Oscar

Dear readers and friends,

Today we lost our dog. After a short, but painful decline we had to part with him.  We could not, with responsibility and love, see him suffer from what we now know was cancer of the bone. We are dreadfully sorry to have lost him and our grief is beyond measure. This dog has accompanied us since we moved here, was around for much of the life of our two youngest children and we have a hard time thinking of the days stretching ahead without him. 

He will be remembered by all, who loved his gentle soul and wonderful, happy nature.

We love you.

Oscar,  December 2000 - November 2012

R.I.P.

Image by V.Zlotkowski

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A must have vase

I'm in love with the Boblen  vase my new  neighbour gave me. Although we do not know each other well, she could not have chosen a more fitting gift.  I always have some version of fresh greenery or flowers in my home. The more I look at  this little gem the more ideas I get  for using it. 

The Boblen line of vases, designed by famous Norwegian Florist and TV personality Finn Schjoll,

 

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 are expressive mouth blown vases  in clear glass in various sizes

 

 and colours. 

 

 Its design was inspired by water drops on a lily after the rain. The extended flat lip makes them especially conducive to wide floral designs....

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 or to highlight  a single blossom.

 

 You can also put several vases of varying sizes together to create drama. 

 or float a flower in water in the bowl .

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  or wrap a creeping vine under and around the lip.

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 You could also fill the bowl with candy, small glass ornaments, beach glass, berries, small blossoms, pepples etc.  and place a pillar candle on top.  An all around accent for your home that can always be on display.

Art Glass Vista  ships world wide.

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The future

We have been living in our house for a dozen years now and we have changed little in the grand scheme of things. Our house is colorful, spontaneously adapting to continuously arising problems, typical of old, but not so charming homes. 
This house is filled with many makeshift fixes, waiting for the break through renovations, which might never happen. My desire to change clashes often hard with the necessities at hand and the limits in our budget. Which cannot be helped.  The hoped for changes at home reflect my personal, I have departed quite far from who I used to be, even four, five years ago. 

Departed from once so harmonious ideas of how to live in this space. Less is now more appealing. Different rooms and different colors, different pieces would reflect so much better my different needs and who I am today.... They should be the fitting background to my stage in life, on which I perform daily.

I do not want to change everything. But some essential things. I admit, much more essential to me.
I do not always see eye to eye with my husband. He is in no hurry, least need for any change. He is happy with most around him and tells me to get occupied with other things, so I will stop nagging. His preferences lay elsewhere to begin with. He does not see peeling wallpapers or mildew in the bathrooms, he is seemingly oblivious to many things in need of improvement. Oh, my happy man!

Repairs we have to defer to later, due to other pressing issues and needs. And my reading of design blogs does not help at all. On the contrary. Regularly I read about massive improvements. No blogs are written about the lack of it.  Oftentimes it leaves me drained lately. I have to remind myself that these renovating mavens are a minority among the many folks, just living their common lives...making ends meet.

The irony of being so interested in design, but being incapable of acting on it sooner then later, is not lost on me. I am a dreamer, but this often comes close to self inflicted torture. I am certainly in no need for extra motivation.
There are endless scenarios which play out in my head, from better bathrooms to a modern kitchen, finished guest quarters in the basement, which has been a stepchild to us, playing evil mental games of let's pretend. I am so tired of it. 

Shall I surrender to the facts of life and remain silent from now on? I have to pinch myself to stay focused on the things at hand... To take every day and make the best out of it....
Are these the rantings of a suburban housewife with no other problems? I can assure you, it is not. I am busy with many things, some even involve making money. 
Am I sure I am the same person talking of Thanksgiving only a few days ago? These reminders are not forgotten, but there is this, the darker side, something else which needs to be voiced as well. 

Clouds over the Green House

There is a new roof coming after all. Soon. And I try to make the best of it, hoping to sneak in some changes, hoping it will pass muster. And the budget, of course. Why does everything have to be so expensive? I am not talking about the fancy stuff anymore. Contractors take much more then I do per hour. There would be no chance for me at all, if I would insist on these charges.

At Perch, New Orleans

I have been thinking hard about all that, feeling partly guilty of being so difficult and partly virtuous about me and my, hopefully, more self-controlled complaining, bitchy self.   
Now I have concluded I should try a different route. I'll will begin with myself. Begin to change on my end, free of cost and with a little more hope of success. Not the bathrooms, for I am not capable of such handiwork, but with the closets, the clutter. The stuff. 

The endless magazines, which have held my dreams and for that reason I could never part with them. As if I would loose the actual things, I so desire, by parting with these pages. The hoarded bits and pieces, which will never make it into once dreamed up projects. Unfinished THINGS, resisting for years and years under the bed and in dark corners of the basement, waiting to be discovered. All which have filled me with restless desire and pain. Constant, highly unpleasant reminders of unfinished business. They have become memories of past yearnings, ideas, with which I should have parted long ago. They have become millstones, which drag me under water. I realize that so many THINGS are connected to our 'selves', our being us, which led me to believe they are me. I am thinking about these, who loose everything through terrible events, or the cards of life, dealt to them. These unfortunate ones, might they actually gain eventually some wisdom, which is still avoiding me? Or are they simply endlessly suffering and missing things? 
Perhaps I'll learn finally to look inside myself for those THINGS, I desire on the outside?
I have read many books, stories of mindfulness and the practical help books, the un-clutter your space books and the ones pertaining to the 'un-clutter your mind'.
Where is that knowledge in my head? It takes more then reading, experiencing it on my own has always been the best way for me. Unfortunately I seem not capable of changing by theories and thinking about it alone. Learning for me is by doing. I do not want to loose the peace in my four walls, and the fine balance with my husband, who lives rather happily in the house, which is our home. 

That sunny window

This will surely be a departure not free of pain and some doubts, perhaps some regrets of leaving something behind, which I might miss later? I am a little scared of the implied consequences. But there is no change without loss along the way. What I hope to find is better balance of wants and needs in the long run. And a more clutter free existence. I feel, I can do that, but I still need to convince myself of my capability to pull through. To come out the other end with a different feeling and state of mind.
I am sure, I am not the only one suffering from imbalanced and painful hopes and desires, from dreams, we should wake up from not depressed but actually strengthened.
And to be at peace. This is my desire now. And in the future.

Our trees in spring

xoxo

Images byV. Zlotkowski

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10 simple accent trees for Christmas

.  There is definitely a "simpler Christmas" trend in the last several years. Simple is good and clean and when you add green to the mix you have the perfect Christmas accent, a small/miniature tree.  From plain to layered, there are lots of options.

 A little woodland whimsy with wooden beads.

 Grouped with a sign 

 Welcoming visitors, no need for ornaments

 A "tree" constructed from branches of boxwood, but easily done with any type of greenery. I would cut oasis in a cone shape and go from there.  For all I know you can get oasis in a cone shape!

 A  shaped rosemary tree with wood accents.

 Rosemary again with starfish for a beach Christmas.

A lovely tree with pinecones in a recycled wooden box.  Nice candlestick holders too. The black and white accents provide a great backdrop.

Love the bucket and bench  (it's all the texture and gray) but the simple ornaments finish everything off beautifully.  Who would think white card trees could be so elegant?

Did you make these 3 D hearts as a child?  They bring back happy  memories for me. With all the great paper designs available the sky is the limit for this idea.

 And finally a little colour for those who want it.

All links can be found on my Pinterest page.

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Late late late autumn

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As much as everywhere the next holidays are pushed, I am not quite ready for this... Traditional we are decking the halls not before the first Advent Sunday, which gives me still about 8 days without preparing for Christmas. 
I want to stretch these days, hold on to the late, late, late autumn days. 

Still making the few in between days after Thanksgiving count. I do love the early Christmas time, but also waiting until up to the moment. 

It seems allover to arrive a little earlier each year. Often I joke why not to keep the stuff up around all year, why bother? A little earlier to  shop a little longer, so I guess. It annoys me to see, how commercial reasons push us in the fast lanes. I refuse as usual and manage to overlook the early Christmas craze.

Of course I am thinking of the holidays long before these days, sometimes in summer and make my lists for the children, or my husband and friends....
But deep inside and at home I wait, wait for the first truly icy days, when I see the frozen garden holding still in the blue light of a late afternoon in early December, when chickadees and bluebirds begin to show up in my backyard for the morsels I lay out for them on the deck.

When on mornings around four the fox slowly makes his way through our garden and neighbor's cats look unsuccessful for chipmunks, now safely buried deep in their small cozy dens.

Then I feel the moment is right to pick evergreens to fill buckets and wreaths to hang on the doors and windows, to find the smoking man and stockings, more candles then at other times and to listen to Bach's cantatas or oratorios. 
Then the time is right for me to get ready for the next holidays...
Maybe it's because I am getting older that I want the time less and less to fly....

Until then I work, clean, order, catch up, finish with things I feel I need to complete this year, which passes, faster and faster.
Slow down, I think.
Do you feel like me?






Images as indicated and by V.Zlotkowski

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The value of objects

Every home is filled with furniture and objects, but they are not valued equally by homeowners. Personal preferences and history play a part in determining individual likes and dislikes in furniture and accessories.  Coming to terms with what you truly value in your home can help you set a design focus.

 As a place to start with clients who  may be  having difficulty focusing on where they want to go with a design, I often ask them to show me several things in the space that they value/love/ couldn't part with. In talking about why they like the particular piece I get insight into what is important to them and many times the objects also provide inspiration for the design.

Sutton Suzuki Architects

 Art work of varying kinds can serve  as an impetus for a room design.  The tones of the sculptures and ceramic vases  are picked up in the dark woods of the stacked tables. The beige sofa allows the art work to stand out. 

  Margaret Ryall

In my  home art usually influences my room designs.  I certainly don't purchase art work to match my decor, but I like to give my art work the option of influencing the room in which it lives!  One of my favourite pieces (artist Will Gill) begged me to paint this favourite chair a lovely green.

 Suzanne Price Design, LLC

 Antique rugs are a wonderful starting point for original colour schemes.  This blue and aqua scheme is fresh and exciting, and without a wonderful starting point this room probably would not have come together in this way.  Mixing old and new can be easy if you are a little adventurous. 

Pet peeve:   Please, can I have a larger coffee table so I can reach it to put my coffee cup down when I come for a visit? It's the armless chair that I would sit in.  I hate floating coffee tables that don't connect with the furniture. Sorry, that just popped out.

  Jeffers Design Group 

Sometimes something as small as a pillow or a set of lamps can be the beginning of a sophisticated design.  Certainly if you owned these lamps they would be difficult to ignore.  Perhaps there is an interesting history  behind them. 

 Sania Pell

Not everthing you value is pretty.  Some objects  have  histories told by the marks of the passage of time. They evoke  family memories and offer opportunities for pairing with objects that have a similar history. I love this old box with its related sea themed objects.

 Margaret Ryall

This humble trunk my father made when I was a child is an important part of the decor in my summer house.  It isn't in pristine shape with a latch missing and and a crack around the hinge on the back.  To me it is invaluable.  Not only does it hold  memories, I have a coffee table and a storage chest.  I can change the colour anytime I want, and it gives my room that lived in look you want in a summer place. It is also a perfect foot stool!

For a room to truly reflect its owners it has to have objects that have some emotional value.  Otherwise you have a "model home", pretty but soulless! 

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These days

These coming days weeks are the most important of our annual rites, filled with good will, cheers, sharing friendships and wonderful foods. There will be gifts given and received, wishes granted, hearts opened a little wider. 

I wish for all of us that the spirit of this wonderful time might be carried further, longer, into the next months, during darker, colder days, when some, we often overlook, might need our help most. Once the bells of the Salvation Army have stopped ringing... And the glitter of the holidays will be packed away.

My daughter has begun to help at a soup kitchen, set up in a nearby town, she is struck by the poverty and sadness she sees so close, regardless of the wealth around us. Homeless families, with little comfort during the holidays. Lonely elderly folks, without families at all. I am proud of her, for she is doing it without rewards other then the fulfillment in her heart.

When I list the things I am so grateful for again this year, a warm cozy home, foods, I want and can afford, my family safe, these are the things I see there missing first. 
And in times, when our family too has to be economic and careful with spending, we want to share some of our resources and time, for sharing them is a wonderful way to help. I feel better about that than anonymous giving, sending money to accounts, where the money might never reach the intended. 
May we never have to experience these hardships, but may we always live in the spirit of sharing and helping.

HOLIDAYS LAST YEAR...

I am enormously grateful for what this year has brought us, me. More friendships, more love, more creativity and health, more awareness and a little more wisdom for the things I really need and the things I am happy to have and to count as luxuries. For it is important to notice them to be grateful. I am not a minimalist and I love indulging, but I also feel the need to hold on and look. Less and less I need to consume things I already have, and more and more I need things, which cannot be bought in stores. Love, companionship, my girlfriends, my children, time, health and optimism. I can add to this list and I want to share it too.

Happy Thanksgiving, a happy holiday season to you all, may the lights shine bright and the feelings of these days may be carried on in our hearts and minds through the year ahead!

May you love and be loved!

XOXO

All images by V.Zlotkowski

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Celebrate ordinary things

 It is not necessary to spend huge amounts of money to accessorize your home.  Much of what you need is probably in another room or in the natural environment. Garage sales, thrift stores etc. can  also provide  economical options.  The trick is to select  things that have multiple uses.  In this way you can rotate objects to make them new.   I love bottles and natural elements together.  It's no wonder I loved Anna Truelsen's My Lovely Things blog when I found it this week. She is a pro at using ordinary things for big impact. 

 Take one white table and add various bottles and natural elements.  When you add a growing bulb to the mix the vignette will change as the bulb grows.

 The look is changed completely when a black frame is used as a backdrop and a potted plant and a narrow necked bottle is added with a chair in the foreground.

 Different bottles with feathery ferns change the look again.  I was thinking how I would love to add a small black and white print inside the frame to fill up the space at the top. What do you think?

Replacing the black frame with a mirror adds to the repetition of objects and the mirror will also reflect other things in the decor.  Massing object together has big impact.

With Christmas just around the corner what could you do to add a little festive flavour? 

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 This  vignette and the one below are so simple,  inviting and in keeping with the other elements in the home.   

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 Repetition of glass and natural elements with a few sparkles.  Very inviting. 

And now for something more dramatic!

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Who knew that one sculptural green leaf could be so dramatic?

This vignette is built on varying shades and finishes of black with a strongly sculptural branch with blossoms to break up the starkness of the space. You could achieve a similar look with any colour interior by keeping the colour of the objects in the same family.  Certainly black has an impact that other colours might not have.

Look around.  What do you have in your home that you could group together?

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