It is going to rain for the next three days, so I ran outside yesterday to check on the ‘status of the lilacs.’
Oooh! They’re blooming!
You’d better believe I was getting as close to those flowers as I could in order to get a whiff of that heavenly scent.
Now that the daffodils have bloomed and the lilacs are just about to be in full bloom, I can say that Spring is finally here.
Yesterday we did something we rarely do. We went to the movies, and not for the discount matinee. The back story is that a movie has just come out that features a close friend of ours and we knew we had to see it. We wanted to see it. So we drove across the river to a neighboring city to catch the 12:10 matinee. Tickets? $20.00. A bottle of water and a modest size of popcorn? $13.00.
What the heck?
$33.00 to see a movie? This is why we don’t go and instead, wait for the movie to be On Demand on our cable network or on Netflix. How do people who routinely go to the movies afford it? We sure can’t.
And then we had to sit there and watch a bunch of commercials and previews for television shows. Really?? I can see that at home. Unbelievably annoying and, unfortunately, no mute button (something we freely use during commercials.)
More and more I feel like one of those older people who say, “Back in my day…” Heck, I remember going to matinees when I was a kid – double features, no less – for a grand total of 25 cents.
Another reason not to go is the noise/texting/selfie ridiculousness that goes on, but thankfully, there were few people in the audience and they were all older, so no problem on that front.
On the TSP front: (Don, stop here.) I had an epiphany about a color choice, but now that I’ve executed the whole thing, I’m having some doubts. I may have to change it out.
I made two table tops for a working desk/console. Don likes color and, as I mentioned before, I have been thinking that the other side of the room needs color. And I want it to be cheery. So I made two table tops and painted them turquoise, which is a color Don really loves. So far, so good.
Then, to weigh them down and keep them from warping, I used an old standby:
It helps to have a heavy volume of the Bard on hand.
Earlier in the week, I had purchased a couple of dowels at Michael’s and I decided to use one for the legs on the table. Now, unlike a lot of miniaturists, I don’t have any power tools (except a 25 year old drill) and no place to store them even if I did have them, so I have to resort to a hand saw or my trusty Easy Cutter. I measured out eight legs and cut them as best I could.
Here’s where I think I made a mistake – paint color. I was debating whether the legs should be black or silver or white when I thought…”Orange! Like the fireplace!” Turquoise and orange look great together so why not? I grabbed my can of orange spray paint and went to town, then I glued the legs on (a pain in the tush) and let them dry overnight.
You see, I wanted the studio to be cheery and bright and full of color – an inspiring place in which to create.
Here’s the end result.
Does this look too circus-y to you? Keep in mind that there will also be a computer monitor and a mixing board on top of the longer table. I took the legs off the keyboard because I’ve seen so many home studios with just the keyboard on the work surface and I like that look.
There will also be a modern swivel desk chair (in black) at the desk, which will help to cut some of the color. And there will be guitars somewhere on that wall, as well as some artwork, all of which might help to balance out the orange legs and end up making that whole wall look quite colorful.
Which I like. And it does help to define the working/recording area of the studio as opposed to the lounging area. And the eating area. There will also be a rug on the floor, though I’ve not made the final decision on which one I want to buy.
I could always change out the legs, but I think I will hold off for a while until I tinker with the rest of that side of the studio.
Now, I’ll close so I can go upstairs and stare at the desks. And ponder.
Happy Sunday.
I like the color of the tables so I vote to keep it! What movie did you see? Enjoy your day.
You know, I’m not going to mention the name of the movie because I really didn’t like it and I don’t want to hurt my friend’s feelings. So it will remain a mystery, Doris! Thanks for the vote on the tables!
I think the colors look great together, especially with the additional items you mentioned.
This is such a wonderful project!
And as I get older, I also dislike going to the movies.
Thanks for the vote of support. Maybe I just have to let myself get used to it?
I wish there was smell-a -vision so I could get a whiff of the lilacs! I like the orange legs and think it will tie together nicely. I haven’t been to a movie in YEARS because of the cost…yikes! I can wait and see it at home and enjoy popcorn in my nightgown. I hope you have a beautiful Sunday.
hugs,
Linda
You’re not kidding! So expensive! The only way we would have paid anything close to that amount was for a friend. And I didn’t even like it, so there’s that. Have a wonderful day, my friend.
I understand why you don’t want to hurt your friends feelings. The cost of movies will put the theaters out of business. Families will not be able to enjoy this outing together.
I don’t know how they could! It’s so expensive! Thanks for understanding about the name of the movie, Doris.
I like the orange legs. I’m not really a fan of going to the movies anymore either. Too expensive, annoying people and the theaters are sometimes not the cleanest. The volume is so loud that I just get annoyed. I’d rather watch a good movie in my pjs any day!
Me too! We’d much rather have control over the volume, be able to pause it for a second if we need to, etc!
I like the orange and your plans for that area sound fabulous.
There’s a local movie theater with Lazy Boy style seating. We went a couple times and then decided our own sofa and recliner are just as good;) Once in a blue moon I miss the movie theater experience, but for the most part we like our movies at home.
I agree. The seats were sort of La-Z-Boy and they were very comfortable. That was the positive from the experience.
I actually like the tables as is. The orange legs give it a more manly feel. They look like guys tables.
We gave up on going to movies a long time ago. We’d much rather be at home where we can control the environment. Plus it is ridiculously expensive. I think the only movie worth paying big bucks to see is to Kill a Mockingbird. I’m surprised they haven’t made a remake.
Anywho…
Don is going to go bananas when he sees the tsp.
Love the lilacs and daffs.
Have a nice day,
Monica
They’d better not even attempt to make a remake of TKAM! A sacrilege!
Thanks so much for your thoughts on the tables.
I like the orange legs. It will help balance the tall fireplace on the other side. I hardly go out for movies. Not only too expensive, movies I like don’t seem to be made much. I do go to the local theater’s classic movie series. I buy a block of tickets that are good for any of the series that are shown about 2-3 times a year, 12 or so movies in a series. Works out to be $5.50 a movie, and because they are classics, the theater doesn’t get full….my daughter and I watched Casablanca on the big screen in the renovated Art Deco main theater with only about a dozen other people. Borrowed Love in the Afternoon from the library….Audrey Hepburn at her most waif-like, a young-ish Maurice Chavalier, and a non-cowboy Gary Cooper. I love the classics…
I would go for that – classic movies? Yes! I love the classics, too.
Thanks for weighing in on the legs!
It seems unanimous, Claudia. We all like the orange legs.
Well, I’m surprised, but that makes me happy. I guess I didn’t have any objectivity as to the legs. Thanks, Beverly.
I hope your rain is not the kind that “beats up” on the lilacs. Ours are bloomed, and we had some crazy rain yesterday……. the scent of the blooms is wonderful!! They look a bit sad today.
I think the tables look GREAT and it kind of looks like the arrangement in your own upstairs office!! Such fun.
I haven’t been to a movie in years. The volume is what really does me in. And the cost is ridiculous. And, yes, I do understand it costs money to make movies, but to spend that much for two hours when we know we can quite quickly see it in the comfort of our own living room just seems crazy. I doubt if the price will be coming down anytime soon.
Hope you have a great day, and may the rain fall softly upon your lilacs this week!!
I think that’s why the prices continue to go up – not enough people go to the movies anymore when they can watch them on computers and iPads and by streaming to their televisions.
Since the lilacs aren’t fully open, I think the rain will be okay. It’s definitely raining, but it’s not torrential. So far.
Movies have become very expensive…and the popcorn too! That’s why, when we can, we take advantage of $5 Tuesday’s! I like the orange legs…perhaps if you had another touch of orange on that side of the room….it might relate better…like in a painting or rug. I’m sure you’ll figure it out! ;)
Thanks, Donnamae. I’m sure there will be some sort of orange…we’ll see!
The last time we went to the movies was for a $5 matinee and that was about 2 years ago!
Colour is good! Our condo loft has high white walls (like the TSP) that serve as a great backdrop for very colourful abstract art. (Coincidentally one Picasso-like piece combines blue and orange,)
The last movie theatre in our town was torn down last year to make room for a new housing development. We never seemed to have time during the school term, but in the summers my daughter and I would quite often walk over to catch the late show on a Saturday as neither of us can sleep when it’s light outside. It was super cheap, super grungy and quite often we were the only ones there if it wasn’t an action movie. Now it seems too much effort and expense to drive into the next city to watch something that more often than not is mediocre.
What a great color combo. The orange offsets the Aqua nicely. Now, I can’t wait to see that side of the TSP put together!
Raining here too but I am grateful we are not experiencing what the plains states and south have had. It will be nice to see the sun for a few days this week, though.
Your lilacs look beautiful!
With the style you are going for, I vote to keep the color of the tables and legs combo. It will be less obvious once all the other items are in place, but will be enough to bounce off the other similar colors. Looking forward to seeing the finished result.
We used to go to a movie almost every week – we didn’t do much else for entertainment, so felt we deserved it. (we were both working full time and doing o.k.) But, it has now been a very rare occasion that we go to the theater for all the reasons you stated. Sometimes a movie just needs to be seen on the big screen, but sadly, there are not many that earn that rating for us anymore.
We just moved into a small older home (1941 built) and have many bushes and shrubs – waiting to see if we have been blessed with any lilacs, as they are my favorite. If not, we will have to look into planting at least 1 or 2 for the future. I’ve only seen apple blossoms in our neighborhood so far.
FYI – due to your reference of your home as Mockingbird Hill Cottage, and not wanting people to say what a cut “little” house we have, I am going to call our new home Northern Cardinal Cottage. The people who lived here previously, had a great love for Red Cardinals. There is a doorstop that they left and several of the light switch covers were replaced with ones with Cardinals on them. There’s also a lovely bench in the basement that has hand painted Cardinals on it. (this will eventually find a home in the enclosed gazebo) Thought of Red Cardinal Cottage but felt it left our the female and her lovely coloring, so after looking it up, Northern Cardinal Cottage it is. Thank you for the inspiration. (and your love of the cardinal)
My oh my – how I ramble. Sorry – and it’s “cute” not cut.
Ramble on! I love it!
First, congratulations on your new cottage! And I sure hope you have lilacs. It sounds absolutely charming and the name is perfect! Any inspiration provided by my little cottage makes me happy, Ranee.
i love the colors the way they are now. The combination is perfect. Trust your instincts :)
I usually do, but this time I was thrown a bit! Thank you, Sue.
Claudia, if you are still second-guessing, why not leave the table legs for now and ask Don for his opinion later? It seems to me that your miniatures are, and always will be, works in progress anyway. That’s part of the fun.
Your lilac photographs are stunning. Ours are just about in full bloom here. I think we’re a week or two ahead of you, generally speaking. Our dogwoods, pink and white, and azaleas are gorgeous right now. I wish I could send you the scent of the lily-of-the-valley that’s flourishing outside my back door.
I know Don – he’ll love whatever I do, Nancy.
The tables are very fun just the way they are. I love lilacs, they are my favorite flower, I miss them.
Love you,
M
I can’t even get a whiff of them today, Mere. It’s raining too hard! xo
Claudia, I think the tables look jazzy! They remind me of a Klee painting. I think it’s Klee of whom I’m thinking. My mind has been adrift all day. With the equipment, I think it’s fun to have colorful tables. Artists are colorful, and musicians are artists. So this works for me.
I quit going to the movies when they added that LOUD surround sound that hurts my ears. After asking them repeatedly to turn down the volume on the previews, I finally just gave up. I am too spoiled by Movie Palaces of yore to sit there and be tortured in a modern, though cushy, setting. I would rather wait till the movies come out on video. It is a rare exception that I go to the movies anymore, and I went nearly every weekend as a child. There were double features on Saturday and Sunday, and I loved them. Daddy and I would take in Spartan Movies like “Romulus and Remus” and “Jason and the Argonauts”. Or Vincent Price movies. And the classics like “Sound of Music”, “Westside Story”, “Ben Hur”, “Lawrence of Arabia”, “Cleopatra”, “The Ten Commandments”, etc. etc. etc. What a joy movies were! I loved watching the black and white movies at home, too: Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Myrna Loy, etc.
One of the highlights of my life was meeting some of the Munchkins (got to hold hands with this as I escorted them through a dark cinema) at a cinema extravaganza and airing of “The Wizard of Oz”. Would you believe the entire audience was so excited that they spontaneously broke into song with, “Weeeeeee’re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz…” And the audience was comprised of adults!!!
But thirty-something dollars??? It’s crazy! Unless it’s a charity fundraiser. Too bad the quality doesn’t correspond with the price. Now with the BBC, there is a direct correlation and Merchant Ivory Films, too.
Off to nap for a bit…
xo
Sheila
I miss movies that were events in wonderful old movie palaces. Not in a complex that has 14 other movies playing as well. I think that’s why I love TCM so much. I love all the classic black and white movies of yore.
I don’t remember these things…they’d stopped doing it when I was a young kid going to the movies…but Mom told me that even in the early 50s, our local movie theater would also function like a stage, and there’d be promotional events. I guess at intermission? She told me of one that had a bicycle as the grand prize. My young cousin won! When the officials running the contest said something to the effect of, “Here’s a big, brand-new bike for you!” my cousin politely said, “Oh, that’s okay, I already have a bicycle.” So, they re-drew and selected another winner. His mother exclaimed when he got home, “You have four other brothers and sisters who could have used a new bicycle!” (we were families who didn’t have much money, especially for new bikes!) but, of course, she also praised him for his generosity.
Yes, I sort of remember that and I certainly remember my mom and dad talking about that. Sigh. I wish things were more like that today.
No kidding? Previews for TV shows are shown at the movies now? That’s nuts. When we were kids, we had to put up with commercials on TV because TV was [then] free for consumers. Now that we have to PAY to get cable TV, why are there STILL commercials? And now, more ads? At the movies – where we had to pay to get in as well? Someone has to explain that one to me. I’m betting big $$ that the almighty and ever-loving BUCK has something to do with it. I honestly can’t remember the last time I went to a theater movie. I THINK it was “Julie & Julia.” When was that – 2009? 2010? And I don’t miss them. Nope, I LOVE being able to see movies on Netflix, documentaries and how-to’s on YouTube etc. This aspect of technology was, in my humble opinion, MADE FOR the getting-older crowd. No coping with weather or traffic. No ridiculously-pricey tickets or snacks. No one talking through the whole picture either. I do admit I would liked to have seen all the gorgeous Hawaiian scenery in “The Descendants” on a big screen, but that’s as far as I’ll go in defending theater movies. That’s all they still have that make them better than the small-screen. End of soapbox. ?
We were disgusted by the television previews and commercials. And they went on for a long time! I’m on the same soapbox as you are, Janet!
It’s been 17 years since I set foot in a movie theater…and I love the movies. But I was SO uncomfortable. I couldn’t shift around in the seat and got restless. I could not BELIEVE the noise people were making during even quiet, dramatic, thought-provoking segments of the story. My neck started hurting from the angle of vision/head. I thought I’d never get out of there…and it was a really good film worth watching. I’ve become too accustomed to watching movies in the comfort and peace of my own home for the past 30+ years (and the advent of VCR/premium cable [at times when I could afford it…HBO/Cinemax, etc.]). This wasn’t even an older movie theater I was in, back in 1999; it had only been built six years earlier, so it should have been top drawer on many levels.
Yeah, I can remember going to a Saturday matinee for fifty cents and being able to buy a huge hard-candy lollipop or an AbbaZaba or a box of Good & Plenty (licorice) and maybe a Sugar Daddy pop (caramel on a stick) for next to nothing. Small town boomer memories! Big ‘ol deep, comfy burgundy velvet seats that you could disappear into for the movie watching…teenagers necking in the balcony above us…
About the TSP tables, what other color would you paint them? What’s on your mind? Any other color, with the black & white of the equipment…I think they’d look bland. You’re not trying to go for 100% ’70s authentic, right? It’s like the 3 Rs when working on a real house…restoration, renovation, remodel. All 3 are different. When trying to go era-appropriate, most people can’t afford to 100% restore, so they renovate…they mix historical with repro; they take some thoughtful liberties. For instance, we heavily researched paint colors for the exterior of our vintage cottage a decade ago. We didn’t like any of them…those colors used back in the 1920s for houses. Yuck. This is a case where a more modern/updated color didn’t hurt the place at all, and we got a lot of compliments from people, even the ones who are in the business (architect, decorator-types and so on); we did the same thing with the roof and got a roof with some color to it other than brown. (I am absolutely NOT a brown fan and that goes for beige, too.) The cottage looked gorgeous when we got done with it. In my opinion, same thing for the TSP. Have some fun with it!
No, I’m not trying one bit to be accurate because in this studio, just like in my real life and in my other dollhouse, I like eclectic. So it’s not supposed to look exactly like the period. It’s supposed to look sort of hip and relaxing and welcoming.
Which it is…already (I could hang out there; love it!). That says it for me then: I think you should leave the tables as you’ve painted them. They turned out great!
Thank you, Vicki!
I love lilacs but, allergy-wise, they hate me, BOO!
The TSP is looking wonderful! You probably need to “live with” the color of the legs and then decide. It’s certainly an easy fix if you decide to change the color.
You’re right, Debbie. I’ll just give it time.
I vote that the legs stay orange, it definitely brightens up that area.
Thanks, Jan!
The tables look fine – the whole project is amazing.
Brian and I don’t go to the movies either. $20 per ticket?! That’s insane. We did see the matinee (only $6 each) of Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 a few weeks ago, but that was the first time in easily three years or more that we had seen a movie in the theater. I put my big stainless steel water bottle in my purse and we don’t eat movie theater popcorn, so $12 wasn’t too bad for a movie, I guess.
Nothing but rain here all week. And only in the 40’s. It is so incredibly dreary and depressing. Checked on my lilacs today in between the raindrops and almost as close as yours…any day now. We just need some warmer weather and sunshine!
Rain here all week, too. I find I’m getting depressed! Can’t we have a little sunshine?
Your lilacs will be gorgeous Claudia…I just bought a bush to put in this year…No going to movies here either…I think the tables will fit in fine when you get the rest arranged…I keep forgetting to tell you that my test results at Hershey were good..Thank heavens…Lots of rain here too…
I’m so glad to hear the good news about your test results!
I like the tables and legs. They look great Claudia! I think that like you said, when you add the other elements it will all look just right. Lilacs. I love them. Enough said. Movies? Never go anymore. I don’t want to pay those prices to sit with rude people who talk and text and have their phones going, “ding, ding” through the entire movie. We just stay home.
Blessings,
Betsy
Thanks for weighing in on the legs, Betsy. I can’t even get to my lilacs at the moment because it’s been raining so hard!
I vote for chrome or black legs. I would make my own rug using a piece of canvas and paint large geometic shapes in orange and gray with a hint of turquoise (kind of Merimeko like). That’s where I would tie the orange in.
Thanks, Joey.