Moving Things Around

When I decided to put up a mirror in my dining room, I had to take down my wire shelf with all the blue and white dishes. I really like the wire shelf, so I decided to put it up in the kitchen. In order to accomplish this I took down the wooden shelves that were there. Then mounted the wire shelf. I tried to incorporate some of the things I had on the wooden shelves with the blue and white. I had to put the shelf a little higher than I would like due to the fact that the thermostat was on that wall. So I added some hooks to the bottom shelf and hung my little creamers down there. Do you think it looks OK?

I really like how it all looks. I Incorporated some things that had been on the wooden shelves. I love the bluebird platters that I bought on e-bay. Also, I kept the cookbooks and the tray that my Mom had painted over 35 years ago. Also several gifts from friends such as the butter warmer (on the second shelf to the right) The Droste box and the egg cups from my same friends' Mother. There are a lot memories displayed on those shelves! Some of the pieces were garage sale finds, such as the canisters that I got for $10.00 and the blue cabbage plate. Also some pieces I picked up at the thrift store and Marshall's.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

A long time ago I was torn about whether to put up the wire rack in the dining room or a mirror.

I bought an oval mirror that I repainted but eventually put it up in the hallway. It wasn't large enough for the room. My theory was that the mirror would lighten up the room and make it look larger. It would also reflect the crystal chandelier that I had assembled item by item. Last Saturday after fertilizing my grass, Great timing as it rained all day on Sunday) Jen and I hopped into the car to go to Home Goods. I rarely come home from there empty handed and Saturday was no different than usual. I found this large mirror that is somewhat antiqued, kind of a silvery brown finish. Any way I took down the wire rack and put up the mirror. I think it really enlarges the space. It goes well with the rusty sconces on each side, too.

On Sunday I finally got the wallpaper completed in the dressing area between the bedroom and the bathroom. I had ordered a double roll of paper thinking that it would easily do the job. I was luck that I didn't mess up any pieces and that it was such a small match. Believe it or not I only had a 15 inch piece left over. I was very pleased that I finally got it done. I feel as if I have been spinning my wheels for awhile. Another project that is all done now but the refining process. I was glad that I did it on Sunday because I ended up working on Monday instead of having the day off. One of our nurses was sick and I needed to fill in. This flu season is really got a lot of people sick and we get exposed to it several times a day. I guess it is an occupational hazard you just can't avoid. I am looking forward to having this Monday off.

I am contemplating putting a cream colored wash over it like I did in the bathroom so that it will flow more easily between the two rooms. Do you like it as is or do you think a lighter wash than the bathroom would look good? You can also see the mirror that I put on the vanity to replace my shell mirror. I think it goes better with the appliques that I put on the draw fronts than the shell mirror did and it's not falling apart!

November 10, 1921

Tomorrow, November 10th is my Mom's birthday. She's a little camera shy. ( More than a little) so I'll just show you something very dear to her heart. Her home. She loves to remodel, redecorate and redo as much or more than I do. I guess you can say the Acorn doesn't fall too far from the Oak tree.

She's an amazing woman. Very strong, determined and very, very talented! She's smart as can be. If she'd had the opportunity to go to college she'd probably be a lawyer. Her father was a lawyer and she has that talent from him. She's the best artist that one can imagine. When she finally got my sister and I married off and out of the house she started to paint. She's done decorative painting and a few portraits but her favorite thing to paint, believe it or not, is walls. She has a wonderful sense of color and sees each and every detail. She can tell you if some thing is level or plumb from 50 paces!!

Ever since I was a very little girl I remember her remodeling every place we ever lived. I mean tearing down walls, designing and redecorating. She tells the story of her first decorating job, it was wallpapering the inside of her Newfoundland dogs' doghouse at a very young age. She can tell you as much about construction as a lot of men and can paint everything that she sees. At 70 something she was up on her own scaffold rag painting the walls of her vaulted living room in her house in Arizona. She built a brick courtyard in front of one of her houses just from looking at the pictures in a book. She drug big flat field stones a half of a mile up from the creek to make the floor of a courtyard when she lived out in the country when she was in her late 50's.

She can grow anything she looks at, cross eyed. I mean roses the size of saucers and of course her famous hollyhocks from Arizona. Her favorites are peach colored roses. Anthing she tries to grow flourishes under her care. She has a great gift of landscape design, too.

When we were young she and my grandmother would sew our Halloween costumes. Though she wasn't big on sewing clothes she could whip a pair of drapes or a bedspread with perfect stitching and put up the rod with one hand tied behind her back. In fact she made the drapes in the picture above.

She is an excellent cook except for pies...That's just not in her repertoire! See the post about my grandmother a couple of posts back. I believe she inherited some of her artistic talent from my grandmother.

Not only that, but she raised my sister and I alone from the time we were very young. Put us through Catholic school and college. She isn't afraid of much of anything and if you tell her she can't do it, she'll just say " watch my smoke!!"

Any way November 10th is her birthday..She'll be 88!! Though her body has slowed up with age her mind is still sharp and she is still as determined as ever! To quote her "I don't know who that old lady in the mirror but it isn't me!!)

Happy Birhday Mom! We love you!!!!!!