Cats All Together Again

They seem happy to have Dexter home after the vet

Interior Foolishness #43

Hooks are great in any room. Inside the front door, in the mudroom, in the basement, in the kitchen, in a dining room (to hang chairs on the wall), in the bathroom, in the closet. I can't get enough of hooks!!!

Interior Foolishness #51 - Happy Clouds

This is the original skylight in our bathroom. I painted it the same color as the walls so it's darker than the ceiling. The clouds are something for fun. They are just little wall paper cut-outs that are easy to put up and take down. They would be just as easy to paint on the wall but they are more temporary with the wall paper cut-outs.

Interior Foolishness #45 - Sconce & Bird

Those are ivy cuttings that have been a jar of water for years now. They seem to do what they want.

That "bird" is wicked dusty!

Interior Foolishness #44

The "soap dish."

Interior Foolishness #40

Don't limit yourself to bathroom items to keep your grooming tools handy and organized. That one particular caddy is a stationary organizer. The "soap bowl" is quality crystal we received as a wedding gift. It's too pretty to keep hidden and used only on special occasions so it holds soap where I can love it every day. It rests on it's coordinating serving plate.

Notice the frames hanging from the ribbon mounted to the crown on the wainscoting? The flip side are subtle flower prints - an easy switch out. . .Change the ribbon and done.

Wholly unrelated: Yes those are Crocs. I found them at Ollie's for $9. They do not leave this room. (I think we all know how I feel about ugly shoes).

Interior Foolishness #48

Can a bathroom have "seasons"????????? I say why not? This is my most fav room of the house. Why should the other rooms get dressed seasonally and not this one?

That's where linens come in handy. They don't have to be expense. Especially not a shower curtain that barely gets touched. The bright colors, sea shells and raucous strips are great for summer. In the winter we go snowy white with silver monogrammed hand towels and silver Christmas tree decorations.

Get "good enough" towels and washcloths. They should be comfortable and not completely cheap or thread-bare but don't spend a mint. After all, sooner or later you're going to dry off a wet dog with it, or it's going to have bleached spilled on it (if you use bleach).

Don't carry the theme to extreme. A Santa splattered shower curtain is too much unless you're 5. Subtle. As my Father says discretion is the greater part of valor. Discretion and restraint are the greater part of good decor as well.

When I say "go bat shit crazy" I mean it in a creative sense - Not in a way that will over-load all senses and offend your retina.

Interior Foolishness #38

Let me just mention this tub is not practical. It's a death trap and I worry any time any guest uses it. You notice, the walls are a Tiffany Blue (Sherwin Williams name escapes me at this moment) and the ceiling is a lighter blue (Sherwin Williams Bravo Blue). We have wainscoting half way up the walls which I think really helps tone down all the blue.

Interior Foolishness #57

When I was in middle school or maybe 9th grade, this family moved to town and they purchased this old house on maybe 6th street. Anway, they were great kids and sometimes we would all watch movies at their place or whatever.

They had this bathroom that was positively majestic. I remember going in there with my girlfriends and just sitting on the floor gazing up at the historic fixtures and sconces. . .

At least that's how I remember it. The ceiling could have been crumbling for all I know. But I definitely remember that floor. . .It made quite an impression.

I think the floor and the piano was also why I liked the Conservatory so much in the board game Clue. . .

I digress. . .That's where the floor came from. . .

The tub was my second demand - and it was just that - a demand after 4 years of demolition. We had to have the floor reinforced. I think the thing weighs several hundred pounds full of water. It's cast iron. It's new tho. We considered restoring an old one but price-wise it was a wash.

The tub did not come this color. It's called Cherries Jubilee from Sherwin Williams and I adore it. When I told C the tub had to "pop" and picked up that paint card, he wisely supported me but I knew he was scared to death I was going to ruin a brand new tub.

Oddly, the color is not at all limiting and I've had people tell me they don't even notice the color as "sticking out" or being overwhelming. Exactly. The. Point.

Paint is your friend. As an aside, I've seen people gold or silver leaf entire tubs but it looks tedious as hell and I'm sure you'd have to treat it with something to "water proof" it. This is just good old, high quality glossy latex paint.

Friday Randomness. . .

1. Why do people hang those things from their trailer hitches that look like human testicles? The entire concept is lost on me.

2. Dexter doesn't appear to have anything wrong with his major organs - kidneys, liver, etc. He's spending another night at the vet so they can pump him full of antibiotic to see how he responds to that. These little critters have cost us a piece of very nice Louis Vuitton luggage in the past couple of months. Luggage can't hug you back but it also doesn't eat, and eat, and eat and poop, and poop, and poop. . .Remind me this the next time a distressed or displaced animal needs a home.

3. Extremely long week at work. It's an uncertain time for me at work and I waffle between embracing and being excited about the possibilities the uncertainty could bring and near panic about all the negatives possibly involved.

4. Busy, busy weekend. Looking forward to a quiet evening. C is helping his brother prepare for a big party to celebrate his recent marriage.

5. There is a mosquito in my basement. Time to take a bath in Deep Woods Off.

6. Have some more house pics to gas off about. . .Ya'll regret R ever made that request don't you?

7. Why isn't Vuitton in the spell check? Options include: Button, Hutton, Sutton, and Mutton. Ugh.

Avery Alligator

Is starting to take shape. He's gone fishin'.

Missing Dexter tonight. He's spending the night at the vet getting fluids and undergoing a battery of tests as he's clearly been feeling under the weather for a couple of days. Hope the little fellow is okay.

Flag - Patterson Park

Every Effing Day!

Schools out, it's not raining. . .So WHAT GIVES!?

Hmmmmm

Somehow this is going to be an alligator when it's done. . .I hope!

Wish this was a better pic!

Here the "Ride the Ducks" tourist attraction gets mired in the evening gridlock. Cracks me up!

R's Interior To Do . . .10

Act bat-shit crazy if you're capable of that. . .Wedge in a little wooden artists form for inspiration. Keep beautiful grains, pastas, oils, salts, and flours in glass vessels. . .A juicer is a lovely form. . .Toothpicks in a lovely container are always at the ready for guests wanting cheese-cubes. . .Eating, decorating, living, loving. . .Do it now, do it joyfully.

When it comes down to it, trust yourself. Please still come back to my blog for inspiration. . .but trust yourself. . .Trust what you love. Make the ordinary extraordinary through your joyfulness and passion and conviction.

R's Interior To Do 5

Even white plates could pop if you line the back of your shelves with wall paper, gift wrap, or paint. Our top cabinets are glass front to offer the illusion of more space. BUT even if yours are solid front maybe you should pretend otherwise? It encourages a more creative and appetizing display.

Here you see a lot of Fiesta. . .a few antiques. . .a touch of humor. (Pickle Christmas tree decoration).

R's Interior To Do . . .15

Tray on Stove. . .keep all your accoutrement's handy. . .And make it look pretty.

Boy Elephant

Like this one a lot! Lot of accidential elements came together to make this one of my favs to date.

Yesssss Another Baby!

I'm not sure of the name yet, but this monkey is very ambitious and sells frozen bananas in downtown Havana. Notice the "storefront awning" - a result of poor planning on my part. The expecting Mom in this case adores monkeys so I want this one to be super special.

Load Testing a Thumb Tack?!

R wisely comments:



How do you know a thumb tack can hold a frame? I'm terrified to try it.

That's an obvious question with no easy answer. There is a certain degree of "gun slinger" mentality necessary.

I'll tell you what I do: I use common sense. If it appears it's going to need several drywall screws and anchors, there's NFW I'm even going to attempt it. If it's valuable or has tremendous sentimental value and I don't want it cracked, chipped, or otherwise harmed, I error on the side of caution and properly mount it.

Once I've determined suitability/potential, I start with a sharp tack. Not one that has the tip slightly bent or anything. I use a hammer to drive the tack into the wall. Sometimes this is positively necessary because I'm hanging something in plaster/lathe and can't get a tack in otherwise. I use it for drywall as well just because it gets me a "clean" penetration.

Sometimes I put the tack in at a 45 degree angle to the wall (esp if I'm going to hang something from ribbon or the frame has one of those little triangular mounting hooks on the back). Other times, I put the tack in at a 90 degree angle.

Once I have the frame on the wall, I do two unscientific (and rather stupid) things: I pound on the wall (with my fist or palm) to see if it the tack gives. If it passes this test I take a step back from the wall and jump up and down furiously to see what kind of result that produces. If it doesn't move then, I fell pretty confident it will stay put. (Clearly we do not live on a tectonic fault line).

NOTES:

1. I suspect one of the reasons this technique works well for me is that most of our walls are the plaster/lathe combination and they seem to have a little more integrity than drywall alone.

2. I've used this technique a lot of times successfully on our walls that are drywall. I've not had anything fall or start sliding down the wall (yet).

3. When you're hammering - or doing any project for that matter that could cause something to get in your eye - don't be stupid, put on eye protection. I've had the plastic on the thumb tacks shatter even with gentle hammering and that plastic is sharp, light, and can fly around with decent force. PROTECT YOUR EYES. As my Ma-Maw has always said "God only gives you one set of eyes."

4. If you want to try, start with an unframed canvas. Unless it's loaded with 10 pounds of heavy bodied paint, you should be able to get that successfully mounted. See how your wall responds.

5. In my office - which has 100% drywall and where I don't keep a stud-finder or drill - I've hung some relatively heavy frames with sharp nails and a j-hook picture hanger. You can get picture hanging kits with assorted sizes for a couple bucks and these might be a better option in certain situations.

6. If you have ANY reservations, do it right: Find a stud or use a drywall screw and anchor(s).

Sunday. . .

I'm at work and Allister is looking handsome as always. Took this pic on my way out the door several hours ago. While I was taking it Tilghman kept getting in the way.

C (who calls Allister his little fluffy guy and show pony shoos Tilghman away): "Tilghman, come on. We're trying to take photos of Allister.".

Guess C really loves the fluffy little fellow!

Mmmmm Shoofly Pie!!

I'm not sure what I love best about it - gooey filling, crumbly topping, or flakey crust. . .Sooooo good. I'm trying to promise myself I will not get awake at 3AM and eat a huge hunk if it! Haha