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The Living Room on a Rainy Day

August 26, 2010 at 12:00 am by Claudia

It has been raining on and off (more on than off) for the last 4 days. On Sunday we had a real deluge for most of the day. Huge amounts of rain fell. At one point in the afternoon, after a respite, it started up again while I was out running errands. The wind and rain and fog were so intense I could barely see more than a few feet in front of my car. At this point, I’m a little tired of it, but at the same time, I’m so grateful for this rain that we have needed all summer long. Brown grass is getting green, plants look happier and, thank goodness, our well is being replenished.

I took some photos of part of our living room on this moody, rainy early evening.


You can see how the living room and kitchen are basically one big space. Sometimes I like that and sometimes I don’t. However, the living room has windows but tends to be a little dark so the light from the kitchen windows is appreciated. If I didn’t know it was still summer, I would think this photo was taken in autumn. Still haven’t painted the kitchen table, but I will.


The yellow throw is on the loveseat because a certain Miss Scout considers it to be hers. She hops up there during the day and sleeps there at night. When I come downstairs in the morning, the throw is so rumpled that I might be led to believe she was tossing and turning all night long. Nope. She just jumps up, jumps down, and jumps up again throughout the night.


I suppose I should call this my Christie Repasy Corner. The small painting is by Christie and I bought the vintage lampshade from her last year at her shop. Doesn’t it look pretty with the light shining through?

In other news, my Mom has had a very hard time of it today. She fell early in the morning while trying to get back in bed, then she had two more episodes of weakness in the bathroom. After the 3rd episode, my sister called 911 and Mom was taken to the hospital. The latest news is that she is suffering from a severe urinary tract infection and is to be admitted to the hospital this evening (Wednesday.) We are all worried and Mom is very down. If you would keep her in your thoughts, I would be most appreciative.

Filed Under: cottage, mom, rain 33 Comments

CSN Giveaway

August 25, 2010 at 12:00 am by Claudia

By now, I’m sure you’ve seen or read about CSN stores. But if you haven’t, CSN has over 200 online stores where you can find everything from dinnerware to lighting to furniture to dog beds.

Wedgewood Sweet Plum Dinnerware Collection….want.

When I visit this site, I see many things I would like, no love, to have. Like these Laura Ashley Sheets:

Or this wall sconce (swoon):

Or this slip cover that would look awfully nice on my worse-for-the-wear ottoman:

CSN has generously offered a $60 gift certificate to be used at any of their stores for one lucky reader of this post. CSN only ships to the United States and Canada so entries will be limited to residents of those countries.

I won’t make you jump through hoops. Just leave one comment on this post and I will pick a winner. The deadline is September 1, 2010.

Thanks for entering and good luck!

Filed Under: giveaway 78 Comments

Accumulating Stuff

August 23, 2010 at 1:18 pm by Claudia


I am someone who loves to decorate. Who loves peeking in windows at night to see what the owner has done with her home. When I lived in Philadelphia and Boston (cities where I could walk for hours) I loved nothing more than getting a glimpse inside someone’s home in the evening. When my favorite decorating magazines were still being published, I looked forward to sitting down and looking at every story, every detail. Blogs have taken the place of magazines and windows for me. I get to travel the globe, peeking inside people’s homes…with their permission!

I love the all white and cream look, but it isn’t practical for me. Both my husband and I have a tendency to spill things. I have two big dogs with lots of hair. I never tire of seeing it, though. I love those bloggers’ homes that are spare, with hardly any excess stuff around. I admire them. I wonder how they do it. Do they continually purge? Do they have lots of storage space so they can rotate things in and out of rooms? Do they collect just one thing? Do they read and collect books? If so, where are the books, the magazines, the “things?”

Friends, I am not that sort of person, though I wish I could be. Yes, we live in a tiny cottage with no attic or usable basement. But I suspect I would still be dealing with the same issues even if I had tons of space. I love my collections. I love books. I have piles of things.


This pile is on the old wicker ottoman that is just to the left of my chair. Very typical, I might add. I’m reading the paperback on top, there is a book by Kelly Rae Roberts about the creative process just below it, the new Country Gardens is just below that. Then we come to the book from my giveaway which I have to send out to Tracie this week. Below that are books to read and review in the upcoming months. And on and on it goes. If I dared to show you, you would see a stack of books and papers just to the left of this under the table. Oh, and my Nook is on top of the table along with a sampler pattern I have yet to start embroidering.


This cabinet is jammed full of china and pottery, plus a few wedding cake toppers. I have one other cabinet in the den – and that is full. And I need even more display space.


A somewhat grainy photo because it is so dark and stormy today – but it will do. All table tops are crowded around here. This table has become, through no plan on my part, all things sea. There is seaglass, a boat assemblage from Linda Crispell, and a Roseville dish loaded with seashells from my recent trip. I just added the dish the other day. There is a shelf beneath that holds some favorite CDs.

I seem to spend a great deal of my time making stacks of things to sort through. What do I get rid of and what do I keep? If I keep it, where do I put it? I’m not a hoarder. I’m pretty good at purging when the need arises. I can be ruthless. But….not with the things I love. Not with my books or my china or my pottery or my paintings or my music or my little treasures.

So here is my question: Do you suffer from the same problem? Am I the only one in a mass of spare decorators out there who has stuff? Are there kindred spirits out there in blogland?

Filed Under: books, china and pottery, decorating 44 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

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