I love old books.I love antiques; I love stories (remember my story wall in the dining room?); I taught high school literature, and my husband and I both come from families of book lovers. We were destined to have a house overfilled with books.In past homes, we've sprinkled our old, beautiful books throughout the house for display purposes, but our current home has what was originally a formal sitting room, I think, complete with an entire wall of built-in shelves.These shelves ... Read More about Desperate Twines…
Blog
The Story Behind…
This is the north wall of my dining room:I rather like how the north wall of my dining room looks... but that's not why I'm sharing it with you. I wanted to share this little wall with you because it holds the key to my philosophy for decorating: what story does it tell? Mr. Pax, an avid non-fiction reader, teases me for my love of fiction. When I read a book, it is all I do for however many hours it takes me to finish it. I read while I cook. I read while at dinner (how rude! I ... Read More about The Story Behind…
Curb Appeal
One of the greatest transformations on our 1940 colonial which we bought just under a year ago (and moved into one week before my second son was born, mind you) is the view from the street:I believe that first impressions are important, don't you? I want my home to be a place people want to enter. If you are a brick purist, you may hate it... but I love it. We could tell when we first saw the house that it had promise:But I didn't love the pink brick. I also didn't love the poor paint job ... Read More about Curb Appeal
THE Red Dresser
This is currently the best only decorated part of my master bedroom:For some time now, I've been obsessed with this dresser by Miss Mustard Seed:Miss Mustard Seed's Tricycle Red DresserIsn't its raw combination of bright energy (with the red) and deep age (with the distressing) simply luscious? I love this kind of juxtaposition... And I knew when I saw it that Mr. Pax needed something similar (because it's gorgeously masculine and he's outrageously difficult to shop ... Read More about THE Red Dresser
Definition
I am just a teensy bit fiercely competitive. I, like my two year old, must do things for myself just because I believe I can. I've even delivered two babies naturally simply because I figured if my mom could do it, so could I (is that TMI for a blog?). I was raised with three brothers by two parents whose philosophy was "why pay to have someone do work on the house when we have four children who can do it for free?" (I love you, mom and dad!) As a result, I've built cabinetry, painted walls and ... Read More about Definition