Brick Manor House

This is total perfection to my eyes. The design of the house is really wonderful and the brickwork is masterfully executed. The surrounding landscaping and driveway approach were nicely laid out too. Imagine living in a house with six chimneys!

I did a little research and I believe this is a new house designed after Bacon's Castle, the oldest surviving brick dwelling in America in Surry County Virginia. See photos and I think you will agree.

Click here for numerous photos of this museum.

Bacon's Castle has been closed for for interior tours while they were cleaning but will open again in March. This is definitely a "must see" house tour if you visit Virginia. xo

More Animal Judges

I found out the history of animals wearing wigs.

Click here to see the cat judge in the group.

I featured the cat judge by herself a few days ago before I learned this was an advertising agency in Switzerland's 2014 campaign against cruelty to animals. These animals say a lot without speaking, don't they? 

The wigs give them a voice.

 

Morning Sun Filtering in My Living Room

This sun is already much brighter since I took this Monday morning photo 30 minutes ago. The design on the toile fabric on my Roman shades is much more defined to the naked eye but my phone's camera shows them blown out. However, you get the idea. I am sitting on my sofa in the lower right corner and the sun is still too low to raise the left curtain. The dog painting I showed you yesterday is behind the tufted leather armchair on the far right. Have a good week. It's still very cold here but a 60° day is in my weather forecast for Friday. xo

A Few of My Favorite Things

I purchased this dog painting several years ago. I have no idea what the dark splotches are and the estate sale lady didn't know either. I think they might be scorch marks from candles too close. It could be repaired but I like it as found for now. The terrier is fabulous. I got the two brass deer at the same sale. This cozy little corner is next to my living room fireplace. 

I had Missy from Friday morning through Sunday morning. She's always a welcome visitor. I have never had a dog with longish hair. We had 60° on Saturday but woke up to about 3" of snow on Sunday morning. Her paws were filled with little snowballs after the early morning walk that had to "melt" off once we got inside. She obediently stayed on a towel atop the dog bed until she defrosted. I can't even imagine her dangling snopballs after coming in from a much deeper snow! 

❤️Happy Valentine's Day❤️

 

Watercolors in Shells

This is such a great idea! 

These paints and watercolors are in shells.

Photo found here.

An English Cat: Judging

Found on Instagram

Happy Caturday. This made me laugh😹
I adore British legal dramas with 

barristers and judges wearing wigs.
Have a great weekend.
xo

Climbing Vine on My Windowsill

I haven't rooted a sweet potato in water since I was in grammar school. This one in my kitchen is reaching for the sky and all I have to do is make sure the pitcher doesn't dry out. I will plant it on my balcony and let it climb on the railings when weather permits. Happy Friday. xo

https://101gardening.blogspot.com/2016/05/how-to-grow-sweet-potato-vine-indoors.html

My sweet potato was already putting out green shoots when I brought it home from a friend's kitchen counter. The link above has detailed instructions for using a whole one suspended in water root side down. The ones I did as a child were always cut near the top so we could eat the rest😂

Here is a link for using a cut sweet potato as I did. It also has instructions for rooting in potting soil. You might want to do a lot of these and plant them outside in your garden at the appropriate time. Who knew?

https://thegardeningcook.com/growing-sweet-potatoes/

Eileen in Fla asked for instructions. Here they are, Eileen.

Happy windowsill gardening🌿

Cutest Baby Owl I've Ever Seen

This adorable owlet should be the model for a stuffed animal, shouldn't it? It's so cute it doesn't even look real! I found it on Instagram, link below.

Here's the link:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZpnnFNh0_1/

A Table By The Window

Isn't this a perfect place to pay bills, write letters, sip tea or coffee, and eat breakfast or lunch? I love it! xo

via

UPDATE: I found a link for a house tour with oodles of photos of this Georgian apartment in Edinburgh Scotland.

https://www.myscandinavianhome.com/2018/09/a-breathtaking-home-that-celebrates.html?m=1

Enjoy! xo

The Toadflax Children in WINTER STORY by Jill Barklem

Winter Story is a 1980 children's book, the final of the four seasons of Jill Barklem's Brambly Hedge series. In the book the biggest snowstorm in years leaves enough snow for an ice ball. The Economist review of books described the book as a "Beatrix Potter through Brambly Hedge", "mousy little tales with beautiful, busy drawings". via

The Big Reveal: Roman Shades Are Hung

Daytime view when partially raised.

 

I had to do a little adjusting of the length of certain cords on the back to make them hang straight. It took me quite a while to figure this out but Rome wasn't built in a day and neither were these Roman Shades. 😂

This photo was taken on the first morning after I lowered them the night before. The room was warmer than it would have been otherwise. It was 10° outside but the skies were clear and the sunrise was bright. Did you notice I have "draft dodgers" below each door?

I really wasn't fond of the feel of the room.

It felt like a hotel room.

I am still getting used to them in the fully extended length. Having a warmer room is a big plus and it will be much cooler in the summer to block the blinding sun. I much prefer them raised and if I were willing to sacrifice warmth and coolness they could easily stay in this position all the time. 

When raised to conceal the top two rows of glass, the sun glare that has always bothered me is eliminated. I found a label on the back of the cornices with the name of the factory that made these shades that were constructed in 2006. Anderson Fabrics, Inc. Blackduck, MN 565630

I'm glad I didn't have to choose the fabric and the design of these window treatments. I am much better at restoring and repurposing something that already exists. I'm that way with houses too. I can work with one with good bones but have never wanted to build from scratch.

This exercise has made me give new admiration for the work professional designers do for their clients. Window treatments have to be one of the hardest tasks and the installation is another nightmare. Getting the completed projects to hang perfectly is no easy task and listening to the customers complain is another. It must take a lot of hand holding. Anyway, I have nobody to blame but myself when something I do doesn't turn out as expected and that almost never happens. I research everything to death and work out projects in my head before I start anything. So far, so good and I am basically thrilled with this project. Sigh of relief. xo

Bundle Up: It's COLD Outside🥶🐾🐾

This adorable photo made me smile.

I woke up to 10° this morning.

There is bright sun though.

I hung my Roman Shades myself yesterday.

I have them all the way down.

The sun is blasting through and I have no glare.

I will post photos later.

I can't get a decent photo yet.

Have a great Sunday.

xo

Roman Shades Final Pressing

I removed all the pins yesterday and ironed my toile Roman shades and I am thrilled by how nice they look.

Now I can really appreciate how fine they are. I have never attempted sewing such complicated window treatments from scratch and these are exceptionally well made. The toile is lined, there is a clear plexiglass rod in a channel between each pleat, and the rear rings are attached at the top of each rod casement. I padded my ironing board with a thickly folded flannel sheet and I was able to iron the draped folds without a crease. I had to work quickly for fear of melting the rings.😱

I am patient and just worked one step at a time. I have never understood exactly how Roman shades worked but now I do. Today I'm going to wash the windows on the inside of the two doors and then I will be ready for hanging. Stay tuned. 

All of my snow has melted and there is bright sun and blue skies today. My area was spared the ice too but it's cold outside. Have a nice weekend and be careful where you walk if old man winter was not kind to you. xo

Still Working on a Sewing Repair Project: Roman Shades

I bought these two Roman Shades in a lovely toile fabric at the Fireman's sale in 2019 hoping I could use them. This year I felt I could tackle the project and I am almost at the finish line. I just have to try and iron out all the wrinkles and get my handyman to help me hang them on the French doors that open to my balcony overlooking the rear of my property.

I love this country print in black and cream.

A closer view of the last panel that ends in black grosgrain ribbon that has been box pleated. This panel had the same print on the rear side that was badly sun faded so I made a white panel to cover that damage for each shade.

Here is that back panel in bright white. I had to replace 50 of the "O" rings that had cracked and split from sun damage. The ones I ordered are UV protected and that shouldn't happen again. All of the two middle rows required replacement but only several of the two outside rows. I can't tell you how many times I stabbed my self with a needle doing this part of the repair.

Top looking down showing the pull cords and the wrinkles.

The cord pulling mechanisms.

A closer view of the bottom panel with the last pleat flipped back. I am almost on the home stretch. The worked in front of the TV in my living room for the sewing of the rings. Then I moved to the farm table in my kitchen to work on restringing the cords. I actually worked there when I put pins on all the pleats to hold them in place before I did anything.

Yesterday I set up my ironing board at the end of the farm table to help me with with the design and cutting out a sewing pattern for the rear panels. After I cut and measured and ironed all the seams under, I went to the attic to sew the margins. I ended up having to use a stapler to attach them because the fabric layers were too thick to hand sew. What an adventure but I am pleased with the outcome. I worked off and on for the better part of at least 10 days and it's been a great winter project. I am bothered by the blinding sun I get in the summer from sunup until early afternoon and these will be a big help to keep my living room cooler. I have a glare problem in the winter and the two glass doors let out a lot of my heat. I will probably raise them as much as possible for morning glare and maybe drop them completely at night to prevent heat loss. I'm just taking this one step at a time to see what works. I will post photos when they are hung. xo

Clothes Brushes in My Collection

These brushes are near my clothes closet in the bedroom I use as a dressing room. It has taken years to put together and I am finally satisfied. The one on the far left is my latest acquisition and my favorite. It has a long wooden handle that will reach behind me to brush off my clothes from one shoulder to the other. The long soft bristles pick up any hairs that might be there. My mother used to brush me off whenever I asked her and now I have the perfect brush for doing that myself. The brush beside it has stiffer bristles and is made by "Stanley". It's good for pilling on sweaters and dust on suede shoes. The tiniest one has very stiff bristles by "Coach" for shoes and handbags too. The long brush next to the tiny one by "Mohawk" is sometimes used with the dustpan for floor spills. The two at the top have natural Ebony handles and pure bristles. They are made by "Royal" in Japan. My mother spotted them for me at an estate sale long ago.  

Now you know what to look for if you want to expand your own collection of clothes brushes for good grooming. It is very foggy this morning and very warm with a soft rain. The rain will continue all night with warm temps above freezing. There might be some ice on Saturday morning. Take care if you are in the path of this winter storm. xo

Inside My Cottage

Just a random shot inside my cottage on my way to the kitchen for more coffee and an English muffin. I can't even watch any more weather reports. My phone says we are having rain all day Thursday and Friday starting after midnight tonight. Maybe all the snow will melt before it gets cold again and turns to ice over the weekend. If the dreadful winter storm is in your area, be safe. Just stay inside if you can. I am extremely fortunate to be able to do so and I can always find something to do. xo

A VALENTINE CARD to Make DIY Free Pattern

Hello February. My month of no holidays is over and there is plenty of time for making Valentines. I found this free download and I love it.

Free Valentine Pattern

Printing PDF instructions here full size.

I have always loved "hand in heart" Valentines. 

Send to someone you love. 

❤️xo❤️ 

1938 Box of White Chalk: Clever Packaging🤡

Isn't this fantastic packaging? 

It made me smile when I saw it on Instagram a while back. @anonymousworksinc It's a wonder this 80+ year old box survived in such good condition to make us smile on the last day of January. xo

Firewood Quote

I've never heard this firewood quote.

found on Tumblr

The Henry Ford quote is more familiar.

Image found here.

Saturday Snow: Not Too Bad

View from my pantry window.

View from my Living Room window.

I am going to wait until the flurries stop this afternoon. Then I will shovel my front walk and clean off my car. I don't have to go anywhere and there will be bright sun all day tomorrow. It is cold and windy and would probably blow back if I do my walk too quickly. I did all of my errands yesterday requiring a car trip and made a new pot of soup. That's about it for my Saturday morning. Be safe and snug if you are snowed in too. xo