the hanging

This large floral picture has

been with us forever!  

I took it off the living room wall

some time ago to accommodate

a tall piece of furniture.

Yesterday my husband hung it here--

tricky because of its size,

the height of the chair backs,

and wanting it to be staggered from the level of the shelf above the window.

He succeeded.

I'm happy...

holiday home tour

The afternoon began pleasantly

and ended in rain..

Many of the historic, restored houses

retained their period's charm...

Those features were of great delight to me.

Unfortunately, I didn't take many photos.

The William Woodlands Park Holiday Home Tour is a tradition of our household.

A hint of christmas

I'm very unfocused;

random even

in my decorating decisions.

Somehow, that's OK with me this year.

color and pattern

While browsing through magazines

Sunday evening,

I was happy to see that 

color and patterns are making

a comback in home decor.

Hip hip hooray!

a busy day

He worked....it paid off!

Our $25 purchase now stands handsomely

in our living room 

holding our TV!

It replaced a much lower and longer buffet that served the purpose for years..

I emptied much of its contents into 

this white cupboard

in our kitchen.

It was a busy day!

We don't do this nearly as often as we used to!

recreational thrifting

 Wow!

 It's been a long time since I've had such good luck at a thrift store!

 Yesterday, squeezed in between reading sessions (see more HERE)

  my husband and I stopped in to a thrift store that is TRULY a thrift store.

 $8.25 bought us a beautiful pillow, a jigsaw puzzle, four tops and a skirt and a jacket for me, and a     pair  of jeans for him!

A recent purge of several pieces of clothing I no longer wear

left space in my drawers and closet. 
I am thrilled to have these "new" items that will perk up my spring/summer wardrobe.

And the pillow!!!!  A real beauty.

things turquoise

 Some time ago, we spray painted our chandelier a metallic blue color.

It really wasn't quite the color I'd thought it would be,

but I did nothing about changing it.

 Then I found these shades on the internet

 and things began to come together!

I hung a vintage curtain panel that had been folded up on a shelf

and things turquoise began to come out of the woodwork!

 Paintings,

pillows,

and who knows WHAT next?

passing the hour

 As you probably have observed,

I never tire of getting away to Barnes and Noble!

 I select a stack of magazines

(as does my partner),

 we find a table,

 and contentedly (and carefully) turn the pages...

 dreaming and gathering as we pass the hour.

(THIS time, as I passed through the store,

it seemed to me there were more aisles of toys.

I wonder if this is coincidence or somehow related

to the recent closing of Toys-R-Us.)

much better

This piece of furniture is now about 4" shorter

since my husband cut it down.  

It had been an awkward height for the places I have tried to use it.

Now polished and restocked,

it sits in front of my recliner (that's my husband's black recliner in the background).

I employed a pair of idle brass shell bookeneds

to hold a few of the smaller books on top of the stand.

MUCH better!

simplicity and purpose

You may well argue that my taste in decor doesn't lean toward simplicity...

 but given my attraction to these photos in magazines that caught my eye yesterday

 I am convinced that my purpose in creating a comfortable home is achieved

best for us by a simple combination

of old wood, books, warm colors and one-of-a-kind objects.
Not a lot has changed over the years when it comes to my purpose--
or the way I go about achieving it!

my kind of place

...this, May Sarton's description

of Eva La Galliennes' house...
It's my kind of place.

cushionry

 After a week of a malaise,

 I just MAY be on my way out of it!

 This morning,  I had desire and "spark" enough 

 to cut out two sides of fabric to cover this cushion

whose previous cover was ragged..

 Using the old one as my pattern,

 I simply stitched around the outside edges and called it "DONE"!

 This is the chair I sit on at the table to eat, play games, and converse.

 Without the cushion, the seat is hard.

 With it - PERFECT!

down time

 With my father and brother on their way to board a train 

for a Cousins' Reunion in Kansas,

 Gary and I spent some time doing a few of our favorite things--

 a thrift store stop (nothing for me; 3 shirts/sweaters for him)

and an hour or so at Barnes and Noble.

These four images from the magazines I chose were especially attractive to me.

(I guess you can tell I'm no minimalist!)

I'm thankful for a relaxing afternoon and a lull in activity this evening.

I'm looking forward to browsing some blogs and beginning a new book...

christmas pillows

 Christmas pillows --

mine are at least twenty years old 

and accompanied by fond memories

of stuffing and stitching them along with a friend who stitched her own pair.

They still "fit" my simple Christmas decorations.

No need to get new ones...

(I enjoy seeing all of YOURS, too--

old and new.)

another one

 This smaller tree sits comfortably beside our vintage couch.

I chose to decorate it in blues to pick up the various shades of blue

that appear here and there in the room.

I especially enjoy the gentle, quiet light of this tree

in the evenings when darkness descends so early.