Art... on the walls and in the garden....

We have been on a quest for some artwork to adorn the beautiful new walls.  Not any old artwork will do but things with real age and that we truly love.  Plus they have to be within our limited budget.  We have been very lucky to have inherited quite a few nice works of art.  I have also been lucky to have a mother that painted so we have a few of her works as well.  We've added two new, what we think are wonderful pieces, to our walls in the last few months.

This first picture is from a blog somewhere, not sure where it came from but gave me the inspiration that we needed a portrait somewhere...

source unknown

From that inspiration I was on a quest to fill the blank spot over the bed with something.  One Friday I walked into an antique shop and met Andreus.  I was immediately drawn to his kindly face.  I wasn't quick to whisk him home- I'm not that kind of girl.  Instead, I visited Andreus (I didn't even know his name then) on a series of Fridays.  One day I finally got up the nerve to make an offer on the painting and propose a lay away plan.  I couldn't manage another minute without him.

Meet Andreus Meneur

When we took the painting down off the wall the proprietor said that he felt that the painting was 18th century and Dutch but he was not sure about the name on the back of the painting- Andreus Meneur- was this the gentleman posed in the painting or the painter?  A google search did not come up with an answer.  The painting had also been cleaned and a newly framed at some point.  We also concluded that the panting had been cropped at some point due to his lack of visible hands.  Dave thought that the painting was also left unfinished since the waistcoat and coat had no buttons.  All part of the mystery of Andreus and his appeal.  We hung the painting over our bed and he looks great!

Yesterday we went up to Brimfield to shop for the store and see what struck our fancy.  We found this really cool family crest painting.  Probably early 19th century.  It wasn't very expensive and we thought  we could say that it was Andreus' family crest.  Why not?  It also had the same color orange as the walls we painted the upstairs hallway.

Crest with Latin banner.  Not sure what is really says.

Looks pretty good at entrance to bedroom.

Another area of intense concentration has been the yard.  I've tried to revive the perennial bed that was dozed in the construction.  I managed to save the sedums from last year and the lavender actually survived the winter for the first time ever.  Maybe likes the new "poor" soil or a mild winter or both.   I've also discovered geum's which are early bloomers and very pretty little flowers. My false indigo burst through the soil from nowhere and is actually is starting to bloom.  So all in all it's pretty nice.  I do have a bunch of stuff to move around but the basics are there and can be expanded upon.

Perennial Boarder

 We decided to wait on the raised beds this year until we give it a smaller trial start.  We chose to use the raised area on the far side of the house that was already there and waiting for a purpose.  So far I have some heirloom tomatoes, yellow and red onions, beets and lettuce planted.  More to come!  The 18th century potager come next year after we feel more confident in our veggie growing capabilities!

Veggie patch- good use of an awkward space?

 I found this amazing head of lettuce at the Farmer's Market.  It was picture worthy!  I'm sure my lettuce will never compare to this beauty but....

My lettuce aspirations

Last week I received a call that the camel back sofa, that a friend promised we could have when he found a replacement couch, was finally ready for delivery!  We are the proud new home for said old couch.  A perfect place to just perch (you can't really slump in this one- more like a park bench than a sofa, but....) and have a glass of wine and page through a magazine.  It looks pretty darn nice and homey's up the nook!

Nook with new-to-us couch

Last week we also had a little dinner party.  Obviously my favorite pass time these days.  Why go out when people can come to you!  Plus the food is better and I can feed 8 people for the price of just Dave and I going out.  And, they usually bring some nice wine!  You also can't beat the entertainment.  Moose was right in the house the minute guests arrived- strutting his stuff.

Robbie and Pip watching the Moose show!

He spent about 2 hours encircling the table making his "puff" sounds.  It was hysterical!  The next picture was taken at about 11:30!  He was still going strong- the party animal.  The guests started to leave (they were tired) and I put Moose outside for bed.  He didn't roost in the pine tree that night (his usual spot) but instead stood on the basement door.

Moose still up way past his bedtime!

He obviously didn't have too many Margarita's like some of us since he was back in the house in the morning to watch me do the dishes!

A little look around....

I seem to have fallen asleep at the wheel when it comes to posting.  I should be better about this since a few followers have commented about my lack of attention to the matter-  Dave being one of them.  So, perhaps instead of trying to come up with riveting text and witty remarks about life I should just post some pictures- not every day is a memorable event worthy of a story but pictures can tell their own tales.  So enjoy the pictures!

Some of the girls- see little Maisy tucked in the middle. Kind of like where's waldo?

One morning's collection- love the little English Trug.

New stairway that Dave built to Chicken house- 

The new garden shed- formally known as the turkey house

Happy Daffodils

Door to barn

Notice the new post and chain to deter visitors from going to the wrong door!

Sign carved by Dave's grandfather all freshly cleaned and painted.

Finally chose a color and painted upstairs landing.  Looks great!

Will be back with more pictures of the house and also more inspirational pictures soon- promise!

Snow day!

I've finally figured out how to post from my phone. This could be dangerous with posts on the fly. That's what happens when we have a snow day- experimentation. I tried to stay at the shop but no one came in. I put out some new items and changed over the front window. After that and 2 shovels of the front walk I headed home.

The turkeys were not sure what to do today either. They loitered in the tree for a good long time- perched until after 11:00.  They finally flew down and trudged through the snow all day. They've refused to reside in the new turkey house. They will eat in there but not sleep.  Not sure how to remedy this situation and perhaps it's too late for these guys. 



Moose in his nite nite position

They must have mighty cold feet!

The new turkey house or garden shed????

Does it need a rocker, a hound dog and some shot guns?

Cozy cozy in there!

OK, the posting from the phone is just OK.  The pictures were too big and I had to fix them.  Perhaps I can figure this out later-

La sal de bain magnifique!

I mentioned that I absolutely adore our new master bathroom.  It being really the only 100% fully functional bathroom in the house I guess it has to be fabulous!  Our old master bath (which wasn't so grand) is now our laundry room and in need of some "finishing up".  Not much of a project but something we'll need to ponder and put some time into over the winter.  I think it may also be time to explore different laundry room scenarios that I find on the web.  The downstairs bathroom is still a "lady in waiting".  It has a plan but cannot be executed for a few years yet.  I have chosen the tub and found tiles that I want.  We have more of the wonderful terra cotta that we used in the master bath for the floor.  We have even got a nice antique mirror and the lights in there already.  So,  I'm willing to wait for perfection.  I've waited this long for the rest of it.

So what's so great about the master bath you say?  Well, just about every little thing!  For starters the room is big and has cathedral ceilings.  Sometimes I think it is about the same size as out old bedroom. Is it too big?  Can it be too big- naw!  The size and position of the windows are just perfect for light as well as modesty.  Small windows facing the yard where you don't want anyone to see you and a larger one facing the wooded area in the back- where no one can see you.  I learned the virtues of a well placed potty when we were going through the construction and no matter where you went you were sitting right next to a window- a little unnerving but we lived!

Can you have a chair and a ladder in your bathroom?

The shower is pretty sweet too.  It's large with a nice sized bench. At first I was a little unsure about the bench but the guys convinced me that shaving my legs would be a lot easier with the bench.  You know they were right and I won't ask how they knew.   The shelf that runs the length of the shower is also perfect for all my soaps, shampoos and conditioners as well as the little Buddha head that graces the corner.

I've become the squeegee queen of the large glass door

You remember the quandary that I was in about the pebble floor that Dave wanted and I was unsure about.  Well, I have to admit they are wonderful!  John did an exceptional job installing them and making sure they were smooth and easy on the feet.

Island Stone's Perfect Pebble are just that!

The Restoration Hardware vanity was a great choice for this bath.  It gives an old feeling and blends well with the French terra cotta floor.  It has a lot of drawers to keep things in which we didn't have before.  The walls were painted Benjamin Moore's "Tree Moss".  It's a color that is easy to live and we have gotten a lot of compliments on it's soothing nature.   The mirror was made by Dave's grandfather Smith.  We love it and glad that it fit in so well in the new bath.  Alongside the mirror (and one on the windowsill) are small landscape paintings by Alicia Melluzzo- our favorite local artist.  We have quite a few works of hers scattered around the house.

So spoiled in our new bath!

Another great pendant light from our friends at Brimfield

I managed to find a nice little primrose- my winter favorites

I am getting so spoiled in our new home.  It's hard to extract myself from the house these days.  I was never one to loiter in the bathroom but now it's just so easy to spend time wandering in and out from the bed room.  How did we live without this new space?

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years all wrapped up into one!

OK it's already the 11th of the month and I have already blown my resolution to be a better blogger.  But once you fall behind it's really hard to start again since you feel like you and your readers have already missed so much!  So here is the speed readers attempt to catch you up on some of the highlights of happenings of November and December.

Let me see-  November saw Dave's birthday and fondue party!  I surprised Dave with a stream ship propeller that he wanted whilst we were in Maine.  Who knew he liked it so much that he talked about it constantly.  I though "oh no" this will be the same as the diorama of Jaws that I said no to in 1999 when we were going to the Metropolitan Opera.  He actually wanted to lug it there with us.  I have never heard the end of that one and now it's about $350 on ebay!  I decided for my own peace of mind to just call the antique shop and see if the propeller was still there.  I had it nicely shipped to my office at Yale and a total surprise to Dave.  He also never suspected a taxidermy old rooster (not ours) that I got for almost nothing at an antique shop.

Jacques the Cock- hee hee

If I had only known we had the perfect spot for the propeller
I would have gotten it right off the bat.
Never seen one like this before either.

Thanksgiving was very nice in our new kitchen.  Man-O-man is that an awesome kitchen to cook in.  I had all the ovens going, the top burners jammed with pans and plenty of space to put the collection of foods that people brought along.  We managed 14 people at 2 tables and plenty of room to spare for milling about.  It was a delight!  The turkeys reveled in their turkeyhood coming on to check on the house before the guests arrived and even striking quite a pose at the kitchen door. At one point Moose ventured into the kitchen when I was basting "the bird" and he let out quite the string of gobbles!  It was very funny and I quickly closed the oven door lest I upset him further!

Birds without boundaries- checking out the nook!

Quite a pose outside the back door Thanksgiving morning.
My favorite picture of Moose and Kellog

William gave the day a big thumbs up.

Once Thanksgiving was over it was the Christmas rush at the shop.  Thankfully we were busy for December!  We did manage a few gatherings.  One of which was the Lacanche people who came for a visit.  The stove needed a little adjustment and the owner of the company Art Culinaire was visiting his son in NYC so they decided to drop by!  Elisa, the wonderful new NY based person, cooked us an amazing dinner.  We invited another couple who also have one of these amazing stoves and had a progressive dinner ending up at their house for dessert.  It was fun evening of good conversation and amazing food.  Thanks Elisa!

The center island is perfect for both cooking and conversing!

The Lovely Elisa cooking up a storm!

One Friday night I had a girl's night party.  I sent Dave packing to his friend Paul's house for the evening.  About 20 women all came over to ooohh and aaahhh over our new space.  Most of these ladies had lived through my constant babbling about how wonderful the house was looking and many were following the blog.  It was fun to see their faces as they entered the house.  I bet Peter Gulick's ears were burning that night with all the compliments being flung around.  Sorry I was so busy entertaining that I didn't take any pictures.  All I have is Veronica and her turnip martini concoction.  Veronica is quite a creative mixologist.  I had to pass on this lovely libation after smelling it.  Diane was very brave and downed a glass. Now that's a good friend!

Turnip water martini anyone?

It was great fun to decorate the house for the holidays.  Simple holly and greens mostly.

This was a perfect spot for the Christmas tree.  It was a charming little tree!

We finally had enough courage to put up the shelf!
Dave expertly arranged my Canton collection.

Some new additions to the decor include a new tiny painting by Alicia Melluzzo to balance her other work that we hung in the bathroom.  We love Alicia's art and have quite a few of her amazing smalls here and there in the house.

Two of Alicia's small landscape paintings.
The mirror is a family heirloom made by Dave's very talented Grandfather!

I also found this great old rug at an Antique shop in Clinton CT called Old Beautiful Antiques and Art.  It was the perfect old battered rug for the bathroom!  I love old oriental rugs with no nap and a few ratty edges.

I love the colors and patterns of this old rug!

I have to admit that I spend a lot of time in this new bathroom.  I'll post more pictures of the whole room another time so you know why I love it so much.

We were very surprised to unwrap the most wonderful Christmas present from our friends Cathy and Robbie- two hand turned cherry bowls from our old cherry tree!  Robbie had somehow squirreled away some wood one day that he was helping Dave.  These bowls are so beautiful and mean so much to us.  How is it that we have such great and thoughtful friends!

Treasures for sure!

How cool is this!

This winter we have to get down to some serious painting!