A Tale of Two Sisters

Two sisters. . . two years apart . . . living different lives in different worlds.

Marcia works in London, has a high powered job and dresses in the latest styles.

I do arty things dressed in flip flops and tees.

We spent a quick 24 hours together while she is home on vacation and I snapped some pics of her beautiful home.

A welcoming bench in the entry is decked out in lovely reds and yellows.

When we downsized to our cottage, several family pieces, such as this antique sewing cabinet in the entry, went from our home to Marcia's.

The colorful Chinaman and carved paint brush were gifts from me.

 It is difficult to buy for the woman who literally has everything so I am always pleased to see my gifts on display.

The first sight when you enter the house is the dining room table which is ALWAYS decked out in seasonal finery.

Fourth of July and Bastille Day are united on the table in my favorite color palette.

I love the little blue containers which tonight will sport colorful cloth stars Marcia purchased on our little shopping spree today.

The ceramic cups are from the yogurt she eats in London and she has promised to bring me back a set the next time she comes home.

Marcia dotes on detail and is always looking for the perfect pieces for her table.

The white pillow sat at the head of the table, but it was missing a counterpart.

On our shopping spree she found it's opposite - the blue with white stars.

 The "youth" chair in the corner is slightly taller than the dining room chairs and has been passed down through the family.  

My father sat in the chair as a child as did both Marcia and me.

The tradition continued with Marcia's children and when little Sophia is big enough, my niece will be the fourth generation to use the chair.

 I have not been to Marcia's house in several years (we tend to meet halfway for lunch or dinner) and had not seen her living room since she has redecorated.

Oh, the childhood memories the room evokes-

the oak buffet from our dining room

the tea cart which held my mother's precious tea set 

the china cabinet filled with "special occasion" dishes

the fireplace bench handmade by my grandfather.

The Queen Anne chair belonged to my grandmother and is another of the pieces that we gave to Marcia when we downsized.

Marcia tucks special pieces into corners and onto every surface throughout the house.

The library table my mother paid $.50 for at a school sale 50 years ago sits in the breakfast nook.

One of the few items I envy Marcia for getting is the Arab statue - although I hated dusting it when it was my turn to clean the living room.

Attention to detail is the focus outdoors as well with birds, lions and one of many westies guarding the front entry.

Marcia did not really want me to photograph the house and garden.

She says her house is missing "a woman's love" while she is away and the only occupants are her husband and step-son who don't notice little details.

It was lovely to sit with her in the garden last night and again this morning as we caught up, remembered and laughed together.

We followed yesterday's eating and shopping with more shopping - at a favorite shop in town and the garage of our childhood home.

I drove back home, after a long overdue visit, with a carload of goodies from favorite stores

AND

some great finds from the garage.

I only found one thing I was looking for, but I found so much more and can't wait to find ways to use them.

. . . . . . . . . . .

I am partying at

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays

Common Ground - Be Inspired

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson - Share Your Cup Thursday 

My Romantic Home - Show and Tell Friday

No Minimalist Here -  Open House Party

A Little of This and a Little of That

The timing of the Grow Your Blog Party

at 2 Bags Full is perfect.

My blog,

just turned one year old.

Participating in the party means I need to describe my blog.

I still am not sure what the blog is about.

Yikes!

What can I say?

It's a bit schizophrenic -

a little of this and a little of that.

My original thought was to use Schizophrenia for the title of this post, but I thought it might scare people away.

..........................................

Basically I write about life in our little seaside cottage.

Decorating

Some days I write about decorating and my love of primary colors,

collections,

vignettes - 

all the ways I tweak my home to make it fresh and inviting.

Other days I write about painting furniture.

Did I mention that I like primary colors?

I was not much of a furniture painter PB (pre-blogging) and I had never heard of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  

Seeing all the beautiful furniture pieces being refinished around the blogosphere has inspired me to paint up a storm.

I have to drive 45 minutes to the closest ASCP dealer, but it's worth the time and it is located in a great antiques mall.

Life Outdoors

I might write about my garden, but definitely not right now.

Even though I live in temperate southern California, it has been too cold to work outdoors and the poor garden is not showing off to her best.

I long for summer when I can spend my days digging, weeding and planting.

the dog in the foreground is our precious Dorje during "doggie playgroup"

You will definitely read about life at the beach 

and see pictures of our daily walks

or kayaking adventures.

Creativity

I might write about making pillows out of scrap canvas, 

or using the canvas to make a rug.

I will never write about making slipcovers.

I have nothing against slipcovers.

In fact I love the look of slipcovers.

But I will NEVER make slipcovers again.

Been there, done that and will let someone else experience the aching back and sore fingers.

I'm sticking to pillows.

Then again, you might read about the little books I make.

or the Valentine decorations I have been making.

One thing I will guarantee you.

You will NEVER read a post about recipes and cooking.

I do not cook.

I do not clean.

I do eat.

My husband Steve is a gourmet cook, surfer, tennis player, and artist (not in any specific order).

He takes care of me and the house while I slave away at school.

I teach school.

More specifically, I teach middle school.

 Which also means I'm crazy - you have to be crazy to teach middle school. 

It keeps me young - at least at heart.

Since Birthday Wishes are in order for Art and Sand, there needs to be a present- not for me - for you.

If you would like to win this little handmade quotation book please leave a comment.

I know not everyone is into primary colors

so the winner may request a custom book - size, color scheme and favorite quotes.

Thanks for dropping by Art and Sand.

The Giveaway will close on January 31.

Please come back on February 1 to see who is the winner.

.....................................................

See all the other blogs attending the party at 

2 Bags Full- Grow Your Blog Party.

........................

Finding My Identity

If someone asked me my decorating style, I would be hard pressed to answer.

I just do and use what I like, even if it isn't in style.

Two incidents occurred recently that made me sit up and think about how others might describe my style.

Someone posted on their blog how to see what photos of yours have been pinned on Pinterest.

http://pinterest.com/source/your website here

I was surprised to see a photo of my dining room and even more surprised when I read the pinner's description.

LOVE the cheerful, laidback, bohemian vibe of this house.

Bohemian?

Me?

I always think of myself as so straight laced.

The second incident was our home being featured in Ventana Monthly, a local magazine.

I was intrigued when I read Lisa Snider's description of my blog.

"Carol's work has also spilled over into crafting handmade books and cards, which, in addition to her designs and decor for the home, are all detailed in words and photos on her whimsical blog."

If anyone asks me my decorating style, I guess I now have to say

Whimsically Bohemian.

Or, is it

Bohemian Whimsy?

Either way, I chose to embrace it yesterday when I started my second project of the new year.

I bought these little stools when we had our dining room table built.

Originally I had a stool at each end of the table and a bench opposite the window seat.

Steve hated the arrangement because he sat on the bench and preferred having seating with a back.

I gave the stools to JP and he recently returned them to me.

They move around rooms -

sometimes in the kitchen

and sometimes in the closet so I can stand on them to reach high shelves.

Lately, we have been using them in the living room while we play games around the fire.

I also have a taller stool Steve uses to hold his can of gesso when he is prepping a canvas.

It was covered with globs of paint,

I wanted to "liven up" the stools so I grabbed Steve's electric sander, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint from the garage, some brushes and I was in business.

I wanted to paint stripes, checks and dots on the legs, but I am not a very good painter so I settled for just doing each stool in two different colors.

My supply of ASCP consists of my color palette  - red, yellow, green, blue and white.

All day, I thought about how to make them more interesting.

Numbers would be easy, but I have sort of overdone it on numbers lately

and

I just order these galvanized number boxes today from Sav On Crafts.

So for the taller stool, I decided to write the word SIT.

I typed SIT on a power point slide using the stencil font and created my own stencil.

I decided on the alphabet for one stool.

I used rub-on letters and it was much more difficult than I expected.

Some rub-ons are easier to use than others.

And, when I waxed the stool I wasn't careful and some of the letters got smooshed (is that a word?) and I had to use a black sharpie to fix them.

My plan had been to use rub-on words for the final stool, but after waxing the alphabet stool, I was afraid it might not turn out.

So, a simple question mark adorns the final stool.

I created a stencil for the question mark also.

With a bit of paint and a bit of wax, I have three much improved stools.

One little stool sits in the kitchen so I can use it to reach the top cupboards.

The other little stool is in our spare bedroom so I can reach things on the closet shelf.

The tall stool is sitting in front of my work space telling me to SIT and get creative.

I will embrace my new identity in another project tomorrow.

Whimsical?

Bohemian?

................................................

I'm linked up at

Jennifer Rizzo - Fabulously Creative Friday

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays

Rooted in Thyme - Simple & Sweet Fridays

The Charm of Home - Home Sweet Home

Redoux - Link Party

Romantic Home - Show and Tell Friday

No Minimalist Here - Open House Party

Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday

Sew-Licious Home Decor