Chintz Fabric on Furniture

Would you rather have timeless Chintz on your furniture or floral wallpaper? via  The room pictured is Yves Saint Laurent's final home.

MARCH: Planting Bulbs

Eugène Samuel Grasset (French 1845-1917) 

The Beautiful Planter 

Calendar page for March 1896

via

Eugène Samuel Grasset was a Swiss decorative artist who worked in Paris in a variety of creative design fields during the Belle Époque. He is considered a pioneer in Art Nouveau design.

Tree House Designed By An Architect

This fantasy tree house is the stuff dreams are made of, isn't it? I love looking at architectural drawings and house plans and this could possibly be my favorite one ever. xo

N O E L

Old calligraphy alphabets are so beautiful and this one is no exception. This would make a beautiful Christmas Card. via

Bookish Christmas Card

I adore this custom Christmas Card designed for The London Library 2020. It's easy to see why it's sold out. Isn't it a perfect card for a library, librarian, or book lover? Perfect to send to your Book Club members too.

My Homemade Fabric Face Masks

These are my home sewed masks that I have finally perfected after many attempts.

There are only 3 seams. I use a piece of 8-1/2" x 11" computer paper as my pattern. What could be simpler than that? If you are working with a printed fabric, you must place the pattern where you want the design on the front of the mask to be featured. You can make a pattern from a large gallon size zip-lock bag. The front of the mask will be at the bottom half. Cut your fabric and fold in half lengthwise, right sides together. Sew a bottom seam and turn right side out. Press. Fold over each side and sew a seam for the cording. I always insert my cording before sewing and don't catch the cording with any machine stitching. Raw edges are fine, nobody will be any the wiser, I have been working with 19" lengths of cording for each side. Now for the hardest part, the gathering. Pull the cording so both sides are equal before you start pulling. Gather the fabric as tightly as you possibly can and tie off with a knot on each side. Now fold the folded edge in half , gathered ends together, land make a small 1/8" tuck with about five locked stitches or so to mark the nose area. This is not a tapered dart, just a straight tuck. You can leave this part out if you like but it helps to have it. This is the most comfortable and breathable mask and I can wear mine for long periods without having to keep touching it because it stays in place. I just happened to have this cording in my stash of sewing and gift wrapping supplies. I think you could use bias tape that has been sewed shut too. Or any braided twine that would be comfortable over your ears. I have not tried elastic because I didn't have any.

I posted more photos on my Instagram for you to study. Just click on the arrows to see them all. Feel free to ask questions if I have not made the instructions clear. You can turn under the two sides before you start sewing if you want a finished underside rather than a raw edge but this just adds to the bulk. You could also overcast if you don't want a raw edge. You can whip these up in no time. 

They are tight to get on once you have your ends tied off but worth the effort. I use a square knot that says in place: Left over right and right over left. 

I don't know if hair ties would work. 

18 Wonderful Black Bathrooms

Be sure to view all 18 of the dramatic black bathrooms here. I particularly liked this one.

Thursday Ramblings with Pictures

All images above are from This Delightful Blog

Bungalow to Farmhouse: Renovation Photos Before and After

I watched this transformation on my street and still cannot believe my eyes. It is now my real estate listing and it is quite impossible to describe the renovation. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? It is perfect now in every way. The vision of the architect owner is now a reality.

Royal Crest of a Bat

WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY HALLOWEEN

This is an image I photographed from my Antiquarian Book: The Royal Book of Crests. This must have belonged to Count Dracula. Click to enlarge and print.

DIY Halloween Tablescape by David Stark Design

Click photo to enlarge.

Isn't this the best Halloween Table? If you like dark and moody, be sure to plant lots of gourds in your garden next year so you will have a good supply for almost no money. DIY instructions here. 

Cachepot with Gardening Tools

This pot sparked joy when I saw it and couldn't resist buying it at a thrift shop. I trimmed my overgrown thyme and put it in some soup I made recently. It is planted in a clay pot that is sitting inside this cachepot decorated all around with gardening tools. I will plant the herb outside soon. xo

Leather Buttons

This is probably a tailor's sample but I love this idea. If you have buttons that are similar but the colors are different, why not use them on a garment you are sewing? Make the buttonholes in different colors too, to match the buttons. via
I have temps above freezing and the sun is shining brightly this morning but the sky will cloud over this afternoon. I must deal with my car's frozen front windshield and my front walk. Be careful if you have ice. xo

Beautiful Floral Wallpaper

Odessa Garden Damask wallpaper in white. A unique take on the classic damask, this contemporary wallpaper that features ornate flowers is a wonderful feature wall option. via

Available in black too. Details and ordering information here.

Pussy Willow Embroidery

Do you love pussy willows too? Isn't this embroidery lovely? There is a big tree near me and maybe the owners will let me cut some this spring. I would love to have a sweater embellished with this needlework. via

xo, Rosemary

Content in a Cottage

A secure blog established in 2008.

Einstein Quote with Bicycle

I added the text to this bicycle graphic and posted it on my blog in 2009. Albert Einstein was quite famous for riding his bicycle around Princeton.

via

Books with Marbled Endpapers

I adore leather bound books with marbled endpapers. This is a very nice stack. via

Antique Radiator with Warming Oven

How clever is this antique radiator with a warming oven? It's in an old flat in Paris. It warms my heart!

Kate Greenaway Tile 1881

Earthenware tile, transfer-printed and hand-coloured. Designed (1881) by Kate Greenaway. Made by T. & R. Boote. Image and text information courtesy V&A. via This is lovely, isn't it?

© Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2017. All Rights Reserved

Caterpillar Feasting on A Poppy Pod

Caterpillar Absolem feasting on Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). This stunning photo is straight out of Alice in Wonderland, isn't it? I want to save it forever, I love it so. Mother Nature really outdid herself when designing this caterpillar's body and colorful markings. via

Papaver somniferum "Midnight"