A New Sconce

Original light was a reproduction tin sconce. 

We replaced it with an $8 sconce I found at our local ReStore (while looking for something else). 

The shade comes from one of the old sconces we used above our fireplace in our old house. 

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND! 

The Upstairs Bathroom

This is the upstairs bathroom in our rental house as it was when we moved in. I was thrilled to see it because it had a lot of great features that could shine with a little TLC. My first thoughts were fresh coat of paint, new ceiling light fixture, replace mirror, and install new light sconces over sink. In addition, the homeowners wanted to replace the bathtub and sink as it has been on their to do list for quite some time, and had already selected new ones. 

So here's a little peek with the new sink and bathtub. 

The sink has a lip on it so it's easier to place things around the basin, which is a nice upgrade. The bathtub matches the lines of the original. After the tub arrived and sat in the dining room waiting for installation, Mike and I pondered out loud to one another how he and the homeowner were going to be able to move it upstairs. We then discovered, to our astonishment, that the tub is fiberglass. 

This before photo looks like a black and white image because the original paint was a light grey. We chose to paint the bathroom white because we had extra paint left from painting the hall and stairwell. The end result gave us a much brighter space. 

We kept the blue floors but added a large throw rug. It comes from Dash and Albert. Dash and Albert rugs are not chemically treated with stain repellants or flame retardants, which is absolutely wonderful. 

I tried all sorts of paintings above the bathtub and settled on The Torn Hat, in this case a reproduction of the original painting by Thomas Sully (1820). The mirror is the first example of our movement to use lighter woods in the house. I really liked the warmth that lighter woods offered in our old guest house, so we're phasing out the dark and adding the light. 

In the end, we opted to not upgrade the ceiling light or replace the sconces. Instead, to save money, we left the ceiling light and simply removed the old sconces. We economized by not replacing the sconces, but they were also off-center from the new sink. Thus covering their wallboxes with blanks and mirror made the best sense to us. 

I added my Grandmother's old buffet for storage (she used to keep napkins and See's candy in it and I can't help but think of that every time I open the drawers). 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentines Day! 

(From my late blooming Christmas amaryllis) 

Knit Goods

Among my favorite cozy comforts during the chilly seasons are knit goods. My heart goes a -flutter come fall when the woolens come out of the closets and drawers. I love mittens, scarves and sweaters, especially those that have wonderful patterns like the mittens above. I have pairs with each of these patterns. 

These patterns belong to long gloves that extend above the wrist. 

Since having the dumplings, I've expanded my affection to other knitted wonders...

like this owl 

this mouse

this whale 

and ice skates. 

Then there is our menagerie of outerwear, like our raccoon hat and mittens... 

And our very favorite and eagerly donned lion, doggy and bunny mittens. 

Then there are sweaters... 

and beautiful dresses. 

Amy Meier's wonderful mother knit this gorgeous sweater. She even stitched in a name tag. 

She knit this beautiful one too. 

One word - Fall.

If I were one to make New Year's Resolutions, learning to knit creations like these would be at the top of my list. I've managed simple hats and scarves for ambitious Christmas gifts over the years, but they didn't come easily. 

I had a friend in college who learned to knit from her Grandmother, and making socks, mittens and even sweaters came second nature to her. She would sit in a chair and just knit away, needing no pattern to go by, able to carry on conversation without pause. 

I think that is just so lovely. 

New Year's Resolution 2014: 

Learn to knit. 

A New Novel

My dear friend Lisa has just published her first novel, The Shoebox. I am so excited and so proud of her. I just received my copy and cannot wait to immerse myself in the intricate story of Peter and Maddy.

I'm also incredibly inspired by her for she is a dreamer, and a doer. Whether it's publishing her first novel, sewing a quilt, knitting a scarf (I wear one of her creations everyday), throwing an annual Christmas party, or making jam (she just sent me homemade cranberry jam) - she dreams and she does.

She also happens to be the kindest and most generous person, and I am so lucky to call her my dear friend.

You can find her novel, The Shoebox, at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Antique European Textiles

When my dear friend Kate recommended an online source for antique French textiles, I found myself lost in a sea of never-ending awe and beauty. This was my first real peek into textiles such as these and my immediate feeling was, how could I never have known of such things? 

Wendy from The Textile Trunk is the most gracious caretaker of these historic threads. Her passion and love shine through in her endless knowledge and enthusiasm. I fell in love myself just reading her descriptions. But I did not truly comprehend her words until I held these threads in my own hands, when I purchased a 1900's French monogrammed sheet. 

It's so much heavier than I imagined with its dense weave of cotton and linen. 

But heavier than the material itself, is the weight of its presence. 

The monogrammed letters adorning the sheets had been hand-stitched by mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers. What beautiful imagery they invoke of these women, needle-in-hand, their thoughts, their art form. And such simplistic beauty so delicately woven into the common fabric of life.

Do you think these women could have imagined that over one hundred years later an American woman would hold their threaded beauty? Or that it would be a gift a mother would give to her daughter in two thousand fourteen? 

This heirloom textile will be made into a duvet cover for my daughter's bed when she is a little bit older. I absolutely love that these century-old threads will help keep her warm, holding her in their wonderful and inspiring beauty. 

The Textile Trunk 

I asked Wendy about the history of monogramming and this is what she told me: 

During the 19^th century, it became de rigueur for middle class families to have every item of the trousseau monogrammed , in imitation of the aristocratic crests. A Trousseau was the collection of linens that a woman would bring with her to a marriage. Monnogramming the items in a trousseau was an art in itself , with special techniques and ruses for each piece. The style of monogram chosen often reflects the prevailing fashions of the entire epoch�.quite easy to distinguish. The monograms letters were often of the bride and groom, however these rules were not set in stone and some lunch napkins only were monogrammed with the woman�s initials. Creative license!

There were linen maids in the 19^th century and nuns were often used also for the washing, monogramming, folding and stacking of linen. Often people employed linen maids, however washing the family linens was also something that the woman of the household would do. The sheets being washed sometimes in public laundry areas and hung to dry in the sun ( hence, the holder the sheet tended to become sun bleached with time from the many hangings! ) Linen cupboards were a status symbol and  the doors of the cupboards were sometimes left open ( accidentally) so show the many many stacks of fine linen a family owned! ( so I�ve been told! ) �.

A wonderful book to recommend on linens is : The Book of Fine Linen, Francioise de Bonneville  ~ so much wonderful information!

Christmas Two Thousand and Thirteen

I hope that everyone had a wonderful and joyous holiday! 

Like some of you, we lost power the night before Christmas Eve due to the major ice storm that swept the Northeast and Midwest. The power came back on Christmas night (thanks to the help of crews from other states to help mend fallen power lines) and we rejoiced. 

Here a few scenes from the last week. 

I bought about a dozen battery-operated candles for the house, which I love! Little did I think that they would also come in handy when the power was out. It's great that they can run all night without worry - I am a huge fan of them. I think that we'll continue to leave a few out throughout the year. 

I started my amaryllis and paper white bulbs about a week before Christmas, so we haven't enjoyed their blossoms quite yet. Perhaps they will be here by the New Year. 

A quiet glimpse into the snowy wonder. 

I never tire of the scene just outside that window. 

I snapped this picture on our Christmas Eve. We postponed the holidays for a couple of days when the power was out, because it was just too hard to keep up with simple tasks of keeping everybody warm and fed. So after we regained power, our delayed Christmas Eve felt extremely warm and cozy - for both heart and soul. 

Here is the living room, enjoying the twinkle of the candles (battery operated) and tree lights. 

My dear friend Kate told me about this lovely Swedish chime candle that she'd been enjoying with her sweet twin boys. I ordered one for our family and our little dumplings just love watching the angels spin around and ring the chimes. We lit it every night, and will continue to until the candles have expired. 

Christmas morning. 

And of course, there's the food...There's always the food. So good. 

Using local organic carrots and butternut squash, Mike made an AMAZING soup. 

AMAZING. We had something similar at one of our favorite local bakeries and our sweet dumplings gobbled it up. 

With a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top, it's especially festive. 

Mike also made some buckwheat pancakes. We have a wheat and egg allergy in our family so we've been exploring new recipes. This recipe requires no added sugar as the pureed dates provide the sweetness. They were fantastic. Locally harvested maple syrup helps make them the perfect breakfast treat. 

There were also sweet potato muffins, which we made for our new neighbors. Mike's last batch (he made four) had a couple of minutes left when the power went out. He also made a special version for us that were wheat and egg free. 

I ended up eating about a half dozen during the power outage. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL! 

xoCatherine 

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Dear Friends

Eastlake Mirror

I stopped in at our local ReStore yesterday and found the loveliest Eastlake mirror. I was looking for a full sized bed frame, so not sure (Mike is especially not sure) how I left with a mirror. 

It's in outstanding shape and for $45 I couldn't leave it behind. I actually purchased it with a specific spot in mind, though not on the wall where I took this photograph. I will keep you posted as we continue to finish our painting projects. 

Habitat for Humanity ReStores are not-for-profit retail stores that sell both new and used donated home goods. Their inventory ranges from furniture to appliances, lighting, and many other building materials. All proceeds go to support Habitat's efforts both locally and around the world. 

I first learned of ReStore when following Steve Thomas and his wife Evy's renovation of Sea Cove Cottage. Steve Thomas is spokesman for Habitat for Humanity International. You can follow along with their renovation here. 

A New House (Rental)

Mudroom/Entry 

Dining room. 

Formal living room. The painting is the first thing I moved in. 

Kitchen. 

Kitchen nook. 

Office. 

Upstairs Master Bedroom

These are a few photos of our new house rental. 

Our little cottage by the river has been wonderful over the past four months. We've also especially enjoyed the company of the folks that we rent from and share the property with. Logistically however, the small space created some challenges for us, most specifically with the kitchen, playroom, living and dining area all being in one room. 

So we stumbled upon a nice historic Cape that was available, and decided that it was time to move to something larger that we could live more comfortably in for awhile. 

It will also be nice to unpack our storage unit. We still haven't found our printer! 

Or the charger for our video camera, 

or my Canon Rebel, 

or our little one shot....

We do know that they are somewhere that was very obvious for safe keeping.