Painting the Kitchen

Published, Jan 25,2015

Well, I don’t know about you, but I enjoyed our recent and brief respite from the bitter cold last weekend. We were visiting another one of Tennessee’s “top five” cities—Knoxville. Yet another gymnastics competition took us to their downtown area, too. In fact, all of Tennessee’s “top five” host these competitions—oops, make that four-and-a-half out of the five.

There is a small, pre-season competition which is hosted by Clarksville Elite, but they hold it at the Foy Fitness Center on the APSU campus. It doesn’t begin to compare to the scale and scope of the meets held in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga, though.

I just think it’s strange that a city that boast about its convenient central location, that we haven’t done something to take advantage of that location. I am sure greater minds than mine are working on it. I’ll just worry my pretty little head about domestic matters—like making hotel reservations and researching places to dine and shop while we’re attending the next event.

As for other domestic matters, I have once again tackled the less than enviable task of painting the kitchen. This is a process that was much needed, but became impossible to ignore after our recent renovations.

I don’t think I mentioned is before, but I asked Glen (our contractor for this project) move the cabinet surrounding our refrigerator about six inches to the left. It’s something I thought of a while ago, but doing so would have exposed an area of the floor which was not covered by the laminate floor that my husband and I had installed. The thought of trying to retro-fit the flooring into that exposed space was too daunting, so we waited.

We have a side-by-side refrigerator, which I normally wouldn’t have considered, but it met my single requirement: it was the largest capacity I could find which would fit into the space available. It fit, but (a little detail one should apparently consider) the door on the right hit the door jam on the adjacent wall and wouldn’t open. That’s when we came-up with the solution of removing the door jam and cutting it to a length that allowed the refrigerator door free movement—sort of. It still hit the door to the laundry room whenever we had to open it wide enough to open the crisper drawers.

Eight years of door banging had me ready to jump on this possibility of moving those cabinets when we had to replace the flooring. Glen told me it would be an easy fix, so I added it to the list. What a difference the move has made. The space we lost—to the left of the cabinet—was a concern, because I stow a rolling cart, which holds my stand mixer, there. Now it protrudes into the walkway a little more, but not enough to matter to anyone.

The repositioned cabinets gave us more room to open the doors on the refrigerator.

 

The new flooring and laundry room also provided an opportunity to make a few more changes to the space, too. I brought home a piece of furniture I had in Hodgepodge, but had been keeping in storage; it was always one of my favorite pieces and, consequently, I didn’t discount it when I closed shop. (My subconscious mind obviously had plans for it.)

My subconscious desire—the black bookcase/cupboard.

So, I told you all of that to tell you this: I started painting the kitchen again. When I moved the white cabinet from the kitchen into the laundry room, I took that opportunity to paint the wainscoting, trim and wall before positioning the new bookcase there.

the white cupboard in it’s new location

 

Fortunately, I love the color of our kitchen, so I am just going to freshen-up the look with some cleaning and the same colors. This way, I will be able to take my time—thus far proven, as I began the process just after Thanksgiving—without having to be met with an offensive contrast of colors. Of course, this could also work against me when I consider my ability to procrastinate.

One last note, since I apparently have a few things on my mind and the time on my hands to consider them . . . at length . . . I’ve decided to begin blogging again. This may not mean much to you, but it is a big thing for me. I consider it an obligation, of sorts. If you tell your readers you’re going to do something, then you need to do it. So, if you like reading about our renovation projects and general shenanigans, you may want to check it out. I will also be providing a few more photographs than space allows here in “The Leaf.” By the end of the weekend, you’ll find me at www.hodgepodge-home.blogspot.com.

A personal note—thank you to the friends who encouraged me to get back to my blog. I appreciate the support and confidence.

It’s Beginning to look a lot like Chaos

originally published on Dec 15, 2013 in The Leaf Chronicle

I was hoping to regale you with decorating tips and pictures of my decorated home, but alas—‘twas not to be. As author John Steinbeck penned, “The best laid schemes of mice and men . . .”

Oops! Wrong. It wasn’t Mr. Steinbeck, although I learned the quote in his novel, “Of Mice and Men,” he was actually quoting a poem written by Robert Burns. Anyhoo, the point is: plans often change or are changed for you.

My plans for the weekend changed drastically when the hard drive on my computer at the shop crashed Friday night at the close of business. No problem—it just contains all of the information vital to the operation of my shop for the past 9 years. I don’t use it much . . . just for every transactions, inventory question, social media to posts and email conversations. Naturally, after three hours on the phone with tech support and the promise of the delivery of a “recovery disc” (as if that means ANYTHING to me) within 3 – 5 business days, I took this whole event in stride.

So, after my mini-meltdown, I called my sister and asked her WWAD (What Would Angela Do?). Angela is one of our really, really smart friends who knows her way around a computer. Kendall (my sister) is usually my go to girl, but when she doesn’t know what to do—we go to Angela. When Angela doesn’t know what to do—we cry. Angela suggested calling tech support—when that didn’t work—she said, “Take it to Doghouse Computers.”

So, first thing Saturday morning, I did. They fixed it and got it back to me the same day! So, please, let that be a lesson for all of us. I am rabid about shopping local, but thought that, at 6 p.m. on a Friday night, my only option was online help. Not only did the online tech support fail me (they, in fact, promised they would have me up and running that night), but now I am fighting to get my money back. Taylor, at Doghouse, talked to me—in person—and understood my desperate situation and did everything he could to fix my computer as quickly as possible. Shop local, people—it makes a difference.

I told you all of that, so I could tell you this . . .

With my weekend compressed by my computer emergency, my plans for a big day of decorating this past Sunday turned into a big day of cleaning out the front room, which we refer to as “the parlor,” but that sounds so hoity-toity when I see it written. I had hoped to tackle this project Friday night so we could make room to relocate a table from the living room, to make room for the big tree. The parlor (said in my head with a droll British accent) was a little cluttered, as it has been the catch-all space for: inventory I’m holding onto; a college student’s “must have” bike; empty boxes from the recent bathroom re-do; a variety of ready-to-hang-but-no-wall-space-available art; and, a purgatory (of sorts) for laptops awaiting their final resting place.

The only decorating I managed was placing three trees in their designated positions—only two of which have lights on them; because that is the way I brought them home from my shop! The big tree in the living room gets a minimum of 1,000 new lights each year. I leave that tree on 24 hours per day and do not bother storing light strings that have had a minimum of 700 hours of use. When I used to reuse lights, I’ve had them go out, a string at a time, throughout the month of December—not doing that again.

My youngest daughter helped by bringing down some of the boxes while I was at the shop. She even arranged my Santa and nutcracker collections. That was a huge help due to all of the unwrapping involved in those chores.

As I plan my attack for the rest of the décor, I have found myself wondering what, if anything, I can “skip” this year. I probably won’t decorate the cabinet tops with all of the fresh greenery I’ve used in the past. I may also skip the vintage tinsel tree in the dining room . . . especially since I’ve added a new tree at the base of the stairs. Nah—who do I think I’m kidding? The tinsel tree will probably go up tonight, while I’m helping my decorating elf with her homework. It’s only about 4 feet tall—the tree, not the decorating elf; I adorn it with vintage ornaments in shades of aqua and pink—the elf, not the tree . . . (rimshot, please).

I have one more chance to share some decorating ideas with you next week. You know better than to hold your breath though.

The Final Countdown!

originally published in The Leaf Chronicle on Dec 8, 2013

My mind is a total blank. It’s a few weeks before Christmas and I can’t think of a thing to share with you. That’s a lie. I can think of things I want to share, but my mother raised me better than that, so I probably shouldn’t.

My mind is a jumble of all the things I need to accomplish in order to close my shop in less than two weeks. (I’m trying to control myself as a mild panic sets in and I double check the calendar—yup, less than two weeks. YIKES!) All while everyone around me seems to be decorating for Christmas.

While I was working on my computer the other night, I looked around the house, wondering when I will find the time to decorate our house. I may be able to start today (not the day I am writing, but the day you are reading); then again, I may just sit in my chair and stare at the television. At the moment, I’m leaning towards “just sitting.”

Perhaps I can do it in baby steps, just tackling one room at a time. The only problem with this plan is that it is highly probable that I wasn’t quite that organized in my packing last year. Wouldn’t it be great to pull out a box and it only contains the decorations for the living room? The next box would have only the assembly items for the stairwell décor. However, it is much more likely I’ll pull out the box with the greenery for the stairwell and have to stop after I put the lights on to find the ribbon, which is likely in the bottom of another storage bin—under the nutcrackers or the Santa collection.

I guess I will have to resign myself that it will be a long, drawn out process with stuff strewn all over the house. After all, why should this year be any different? I think, because my shop is such a mess as I try to organize and pack 9 years of accumulation, I am reluctant to turn the house upside down, as well.

Several friends and family have told me I shouldn’t bother decorating the house or perhaps I shouldn’t do as much as I usually do. I can’t help but wonder if they really mean that. I mean, they know me well enough to be referred to as “friends and family,” so you’d think they’d know I can’t not do it all.

This year may be a bit of a challenge, but it’ll happen and I’ll be glad it did.

By the way, as I finished typing this, my neighbor, Ryan, just texted me that he’s done decorating his entire house—he puts me shame with the amount of stuff he does! He may just lose a few bulbs out of his light strings tonight . . .

Plenty of Blessings at Thanksgiving

originally published on Nov 23, 2013 in The Leaf Chronicle

I’ll start this column by saying thank you to all of the kind and concerned patrons of Hodgepodge, whom also demonstrate distinguishable intelligence by reading The Leaf Chronicle, for their inquiries regarding whether or not I would continue writing for this fine publication. The foreseeable future does include a weekly column written by yours truly, but I will encourage you to share your appreciation for the journaling of my antics with my editors—all persons I regard with the highest esteem.

As this column will appear a few short days prior to my favorite holiday, I thought I’d share a little about our holiday plans. Like the menu, there will be only minor variances from years prior. For instance, I started discussing the menu with my mother and eldest daughter the other night. I suggested a possible change from my regular offering of my mushroom and sausage dressing—which I’ve been serving for nigh on 20 years (argh! I should not have done the math . . .)—and was met with hesitation. Neither of them wanted to stomp my new idea, but they had apparently been looking forward to the old standard and, to be honest, so am I. The new rice dressing will have to wait for a less momentous occasion.

In a recent column I told you about my cousin’s approach of serving her Thanksgiving meal in courses, which I think is a fabulous idea—yet will not come to fruition at the King Kompound this year. I don’t think this is the year to implement changes—we have enough to contend with at the moment.

I did say, however, I won’t make my pumpkin bread pudding this year. The request has been submitted for basic, everyday (but not at my house), run-of-the-mill pumpkin pies, which I happen to love. I haven’t made a pumpkin pie in years! Anyhoo, as I was flipping through a magazine this morning, I saw a recipe for a Double Chocolate Bread Pudding with a Coffee Caramel Sauce and my mouth began to water. I’m thinking bread pudding will make an appearance, but in a slightly different form this year.

I am still considering the table setting, but I know it will involve my Johnson Brother’s Friendly Village dishes. Last year, I used some wheat bundles I had arranged as the focal point for the table, but the moths really liked them, so I had to toss them (in the picture). I have a cotton bowl garland and couple oat standards I made which will likely anchor this year’s display.

The challenge of our dining room table is its—umm—rustic condition. We bought it from Carolyn Robinson at Traditions when we first moved to Clarksville. I believe she said it had been in a break room at factory in Nashville; I could’ve made that up, but I’ve been telling folks the same story for years, so it has to be true by now. We absolutely love this table! The top is constructed of two wide, thick oak boards that have been pocked by cigarette burns and numerous other assaults. Where the two boards meet in the middle, there is a little ridge which keeps me from displaying anything with a flat bottom in the center of the table—everything wobbles. I generally have to use displays with feet that will straddle the ridge. Sometimes, I slip a coaster or some other shim-like device under the tablecloth to stabilize the chosen centerpiece, as I did last year.

Oh well, the world is full of challenging situations which perplex us to no end. My dining table centerpiece will not bring about world peace or the end of starvation in the Sudan. So as we gather around our table—wobbly centerpiece and all—I will be praying for the same and giving thanks for the many, many blessings the King family enjoys. Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall Fluff

originally published in The Leaf Chronicle on Nov 17, 2013.

Please tell me my calendar is wrong. Please tell me I did not lose two weeks of my life-especially at such a critical time in my life. As I told my husband the other day, I feel like I went to sleep on the 28^th of October and woke-up mid-November.

By “critical time in my life,” I am pretty sure you think I’m referring to the announcement that we are closing Hodgepodge, but actually, I am talking about the holidays. I mean, I live for this stuff! What a time to have to be worried about the nuts and bolts of wrapping-up nearly a decade of boutique ownership.

I wonder how your preparations are progressing. Did you print a check list? Did you laugh your way to the recycling bin, with my column in hand? I have to admit, I haven’t figured out my preparation timeline yet, but I am looking forward to my favorite holiday and enjoying time with family.

As you read this, my sister, Kendall, is (hopefully) on her way here with my mother riding shotgun. Her infinite number of bags and boxes neatly packed in the trunk and backseat for her extended winter visit. I’m giddy! I love it when she comes to visit. I enjoy sharing our days, making plans for my occasional days off—heck—just having someone to plan meals with is fun!

I finally took down my Halloween decorations and am slowly beefing-up the Thanksgiving vignettes throughout the house. After my column last week, I noticed I use a lot of faux and dried florals through the fall and winter. There are several reasons for this additional fluff.

First, we’re in the house more; during the spring and summer we’re outside, enjoying Mother Nature. There is no need for the addition of flowers inside and if there is, I can grab some from outside.

Second, the dried and silk flowers help cozy-up the place, which isn’t needed during the summer months. We’ve found that is true of vignettes at the shop, too. If we work on a display, but are not completely satisfied with it, we usually add some flowers, a leafy branch or vine and the look is completed. Sometimes, however, too much is too much (profound, eh?). You don’t want to add so much of the stuff that the focal point is obscured.

Third, I prefer fall/winter fakes to spring/summer fakes; for some reason they are more convincing. Or is it that they are less offensive? I can’t decide which. My decorating palette definitely reflects the colors of fall, so that is likely the primary reason. They are well-suited to my décor, so they look better.

Finally, the faux berries, leaves and flowers don’t shed. I think I’ve mentioned how much my husband loves it when I start bringing the real stuff inside—because I do plenty of that, too. His favorite of favorites has to be Nandina berries. Nothing makes him happier than finding the “suicide berries” (those that choose not to hang-on for the slow, inevitable death) all over the floor, table or counter. Since my single goal in life is to make my husband happy—I guess this is the best reason.

My most recent addition to our fall fluff.

Create a Fall Accent

originally published in The Leaf Chronicle Nov 10, 2013.

Okay, I admit it—it’s true. I still have Halloween decorations up. (Of course, it’s only one week gone and I’ve been known to find Christmas ornaments 9 months into the new year!) Is it me, or did that holiday just blow by? (I’m punny.*)

As I walked through the house yesterday afternoon, I thought about how bare the place will look without my Halloween accents. I am especially reluctant to pack away a new wall plaque which I have hanging on the door in my kitchen, which leads to the patio. When I took the dog outside for his evening constitutional, I saw the remnants of an arrangement I once had hanging in the house; it was sadly ruined in our house fire, but I couldn’t bear to throw it away. I hung it outside where it has slowly deteriorated, leaving only a form and vase, which I use for a fresh flower accent outside. That’s when I had the idea to recreate that arrangement and share the process with you.

Here’s what you will need:

A quart-size jar

Chicken wire, 2 feet square

Wire cutters

Floral foam

Hot glue gun

Ribbon

Spanish moss

Flowers and accents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Cut the chicken wire to size. Roll it into a cone shape; cinch the cone about six inches from the base. Fold the sharp ends of the wire into the cone. Roll the top edge of the cone down two- three times.

 

2. Use the ribbon to wrap the top edge, lacing through the chicken wire. Add a length of ribbon from which to hang the arrangement. Tie the ribbon at the ten- and two-o’clock position on the top edge of the cone (as if you were holding a steering wheel).

3. Add a liberal amount of Spanish moss to the inside of the cone. Press the moss against the bottom and sides of the cone, where the jar will eventually rest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Cut a piece of floral foam that will fit in the opening of your jar, but is only 2/3 the height of the jar. Using glue gun, drop some glue to the bottom of the jar, followed by the prepared piece of foam. Allow to set, start adding smaller slices/wedges of foam to fill the voids; securing with drops of hot glue if possible.

 

 

5. Start adding your flowers and accents. I used dried hydrangeas, along with faux floral accents to include oaks leaves with acorns, pods and sticks. Once you are satisfied with your arrangement, carefully set it in the cone, arranging the moss to disguise the jar.

6. Finish by adding a knot of ribbon around the cinched base of the cone.

Now you have a beautiful arrangement to enjoy for years to come . . . as long as you don’t have a house fire. PSA: I hope you checked your batteries in your smoke detectors last weekend, if not, do it now. They save lives, homes and flower arrangements!

*we had tornado warnings on Halloween . . . get it?  “blow by?”

Bah Humbug!

originally published in The Leaf Chronicle on Nov 3, 2013.

Guess who just finished decorating her shop for Christmas? Yep—this gal.

This is the time when I feel like I should walk around with a sandwich-style board on my person, offering the disclaimer, “It’s not my fault the Christmas holiday retail season has been pushed into August!” Heck, I feel like I should receive some sort of recognition for waiting this long to add Christmas trees and ornaments. We still have plenty of décor for the current season of fall and the next holiday, which—incidentally—is Thanksgiving, not Christmas. (Veteran’s Day is technically “next,” but I don’t think you need to decorate. Just make sure your American flag is flying, thank the veterans you know and do all you can support them all—every day.)

Anyhoo, I am trying to keep a positive attitude and laugh at the ridiculous nature of this Christmas push. It is not necessary and it is not new, but here we are. I can understand the need for selling holiday crafting supplies well in advance of the holidays, but getting the decorations out this early is ridiculous. I don’t know who is to blame, but it does reflect the nature of our lives now. We are rushed, so therefore our holidays are rushed. We spend so much time preparing for them that many of us fail to actually enjoy them.

I admit that I love decorating for the holidays. It has always brought me much pleasure to deck the halls, but 9 years in retail have taken their toll. Besides, there is so much to do before you serve the turkey, let alone hang an ornament!

So, with that out of the way, I will share a few ideas for things you may wish to consider as you get ready to get ready.

If you have family or friends coming to visit for the holidays, now is the time to take care of the “big stuff.” If you have pets (or kids), now is the time to schedule an appointment to have the carpets and/or upholstery cleaned. If you have any other minor projects you’ve been putting off, such as replacing the towel bar that always falls off in the guest bath, do it. Save your guest the embarrassment of having that towel bar clang on the tile floor when they yank their towel off. Clean your oven, fridge and the reflectors on the stove—all things I’ve regretted not doing at one time or another. If you need new sheets for the beds the guest will use, now is a good time to buy them. (I have a set to put on my son’s bed which gets used only for guests.)

As my life always seems to revolve around my next meal, I recommend making menu plans, too. There are many cooking preparations which can be taken care of well in advance of November 28^th. There are numerous planning calendars available online or in the cookbooks you likely have on your shelves.

You might also make plans for setting your table. Do you want to make a special centerpiece or order flowers? Will you be able to sit at the table or will you need to use the table for serving and provide our guests with lap trays? Either way, early planning will ensure you have everything situated when the time comes to carve the turkey. Speaking of how you will serve your meal, you may wish to consider taking a leisurely approach and serve courses, as opposed to a full meal all at once. It may take some additional planning, but you’ve got time!

I want to close by thanking one of my readers, Bridget, for contacting me regarding my reference to my home altar as having the image of the Virgin Mary on it. She suggested it might be a depiction of St. Thérèse of Lisieux; she is completely correct! Many thanks to all of you for reading!

I Feel Good . . . I Knew That I Would!

The is the article I wrote for The Leaf Chronicle, which was originally published on Oct 28, 2013.

Remember last week when I said I feel energized by this time of year? Well, I have smashed all personal best records since then! Who’s the gal? Me—I’m the gal!!! I admit I’ve been humming the Rocky theme song a lot lately; not “Gonna Fly Now,” but “Eye of the Tiger.” I’ve got a lot to do and this is the time of year, I’m likely to accomplish it. That feels good.

We normally pick-up at the shop this time of year, but things have been exceptionally slow this month. (Gee—I wonder why?) The good news, though, is that I’ve had time to tackle the backroom projects that I’ve had waiting for me. I’ve actually cleaned-out some filing cabinets in order to transfer old records to storage. I’ve packed-up all—okay, most—of my creative/crafting supplies so I can relocate them to my “studio space.”

Studio space? This is the room in our house formerly known as “the back porch,” which it was . . . a long, long time ago. It was enclosed –poorly—at some point in its history and we’ve yet to assign it a proper name or use. It serves as the catch-all storage area, but I continuously try to claim it for my creative space. We will see if that claim stands-up to time and the forces of nature working against it. (By “nature” I am referring to my tendency to keep things well-beyond my ability to remember why I thought I needed them; it’s my nature to be a borderline hoarder.)

As much as I am sure you’d enjoying reading a complete list of all the items I parted with this week, suffice to say I hope my Recycle Clarksville serviceman didn’t suffer an injury when he picked-up the stack of magazines I set-out in the bins this morning. Anyone who knows me knows I have a weakness for magazines, so this was a big move. I tossed my high school yearbooks years ago, but I feel sure I still have a few magazines from the years I graduated!

During the course of all of this cleaning and recycling, I continued transitioning the seasonal décor throughout the house. I like to think I’m done, but I usually do some tweaking right up until it’s time to store it again.

One of my favorite decorating elements is framed art. I like to use vintage art which reflects the season, as you can see in the photograph of my favorite mantel decked out for fall. Here I’ve propped a vintage print of a pair of colorful grouse. I keep an eye out for items such as this at flea markets. This rotation method—changing art with the season—is ideal for our home, as we are concerned our walls may eventually cave in under the weight of all the art we have purchased. Heaven forbid I just say I’ve got enough—not gonna happen!

As for our living room mantel, I decided to make just a few changes this year. My dear friend had recently given me the home altar with the image of Mary on it and I’m not quite ready to put it away, so it serves as the anchor. Beyond that, I just added a few candles in the shape of pinecones, wrapped my battery-operated candles in burlap and switched-out the homemade pomanders for some oats.

 

 

 

I always leave my velvet pumpkins on display, so they are not seasonal, but the branches of bittersweet are the provisional accent the pumpkins needed. The decorated bottle on the floor lamp is a leftover from this past winter—it escaped my notice for a few months, then I just couldn’t be bothered to carry it to the storage area; but I did dust it!

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Finally, I’m offering a picture of one of my favorite decorations of the season—my turkey. This is one of those things I had in the shop because I truly loved it and wanted in my home. This happens occasionally; I buy something for the shop because I really would like to have it in my own home, but know that I need to try to sell it. Most of the time, I can happily send inventory home with my customers, but as we sold out of these (I only ordered four), I became very nervous. When we were down to one remaining, I found myself just grabbing it on the way out of the door one evening. I am so glad I did! I love the presence of this guy. This year I’ve placed him in the entry hall along with arrangement of dried lavender and oats and another velvet pumpkin. Perfect.

 

 

 

 

A few other pictures not offered in the newspaper:

“Falling” Productive

This is the column I wrote for The Leaf Chronicle, which appeared in the Sunday, Oct 20, 2013 edition.

As I sat down at the computer to write my column for this week, I posted my confession on facebook. I was there (on facebook) and elsewhere looking for inspiration. I had several suggestions for topics for my article, but mostly just some friends aiding and abetting my delinquency. I did have one friend who made a suggestion which was along the lines of what I was thinking already, so Ruta, here you go . . .

I am finding, as I usually do this time of year, that I am rather productive. There is something about fall that motivates me; even the rainy days. I’ll take a rainy day in October over a sunny day in August every time! Perhaps it is the cooler weather, the fresh breeze blowing through the shop and the house or the excitement of the coming season. Whatever the reason, it seems to come in the nick-of-time each year.

At the shop, I’ve finally started clearing out some of the “stuff” I’ve allowed to accumulate over the years. I’m boxing up some of my creative supplies to take home or donate. I’ve found I don’t have a lot of time for creative activities while at work—well, at least not this type of creativity. This will have the added benefit of clearing some shelves so we can lay-out our Christmas inventory and get it ready to move to the floor in a few weeks; yes, I’m sorry . . . I’m a retailer.

At home, I’ve been trying to accomplish some of the same. I’ve got a donate box, a storage box and the trashcan! As I transition to my fall décor, it is the perfect time to do a little weeding. Of course, this is a slower process than at the store; things are pretty clear cut there—get it on the floor to sell, donate it or throw it away. At the house I slow down. There’s so much more to consider. I’ve got children getting ready to move out of the house—eventually—so I have to consider things which might be useful in their first apartments.

Then, of course, I have to consider the Antiques Road Show. I know you know what I mean. You’re looking at that pitcher that Aunt Ethel gave you for your wedding. You’ve never used it—not even to hold flowers. This time it’s getting donated, but . . . as you place it in the box you notice the marking on the bottom. What does that say? “W. Germany.” Then you’re thinking, where did I hear something about that? If there is a “W” that clearly means is once belonged to the former President, right??? No, that wasn’t it. Think. Right, it means “West Germany.” That place no longer exists! I’ll bet it’s worth something! Wouldn’t that be a shame to donate it, to later watch as some stranger shows-up on the Antiques Road Show with the pitcher Aunt Ethel so thoughtfully chose for you?

So, umm, yeah. Back to how productive I’ve been.

While my daydreams tend to gain some footing, I still feel like I’ve made great strides at the shop and at home. I’ve been slowly adding decorative fall accents throughout the house; they will be firmly in place until after Thanksgiving. Christmas does not encroach on our orderly observation of holidays at the house. (Heck, I’m lucky to have the tree decorated by December 25^th!)

Since I like to share ideas for transitional décor you might want to use in your own home, I’ll close by sharing a picture of the mantel in our dining room. This is one of my favorite places to focus our seasonal décor for several reasons. It is the first room I see when I walk out of our bedroom, it is where we do most of our entertaining and I can also see it from the room where I spend most of my waking hours—the kitchen.

Several weeks ago, I was ready to remove the summer accents I had used to adorn it for the season, but not quite ready for Indian corn and pumpkins, so I decided to add some items that would carry through until Thanksgiving, while giving a nod to the fading summer days. I started with a few books stacked on their side—choosing those with colors that reflected my transitional theme. Then I added brown pillar candles and a hand decorated emergency candle (similar to the one I gave instructions for last week), as well as a few rusty iron accents. The final touch—the hydrangeas I dried a few weeks ago. I left them in the aqua ball jars, because the colors worked so well with the shades of blues and greens in the hydrangeas. I loved this display so much, I was hesitant to take it down for my full-blown autumn mantel, but I do look forward to using the dried blooms again next year.

Next week, I’ll share more pictures of my home and how I decorate for this most wonderful time of year.

UpCycling an Emergency Candle

This is the column I wrote for The Leaf Chronicle, which appeared in the Sunday, Oct 18, 2013 edition.
Time for another “how to” House Arrest column.
First, though, I want to throw-out a reminder about a great event coming up this week. It’s one of my favorite inspiration sources, but I’ve been known to do a little shopping, too. The Hayloft at Port Royal is starting this Thursday, with a preview night and continues through Saturday. These barns sales have become enormously popular across the nation and I am so glad that Shirley and Knox have brought one to Clarksville. Not only is the event wonderful for those of us who like to shop, it’s also great for the local economy. Folks travel from far and near to set-up as vendors, as well as shop; many travelers will stay in our hotels, eat at our restaurants and put gas in their cars. In the words or Ms. Martha, “it’s a good thing.”
Today, I’m going to share instructions for upcycling an emergency candle into a decorative accessory for fall. Actually, this project can be adapted to the season, but today I’ll teach you the basics and you can “jump” from here.
The list:
8” emergency candle in glass
Scrap of burlap
Scrap of muslin or other cotton fabric
Rubber stamp with a “background” print (I used one with a script pattern)
Rubber stamping ink pad (I use brown ink)
Raffia
Oats, mini-Indian corn, acorns—anything fall-ish
Rubber bands
Mod Podge®
Foam paint brush
Those well labeled “fabric only” scissors
1. Cut your burlap into a 9 x 7 rectangle—pull threads to fringe one of the long sides.

2. Coat the glass of the candle with a generous layer of Mod Podge®; slip on a couple rubber bands while glue dries.
 

3. Tear a 5” wide length of the cotton fabric (I used flour sack cloth); I tore a long piece because I planned to make a lot of these candles. (You can cut the fabric, but tearing gave the appearance I wanted.)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 








4. Use rubberstamp and stamp pad to apply a pattern onto the cotton fabric; allow to dry completely. Cut a length of the fabric to 8”. Attach the stamped fabric to the burlap, using the Mod Podge®.
 
5. Cut a length of raffia, at least 18” long. Wrap it around the candle, securing with a square knot. (left over right and under, right over left and under—pull tight).
6. Now here is where you can introduce various elements of fall, by adding your choice of accent. Use a strand or two of the raffia to attach a mini-bunch of wheat/oats, a tiny wreath and acorn or an Indian corn. I am sure you can think of other accents, as well.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 







As I mentioned, this is an easily adapted project for any season. The candles are very affordable and the glass makes it ideal for decorating. I hope you enjoy your candles.

A Harvest Banner How-to

This is the column I wrote for The Leaf Chronicle which was published on Sep 8, 2013.

Well, I’ll bet you had a hard time sleeping last night as you eagerly anticipated this promised “how to make a pennant banner” article. Thank goodness your sleepless nights are over, ‘cause here it is.

I hope this is something you’re as interested in as, apparently, I am. I say “apparently,” because as I was pulling out some of my fall decorations for the house, I came across another pennant banner I made for my Thanksgiving mantel décor. I then I started mentally listing all of the banners I’ve made: “Grateful” for Thanksgiving; “Gloria” for Christmas; the banner of vintage photos of kids in their snow outfits for winter; “America” with crinkled crepe paper fans for the Fourth of July. It was there that I discontinued my mental list, but I think I’ve demonstrated my affinity for this quick-and-easy to make decorative accent.

If you think you’d like to make one as pictured here, the supplies you will need are:

Cardstock (color of your choice, I used parchment)

Burlap

Letter stencils

Acrylic paint

Sponge wedge or foam paint brush

Glue

Jute twine

Hole punch

Reinforcement stickers

Optional—trim materials, such as lace and accent materials, such as raffia

1. Cut your base triangles from the card stock. I use 11 x 8.5” cardstock and am able to get three pennants out of one sheet. (photo A)

2. Cut seven pennant triangles. Punch a hole in each of the top (short edge) corners.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Cut a template for a triangle about ½” smaller overall. (I cut one extra of my base triangles, folded it in half—lengthwise—and cut ½” from the short and long sides.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Use this smaller template to trace seven triangles onto your burlap and cut them. (Let me say here and now—treat yourself to one good pair of fabric scissors. Do not allow anyone to use them on anything—even if they say they need it for fabric—they are lying to you and preparing to go cut a coaxial cable. I am sure of it. I have a pair at the shop and at home—both have “warning” tags on them assuring of a variety of pains that await the perpetrator if I catch them being used on anything other than fabric. So far, the threats have not had to be acted upon. So far.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Back to our pennant banner.

6. Pour a little of your paint (I used Traditional Raw Umber acrylic) on a plate. Center your H stencil on the burlap triangle. Dip the sponge into the paint (do not overload paint), then holding the stencil in place, tamp the paint into the stencil and violá—only A-R-V-E-S and T to go!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. While the paint dries, you can add trim to the outside edge of your base triangle. I like using cotton lace when I’m using burlap—kind of fancies it up, but not too much. I pre-cut all of the lengths I needed (I am not looking for precision here—just get it close). Use an old, small paint brush to “paint” a thin layer of glue around the perimeter of your base triangle and apply the trim. By the time you finish this, the paint on your burlap pennants should be dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Apply another thin layer of glue on the base triangle (inside of the trim) and stick the burlap to the base. Allow to dry completely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Apply reinforcement stickers to the backside of each of the holes on the base pennant.

10. Now you’re ready to string you pennant banner together. Run the jute twine through the hole starting on the top left of the H, running the twine behind the base triangle . . . oh you get the picture.

 

11. I added the raffia accents to give my banner a little more interest. You could also add a few pieces of mini-Indian corn between each triangle.

Have fun with this project, but be careful, the next thing you know you will be cutting more triangles and stringing pennants to welcome your friends to your guest bathroom.

The first day of September—color me happy!

My column for The Leaf Chronicle, originally published Sep 1, 2013.

My love/hate relationship with our Mulberry tree continues—having just gotten over the black flies and berries, we are now dealing with the falling leaves (which will continue until February). The gardens are a mess—weeds are rampant in the flower bed and the perennials are getting leggy. The lack of rain has wreaked havoc on the gardens and yard; yet I am crazy about this time of year!

Our “above ground pond” is closed for the season, so that is one less thing to worry about. Pretty soon we will be able to open the windows and enjoy the fresh air. Soon, mums and pumpkins will adorn front porches all over Clarksville. Yep—soon it’ll be fall y’all!

In typical fashion, however, I am loathe to push the seasons. Owning a retail shop makes me hyper aware of the changing seasons. You will note that most retailers already have their Halloween décor on the shelves—fall colors, in the form of faux leaves and pumpkins, having been added in July. I have always pushed back at the suggestion that I need to do the same thing at my shop, but I have had to succumb ever so slightly.

I think that, by August, everyone has had enough “summer” and most consider the start of the school year the start of the fall season; however, the warm weather will stick around for a while, so let’s conjure some ideas for making a transition.

This is the perfect time to cleanse the decorating palette. I like to move into neutral tones before I introduce the rich colors of the harvest season. The neutral items will then provide a great base for the future riot of orange, gold and red.

Here’s how I will start. I have a tobacco basket on the front of my house—where I often hang my wreaths. I put it up last fall and decided to use it as the “base” for all of our entryway décor since then. Until recently, a swag of herbs with a garden trowel and bird’s nest was hanging there, now it is the backdrop for an armful of dried oats, gathered together with a knot of burlap. In a few weeks, I will add a pennant banner to hail the harvest season (I’ll be sharing tips on how to make your own next week). For now, the neutral oats will set the tone—then I will add pops of color and seasonal references.

Dried flowers and grasses are a great way to make changes in the house, without pulling out the pumpkins and gourds just yet. Hydrangeas are my favorite dried flowers and my friend, Ruta, just gave me tips for the best way to dry them. If you have a bush with blooms you are still enjoying, now would be a great time to cut a bunch and bring them inside to dry. (If you don’t have your own hydrangea bush, wait until it is dark and sneak into your neighbor’s yard to cut his.) Don’t harvest new blooms—choose the blooms that are already starting to feel papery. Cut a good length of stem and remove all leaves. Then place the blooms in a vase that is filled to about 1/3 full. Add your blooms—don’t overcrowd—then enjoy them until the water evaporates. You should then have beautiful dried blooms. Keep them out of direct sunlight during the drying process and afterward.

Jan 13, 2013--Displacement Cleaning

Two trees down, two to go . . . plus the mantel(s), staircase and kitchen décor.  Anyone else feeling overwhelmed by the post-Christmas un-decorating process?

I’ve been using the fact that my husband was gone during the holidays to justify my leisurely approach to returning the house to its pre-Christmas blah-ness, but (if you’ve been a faithful reader) you know this is my perennial lament.  I really like my house decorated for the holidays.  I like the glow of the lights from the trees and staircase.  In fact, as I write this I am sitting in an otherwise dark room—the only illumination being my computer screen and our Christmas tree.  I love it and hate to see it go, but go it must, because I am also disconcerted by the furnishings and art work the Christmas paraphernalia displaces.

I’m ready to return my treasured art, created by local artist Billy Renkl, to its place of prominence on the wall which is currently blocked by a 9 foot artificial tree.  I am ready to have the table, which belongs in the same general area, back in place—to reload it with the “moments in time” we have captured and framed; to slide the vintage chest into place and re-stack my collection of magazines.  And that is just one 3 square foot area!

So, you see, it is not as though I will be de-cluttering the house in order to return it to some minimalist domicile; nope—never been accused of being a minimalist.  What I actually do is displacement cleaning and arranging.  By “displacement” I am referring to the physics definition; in the end, there will be the same amount of stuff, it’ll just be redistributed. 

Now, wait a minute, didn’t I just write a column about celebrating my minor successes?  Indeed I did.  I need to give myself some credit for off-loading at least a year’s worth of magazines (just one title—kept the other three, of course).  I’ve even allowed two of my subscriptions to lapse; the counter balance to this effort is, however, the fact that I’ve subscribed to a new magazine.  I will end up with a net of -1, which is, in this case, desirable.   

Regardless, by the time you read this, I hope to have packed away the family tree ornaments, but as I am still in the planning stages of this action, I need to let you know something—that way I’m more likely to do it.  This year, I am packing all of the ornaments the kids have been given over the years, into their own boxes, where they will stay until they have trees of their own.  I decided that this is the year to do it because I am starting to forget which ornament belongs to whom.  (We’re talking about a lot of ornaments—collectively, a minimum of 52—that’s allowing for gifts from relatives.)  I feel awful if/when they break.  I’d rather go ahead and put them away now, so they can break them on their own in their future homes.  So, with some help identifying each designated ornament, they will go into boxes, marked with their names, until they claim them for their own holiday celebrations.

You realize, of course, this means I’ll need more ornaments for next Christmas.

Tobacco Barns and Porch Decor

Sep 30, 2012

This past weekend marked the arrival of my favorite time of year. I am a fall fan for sure and have been enjoying everything I possibly can about preparing for this time of year.

A few weeks ago I went in search of something new to use for my front porch décor at the house. While on the hunt, I came across a bunch of tobacco baskets and knew instantly I would use one as the anchor for my new display.

One of my favorite harbingers of this season is when the barns used for smoking tobacco start emitting their seasonal scents. I am sure there are many non-natives who have a story about seeing a smoking barn and wondering if they should dial 9-1-1. I know I took pause when I first saw one; a quick call to a “local” allayed my fears.

Smoking season is here again and I adore scent that fills the air. In fact, my favorite scented candle is called Bergamot Tobacco, which sounds a little off-putting if you are not familiar with the intoxicating scent of tobacco being smoked in preparation for sale.

After procuring several of these baskets, I became a little more curious about the process, so I called a friend, Anne Head, whose family has been in the tobacco business for many years; she gave me the low down. After harvesting the tobacco, leaf-by-leaf, farmers then tie the leaves together in bunches, hang them from sticks and place the filled sticks in the tiers of the tobacco barn. The farmers then commence to smoking/curing the tobacco to achieve the golden brown color. Tobacco baskets are no longer used, but would have been—at this point—loaded with the smoked leaves and taken to market.

As they are no longer employed for their intended use, folks have been finding alternative uses for them since the late 70s. I, naturally, look at them for their decorative qualities. They are attractive works of basketry art in and of themselves, but it is rare that I can leave a surface unadorned.

I immediately thought of my antique pitch fork, which I found on one of my flea marketing excursions in Germany, as the perfect accent for my developing fall front porch display. Unfortunately, it was one of those tools/toys my son found irresistible as he was reenacting the mob scene from Beauty and the Beast or later, the battle scene at the end of Braveheart; which is likely why I found it in pieces on a hill in our backyard. Plan B—find another pitch fork.

Another fall arrangement I’ve fallen in love with is one that Patty Stinnett encouraged me to try. She found our inspirational picture on Pinterest (yup—I’m talking about Pinterest again); it involved turning a vintage floor lamp into a planter. As I have entirely too many dysfunctional vintage floor lamps—I decided to try this project.

I used a floor lamp that had a place for a center bulb and three arms for additional lights. I then altered a hanging wire basket so it would slide down and rest on the arms. I used a coconut shell liner and then added my plants. The inspiration picture showed the planter filled with gorgeous succulents, but I was using my planters to decorate for a fall themed function, so I used mums with ornamental kales and cabbages. I also added an aqua-colored canning jar in the center in order to add candlelight to my floor lamp planter. I used plastic tie-wraps to secure the baskets to the arms of the lamp. They are a little tippy, so I don’t think this is something I would recommend this project for a house full of little ones or frisky pets. I will, however, be adding one of these to the display on my front porch. Once again I am sorry I don’t have a picture of the finished product, but I promise to add it to the blog.

I hope you are enjoying the smell of tobacco smoke, the sight of mums popping-up everywhere and, of course, the cooler temperatures. I’ll have a few more ideas to share next week.

Pinterest

19SEP12
Change is in the air. I’ve actually been able to leave the house on a few occasions and not had the life sucked from me as I hit a wall of humidity. We even opened the windows last weekend! Perhaps we can look forward to a little less heat and humidity as we wind-up summer. Even those of you die hard summer fans have to admit this one has been brutal. Can I get an “Amen?”
Well, regardless of the love of summer held by many, most can agree that fall here in middle Tennessee is wonderful. It is always my favorite season (no matter where I am living), and I am looking forward to it more than usual this year. I’ve already decided my fall wreath and porch décor will be out as soon as Darren finishes his improvement project. I am no longer waiting for the official end of summer. It’s not like I am wearing white shoes after Labor Day, for heaven’s sake; I’m just putting out a wreath and vintage pitch fork!
According to most of the activity on Pinterest, it would appear many agree with my efforts to put summer behind us.
What’s that? You’ve not heard of “Pinterest?” Well, my dears, let me help you down the road of more lost hours than you can count . . .
Pinterest is yet another social media network. As a member you have the ability to create your own “pin boards” where you can grab images or videos you find on the web, say while browsing your favorite blogs or websites, and save them to your own boards. Think of it as an online idea book. You name your own boards and, as near as I can tell, there is no limit to the number of boards you can have. I, for instance, have 40 (wow! That many? Really didn’t know that until this moment.) boards, but a friend of mine has 89! I will not name names, but let me assure you, she is on Pinterest a lot! (I love pointing fingers to distract from my own issues . . .)
To give you an idea of how you use it, I’ll share some of my boards. I have a board named “I eat, therefore I am” where I post recipes I’ve found. Now I don’t have to have a log in for epicurious.com and other foodie sites—I just post them all to Pinterest. I also have a board called “The Crafting I’ll never get to” where I post, well, craft ideas. Then there is my “Patina, Please” board, where I post ideas about furniture painting inspirations.
The beauty of this site is, you can (almost) always find the source of the image, therefore you can always find it for yourself. This virtually eliminates those endless hours of hunting for that cool platter rack you saw on someone’s blog. Now you can figure out they got it at, oh, say Hodgepodge, or they just downloaded the image from a google search. Either way, the question is answered.
As near as I can tell, you still have to request a membership, but I think a member can send you an invitation, too. So, if you are a fellow “image addict” and would like to while away the hours putting together your own idea boards, drop me an email (address is below) and I will send you and invitation. If you are already on Pinterest, I hope you find me and follow! I am at: Pinterest.com/paigetk

two-by-two

August 12, 2012

Preparing for two kids to leave for college is like survivalist preparations. You double-up on everything and pack it in big plastic bins. The only difference is they will have running water, so we can leave bottled water off the list; that, and ammo. Two birds leaving our nest.

Recently, Facebook has been awash with pictures of the children of friends as they approach the school bus for the first time or as they trudge ahead of Mom, laden with a fully loaded backpack. Most photo posts are accompanied with comments such as, “I’m going to cry all day,” or “I can’t believe time is going so quickly!” All I could think was, “Looks like freedom to me!”

I remember when I started sending the kids to school. I don’t remember ever really being sad about school days. I do remember thinking things like, “Wow, grocery shopping is going to be much easier now,” or “Maybe I can get the dining room painted now!” But sadness wasn’t really part of it. I guess there was comfort in knowing that I would see them again after school. The freedom was good, but it was temporary and that was also good.

Now I am facing a much more permanent “freedom” that is making me feel a little off-center.

Our eldest daughter was gentle with me. She started her college career here at APSU about two years ago. At that time, she decided to continue living at home. It has been great (for me), but now she is ready to live in the dorms. We are very excited for her and hope that she is able to fully enjoy the university experience now that she will be living on campus. But part of me is now-so-secretly glad she will still come home for the occasional meal or maybe to do laundry.

Our son is a different story. He is off to eastern Tennessee, where he will attend UT Knoxville. (eep!) This one will be a little more difficult. He will eat all of his meals and do laundry (I hope) in Knoxville—now through fall break (hold on . . . yes, there is a fall break, Oct 11- 14) or (eep, eep!) Thanksgiving. He will not be taking a car with him, so any efforts to retrieve him for a weekend will require hours of travel there and back; not likely to happen with my schedule.

So, our youngest has a lot of pressure on her. She will be home alone for three years. We’ve already told her she is going to have to pick-up the chore slack (hee, hee), but what I don’t think she is expecting is how she is going to have to pick-up the entertainment slack, too. I really enjoy their company now. We have interesting conversations—talking books, issues and the like with comfort and ease. I actually like my kids and look forward to the daily rundown during our dinner conversations.

I find that I really like my adult kids. In fact, I recommend skipping all of that other stuff and just adopting fully grown, well-behaved adult children. Since, however, the youngest requires a little more time to enter the next phase of life, I will follow through with our commitment to raise her.

Alrighty then, I guess I better get back to packing—you can call me “Noah”—everything is going, two-by-two.