Thursday, April 29, 2010
Shopping
I got two of these sqaure ottomans. The green is not AS bright as in the picture....iphones are good but not that good. They are a little taller than most ottomans which, I think is good as they can act as extra seating as well as tables and foot rests.
The other thing I picked up for a steal was this Sun Burst mirror. I thought it was cute and would fill the space until I found exactly what I wanted. But, now that I hung it on the wall I think it will stay. It's much more impressive and bigger than I thought and all the little mirror catch the light beautifully especially at night.
So I guess the direction has been set.....greens it will be for this Irish Lass, a little touch of home I guess!
The before
Friday, April 23, 2010
Theres more to tea than drinking
I spent a delightful afternoon yesterday at the home of one of my French friends. Gersende and her family moved to the US from Grenoble, although originally from Paris, just over two years ago. They now live in a beautiful house on the water and the dinning room and living room look out over the back garden and onto the water. Now, being Irish I drink my fair share of tea actually more than my fair share. Although I do brew the occasional pot of tea, I'm more the drop the tea bag in the cup and pour on the boilling water type. Gersende being French and with her innate sense of style has managed to take something I have always taken for granted and elevate it to quite an art form. I will admit that prehaps the setting played a tiny role in the sheer enjoyment but Earl Grey NEVER tasted so good. I usually find this tea bland and boring but I enjoyed it so much I insisted it was not true to the point where I had her retrieve the package to show me.
In the late afternoon the French enjoy le goĆ»ter—a cup of tea and a little something sweet. My friend brewed the tea in a very tall and slender silver topped glass teapot which sat in a silver base with a matching silver creamer and covered sugar bowl. All of which were presented on a beautiful silver tray. I was also served a beautiful dish of buttery Madeleines. .......yes it was silver too. The tea cups and saucers were of dainty china with delicate little demitasse spoons. I have never enjoyed tea so much. It became something I wanted to savour and linger over. I have come to the conclusion that I take my tea for granted. I have two beautiful tea sets: one pre war Noritake set that my grandmother scoured the Irish countryside to find as a wedding gift. The other was given to me by my mother in law.....I really love this one as no two cup and saucers are the same and they are vibrant pinks, blues, and greens. I am sad to say though that due to my lack of appreciation for the ceremony of tea drinking they have never been used. I am going to change that! Today I bought myself a little present on ebay a beautiful 1940's tea and coffee service. What do you think?
From now on I will no longer just drink tea I will serve tea, setting the table with thorough enjoyment and appreciation in mind.
Welcome to the World
Monday, April 19, 2010
Family Blog Update
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Emily's Livingroom
Bookcases a Craigs List find. Click the picture to see the great transformation.
I've spent many hours between last night and this morning in, what I like to call blog land and, I 'think' I've decided what to do. I came across so many talented bloggers and beautiful rooms but I was really inspired by Emily over at Emily A Clark . I initially fell in love with her bedroom but when I saw what she did with both her formal living room and her family room I got all ready to go. Not only what she did in just decorating the space but how she takes Craiglist finds and transforms them. I'm a pretty handy person in the DIY arena but was always afraid were furnishings where concerned but I can honestly say I think Emily has given me that "you can do it" that I needed. The great thing is though, not only have I been inspired but so has Mr me. When I got up this morning I found him browsing ebay and Craigslist looking for items for the living room. Most specifically a Sun burst mirror so I guess we'll be getting one of those but, he also wants to spend tomorrow going around the antique stores and he even stopped into salvation army this morning. Too funny...I never thought he would get so excited.
So first project decided - Livingroom!