Monarch Butterfly

I don't even remember taking this photo but it is on my camera roll and I didn't loan my iPhone to anyone. Maybe it was outside my office. Anyway---here it is.

The Big Three

1. Fabulous Architect 2. Talented Builder
3. Wonderful Interior Designer and Owner

via

South Side Sportsmen's Club Long Island

Main House - Photo by Howie Guja
Read more about the history here.

A Truly Rich Man with Children

I know a family with a father like this. Do you? via

Porch Alcove with Roses

I would like this at my house. A little alcove on a porch so I could be inside and outside at the same time. I would especially love being out there with a book and a camera on a rainy day. via

Prairie Mallow

Sidalcea malviflora. Malvaceae Family. These 2- to 4-foot-tall perennials bear showy spikes of 2-inch-wide blooms in shades from pale pink to bright rosy purple. Also called miniature hollyhock.

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Beautiful Globes

I have a real love for antique globes. These look like balloons. via + via

Abandoned Cottage By The Sea

I see new boards so hopefully someone is trying to save this beauty by the sea. via

Best Infinity Pool Ever

This must have been quite a challenge to build but isn't it wonderful? I hope nobody floats over the edge.  via

Bathroom Vanity with Many Drawers

I love this clever use of a chest with 9 drawers as a double vanity. I found this photo on my PC up on the third floor and I don't know the source. It's something I've been saving for a long time and it's perfect for posting since we all are loving lots of drawers lately. 

The Blew Linnet - Mark Catesby

An antiquarian print from my flat files. I'm not sure if this is still in there or if I sold it and I'm too lazy to look. I just love the spelling of the word blue (blew), don't you? A hand-colored folio engraving from 'The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands' Published in London 1731-43
I digitally cropped the photo at the plate line so the huge margins wouldn't interfere with your being able to see the image of the bird and plant clearly. This is a very high quality hand-colored reproduction. my photo

Life's Little Instruction Book | Volume II | Pages 54 and 55

 

 

More excellent fatherly advice that has stood the test of time.

Spotless Kitchen

I have marble countertops in my kitchen and they don't look like this. Did they ever? Maybe for the first day and thereafter they showed every water spot and more. Their real enemy is lemon juice. You don't want to know what that does to marble. The acid etches it!! Luckily over time the patina evens out if you use your kitchen a lot. I love the way this 'virgin' kitchen looks. I never sealed my countertops and my marble was honed. I've read lots of articles that say even the sealing doesn't help. I just tell myself mine is a 1920s kitchen. Would I use marble again? I'm not sure. Have you had a similar experience? photo

This is my kitchen counter snapped with my iPhone just a few minutes ago. The light from the window over the sink highlights many of my spots and the overhead spotlight is shining on the lemon juice spots that are etched in the marble on the edge over the dishwasher. See what I mean? Overhead reflections really show up the spots. That's why I almost never turn on my under the counter lights.

This has got to be the most beautiful brass door hardware I have ever seen. One can only imagine how lovely the padlock must be. I wonder if the lock on the inside is similar? via

A Balancing Act

I love this painting by ©Kevin Sloan and its title: 'The Tedium of Protocol'. View full-size image here -- you must then click on the thumbnail.

Life really is a balancing act, isn't it?

I'm off to an early appointment. I love this running rabbit pillow from Helkart Design. See you later. via

Slow Down August

Are you all decked out for the next to the last weekend of August? Really! I just looked at my calendar and was shocked. Slow down August. I'm not nearly ready for you to end.

I've said it once and I'll say it again, "I love real antiques in the kitchen." See more of this delightful Swedish summer house here.

Ferns Unfurling

I adore this photo of fiddleheads unfurling. Found here.

A Chest with Many Drawers

Here is another great chest with lots of drawers. I'm beginning to think every home needs one based on the response I got from a multi-drawer chest I featured recently. Do you prefer drawers or cubbies?
Have a great weekend. We had rain all night but it stopped before I got up this morning. It is cooler too. See you later. 

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Have A Great Weekend

I love this oar converted to a wall-mounted coat rack. This looks like an easy DIY project. It's perfect for displaying the things of summer. via

Country Living Photo of a 24" Aga Range

Here is that photo I was looking for but couldn't find until a reader told me she was sure I saw it on page 79 of the July-August 2012 issue of Country Living magazine. She was right and it was on my coffee table. Doesn't this baby Aga look great?

my iPhone photo

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake: WANT!

If I had blueberries in the house, this would be in my oven right now. Recipe here.