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.