My Snowy Valentine

I dashed out early Wednesday morning ahead of the snowstorm and crowds, to get ready for cupid's holiday. It felt like a sweet little victory to get everything checked off my list and spend the afternoon cooking and listening to French music.

A romantic card on a pretty cotton tablecloth.



Yesterday morning I came downstairs opened the front door and this was the scene.  Over 12" and still snowing. Those little mounds just beyond the Korean Lilac are boxwoods. By the time round two rolled through, there wasn't a bit of green to be seen. Yesterday afternoon was spent shoveling-round three comes tonight or tomorrow!



I couldn't decide on one color, so I chose three! Who says you need roses to set a romantic tone?



A little something for the foyer table too.

Who doesn't LOVE an embroidered linen hand towel? 

Wondering how long the shoveling was going to take yesterday...



so we could play!

Wooden letters and glass hearts to send hugs & kisses and wish you a


 Happy Valentines Day!

All photos courtesy of A&A

Merry, Merry Christmas!

I thought I was being brave last year venturing into orange, but when my husband said he'd like to see purple, his favorite color, in the decorating scheme, I was a bit concerned I couldn't pull it off... tastefully.

Then after an exhaustive search, I couldn't seem to turn up anything that didn't look like it belonged in the eighties or a teenage girls room. Ironically, I discovered from a few retailers purple was the "in" color last year.

 

So I found myself hours from starting the tree decorating with no real plan other than I loved the tree last year and the year before. I still wanted to use orange, but maybe in a more subtle natural way. That of course meant drying dozens of orange slices. A short time later I got a call from my husband declaring he found purple glass balls. He was at Home Depot,  now I was really nervous. Turned out no cause for concern was necessary. He came home with 2 large boxes with a mix of shiny and matte balls that conjured up visions of sugar plums! 

Each year I think the current tree is my favorite, but this year I finally realized they are all my favorites because they start with the same basic mix of things made by my kids and all the sentimental ornaments we've collected over the years.

Who would have thought orange and purple would be my favorite combination ever- well at least this year!

WISHING YOU AND YOURS A MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Happy Memorial Day!

It's been more like autumn these past few days in Virginia, this morning was chilly and foggy. But when the sun broke, I grabbed my clippers...

White peonies, one of the very best things about the month of May!

Couldn't think of a better way to enjoy my coffee. Seems so peaceful right?

Ah, what you don't see- significant pouting and completely unimpressed with my morning haul.

At least these will be here after I attend to others!

Enjoy Your holiday!

Happy Easter!

On the mantle: alabaster eggs in pewter egg cups. The bunny is cement and cast from a chocolate mold!



Eggs and bunnies- essential Easter decor! 





This pewter bunny was found at an antiques show years ago.

 On the foyer table: miniature orange roses- a bit unconventional for Easter, but why not?

A quick picture from my i-phone before we sat down to early breakfast of strata, potato latkes, blackberry muffins, fresh berries and of course candy! It seems it was so early I didn't press the napkins or even get the flatware quite right?
Better get another pot of coffee going....

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Under The Weather...

So far my ambitious plans for January have eluded me. Fortunately, I have not succumbed to the flu, though I suspect many of you have the nasty virus?

I had a bad cold and then an onslaught of migraines and currently a foot problem that I could no longer ignore. According to the podiatrist, I have something called capsulitis- it's common, especially in runners. That part made me laugh since I haven't run anywhere, on purpose, in nearly a decade! It also seems certain types of shoes can make it worse. A shot of cortisone relieved the worst of the pain and swelling. And, now I'm left with a bandage that has a little triangle pad inside of it to elevate my foot in the middle. Oh, and some new shoes from a place called The Walking Company. I must confess, I've passed by this place many times in the mall and always assumed it was for the very old...or nurses. My new shoes were as expensive as Jimmy Choos, but would most certainly make Carrie Bradshaw cry. Hopefully, this is temporary. The pain and the shoes!

And my beautiful little model has had a pretty crummy start to the new year too. She had 8 cysts removed during a 3 hour surgery.  I felt like such a bad pet-parent that she had to endure such torture and the Elizabethan collar, aka the cone of shame, and miss out on our snow days. It's been so sad watching her stare out the window and whimper, that most days, I've had to keep the curtains closed. Sniff-sniff.


Just after Christmas posing in front of an old oil painting- a gift from Mr. A&A


At least February is just around the corner and hopefully we will both be feeling some love!

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas!

As I finish clearing away the last remains from the holiday brunch we hosted today with old friends and new,  I am reminded of the only thing that truly matters- to stop and enjoy the season by spending time with the ones you love.

I am looking forward to stretching out on the sofa and watching It's A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story!

It doesn't matter that my dried oranges didn't quite turn out as planned, apparently there is a technique and I didn't have the right one!

My ended up with slight little grill marks on them- oops!

Though they didn't make it on to the tree as planned, I tossed them in bowls around the house with pine cones and fresh greens.

Next year, I vow to figure out the trick to getting the perfect dried orange slices.

There were other little holiday mishaps, like my mixer breaking down in the middle of holiday cookie baking.


At least I can still make these. A friend brought these over- so clever! Who knew a Hershey Kiss, a chocolate dipped cherry, 2 slivered almonds and an Oreo cookie was all it took to make a mouse!!!

I'm so glad I took a chance on orange this year, the color is so festive and the scent from pomanders fills every room in the house,  invoking the spirit of a simple Colonial Christmas.

I enlisted the college kid again this year for making pomanders- it made me deliriously happy watching my elf at work.

 I wish you all a Merry Little Christmas!

The View From Here

I do not consider myself a gardener, I only buy and plant what I am confident I cannot kill. Other than the boxwoods that line the bluestone walkway and the topiaries that flank the steps, the A&A landscape is totally maintenance free. But that doesn't mean I don't spend more than I should on annuals every year and go outside to cut the perennials every chance I get. It keeps me sane. The last 3 weeks my pruning sheers have been getting a serious work-out.  Sanity can never be overrated. Neither can flowers.

Purple Hydrangea in a pewter champagne bucket on top of a secretary in the living room.

I realized after I downloaded the photos that the blooms echo the intricate details of this church ceiling!

Clipped from here. My only bush of this type. These blooms grow on existing wood and the leaves and stems are very stiff as opposed to some varieties that grow on new wood.



French Hydrangea. This says summer to me.
 These bushes also yield the most blooms, so be warned, I  go a little nuts with my cutting and arranging!

French hydrangea, in an antique French flower basket on an antique French chest.
 Who cares if the scale is off with flowers this pretty-right!?

One of my favorite containers from a trip to Charleston, SC. several years ago.
The basket above is also from there and was purchased from an antiques shop called Alexandra AD for all you francophiles who want to see (or buy) some absolutely beautiful pieces.

Can you have too many hydrangea in one room?

Probably, but they sure do make the blue ceiling stand out! The blue tapers were a gift from a friend.

And...blue is so calming.

We live on the deck in the summer. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's nothing special and could certainly use a major overhaul (tear down), but it's comfortable and a great spot to relax. All the trees keep the temperature about 10 degrees cooler than the front of the house and because it's 8 feet off the ground, there is usually a breeze. This year I purchased 2 new rugs. The last time I showed you the dining side was here. The French doors swing out right off the kitchen for plenty of al fresco dining. I love how the rugs really give the feeling of a room. Not to mention, they are soft underfoot when you have an old deck!  The little herb pots next to the hydrangea bouquet are from my kitchen window-getting a little fresh air.

Impatiens, vinca vine and now I can't remember the name of the plants with the purple leaves? I love these wooden planter boxes. They're 18 years old and have seen countless varieties of annuals over the years.

I bought yellow Hibiscus to flank the front steps. A first ever for me. I usually choose pink!

Lemon yellow, so fresh!

 But I still love pink flowers.

Double impatiens. They look like miniature roses without all the work!

 So how's the view from your house? What did you plant, what are you cutting this year?

All photos courtesy of A&A

Irish Spring!

Fresh flowers in the foyer to welcome the holiday and Spring!



Hydrangeas, mums and a few specimens that I don't know their names!

I usually buy one type of flower in one color, by the bunch, but sometimes a little splurge by the stem is so much fun!
The florist told me these soft green mounded stems are in the mum family and they'll last 2 weeks!
 And, they remind me of a grassy knoll, so I could I resist?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Fireplace Makeover: Adding Style With Painted Brick and A New Mantel!

I know this post is long overdue. I seriously don't know what my problem is sometimes, other than to chalk it up to work and life being all consuming some weeks. And I must admit, once I'm done with something I tend to check it off the to-do list and move on! So for those of you who sent me an email at some point asking whatever happened to the fireplace re-do or changes in the room, this post is especially for you as well as those of you who have ever had a fear of painting brick or changing something you perceive to be a fixed element in your house!

I believe there is good brick: aged and authentic looking. And bad brick: too uniform, strange in color, lacking character or patina. This is a good example of bad brick. Primer goes on the masonry. HALLELUJAH!!! Thankfully, I have documented through photos nearly every project during the 6 (and counting) years of renovations we have completed, so that one day, we can look back and wonder why the hell it all took so long  proudly reflect on all the hard work and $$$ well spent!

I suppose you want to know what the fireplace looked like before? I know without a good before, the after is never quite as satisying. So I went searching and found a picture from the archives just for laughs to share my beloved readers and blog friends. Ready?

Circa 1997

This was our family room complete with wall-to-wall carpet, ugly brick fireplace surround, and glass doors with faux brass trim. Plus a  mantel that was too long making it impossible to put a chair near, for fear someone will smack their head on the corner. I still have the beautiful antique mahoghany pedestal, the finials, books and wood candlesticks. Oh, and of course the picture of my kiddos on the beach!

Recognize the green velvet chair and ottoman? It's the Charleston chair-and-a-half from Pottery Barn that I purchased along with the Charleston sofa that I ordered with a slipcover in the floral tea-stained fabric seen on the pillows on the chair. This was ordered when PB was still a catalogue! It was incredibly comfortable furniture and our family wore it out. This is also the last time I can recall living with any floral fabrics let alone faux flowers...silk or dried, aka the dust collectors! The wreath was a Christmas gift from a friend and I recall that it arrived supple and green, but after it dried (or is that died?) I think I left it up for about 2 years?! It all makes me so twitchy just looking at it.

Primed and ready for a coat of black paint!

And there were a few other changes along the way...

In 2005, when we returned from living in Williamsburg, Va. besides painting all the brick black, we removed the panel molding on the chimney breast. Since our homes other 2 fireplaces had similar molding. I wanted something different for the family room fireplace and decided it would be fun to wallpaper just the chimney breast. I loved this paper and it gave the room a definate English vibe. 

This picture shows the insert painted and was taken last year, just before the floors were refinished. In case you're wondering about the white plate covers? They were put up to hide the electrical boxes while I pondered new sconces!

I had planned to change out the glass doors, but after unsuccessfully searching for new doors to fit the opening that I also felt were worth the cost, I decided to just paint the stupid "brass" and eventually found the perfect (lasting) product, which I will share with everyone in a Tuesday Tip!

When the original mantel was removed, the wallpaper started ripping, so it had to go.
The dental molding was removed,  along with the molding around the surround.
I love dental molding, but there wasn't a single bit in any other area of the house.

I gave the carpenter a very simple sketch I'd drawn for a shorter mantel length and a colonial style surround with fluted columns that echoed the fluted detail in the columns that frame the entrance from the family room to the kitchen. Now we have a custom mantel that has better proportions makes more sense for our style and the homes architecture.

After!
I love the simplicity of the design, but it allows me the flexibility to add decorative medallions to the corner blocks or something to the frieze or even another wallpaper to the breast, if I decide I need a change one day. And, you may have noticed we added a classic crown molding to the room and panel molding on the lower third of the wall to add interest. The added bonus it that it visually widens the room as well as takes the focus off the skimpy baseboards that are throughout the house, courtesy of the builder.

Of course, some of you may realize that technically I already showed the after here.

December 2011
But, in case you missed it...hard to believe this is the same room wouldn't you agree!?