Wonderful Door and Architectural Trim

Just.Wonderful.

All of it.

I love the wide mullions.

via

House Tour: A Martha's Vineyard Guest House

If you love this bedroom and everything in it as much as I do, you will love the rest of this guest house featured in New England Home magazine.

https://www.nehomemag.com/a-marthas-vineyard-guest-house

Enjoy! xo

Home Design with GUSTO

I saw this photo in an article here. I saw several of the decorated chests in the article in person at an elegant estate I toured a while ago and immediately fell in love with the designs and wonderful craftsmanship. The shop is in West Palm Beach Florida. More photos from their website below. Quote from the owners, a mother and her two sons -- “We joke that Casa Gusto is our excuse to justify and continue our hoarding.”

A woven wheelbarrow? Swoon.

https://getthegusto.com/casa-gusto/

First You Chop an Onion

This system never fails me. I made the most delicious pot of soup yesterday. I always roughly chop a big onion and see where it takes me. Then I chopped two stalks of celery, half a red bell pepper, peeled and diced a sweet potato, and sautéed these items in avocado oil in my heavy soup pot.  While that was going on, I dumped a large can of whole peeled tomatoes in juice into a mixing bowl. I roughly chopped the tomatoes into chunks using kitchen shears. Yes, I actually picked up each whole tomato and cut it into chunks with scissors! I had been stirring the veggies too. When I finished the tomatoes, I added them to the pot plus a can or two of water. When that came to a boil. I added 1/2 a bag of frozen cut okra. I love okra in vegetable soup but I don't always have it on hand. The last batch I made didn't have it and it was good too. I added two bouillon cubes and a generous amount of Worcester Sauce and sprinkled a lot of Goya All Purpose Seasoning on top. I filled with water almost to the top and brought it up to a boil. Then I put a lid on top and simmered it for a while until the sweet potatoes were done. I sat down with a big bowl and went back for seconds for my dinner last night. I will have it for lunch today and dinner too. You can use any vegetables you want. And keep adding more when the volume goes down after a few meals. I might add a big white potato cut into chunks tomorrow. I have frozen peas and frozen corn I could add also but for now I love the current mix of veggies I used yesterday. Are you a soup lover too. I usually have to add a little salt to each bowl to get it seasoned perfectly for my taste. 

I heated it up this morning.

I got this small Le Creuset Dutch Oven at a garage sale long ago for almost no money. It was missing its lid and needed a good scrubbing. I thought I had a glass lid at home that might fit and I did! This is my GO TO soup pot.

Now I can't wait until lunch!

I shouldn't have heated it up so early.

The house smells delicious.

xo

March Lamb + Bathroom Repair DIY

March is coming in like a lamb at my house with a whole week of unremarkable weather. That means it will go out like a Lion!

I have been busy with a DIY repair in my bathroom that took the better part of Monday but ended successfully. I kept the original fixtures in my first floor bath, the corner tub and the American Standard toilet. I have never had a problem with my Kohler tub from the late 1930s but I have a problem with the other fixture on a regular basis. It's always the same thing. The tank ball. The rod gets bent, stuck, or something similar. This time another piece broke that guides the bulb's rod to the proper flushing place. I got a replacement ball at the hardware store and it was a perfect fit. Now to make it go up and down and stop in the proper slot without the broken guide. I finally got it to work perfectly without calling a plumber. It only set me back $4.25 and a chain I already had. The secret was to keep cutting the last bead at the end of the chain until there was no slack since the rod wasn't quite long enough. Success!!! I'm so happy I never give up.

This photo shows the work in progress.

There is another tool box involved that isn't in this photo.

Wonderful Figural Antique Food Choppers

Aren't these wonderful? 

Wouldn't they make food chopping more fun? 

Folk Art at its finest!

photo source

February flew by, didn't it?

Happy last day!

xo

The Art of Simplicity

"The ordinary arts

we practice every day

at home are of more

importance to the soul

than their simplicity

might suggest."

Thomas Moore

 1779-1852

Isn't this illustration just perfect for the quote by Thomas Moore? I found it on Pinterest. You might want to learn more about this Irish poet, prose and lyrics writer in this biography here.