Readying

Another chunk of readying to cross off the list, finally. Remember when I painted the walls and ceiling in back, back in October? No? Well, I'm not surprised. This was such a back-burner project-- all it was was painting, but it was painting everything, and it took me forever. Mostly, the floor took me forever. I painted it in sections, and each section took two coats, and I wanted to let the paint cure before walking or moving furniture again onto the freshly done parts. Floors are tough, man. They're the easiest thing in the world to paint, and fun-- I actually dumped puddles of paint directly onto the floor and spread them out with a roller on a pole-- but clearing everything away so the floor is accessible and clean is the rub.

Anyway, this room is pretty now, and I'm pleased. The darker floor really makes the wall color pop, and the rug-- formerly in our front room-- has found a happier home here. At some point I'm get around to hanging art and sewing up some new curtains. Maybe before next Christmas. For now, this room is done and ready for my parents to spend the night in... two weeks! Christmas cookies are in the freezer, and the last little bit of gift-making is on the agenda for this week. 

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Lessons from Liz

I get blog crushes. Does anybody else do this? Periodically I'll zero in on one of the many (many many) blogs I follow, and become a wee bit stalker-ish. My already undying bloggy admiration will morph into something a little more awed and insistent. I'll walk around for two weeks filling Patrick's poor head with "Oh and her paint colors, blah blah blah, and she does the cutest embroidery, yeah, that too. AND she made the most delicious looking pancakes last week!" And, because Patrick is a good husband, he will nod patiently, pretend at a sweet (though slightly patronizing) interest in paint, embroidery, and pancakes, and wait for the storm to pass.

Anyway, my blog-crush-of-the-moment is Mabel's House. Autumn is the season for nesting, and this being autumn, well, I am nesting. Each year brings a procession of little projects I am stirred to complete before settling down to winter. Inspired to paint by my new-found love (ha ha), I covered a very scratched (yet highly adorable) nightstand in a color called Corduroy.

(Corduroy? What the heck kind of name for a color is that? And why is it gold? Most of the corduroy I've seen in my life has been brown. Maybe whoever named the color saw that episode of Sex and the City with Steve's gold corduory suit. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?)

Anyway, this project is done, and I'm pleased. As luck would have it, I have a (also very scratched) dresser that would match perfectly with this... and I think I have enough paint to cover that as well. Maybe someday they'll make the perfect spare-bedroom furniture set. Which would be for when we actually have a spare bedroom big enough for more than just a bed and nightstand. Someday.

Our guest room

Here, as promised, are more pictures of the guest room. Thanks, guys, for all your kind words!


The best guest room tip I've heard was from Martha Stewart: keep a picture frame by the bed, use it to display a photo of yourself with your guest. That picture is my aunt and me, on my wedding day, right after she helped me lace up my dress. She's a special aunt, indeed.
Baltimore orioles painting by Annette L. Plath. (That's my mom!)

And of course, I had to take at least one shot using the best prop in the house. That's Pete.

The rest of this week is going to be very, very busy. Tomorrow, I'm taking care of all the pre-prep I can handle for my own Thanksgiving feast (which will be held Saturday). Thursday Patrick and I go down to Maryland for his family's Thanksgiving, always a fun time. Friday morning we head back here, I sprint to the grocery store, and work just as fast as my little hands can until 4pm on Saturday. (Don't worry, I do plan on sleeping Friday night). I've contracted my dad to be photographer for this event, so hopefully I'll have oodles of pretty pictures to post on Sunday. You probably won't hear from me before then.

Ciao!

Winter dusk

Here, dimly, are those curtains I finally finished. Somehow, and I'm not sure how, our guest room has managed to become perhaps the cutest room in our house. My aunt and her partner are spending the night after Thanksgiving there. It's definitely nice having it all purtied up for them.