A Peek at Boston...

When we visited Boston several years ago I fell in love with the buildings and the stone work.  The black shutters with the brick was a perfect match!  

Wishing you a wonderful holiday weekend!  

images by christina for greige

No commentsRead more

Grey and White in clean detail

I love the clean feeling of these spaces.  Simple and understated but fun and the shutters are so perfectly greige.  

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  I finally got all of my plants in the ground and I bought a few more hydrangea and a new pink wisteria.  I cannot wait for next spring to see how it will look growing above my porch.

Happy Monday!

images via 1st option

No commentsRead more

Painting Done and the Fog Rolls In

Whew!  The painters wrapped up on Wednesday,
just in the nick of time before big thunderboomers
rolled through.  We think the fresh paint
on the porch deck and steps held.

It's foggy and gloomy this morning, but that's okay; we don't need wonderful weather until Saturday.

What didn't hold was the fresh mulch put down a few days ago along the driveway's retaining wall.

It looked good while it lasted.  We're hoping it will dry out so we can sweep/shovel it back into place.

But the house is painted.

Right down to the water meter and the cellar hatch.

The 12 restored and painted shutters are hung.

The rest of the windows will have to wait to get new reproduction shutters.

The house does look a wee bit nekkid.

Porch furniture on the front lawn, waiting also for the paint to dry!

Our little feathered tenants like that we painted the big house to match their tiny one.

Some of their relatives are squatting in our eaves; the painters will be back when the birds

have grown and flown to patch and paint those holes.  No one wanted to dislodge the tiny birdies.

And that's it for Thursday.
I have a "to do" list that is still Too Long, but do-able.
And I am getting very excited -- happy excited!
I may not be back to blogging till after daughter Alida's wedding on Saturday,
but I'll get loads of pics.  I chose a handbag that is big enough to slip my camera into.
Happy Thursday!  -- Cass

Well, the painting of our house over the past two weeks, and its change
from yellow and green to white and dark-green-er is certainly a
transformation!
So I'm jumping on the Transformation Thursday blogwagon at
The Shabby Chic Cottage.  Click here to see what else is going on!

No commentsRead more

Baldwin Brass and Big Butt Chairs

Okay, so some titles are better than others.

To everyone who spotted the missing shutter on That Old House
in yesterday's post -- here -- congratulations!

You are sharp-eyed.

We found the shutter on the porch roof. It tore off its pins in a fierce Nor'Easter, splitting the stile. We will try and rebuild it, as we don't have a replacement. One never lacks for hobbies when one is a homeowner.

********************************************************************************

Daughter Anne came home for Easter weekend, so on Saturday she and I hit up some shops. Including Goodwill Industries. Anne was searching for a long, printed rayon skirt -- an 80s look -- for a show she is costuming. She found the perfect piece for $3 at our local Goodwill.

I found this:

I have more than my fair share of brass candle holders, but I turned this one over and saw:

Bingo!
Baldwin Brass made many fine decorative items before being taken over
by Black & Decker in 2004, and concentrating on hardware instead.
Among its best work were Williamsburg reproduction pieces. This one is what I'd call newly vintage.

It is a hurricane candle holder, missing its glass chimney.
I will be haunting the thrift shops looking for a replacement shade, as I am not going to keep this lovely candle holder.
Although I am having fun playing with it!

I'm going to list it on eBay; I'm beginning to get the eBay bug!

It was marked $4.99, but on Saturday the orange stickers were 25% off. Sweet.

I got a thrifty bargain, and I am going to pass it along to someone else.

************************************************************************************

Since we'll be selling our current shield back dining room chairs soon, I've been cruising Craigslist for replacements.
I dragged Howard into the wilds of untamed Bergen County the other day to take a look at a pack of these critters:

Yes, these are the Big Butt Chairs in the title. And big they are, with crazy funky massive legs.
These chairs look like they should be out in the school yard playing field hockey.
Rough.

Can't make up my mind about them. They are much lighter in color than our dining room table, but I don't mind when woods don't match. I figure they all get along in the forest, so why not in the dining room?

But these chairs. . . Do I like 'em or don't I? What do you think?

The table's for sale with them, but I'm not really interested in it;
those cute little dogs in the crate have been snacking on the table's feet.

Visit Suzanne at Coloradolady blog, for her Vintage Thingies Thursday party! Click below. Suzanne today features a fascinating old book -- memories of a graduating high school class of 1913. It's charming!

And Leigh hosts Thrifty Thursday at her Tales from Bloggeritaville blog. Go! Visit! Now! Leigh's got a hint of a project she'll be taking on, making her own version of some uber-expensive glamour lamps! Very cool.

And I am going to go straighten up one of my hyacinths, that has keeled right over onto the asparagus tureen. Although my most important project this week is springing my Dad from rehab. He needs to go home; wish me luck. April flowers to you all! -- Cass

No commentsRead more