Summerizing

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.