Needlepoint Love

I love needlepoint.

Yes in deedy doooo!!!!!

At the foot of the bed in my Massachusetts guestroom is a bench I've had for a very long time.....

I used it in my office in Watertown,

 when I worked out of my house, 

to dump stuff on.

Benches are great for dumping stuff!!!!!!!

Only problem is.....

then you can't see the pretty top.....

I did not do the needlepoint on this, but found this beauty....

So, I placed it at the foot of the guestroom bed, so that visiting people had a place to set their suitcase.

That is.....

fictional visiting people, 

'cuz you all know how I feel about guests......

Check out the picture above.....

It's reversed 'cuz I shot it by looking into the armoire mirror!!!!!

It was the best way to get some distance....

So now I will reverse it, and pretend that I didn't do that.....

I am very clever, 

I love PicMonkey,

I am a computer whiz kid!!!!!

OK, back to the needlepoint.

Although I am going to do a PicMonkey tutorial about fixing pictures sometime in the near future.......

 like next week!!!!!

(maybe)

But not now.

Now I am talking about needlepoint.....

Soooooooooooooo...........

I had this bench in my office.....

and I was doing a decorator showhouse, and decided to use it in the room.....

But I wanted to make it more special, 

because it was going to be in a showhouse...

and all my showhouse rooms get published.....

because I'm really special!!!!!

sooooooo.......

I added a decorative trim around the whole thing by sewing it on by hand.

Only to have my buddies at my workroom, Drape It, tell me that I could have just hot glued it on........

This was in the days before I had time for all my DIYing.

I didn't even own a hot glue gun.....

Now I own three!!!!!

As I just noted, the bench sits at the foot of my guestroom bed....

I'm a sucker for a well shaped iron bed.

I can't seem to resist them.

Ones with interesting shapes and a decent height.....

After I write about some more of my jobs, I am going to do an iron bed retrospective.

A walk down a metal bed memory lane.....

I just counted, and I've owned 

7

in my long and tortured life!!!!!

I particularly like this one.

The woman I bought it from was missing a few cards in her deck, not quite up to the whole 52, 

and she smelled suspiciously like bourbon.....

but I will go to any lengths to get me a good metal bed.

I have made my sister-in-law buy one for one of her many daughters.....

(she has more than just Miriam).....

and my buddy and bidness partner Kris has just purchased two for her guest room.

On another note....

tons

of you have signed up for the apron give-a-way.

Which means that 

tons

of you are going to be disappointed, since only one person can win.

bwa ha ha ha ha!!!!!

so with that being said.....

Later, Gator

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My Love of Painted Furniture from the 1930's!!!!!

I am a sucker for old painted furniture with

flowers and flourishes....

In my Massachusetts guest room I have small painted tables

on each side of the bed.

I'm not into sweet and pretty.....

I'm into old and fabulous!!!!!

A little dirty.....

A little beat up.....

Lot's of experience.....

Not that I'm projecting or anything..........

I had these two little tables, and they just fit perfectly into the dormer bay of the guest room.....

I wish I could take a class in how to paint flowers.

I'm a rotten artist, and have 

floral painter's envy.

That's a new psychological disorder I just invented!!!!!

I keep staring at these, thinking.....

all I need are the right brushes and techniques.....

SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!!!

I don't expect to be able to paint like the artist on the bookcase.....

But there must be some type of remedial

 Betsy Painting Class

out there?????

For this type of flower.....

Maybe an online course?????

A painting flowers for dummies book?????

On another note!!!!

I read in the Wall Street Journal this morning that floral chintz may be coming back!!!!!

It's about #$% TIME!!!!!!!

These patterns are classics for a reason, people!!!!

I mean....

sheesh!!!!!

The styles of the past few years have really fried my goat!!!!

Pretty is called pretty for a reason!!!!!

Because it's pretty!!!!!

On a different note.....

I'm so pleased you all seemed to like the monogrammed toile apron.

I will only have sponsors on my blog that I would use personally.

So, just a short little post, to make up for the give-a-way blog yesterday that didn't have any of my

fabulouso decorating in it!!!!

Later, Gator

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Monogrammed Toile Apron Give-a-way!!!!

With the new year, I got a new sponser!!!!!!!

Ya know????

Someone who pays me to have an ad in my sidebar???!!!

I am very excited because it's for a monogram company called 

A Slice of Life

that sells really pretty stuff.

I wouldn't have known about it if Laurie hadn't contacted me to advertise.

Soooooooooooo.........

now I am all excited.

I asked her if she would be interested in doing a give-a-way.....

and the sucker lovely woman, replied....,

SURE!!!!!

Soooooo.....

We're giving away a monogrammed toile apron.

They come in three colors.....

Black and White.....

Red and Yellow

and Blue and Green

If you win.....

You can choose what color you want....

and

what monogram style you want, up to three letters......

Point	NO Point
Fancy	Scroll
Victor	Circle3
Brother 30 Initials	Full Block Initials

She'll choose the color of the thread that goes best with the fabric you choose.....

But, please note:

First, Middle, Last - IN NATURAL ORDER

We put the initials in correct order depending on the monogram style you 

choose

You may want to go to

 the page that shows these aprons

to get a better idea of what you'll get if you win!!!!

In order to enter (and win), you need to be a follower of my blog.....

Just leave a comment, and let me know that you want to be included in the raffle!!!!!

so please hop on over to A Slice of Life and check out what else she carries.

She has all sorts of pretty linens for the home.

I will choose the winner and notify you all of the results, next Saturday!!!!

Please note!!!

If you leave a comment as "anonymous", you can't win,

 'cuz I don't know who you is!!!!!

I noticed a lot of folks have left comments without their names.

OY OY OY OY OY

Sooooo.....

that's my post for today.

Since it is product related, I just may do another tomorrow about more of my

stuff .....

Later, Gator

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My Cottage Guestroom, chapter 2

OK class,

back to the guestroom where no one is welcome!!!!!

As I had shown you, the bed is tucked into the new dormer I had added.

I used my old draperies from my old bedroom and my old bedskirt in my new guestroom.....

I chose this fabric: "Garden of Allah" from Rose Cummings, all the way back in 1981 or 82. 

I still love it.

Way back then, cabbage roses were not in style,

 just like now,

(stoopid people and their design trends......)

 and I had to really look around to find the overblown blossoms that I still love to this day.

It's a testament to the impact this pattern had on me, that I remember its name 30 plus years later.

(Wouldn't it be funny, if I remembered this wrong????)

I had three windows in my old bedroom, so I have two pairs of draperies left, which I may use to make a slip cover for a larger chair to tuck in this corner.....

I have an old upholstered arm chair with nice rolled arms and Queen Anne feet, just waiting in my basement climate controlled storage vault!!!!

The chair I'm using, and its sister, were also in my old bedroom.....

but I think I will sell them and go for something different.

So, AMY!!!!!

(At Maison Decor..... )

You can sell them next summer!!!!!

If you look behind the chair, 

you may notice a pile of framed pictures.

I have tons of them leaning against the walls of this room,

 left over from my old house,

 I don't want to get rid of them, and don't have a place for them.....

oy oy oy oy oy.....

To the left of the chair is a pretty painted papier mache bookcase.....

Another reject from a client.

She sometimes reads my blog.....

So you know who you are!!!!!

I swear.....

folks don't know a good thing when it's shoved at them!!!!!

The table fan is the super modern cooling system for this room,

 when the AC isn't enough.

Not for my guests mind you.....

for me when I'm messing around in this room.

I use the room as an over flow space

 for my fabrics and working out decorating schemes.

I have a wall of closets across from the bed, 

and I had the doors made with  white fabric covered bulletin boards, 

so I can pin up fabrics and work on my color and pattern schemes.....

The two wallpapers I have pinned up in this picture are new ones we just put up in my buddy Kris's house.

I have been working up designs around them, which we will show you guys next summer!!!!!

I bought the rug when I was 26.

I found it at my first home show.....

In the Boston Convention Center in the Back Bay.

It was in a booth selling insurance!!!!!

The guy was just using it on the floor of the booth to set a nice tone!!!!!

It had been in his basement and one side had mildewed.

Sooooooo

he cut the border off on that side, and fixed the problem, thereby creating a really cheap rug for me to buy!!!!!

He hadn't planned on selling it, it was just for display.....

But he wasn't about to pass up a sucker when he met one!!!!!

So I had it for 27 years in my Watertown bedroom.

When I moved into my condo, I wanted to use it in this room.

Only problem was.....

It didn't fit....

However!!!!!

Since it had already been cut, I figured.....

What the hell!!!???

It was already ruined, so I had it cut to tuck into the new dormer.

I have no shame....

I am very cheap.....

I am the ultimate recycler!!!!!!!

So that's it for today, class.

Don't forget to do your homework, and we will convene back her on Saturday, or Sunday.......

Later, Gator

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How To Dress a Bed

I told you guys on Saturday that I would show the redo of my old clients' friends' bed.

Connie and Chris are a big reason I bought a house down here in Flerida.

I had done their home in Vermont.

Then they bought a new winter home in Florida.

Connie thought it would be a good idea to use a local Florida decorator.

This way she wouldn't have to pay for my traveling expenses.

Well.......

FAKE OUT ON HER!!!!!!!

I make it look easy, but decorating is hard!!!!

The local designer made a whole bunch of boo boos, and I had to come to the rescue and redo a large part of the job.

Sooooooo......

She had to pay me to travel after all!!!!!

But then she encouraged me to buy my own house down here!!!!!

This way there were no more traveling expenses!!!!!

So, now I live in Flerida in the winter too.

Only, now I've retired, and she and I have become true friends.....

Soooooo.....

When she needs some shopping help, she gets it for free.....

(but I did make her buy me lunch)

Although, let it be noted, that for anything involving formal ordering.....

I CHARGE!!!!!

Soooooo.....

Back to Chris's bed.

I never helped with the bedding, other than the boxspring cover.

Connie and the previous decorator chose all the bedding.

Connie wasn't happy with it.

Here's how it looked when I was finished......

This is what I started with.

Connie doesn't like the look of wrinkled pillow cases, so she hides them behind the pillow shams.

I don't think it looks so great.

Chris likes using 4 pillows, so it can be somewhat of a challenge in making the bed look pretty.

I didn't have a problem with this, but she wanted more of a

 "Betsy"

 finished look.

Sooooooo......

We went to Pottery Barn and bought out the store!!!!!

We lucked out with the nicest sales lady.

She knew her stuff, and kept the whole process moving right along.

I'm not a good retail customer.

I get impatient and bored.

I like the look of a blanket cover,

 so I used the duvet cover without a duvet to act as a blanket cover, supplying a jolt of pattern and color

 that worked off of the tribal feel of the lamps and artwork.

I tucked in the blanket cover but left the sheet loose for a more casual feel.

I like this better than having the sheet tucked in.

Here's a view with it tucked in. Each room is different, so it depends on the feel I'm going for.

Yes, I am actually this obsessive about details.

The store had just gotten in these wonderful diamond quilted natural linen quilts and shams.

They worked beautifully with the tones of the terracotta paisley and striped pillow.

I chose a fabric that worked with the feeling of the lamps.

So let me explain to you the theory that I used when choosing what went where.

I wanted pattern on the main part of the bed,

 as there was no other pattern in the room.

But I didn't want the shams right on top of the blanket cover,

 I wanted to break the pattern up, 

so as it wouldn't all bleed together.

So I chose cream colored sheets (also from Potter Barn) 

to complement the cream tones of the other fabrics,

 and set the pillow cases against the shams.

I folded the quilt at the foot of the bed for a nice 

block of textured cream

and repeated it in the European shams behind the paisley shams.

This creates a 

rhythm of repeating color and texture.

Then it was all pulled together with the awning stripe pillow in front

 (also from Potter Barn)

At this point, I was very happy with it.....

Connie didn't like the four pillows piled up, 

so we hid two of them,

 scrunched up behind the Euro shams.

She has a problem with wrinkles in sheets.....

She's worried the wrinkles will bother her.

I should thank the stars every morning when I wake up that

 I don't care about that stuff!!!!!

My pillow cases are all wrinkled on my bed, and 

I don't see them.....

so they don't exist!!!!!

Just as a little taste for the rest of their house.....

Here's the view from the balcony off Chris's bedroom!!!!!

(I will be showing the rest of Connie and Chris's house in my posts

 after I'm done with my guest room.)

So......

HAPPY NEW YEAR YOU GUYS!!!!

Later, Gator

Partying at:

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