TGIF

I have spent so much of my spare time exploring one after another of the wonderful blogs on house and home that I have not blogged myself since Wednesday.

Here is a poem in tribute to all you caring and sharing bloggers out there:

To A Beautiful Person

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.

If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring.He sends you a sunrise every morning.

Whenever you want to talk, He listens.
He can live anywhere in the universe, but He chose your heart.
Face it …, He is crazy about you!
God didn't promise days without pain,
laughter without sorrow, sun without rain,
but He did promise strength for the day,
comfort for the tears, and light for the way.
[Author Unknown]

Have a great weekend!

What Is In A Name?

On the wall in the front hall there is is a framed sign with the house name Oak Rise Cottage. It hangs between the gilt pineapple plaque and the sun print, mentioned and pictured in yesterday's blog. I made this sign several years ago on a Mac.


Now I am planning for another sign which incorporates oak trees, oak leaves, or acorns, to better evoke the name, ‘oak rise’. Recently I read an editorial piece about a fabric by Robert Kime named “Oak Leaves,” which should make a great mat for a new house sign.

My neighborhood is a cul de sac which is reached by scaling a steep hill. This is especially fun in the winter when the road is slushy with ice or snow. With an abundance of very tall oak trees on each lot, we get to rake up pounds of leaves each fall. So, with the hill in mind and the oak trees in mind, I came up with the name ‘Oak Rise’ with ‘Cottage,’ because friends had referred to my home as ‘cozy’. Also, it has seven standard-sized rooms (make that small – especially the dining room) which dictate placement the larger furniture pieces. With bedrooms, built in 1987-88, it was four years old when I bought it in 1992. I quickly went about making it my home and a place for all the many collectibles and furnishings I had accumulated over the years.

Recently, I finally had the kitchen wallpaper (pink plaid with tiny blue flowers) stripped off, the walls textured and painted a blue-green. The paint color chip I settled on was Benjamin Moore HC-142, Stratton blue. This color coordinates well with my blue and white dishes and green Bordallo Pinheiro ‘majolica’ from Portugal. During the Christmas holidays, my Spode “Christmas Tree” dishes also fit in well.




My hope is to share my ideas and ventures with other homeowners/ homekeepers/ homemakers. I am very new to blogging and hope to have a great time learning and sharing with the others whose blogs and websites I have been so thrilled to discover.

BEAUTIFUL HERITAGE Part II

Hello! Yesterday I was having trouble inserting the photos where I wanted them, got distracted and ended my very first blog post almost in mid thought!

Continuing with the front entrance wall. . . There is a framed sunprint of a pineapple (made by applying the design stencil to the paper and exposing it to sunlight). I bought it at a craft fair at a local apple festival. It was a deep blue on off-white, but over the years it has taken on a purple hue from light exposure. The word "Welcome" and the pineapple graphic says "glad you’re here" to those who enter.
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With usual thoroughness, I have placed a pineapple of some sort in each room of Oak Rise Cottage. Here are some highlights, with photos:
The Living Room – pineapple teapot from a Metropolitan Museum sale catalog is on the top shelf of the desk cabinet; pair of glass bookends on the bottom shelf; brass letter opener on the desktop; a floor standing faux stone pineapple I got at Marshall’s on clearance; on a side table a brass frame etched with pineapples, holds a postcard from a friend in Norway.

The Dining Room – trivets and coasters, many of which are gifts from my Mother, a sister and friends.

The Hallway wall includes a wood carved pineapple plaque.

In the Study, on bookcase - a pineapple finial, a gift from an interior designer friend.

On the bed in the Rose Guest Bedroom a pink pillow from friend and a crystal pineapple from the nightstand.

In the Principal Bedroom (no "master" here!) – On the bureau is a Lenox ‘Fruits of Life’ vase, a gift from my mother, which helped to launch a collection of Lenox vases, picture frames and bowls. Near the jewelry box are pineapple brooches, of which the most exquisite (in gold and silver) is from a friend.

In the Kitchen - a framed ink tracing of a pineapple I did years ago, the image from an old cookbook; two serving dishes by Wilton Armetale; my Household Book, a three-ring binder I covered in blue and white print paper; printed paper napkins from a friend; a pewter hanging wind chime, a gift from co-workers; a wood frame with applique pewter, a gift from one sister, holds a postcard I bought in Stratford on Avon, England in 1995; shaped notepad, fridge magnets, ruler, etc.

In the Laundry Room is a framed print on linen, which my two youngest sisters bought for me at a hospital gift shop when I went to get a second opinion regarding surgery in summer 1980.

So, with many thoughtful gifts from family, friends and co-workers, these items -- among other details of my home -- help express my interests and outlook on home-keeping and hospitality.
[Of course, each of my sisters also has her own assemblage of pineapple objects in her home. But neither has had the incurable focus as their big sister!]

I hope you enjoyed reading about this hospitality motif and related collectibles around my home. Let me know if you also collect pineapple items. I would love to hear from you.

BEAUTIFUL HERITAGE

To have grown up with a mother who loves beautiful things is a wonderful heritage for her children, who will go on to set up homes of their own. My three younger sisters and I each love homekeeping and all that it entails. We are pretty much all collectors of multiple things, all intended to enhance the pleasantness of our homes. Some collections are practical in running a household, while others delight the senses and add to the atmosphere of the house.

Pictured on the right above is a cornucopia in my middle sister's kitchen. Made of natural materials it makes a handy and attractive element on her countertop. Her guests have quickly depleted the generous stuffing of fruit she had provided here.

One traditional symbol of hospitality that all four sisters have collected is the pineapple motif. As the eldest daughter, I started the sisters off in most of the things we have collected alike. As the other sisters set up their own homes, they tended to include some elements from big sister. Both family and friends have contributed to our collecting ventures. For example, on the wall near the front door in Oak Rise Cottage there is a plaster pineapple made by a great friend of mine for me. It is painted in sort of an antique gold and is 18" h x 10.5" w. (See photo at top, left.)