I don't know why time seems to evaporate this time of year.  The days
are longer but now the weekly chores extend to the outside spaces and
the extra daylight hours easily get filled.   

For the past few years, one of my springtime rituals has been taking
down my living room drapes and rods--I still have to do the latter--and
let the sun shine in.  I always enjoy this simpler look.  My living room
is very small, just 11-1/2 feet square, and taking down the drapes makes
the room feel larger. I'm considering making this a permanent change
by adding shutters to the lower half of the windows and a roman blind at the top.


 Bi-fold shutters would fold back to let in the light during the day and
close at night for privacy.  I would rarely close the roman blinds on the
top half but they would provide a little color, softness and/or texture.

I'm also planning a new slipcover for the sofa that will lighten up the
room for summer.  More on that later.


I recently took a work day off for a carpe diem and I headed
up to Essex, Mass with the Princess of Pillows, Carol from 6Wilson
for a day of treasure hunting and I thought I'd share a few images from
that day.  Above is an antique set of Japanese spouted nesting bowls.
I've never seen anything like that.  It's amazing they're all in perfect
condition after so many years.


A high-strung quartet.


I have a weakness for old wood and rope.


And if you've ever been to Andrew Spindler, you may
recognize the mammoth succulents he has outside.



And no day in Essex is complete without a stop at Woodman's...



...for a lobster roll and onion rings.



I've been picking away at the painting in the kitchen.  I wasn't
in love with the dark color I had chosen for the back of the kitchen
shelves.  So after a few new samples, I changed it to Ben Moore
Iron Mountain.  I guess it's also Darryl Carter's Vinton Brown.
I think it works nicely with Chelsea Gray


So I've been working on the bits that needed painting a little at a time.
I used the cabinet color around the fridge and painted out the
back of the cabinet with the Iron Mountain.  I still need test stain samples
but I needed to get some wood conditioner and more pieces of fir so my
samples are as accurate as possible.


And lots of other projects going on at the same time.

I'm still cleaning out, organizing my basement.
It's not a bad basement for an 1842 house but it's painted
Pepto Bismol pink on all the walls.  The ceiling is old post and
beam construction but that was, sadly, painted Virgin Mary blue--
you get the idea--so I got some waterproofing paint by Behr in a 
color called "Silt" for the walls and I'll mix up some brown-gray for
to highlight the beams.  It will never be a beautiful or finishable
basement but I think I can make it a really cool, funky space.

I'm also totally reworking the garden.  My new French doors give me
a different view and I think I want to screen the view of my 
neighbor's chain link fence and their view right into my kitchen.

I still need to paint all the new exterior porch work as well as my fence
which doesn't match my house.

So lots to do!  My apologies for not being around much but that's
probably the way it's going to be this summer.

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