I so dearly love a cottage in winter!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Prepairing for Scaring

I spent a few hours working on Madam Lu's Halloween Frock.  Can any of you guess who she will be?
The front of the bodice.

The back.  I added the tabs and the lacing because as she grows, the bodice will grow with her.  So, she can use it for dress up for years to come (hopefully).
The fabric is vintage satin with a gorgeous tonal rose print.  The bodice is made from the scraps from one of my elementary school Christmas dresses.  Thanks, Mom, for saving the scraps!
I can't wait for you to see how poofy this is!

I wish I could wake Madam Lu up to try this on her...well, not really...!!!!


This was Sir E's idea and they will be coordinating...can you guess what the theme is???? 

Friday, September 16, 2011

Reusing Candle Waste, Fall Transistions, and a Little Woe

Some wee little projects.....
So, what do you do with your candles when the wicks are gone?  I always melt the extra wax out of the jars so that I can reuse the jars....but, after letting the good smelling wax simmer on the stove for a day, it just gets thrown away. 
Well, why not make more candles????  There are some pretty complex instructions for making new wicks...but I thought "what would a prairie chick do?"  I mean, they may not have boric acid laying around....so what if I just braid some twine...dip it in the wax and let it dry....
They only took about 20 seconds to dry...
And then I poured the wax back into the jars...
See all of their little wicks....
They cooled to a nice grassy green color that is perfect in the master suite...Note...I am attracted to very similar fragrances...fresh linen, cotton, etc.  So, when I mixed all of the waxes together, the smell is fresh and fine.  I would NOT mix tropical breezes with musk and pine needles....
My little helper...she was surprisingly good at cleaning out the empty jars before we refilled them...I just had to put a pile of towels on the floor under her...!

I brought the bakers rack back in...like I do every fall.  This year, I think I finally like the set-up.
And what will all of the bins and baskets be filled with???  Well, I know the topic of "family rooms and toys" is highly controversial.  I see all of the home shows where family rooms make it look like the children are neither to be seen nor heard.  Sorry.  I am all for chick, but kids DO live here.  And it is just as much their area as it is mine.  And I will have the rest of my life to have serious furniture and collections and vignettes...for this brief moment in my life toys will have attractive storage, but they will be a part of the room....notice Madam Lu's little kitchen adjacent to mine?  See how perfectly it nestles in the bay window?  The bins will be filled with toys, books, etc.  You can see in the previous picture that the bottom crate is already staged....Say "hello" to Heinrich, my handsome boy....

Sometimes it is nice to have someone older, wiser, and ready with a hug to tell your woes to.....

Monday, September 12, 2011

Fippery and Finery

A quick blog today as Madam Lu is outside 'helping' Sir bathe his carriage...

Sir, the heirs, and I went to the always splendid West Central Homes Tour and Art Festival this weekend.  (Madam Lu spent the day chasing "meow-meows", swinging on the "wheeeee", and trouncing around the meadows at Great GrandmaandGrandpa 'Beck's.) 

Ok, Ok, back to the homes....West Central (for those of you who are not 'in the know') is the creme-DE-la-creme of revitalized homes in a friendly, social, artsy neighborhood.  We toured simple homes from @ the Civil War era...homes with Greek Revival and Italianate flair...of course the Craftsman style homes are abundant and warm-wooded-feeling...and one maybe two that I would say are slightly Victorian-esque in their finery.  There are so many things I love about this neighborhood...the people are so very "West Central" in a way that is neither snobby nor snitty.  We have already covered the variety of home eras and styles, but the variety in exterior textures, colors, and decor is a feast for the eyes.  Most of all, however, I love the GARDENS!!!!!  These people just get it.  The art of mismatched rocks.  The delight of discovery and half hidden treasures covered in moss.  The untamed and mostly un-manicured jungles of colorful delights.

The Cottage has a VERY, VERY looooong way to go!

I will say that West Central has gotten quite pricey...as more and more people find that the suburban dream is not as dreamy as they imagined, they seem to flock to the quaintness of neighborhoods with tree lined streets and long, spindled front porches.  This is the time in the story where I send a shout-out to all my friends who are inexplicably drawn to these splendors but may find themselves intertwined with a person who is happy with their suburban dream...or "not moving again-ever, woman-so don't even look at me like that"...women outlive men...soooo, I am pretty sure our dreams are not in vain!

A generally less-pricey but no less splendid neighborhood is the Williams Woodland area.  Just blocks away from West Central, these homes are even more decked out in Fippery and Finery and are still quite affordable.  I would highly recommend the Christmas tour of this budding beauty of a neighborhood.  I have my scheming heart set on it!

And what is happening at the Cottage De Haven????  Um, er...well....we had our neighborhood association picnic last weekend and Sir and I made 3 sets of corn hole.  I have plants to move in my flower beds (today)?  And I am still NOT DONE with the Heirs' Suite.  Barf!  Sir and I have entered serious negotiations for our dream lay-out of the basement...but first will be the arduous task of gutting the ENTIRE thing...including 2 layers of paneling, about 1200 sqft of ceiling tiles,  and scraping and cleaning all of the glue off the floor...   Fun?  Oooodles!

I'm off to feed Madam lunch and then to do some digging...