a good time to get a sizable sewing 

project finished before the good weather beckons.

Of course my dogs have dog beds and kennels, but when my back is 

turned they think its great fun to race in circles around the big trunk

coffee table, up onto the sofa, then spring off onto the carpet and round 

again they go.   Hence a torn slipcover.  I made it twelve years ago, and it

has stood the test of time and many launderings....but it couldn't withstand 

a girl dog named Piper. 

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French Country Christmas Courtyard

 Welcome to our Christmas Courtyard!

 Decking the halls begins with the exterior, and for me, it is the wreath on the door that says "Merry Christmas" and "Welcome" to our home.  Happily I partnered with Lynch Creek Farm,  a family business located in the Pacific Northwest that sells elegant evergreens from their farm.  Living in the New England, I have decorated our home for many years with local evergreens from big box stores and small garden nurseries.  Lynch Creek Farm topped them all with their big bountiful and beautiful wreaths.  I couldn't be happier to pass the word along, as well as give my readers a chance to win their own wreath or centerpiece in a Lynch Creek Farm giveaway!

For my french doors in our courtyard I chose the 26" Blended Bay Wreaths with moss green bows. 

 The style of this wreath felt most like something you would find in the French countryside. 

Full and lush with bay leaves, cedar and balsam greens, and pinecones, adorned with a moss green burlap wired bow. They come with or without bows, with bows in either an apple or moss green color.

 Piper and I set the stage for a Christmas courtyard, starting with the old

cast iron urns, that we filled with cut lengths of birch, followed by balsam clippings

around the edges.  It is a simple treatment for outdoor containers and it will look

good all winter long.  The natural Blended Bay wreaths will go the distance too, 

as appropriate as they are for ringing in the holidays, they will look still look great 
during the long winter months when the snow begins to fly.

 A pretty winter dressing for the courtyard is just what I had in mind.

Understated elegance, and it all looks wonderful with the rustic nature of the space.

Of course Lynch Creek Farm has a huge variety of wreaths, with everything one

can imagine~velvet bows in rich holiday red and cranberry,  magnolia leaf wreaths,

themed wreaths for wine country and whimsical styles as well.  

The Blended Bay should be renamed the French Country Wreath if you want 

my opinion.....haha!

One tip for filling outdoor containers is to stuff them while the weather has yet to

get too cold, so that the potting soil will accept the branches and logs, and then when

it freezes it will keep them in place all winter long.  You can add berry twigs or ribbons
or keep it simple, like I did.  I do plan to add some twinkling white lights to each urn
for a bit of extra sparkle and magic to our entry. 

Piper is pretty pleased with how it all turned out.
She only ran off with one birch log while I was busy hanging the wreaths.

Caught in the act!  Oh well, she is still just a big puppy.

 It couldn't look nicer, and now I wish I had one more of these wreaths to

decorate my little garden shed.  When they first arrived, I took one up to the 

shed and tried it out....and it looked so darling. 
 Guess I could use one more...

Simply gorgeous.  
These wreaths will last for months when hung outdoors

in our cold climate.  They can also be hung indoors and will last for weeks

with a regular misting of water to keep the greens fresh.

Before we know it, Christmas will be here! 

Our guests will be entering our home 

through the courtyard to celebrate the season.  

 My wreaths from Lynch Creek Farm set the tone for what lies ahead...

a bountiful and beautiful holiday home.  

Now for the Lynch Creek Farm Giveaway!

All you have to do for a chance to win a centerpiece or wreath is to visit 

Lynch Creek Farm and come back and tell me what item you would love to win.

For more chances to win, leave a comment on each of my blogging friends posts

as well!  Also, make sure you leave your email address in the comments so we 

can contact the winners.  The giveaway is limited to residents of the Continental U.S.

and Canada. The deadline is midnight, Sunday, December 3, 2017.

See their beautiful homes via the links below~
Click and visit!   Good Luck and Happy Holidays!!

Houspitality Designs   Savvy Southern Style   Duke Manor Farm   Maison Decor     Home is Where the Boat Is     French Garden House

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Grey velvet curtains, gilded cornices and Piper

 Velvet draperies are so luxurious.  Hard to tell from this shot, but the velvet

warms up the room, making it nice and cozy for the cold weather months.

I found these 96" lined velvet pinch pleated panels at HomeGoods, in case

you are searching for some at a reasonable price.  Their drapery department has

been pretty impressive lately, as I also found Belgian linen panels earlier this year.

I have had white smocked curtain panels from Pottery Barn hanging in this room

for years now, underneath white metal cornices that I made from vintage cornices

I found at an antique shop in New Hampshire.  They were stamped brass metal, in an

old gold color.  Hmmmm, I kind of wish they were the brass finish now.  At any rate,

I didn't like the look of the grey velvet under the white cornices so I painted them with 

Paris Grey Chalk Paint by you know who.  

 After painting them, I outlined the top with some gilding wax in gold.  Its a quick project

that I was able to do in an hour.  Getting ready for the holidays around here now, so I am envisioning a very Versailles Christmas in my mind's eye.  That means gold and gilding and velvet and of

course that wonderful blue color that Marie Antoinette loved so much.  Its much the same as my wall color in the living room, Woodlawn Blue by Benjamin Moore.  Imagine a white christmas tree with blue and gold....maybe some velvet ribbon.  Yummy!  In the latest Horchow Collection catalogue they have a Versailles Christmas ornament and ribbon collection!  I almost fell out of my french chair.  The only thing I didn't care for was that they added red to the blue and gold collection, which will never happen on my tree.  And thats the awesome thing about Christmas decorating, or any kind of decorating....you get to put your own stamp of personal style and vision together.  And each year its always a bit different, and that makes it fun for me.

So forgive me if Christmas decorating starts making an early appearance on my blog, but I am more than excited this year to get my trees up!  I think Reeve will love seeing the twinkle and the sparkle and the wonder of it all.  I am hoping little Piper can keep her composure around the trees and not make a mess of it.

She's pretty curious about just about everything. 

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Pastoral mural, heirloom roses, romantic wedding tent and Piper

 Its been exactly one month since I last posted, and there is a very good reason

for the delay.  These dogs are running my life, and its just not right. Sure Piper

looks all innocent sitting calmly on the step, but she is a puppy in hyper mode a 

lot of the time.  In between puppy and dog care, we also hosted a funeral for 

my husbands cousin right after the book shoot, started planning a wedding for the 

courtyard in six weeks, as well as getting prepped for doing daycare for baby Reeve.

 Life is getting busier by the second!  So let me explain about the wedding plans,

my son Brandon and his fiance Mimi have decided to take the plunge after almost

ten years of living together.  They recently moved back here from LA, and they

are letting me plan it!! Woohoo!! 

So I came up with the idea of an enchanted courtyard wedding.

 The vows will be said on the upper lawn terrace in front of the arbor.

We will have a tent over the courtyard down below,

for an intimate outdoor wedding dinner after the ceremony at the end of this month.

I found this magical photo of a wedding tent, with a ceiling lined in tulle and tiny

white lights with chandeliers.  Mimi and I love the look, so that is what I plan to create.

The tulle is on order, and I will dedicate a blog post when I make it, so others can do

the same if they wish.  Essentially a rod pocket will be stitched and a nylon cord threaded

through the center of it, and then it will be hoisted up to the center pole and ziptied to that.

Tiny white string lights will be run over the pole framework first, then the sheer tulle will

go over the lights to create a dreamy effect.  I have an old gilded chandelier that I will ask

Mr. Maison Decor to wire and that will hang in the center of our snug 15x15 tent.

This inspiration tent is enormous...I wouldn't be so sure I could do a tent that big, but 

our tent is going to be manageable, or so I predict.  Stay tuned.  

 All of the furniture in the courtyard needs to be relocated to another area so the tent can

be installed and the tables and chairs laid out.  So that is the first part of the courtyard wedding.

But in other areas of our lives we are trying to get a grip on how active the dogs are as they grow.

At first everything was nice and normal, but once Piper was allowed up onto the couch, the shenanigans began in earnest.  Here they are acting all calm again.  This is not real life folks.  They had taken to running circles in this room and leaping up on the couch as they ran around and around chasing one another.  OY!! The couch was taking a beating, and so was the room.  

 As I planned to start watching my granddaughter Reeve in the fall, 

I had to think of a space that we could use together, without the dogs.  

For her safety and my sanity.  So it came to me....this room would now be OFF LIMITS

 to the four legged variety. I will put a gate across from the

 staircase to the front door to keep them out!  The french doors to the dining room 
will be kept closed, with the dog beds on the other side so they can watch if they like. 

I had a practice day for several hours with Reeve and it went great!

  She is an easy baby and I really felt myself exhale and just revel in her care.  

She is a little character, smiling and making fun faces and sounds. 

 Looking forward to watching her grow right before my eyes.

 Our roses came into full bloom at the end of August, and they are the finicky variety of 

David Austin.  Finicky in that if you cut them, they don't last but a day, 

so I mostly enjoy them in the garden.  Which kind of stinks, 

because they are amazing and I love to bring in a cut flower that smells like a rose,
which actually is rare these days.  The David Austins smell fantastic!!  

 The climbing rose on the arbor is New Dawn and it is finally getting established. 

 I am not sure how to train the canes to grow up and over...

I tied some twine to long branches and attached it there, but when Nora Murphy came, 

I untied them all as it looked ugly.  Anyone with knowledge on this process?  

 Piper is getting so big, she just jumps up the rock wall and has access to the terrace and beyond.

Colby never does this, even though he easily could.  For some reason he respects boundaries and borders and doesn't cross them, which meant life in the courtyard was easy with him.  But Piper has created a whole new ball game out here....I may have to install a rabbit fence in behind the bushes and trees up here to contain her.

 Since the dogs have been banished from the living room, their hangout couch is in the family room. 

This room has new IKEA sofas, and I purposely picked the color sand for the slipcovers to match Pipers fur color. Hahah!! Seriously, I did.  Again, here they are looking all innocent. Anyway, I redid this room for the Nora Murphy Country House book shoot, painting the walls the prettiest shade of green, new beige furniture, linen draperies in a similar shade as the walls. 

All these pics are with my iPhone, just because I don't have time anymore for setting up the camera and tripod. At least not right now. But this room is so pleasant to be in, and I wanted to show the mural that I painted.  There is a door behind it that was always a decorating nightmare.  So the mural was my way of making the door disappear.  I just love the calming effect it has on the room.

And I guess sometimes it may have a calming effect on Piper too?  The walls are Hollingsworth Green by Benjamin Moore.  Its a wonderful color and it continues the Swedish color palette I have used throughout the house. I used all kinds of paints to create the mural, wall paint and colors from my stash of Annie Sloan chalk paint too.  A spritzer water bottle helped the paint to move and give me a watercolory effect.  Its just so much fun to create, and when I get the chance to do that these days, I really relish the process.  I am hoping I will be able to post more often, so I can go into detail on the wedding plans, which is going to be romantic and rustic and elegant, all on a budget.  

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New: Cupola installation, Bohemian rug runner, and Cabana curtains

This post is all about DIY projects that have finally been completed. 

Way off in the distance, do you spy our new cupola? 

 It is incredibly darling, don't you agree?

I am overjoyed with how it enhances the shed, and our gardens. 

 The shed is almost hidden by the large arborvitaes that create the private area that holds a

small tomato garden and the garden shed.  So adding the cupola makes it more visible from

the lower levels of the yard and courtyard, and even from the street.  

A dog weathervane in Piper's likeness sits atop this small wooden cupola I found on a FB yardsale site after a quick search.  The family that never used it, sold it to me and coincidentally they had 5 golden retrievers themselves, one being an English Cream, like Piper. It was meant to be...

Mr. Maison Decor had a friend who crafted a spinner piece so the weathervane will move with the wind.  Originally it was made to be a decorative piece and attached in one permanent direction.

This was the moment he placed it on the top of the tiny shed, and my heart skipped a beat.  I have been in love with cupolas forever, and finally I have one to call my own.  Yippee!

The other thing that finally happened was installing black and white cabana curtains to frame the cellar entrance that leads to my son's apartment.  Our house sits sideways on the lot, and this side faces the front of the street so it was nice to enhance it a little bit.

The entry to our house is accessed by the old granite stairs at the far end.  The cabana curtains add a decorator flair to the house, where once there was none.

A porch swing my dad made decades ago hangs in the enclosed space.  

These are all part of the things I have been doing to get ready for the book shoot with Nora Murphy. The feeling I have is that if its going to be captured forever in the pages of a book, I would hate to not try my best to get projects completed that have been in the "to do list" in my head.  My wish list, as it were.  We all have them....and maybe they get put off, and ignored.  So the book shoot has made them come alive and give me sleepless nights.  Can I get this or that done before Nora??  Life is busy and full at our house, and so getting projects done is more daunting because of my other jobs at home.  So any that I do get finished gives me a sense of fulfillment, because I know how hard it was to pull it off.  Piper and Colby are fast friends, with Piper taking the lead in the house. No doubt about it, she is a confident dog, and its been fun to watch her play with Colby.  He is so gentle with her, and they have their routine down pat now, leaping from dog bed to dog bed, chasing toys and tug of war.  

Another thing on my to do wish list, was to have a carpet runner installed to the third floor.  For one reason, it helps the dogs to safely navigate the stairs, and since Piper is growing like a weed, we won't be carrying her up and down much longer.  I found this pretty bohemian patterned rug at Joss and Main (online store) and ordered two 12' runners.  We had them professionally installed and it really finished off the space.  A collection of vintage art work hangs on one side, and it makes for a pretty walk up to bed each night. 

So life in the country is simply grand around here....

and after the book shoot I think I will relax so I can enjoy the 

entire month of August  with the hubs and kids and 
with little or NO projects at all!

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