my World Series slipcover

This is what I've been doing while watching the playoffs and now the World Series. The ottoman was so nasty, ripped along the edges where the cat has scratched it to shreds (don't even want to take pictures of that). Sitting on the floor in front of the tv, cutting, pinning and basting a simple slipcover out of some heavy denim that's been in the closet for years...and today I sewed it up and here it is! Way better.

mission accomplished

Here is that little paint project, all done but taking a lot longer than I had figured on. Sanded off the spray paint and then brushed on a coat of oil based primer followed by two coats of Martha Stewart Crevecoeur (a sample size bottle I got for free at Home Depot).
I like it because it helps make the fixture less noticeable than it was before which is good since we are "making do" with it for now.

one step forward, two steps back

So as you know we try to salvage anything we can and here you see the 80s- or maybe 70s-style light fixture over the sink in the bathroom (where everything was finished except this small detail) all masked and ready to spray paint a stainless steel/nickel tone. Better than the old gold finish! But one light spay and the finish "beads" rather than levels nicely. Can you see that in the second picture? Not acceptable. So I am going to buy a little can of paint, lightly sand and then hand paint it and hope it turns out OK. Disappointing.

This book makes it tough...

to choose a color concept for a room. "Paint the Big Book of Natural Color" by Elizabeth Hilliard and Stafford Cliff is page after page of breathtaking rooms and sources of inspiration: the deep Mediterranean blue walls of a home on Santorini with window frames the color of cumulus clouds; the gray of stone gargoyles on an ancient French cathedral brought into an elegant bathroom in England; and humble whole wheat bread, toasted rich and maybe a bit charred,used as an accent color in a folk art museum in Sweden. Oh and the whites are just as compelling: the color of birch tree bark, the pale face of a barn owl, a morning"s frost. I've mentioned books by Stafford Cliff here before and each one is a treasure. Take a look and tell me, what do you think?

fall garden beauties

The Japanese anemones stand tall and graceful above their foliage and are my favorite fall flowers. A dear friend gave me a clump from her garden years ago and they have gradually taken over in the areas that get morning sun, even coming up along the gravel driveway. Pretty by day and by night.