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Friday, November 4, 2011

Furniture, Fabric, and Flattened Flora

My junking trip into the
wild and woolly Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
on Thursday yielded 3 tables and a sweet old rocking chair.

There, in the back of my trusty minivan, is my haul.
This is the junk hunter's equivalent of tying the deer onto the hood of the car.
Yes, I actually took this picture backwards, over my shoulder, into the rear of the van
when I pulled into our driveway.  I am that lazy.


In my defense, I'd spent a lot of time on the road in Pennsylvania that day,
traveling at 12 MPH behind vehicles like this (the big green thingy):
I don't snap pictures while I'm driving, but the big green thingy had stopped.  I guess for a rest.
Therefore, so had the line of cars behind him, including me and Red Minnie, my van.

Anywho, the tables and chair are a little ... ummm ... cleanliness challenged,
so they won't be coming into That Old House until they get the spa treatment outside first.

Then we'll see what else they need.

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So Thursday was an excellent day. 
A successful junking trip into Pennsylvania, and then when I got home --
FedEx had delivered my fabric samples.  Yay!

I showed you the patterns in Monday's post.  (Click here.) 
#1 was the clear winner among the comments left on that post.

So let's see how it looks in real life, in the Pink Bedroom!  Please pardon the lousy indoor lighting.
 As is usual with samples, most of them were eliminated right away,
so I narrowed it down to #1 and #6, with the striped #9 as an accent if we use #1.  

Also briefly in the running: #3 and #4, but they were quickly eliminated.
That's #1 on the left -- a scattered old-fashioned roses print.
#4 all the way on the right -- nice color, but the fabric is very stiff and would not drape well.  Out!
#3 is on the left -- too many red tones, not enough pink.  Otherwise a really beautiful fabric.

So here is #6.
Yes, there is a lot of it.  I ordered a yard because the pattern is so huge.
Here, it's draped over the loveseat.
I am cuckoo about this fabric, and I'd sign on for it now except --- I'm not sure it's right for this room.

Fabric #1, which is a linen-type cotton and has a soft, antique, muted look, might be better.
Less dramatic, but maybe a look we can live with longer. 

  It also goes really well with the striped accent fabric.
 But if I use the cottage-y looking, more restrained linen-y roses fabric, what can I do with the big peacock fabric?
I left the Pink Bedroom in a funk. . . and then looked down our second floor hall and realized,
"Hey!  There are other rooms up here!"

Want to see a part of That Old House that no one has ever seen before?

Here it is, below.  The room our daughter Anne has dubbed "The Cell."

It's the same size as our hall bath, and also the walk-in closet for the master bedroom.
We aren't sure what these 3 rooms originally were -- since the house was built before bathrooms --
but they may have been small bedrooms, nurseries, hired-man rooms, or even box rooms.

It's about 7' x 12' and is in its original, as-found state; we haven't stripped paper and painted in here yet.
 Eventually I want a pretty daybed in here, and make it a cozy spot for reading or napping,
and a small single guest room to use in a pinch.
But I can't see Giant Peacock Fabric in here, can you?  Talk about system overload.

So, we move on to the Master Bedroom, where the walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Palladian Blue. The curtains in here are quite restrained, a yellow and blue toile from Greef with a Chinese look.
 Yes, that's also a rice-carved bed, similar to the one in the Pink Bedroom.
Hey, what can I say?  I found two on Craigslist.
How can you not get them when you find them for $200 or less?

Now, let's bring in the Giant Peacock Fabric, our #6 from last Monday.
 Ah . . . the background of #6 matches the Palladian Blue wall color.  Well, what do you know?

This is what it would look like if you were tipsy.

But -- do I want to introduce pink into the Master Bedroom?
Must I consult with Howard about taking such a step or can I act,
as Hyacinth Bucket would say, unilaterally?

Stay tuned.  Any suggestions or opinions are very welcome!
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Now about that Flattened Flora in the post title . . . 
These below were upright Autumn Joy Sedum before the snow hit.
Would you believe we still have snow on the ground here and there?
 Along the sunroom foundation, the sturdy little wax begonias have finally fallen.  Squashed by the snow.
Last weekend that our big lilac was cut in half by its trunks breaking off with the weight of the snow.
But even our great big Forsythia, usually such an
enthusiastic mound of psychodelic color in the Fall, is looking a bit downtrodden.
I hold out hope that come Spring, our perennials and bushes and trees will
have all sprung back and recovered.  Let's hope for a mild winter!

Have a lovely weekend!  Howard is going flying,
and I am putting on my Mad Scientist lab coat and experimenting.
 Double, double toil and trouble, Fire burn and cauldron bubble ... Cass

Link Parties!

At My Romantic Home, it's Show And Tell Friday Click here!
Feathered Nest Friday makes its home at French Country Cottage.  Click here!
The Charm of Home features Home Sweet Home on Fridays.  Click here!
It's Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground.  Click here!
Miss Mustard Seed hosts the Furniture Friday Feature.  It's a must visit -- Click here!
And it's Fertilizer Friday at Tootsie Time.  See what's still blooming, or not!  Click here!

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16 comments:

  1. If cost is not an issue -- go with the peacocks! It's wonderful! I think it would look great in your bedroom as well but you already have some really nice curtains in there . . . but as to pink roses -- ask The Great Scott -- in our 40 years of marriage he's slept in more masters with pink roses than not! And it didn't affect his masculine side!

    I do love that fabric but I'm a fabric junky -- thank heaven we have wallpaper -- so I can't look at fabric -- or printed fabric -- just plain fabric. I'm getting my chaise and little chair redone in our bedroom -- before Thanksgiving although it is not a TBDBT project -- it just worked out that way!

    Wait -- how many windows in the pink room? How many windows in your bedroom -- can they be traded out and used in either room? Or if there are more windows in the master go ahead and get enough to do ALL and then you can use them in either place!!!!!

    BTW, I think Ollie and Dion have been talking -- and plotting and planning -- you'll see with my next post! Dion has been a bad influence!!!!

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  2. Hi Cass...
    Your house/home is just beautiful!!! What a fantastic place to live and create in!!! Hope you can add that garage to your home~
    My daughter would love to go on your Junk Find! She loves to find those types of Treasures!

    Your nature pictures are very nice! I love the melting snow!

    Keep in touch! Love your blog!

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  3. Calling that room 'the cell'... HA... Love it!

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  4. LOVE the peacock fabric and I'm sure you'll find a perfect place for it!

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  5. OMG, #6 is gorgeous...that is the one I would pick...#1 just doesn't have the WOW factor!

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  6. I am gaga over number six. Drapes?

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  7. When we lived in Pennsylvania (and still when we visit) we get behind lots of big green thingies as well as Amish buggies that often make 12 mph seem exciting.

    Good junking adventure though. Your house is fantastic.

    Darryl and Ruth :)

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  8. Love, Love, LOVE that peacock fabric! I would never tire looking at it. Can't wait to see what you come up with!

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  9. Cass, very nice finds riding along in the back of Minnie Van. You were behind a combine, and a John Deere, at that (you know, nothing runs like a Deere, bet you didn't know they went that slow, did you?) I hope you were 'minding the pedestrians' as well! Hyacinth is my idol, Carl says I'm just like her when we're driving. (He's more like Onslow.)

    I think the fabrics look amazing no matter what room you put them in.

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  10. I voted for #6 the first round! You love it, go with it!!

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  11. Great new old stuff! A mild winter! You have already had more winter than we get all year in Texas, in OCTOBER. I hope that is the worst you get.

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  12. Hi Mom! If you don't find a place for that yard of peacock fabric, I will gladly give it a good home as a purse or some such. Just sayin' is all.

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  13. I think the Peacock would make smashing winter curtains for your bedroom. And I really like the old roses and stripes for the Pink room. I love florals but I have to keep myself in check or it would be a floral madhouse around here.

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  14. Hi Cass-

    I think the peacock fabrics would look awesome in the master bedroom! It is a bolder pattern, so it needs a bigger room. I don't think Howard has a say in the matter. The master bedroom is the woman's domain. He can pick the fabric for the billiards room. Or the hunting lodge.

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  15. Hi Cass,
    I stumbled across your blog and have been reading about how you found your house (I'm drooling!) and the kitchen makeover (beautiful!). I love your sense of humor and have been cackling out loud (almost), so I've got to follow along!

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  16. Wonderful! Love the fabric! Thank you for joining me at Home Sweet Home!
    Sherry

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