It's A Dogs Life...

Saturday began much the same as other days...humid, sunny and hot. Last night we celebrated the 49th anniversary of a fun couple P and C with dinner and (not too much) champagne. It was fun, and their daughter is a hoot. Laughs all around and a warm feeling. MW is coming into my shop today to select a dresser of which I have found many from which to choose! One is the Amaretto Finish 4 Drawer Chest. The bottom drawer is a file drawer so SSSHHHHH don't tell anyone. I have a dinner engagement again to night and am lucky that my gang of dogs will be walked, fed and loved up by EWM this evening. I love those guys even if they try to get Mr Bunny at 5 in the freaking morning and I am not quite awake. They should have their own show. And speaking of shows, on this day in 1859 the first conformation dog show was held in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. The Jack Russel Needlepoint pillow came a few years later. I don't remember what I was doing, but I probably caught it on TV. Tomorrow I play furniture in the morning and then who knows what all can be accomplished later in the day. Log Cabin? Cookout? Both? Have a great weekend everyone!

Don't Be Stonewalled/Chickens

Good sunny Friday everyone. The fair is in full swing I think and this weekend will be fun. Even tho' this is the Main Line, all walks of life enjoy the fair; as it should be.Today's Home Fashion is a pair of Ceramic Chickens that would make a wonderful gift and a super home accessory. They are great looking and handpainted. Speaking of chickens, I think they got a bad rap. People tend to think of being chicken as being weak, passive or afraid. Chickens may not be the smartest in the chain, but they are certainly not 'chicken.' Neither were the gays in Manhattan on this day in 1969. Outside a bar, The Stonewall riots marked the beginning of the gay liberation movement in Greenwich Village. Go Kings and Queens! Stand up for yourselves always. And if it is 'chicken', then it's 'chicken with a strong right hook.' Last evening I prepped my good friend EA for her Verizon FIOS installation that will be more efficient and faster than her previous server, and a better overall price. Can't beat that! Besides, when the installers prep the outside they put back every piece of grass in a meticulous fashion. My neighborhood has had numerous FIOS installations and everyone is raving about it. That's all for now. I am off to pick Pink and Green fabrics. How Stonewall is that! Have a great week AA and UD for shore!

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire...

It is rainy today in Chester County. That's fine as we need it. Hopefully it won't deter the fair goers, although it wouldn't stop me. You may think me crazy for my heading today, but I have reason to write it. On this day in 1870 The Christian holiday of Christmas was declared a federal holiday in the United States. I will now shamelessly promote one of my new Distressed Blue Fireplace Screens. I had dinner with great friends last evening and am thankful for their friendship and genuine caring. That same feeling comes from AA and UD also, and I am lucky. The Masland and Northwood carpet jobs are moving ahead nicely. One job is a dramatic black patterened stairway runner of which I will photograph when all is said and done. The other is a jet black wall-to-wall installation on a radiant heat floor. Special padding is used in this type of application so as not to over-insulate rendering the radiant heat floor moot. I have it pictured here. It will be quite dramatic when installed. There is a distinct black theme going on here. I hope that everybody has a good day today, 'weather' it be rain or shine.

Let's Be Frank...

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood again on this Wednesday in Chester County. The fairgrounds opposite my shop are still bustling with activity, prepping for a five day stint of carnival rides and more. The fair is a fun way to financially assist the East Whiteland Fire Department so go and have a great time! Unless you live in the Netherlands. In that case I will write about it on here. Speaking of the Netherlands, on this day in 1947 The Diary of Anne Frank was published. It's a book based on the extracts from a diary written by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands. Her family was apprehended in 1944 and Anne Frank ultimately died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. After the war, the diary was retrieved by Anne's father, Otto Frank. Adapted to movie and television, this book is now considered one of the key texts of the Twentieth Century. Teal and Turquoise are still strong designwise and I have several fabrics pulled for a client's kitchen and bathroom. Some call it 'seaglass'.Robert Allen sure does. Fabricut has quite a few aqua sheer and semi-sheer offerings that are anything but ordinary and that keeps things fun. The combination of Teal and Chocolate Brown is definitely appealing. Even if your color scheme is neutral on neutral, buy a handful of toss pillows and give the room a new look. Late yesterday a client called to ask me to find a chest for her daughter. I have found 5 so far that will look great and will meet with her on Saturday. I'll post what has been decided next week. Have a great day.

Dancing In The Streets...

Sunny again in Chester County, PA. Achoo also. The pollen is stirring and it makes me crazy. Not crazy enough to dance on route 30, but sort of out there. On this day in 1374 a sudden outbreak of St. John's Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion. I finished my deck on
Sunday and am very happy with the results. Neighbors and the dogs all seem to approve. After working early Monday morning, I visited D & D, dropped off a TV and then chose 'Rujin' fabric (from Graber) roll shades that is a cross between bamboo and sisal but is totally polyester! The wallpaper is a solid vinyl that looks like thickly applied plaster. As this is an old farmhouse, we have 2008 meeting yesteryear. I found several more potracks to display on my website, including a flat potrack that would come in handy where a larger one couldn't fit. CBK has a lot of home fashions that are off the beaten path, (street). They are still putting up the huge fair across the street and I think it is going to be something great. The circus is almost in town, circus folk and all. What fun! I hope noone will hallucinate and twitch uncontrollably. I also hope that they have cotton candy. Oops! I almost forgot. My Dad and darling niece in VA chose a Ninadog (Presa Canario) and adopted her. She comes to her new home today! YAY.

Almost Summer...

Today is the last day of Spring 2008. The one undeveloped plot of land on the entire Main Line is across the highway from me and they are setting up a fair. I am thrilled with this news. I hope to see a Ferris Bueller oops Ferris Wheel revolving in the very near future. Who can be in a bad mood when viewing something like that? Bring your family members one and all to the FAIR! Oh, speaking of families, on this day in 1893 Lizzie Borden was acquitted for the murders of her father and stepmother. Forget about the ravings on the sport dish sets. They have been unceremoniously discontinued and none are available, much to the dismay of A, M and ST for which I apologize. The Monkey Series of Needlepoint Pillows have also just been dropped which was another thrill for me as a fine gal just ordered them. UGH. I hesitate today to place any links on my blog but I will persevere. HI HB! I was wide awake at 3 am but since the sun was not yet up, I read. Once the clock read a civilized time I got the animals up and went to the park. Instincts usually are best followed and I usually follow mine and sensed something wrong with a parked car and it's open doors. Turns out the vehicle had been stolen and the Schulkill Township Police department were there in a jiffy. I made sure not to touch anything, but did find a briefcase thrown on the grassy area by the car which had contained books on Religion, Theology, several mellow music cd's and a gift card from a discount store. I also saw an ID card which told me that the victim was a young woman simply trying to get an education in the studies of religion driving a beat up old car. Thieves stink and I have to say that after answering questions I went home and________ . Unfair is terrible. I need a Ferris Wheel to stare at...I am posting a Lyre table today. Spell it how you want to, ya know! Also pictured is 'Beauport' from Masland carpets. I just sold a rather huge one (10' x 14') and don't faint now, it is in stock! Yikes.

Baseball, Bowls and Blogs...

Happy Thursday all. It is again sunny and very nice outside. The accessory order came yesterday and is already either on display in my shop or on it's way to TN and MD. I now have more items on my website on the showroom floor including the French Blue Demiline Table, Vintage Look Nesting Tables and more items that I will mention on later blogs. Konitz is a company that specializes in ceramic plates and mugs and I am featuring their Baseball Dish Set because on this day in 1846 the first baseball game under recognizable modern rules was played in Hoboken, New Jersey! Play ball! I am hoping to play tennis this evening. Last night Mom Nature thought that we needed rain. Have a great day everyone.

Strawberry Moon

Next Full Moon
June 18

Full Strawberry Moon

Sunrise
5:07 A.M.
Sunset
8:24 P.M.

2 Days until Summer I'm just saying...Full Strawberry Moon
The Algonquin tribes knew this Moon as a time to gather ripening strawberries. It is also known as the Rose Moon and the Hot Moon.

If You Want Something Done Right...

Greetings! It is another sunny, temperate day in Chester County, PA. Last night we ate on the deck which is now free of most deck paint but not perfect enough to seal. I have been power washing to great effect all by myself! I made a spicy meat sauce as per request and it was good! Cushions on the bistro chairs will do fine and may even cause a custom toss pillow fight, preferably ones made in teal, cream and chocolate brown. Was that segue a little too rough? Call me crazy then. They also called Earl Long crazy on this day in 1959. He was Governor of Louisiana and was committed to a state mental hospital! He responded by having the hospital's director fired and replaced with a crony who proceeds to proclaim him perfectly sane. If you want something... Ah, politics! We were well behaved on the deck last evening, never raising a racket. But that will change late today when we hit the tennis courts. Fore! Oops. Wrong game. I received a new wallpaper book in a transitional/contemporary vein from Norwall. I have my eye on a yellow pattern that will do nicely for the lady who will be ordering Lemon Yellow Window Treatments by Summer's end. Have a great day!

Graber LightWeaves® Roller Shades

Posting twice in one day? Eghads! But I have to. My wonderful Graber Shade and drapery Hardware rep. who is anything but Boring saved the day twice. First, I ordered 6 curtain rods on Friday and they arrived today. Secondly, I have a client who needs her LightWeaves Roller Shades in Bamboo and the sample book also arrived today. I think Samantha Stevens from 'Bewitched" wasn't as fast in making magic happen. Then UPS arrived with two brand new upholstery weight fabric books from Barrow. This fabric house pushes the line between traditional, transitional and contemporary and their line is great. Check out 'Pompidou Bamboo' (Bamboo is all the rage lately, even Bamboo flooring. Just ask Paul.)It is from a book called Urban Accents and it is the leadoff fabric. Just thought I'd mention this.

Taj Mahal and Interior Design

Hello! It is clear, sunny and very pleasant here in Chester County, Pa today. Yesterday flew as I worked, power washed, tracked down wallpaper and played tennis. I then went to friends for dinner and it was a great day, all in all. The home is beautiful, Victorian and well designed. The way that it has been decorated gives a welcoming feeling although it is quite large in scale. Big or small, one's home doesn't have to be the Taj Mahal to consider it worthy of beautiful interior design. Everyone needs to feather one's nest no matter how simple or ambitious. Pictured is a well done Wine Cabinet that holds 20 bottles.That's almost a week's worth! On this day in 1631 Mumtaz Mahal died during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, then spends more than 20 years building her tomb, the Taj Mahal. Sad, but what a legacy. Have a great day everyone!

Hip To Be Square

...and rectangular to be honest. Friday the 13th was sad as we lost Tim Russert and I pray for his family, friends and co-workers who it seems were his family and friends also. On this day in 1777 The Stars and Stripes is adopted by Congress as the Flag of the United States, thus Flag Day! Mine is hanging off of my deck. I have it flying all of the time now. The birds have gotten used to it. In keeping with my geometry on this blog I am featuring a Square Trunk Set that has a Carved Diamond Design and Honey Finish. Set of 2, Lg: 16.5Sq x 17"H, Sm: 13.25"Sq x 14.25"H. Happy Flag Day.

Friday the 13th!

hmmm. let's not go there...It is sunny and beautiful in Chester County today. I was actually dwelling on my website, wondering if my china section was too confusing for the internet shopper to view. Lo and behold, late last night a woman from Indiana found the Tennis Gift Dish Sets and ordered two! I am still working on the upholstered pieces for a family room that I am doing, but there is no rush thankfully. Early this morning as I walked two of my dogs and carried the third (his ruptured esophagus makes it tough for him to breathe, especially in humid air) a woman stopped me to tell me that she had seen me yesterday carrying the third dog and wanted a piggyback ride claiming "That's the way to take a walk!" Funny and nice. I thought that I was alone yesterday, but aside from God watching 'from a distance' we really never know if someone is around. (cue scarey string orchestration). Today with the paparazzi in full time action, it must be hard to be in the public eye. Very few things escape the keen folks who make a livlihood out of this activity. On this day in 1893, Grover Cleveland underwent secret, successful surgery to remove a large, cancerous portion of his jaw; and the operation was not revealed to the US public until 1917, nine years after the president's death. If only Britney had shaved her head in 1893.

Relaxed Roman Shades

On this peaceful, sunny Chester County day I just finished re-treating my front shop window. It has been over a year since I moved and I sort of can't believe it. I got up very early this morning and solved a window treatment dilemma and I have to say I am thankful that God gave me the brains to figure some things out. I proposed Relaxed Bottom Roman Shades in Lemon Yellow to a fine lady and I think she liked the idea very much. Lined and board mounted, they offer the softness of drapery and the mobility of a blind.

Last evening during a power outage, I dined with friends outdoors using a grill to cook the meal. How earthy! It was a lot of fun. Two reps. came in today and both were fantastic. Springs Window Fashions and CBK Home Fashions. I can't wait to sink my teeth into the new catalogs. Great and innovative new drapery hardware, woven woods and pleated shades and over 5000 home accessory items. What a great day. I have the doors open and the cross breeze is beautiful. Route 30 is extremely well traveled; the exhaust mixing with the heat is quite the inhale. On this day in 1849 the Gas mask was patented by Lewis Haslett in Louisville, Kentucky. Have fun everyone.

Lies, Library Tables and Life

Happy Thursday all! I found the best looking library table from a furniture outfit that keeps coming up with beautiful home furnishings and accessories. I have yet to be disappointed by this vendor and that is a comfort zone for me! I had one similar to it on the floor in my shop and it sold quickly. This one has a delicate harlequin pattern cut/carved on the v-shelves where books are meant to sit and there are small finials at the tops of the legs. Attractive! Aside from placing a table like this in a den or reading room, it would make perfect sense to put one in the family room ! Although the laptop is probably within reach, keeping some 'staple' books like a dictionary, thesarus, religious text, phone book, recipe book and more...easily accessible makes a great deal of sense to me. And although the piece looks fragile, you don't need to handle it with kid gloves. It is constructed of hardwoods, finished carefully and will withstand hardback, hard settings so don't fret. And speaking of gloves...on this day in 1994 Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were murdered outside her home in Los Angeles, CA. A man named O.J. Simpson, perhaps the name rings a bell, was later acquitted of the killings, but was held liable in a civil suit. That means that more than a few people think that he did it. I don't really have an opinion. Well, I need to run. My leather belt got all wet and even tho' I haven't gained an ounce the damn thing seems to have shrunk and barely makes it around my waist. I'm just saying...

Green Sofas Sitting Pretty

It's a warm one in Chester County, PA today! It will probably hit the mid nineties by afternoon. I made sure to have the ac on at home for the boys even tho' I'd rather do without it. Last night I went to Primavera with several friends and had a very nice time. The place sits in the middle of a huge strip mall and it's sort of odd, but once you are inside the walls of the place, (and after a glass of wine) you can sort of displace yourself from a mall and imagine a more glamorous locale. Ahhhh, Suburbia. Yesterday a client stopped in to place an order for two moss green sofas. Pretty! I am currently wrestling with a window treatment design so wish me luck! I plan on powerwashing late today if time allows,then delivering a loveseat tomorrow so I have a fun-filled weekend planned. Hopefully you do too. Please say a prayer for HB and her close ones as she sits shiva this evening. Shiva is a seven-day period of MOURNING which follows the death of a relative. During this period ordinary work is prohibited, and sexual intercourse is forbidden. The mourners sit without shoes on low stools or on the floor - this is referred to as 'sitting shivah'. It is usual for friends to make visits to the mourners' home to offer prayers and condolences. On a lighter note, on this day in 1892 Benjamin Harrison becomes the first President of the United States to attend a baseball game. I think that Joan Rivers caught a fly ball behind right field at this game, but I am not sure. Have a great weekend everyone!

Yearn For An Urn

Check out this new urn in a beautiful copper finish! (19.25"h x 19"w x 16.25") It had been backordered but is thankfully now back in stock and ready to ship! This time of year many of us are spending more time outside rather than in but let's not lose our focus on accessories. Garden and lawn adornments can sometimes add just the right touch to the indoors also. Speaking of urns... on this day in 2004 Ronald Reagan's funeral was held at Washington National Cathedral. Yesterday the temperature hit almost 100 degrees and last night we had one heck of a storm. Power was lost by many in Chester County, PA as the air cooled and strong winds blew. We lived by candlelight for a little while and it was great to hear nothing but a howling wind, rustling trees and a few whines from the 4-legged housemates. My Vintage Looking Pedestal Urn is also an accessory that may be placed both indoors and outdoors. Isn't decorating fun! Just don't start bringing the custom drapery outdoors; unless it is waterproof. More tomorrow!