I hope you’ll join me on my never-ending search for beautiful pieces, with history, for your home. Find my curated treasures, in Booth #154, at the Antique Trove, in Roseville, CA. ~ Barbara
1. First of all, I love how balanced the room is, starting with the fireplace, flanked on both sides with beautiful “twin” bookcases. Even the miniature pictures on the shelves are similarly placed on the shelves on both sides.2. Feng Shui Experts place mirrors in a room, to reflect both positive and negative energy. I also understand that they serve to make us aware that our thoughts are reflected back to us. I’m not a Fung Shui expert, by any means, but find it interesting. Besides all that, the mirrors are again matching, placed in the center of each bookcase.3.…
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Hello there! My cat is sitting beside me, in my family room, as I write this short tribute to my dad. I’m a lucky woman who at 56 years old, loves her dad, respects him, admires and wants to protect him, at all costs. My dear dad sits in the hospital, oblivious to all that’s happening around him. This was/is a man who was on top of everything around him. My heart is breaking because my dear dad and friend is fading. We had no idea that things would happen as they did. No one did. That’s the chance you…
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As a self-described “smart shopper”, I’d like to highlight two of my many favorite spots for savvy shopping. I stopped in at Restoration Hardware’s outlet store, in Vacaville this week. It’s tucked far back into a corner of the center and would be easy to miss, if you didn’t know it was there. But if you’re shopping for any of the lovely pieces of indoor or outdoor furniture you’d find at a Restoration Hardware, you’ll find lots of ready to go inventory at 30-50% off of normal retail RH pricing. A full selection of lighting… Bedding and drapery… And beautiful…
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You may recall that I recently attempted to make a lampshade for my newly acquired vintage lamp. The only problem was that the I ended up with a lovely “shabby chic” lamp, and no offense, but that’s just not my style. So, I thought about painting the shade. Free hand? Not talented enough. Plus, it would take far longer than the one hour I allot to most projects of this nature. I thought about using stencils, but just imagined what a mess I could make of my $29.99 lamp shade, from Lamps Plus. So I went down the path of…
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While I’ll be back in San Francisco later this week, for the Picasso show and “Billy Elliott”, we’re spending the weekend in the city. Most Saturday mornings here begin at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market. Between the MotoRoto (motorized rotisserie truck) the fresh peaches, lavender and flower stalls, the aroma is wonderful. The Hayes Street Grill puts out some wonderful meals, from a small make-shift kitchen. Grilled salmon and bacon on sour dough toast, anyone? I also discovered French peas that you can eat raw as a healthy snack! These little boys at a food stall with their dad were…
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If you’re looking for an excellent way to obscure an ugly view, or keep out the light in a media room, this may be just the answer. Mirrors are wonderful, throughout your home and especially used in these window panes. A less expensive option could be wallpaper or contact paper in a beautiful print that coordinates with the rest of the room! Happy Saturday!
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Ever buy a “deal” on-line, that turned out to be a “bust”? If you’ve resisted the lure of on-line auctions and “tag” sales, you should commend yourself! As someone who tells others to avoid making purchases that are non-returnable, I’m guilty of some less than wonderful purchases, particularly on EBay. I got all excited about McCoy ceramics and found a few on EBay that looked promising. This piece wasn’t expensive, but who wants something with a crack in it? Then there was the fluted Shawnee vase, that looked cream colored on line, and the “drizzled” texture wasn’t as clearly depicted…
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I wish I could tell you who designed this room, but one thing’s for sure, I can’t take credit! But I will tell you why in so many ways, it a perfect room, from the ground up. 1. First of all, I’m a sucker for beautiful, hand made rugs on hard wood floors! And these are gorgeous, bringing a colorful foundation to the room. 2. White sofas and chairs. The only thing better would have been slip-covered chairs and sofas, to reduce the “worry factor”. White is clean, fresh and so easy to decorate around. 3. Beautiful pillows, in warm…
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I had so much fun making gift cards this week, I decided to make some festive gift tags. Tied to a ribbon, wrapped around some tea towels, for a hostess gift, or used on a gift bags (custom decorated of course), you could probably get away without including a card. But do you dare? And then, on the other side of course… Not bad, for a novice! I’m sure you creative types could come up with all sorts of cleverness! The possibilities are endless…buttons, seed beads, rick rack…oh my! Typically, I’ve used these manila tags to create novel business cards,…
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On days like this, when it will feel like about 175 degrees outside, I do my best to stay indoors. While my daughter’s at boot camp and my son will soon be deployed on a ship, I’d like to be able to send them note cards that make them feel loved, without “breaking the bank”. I found a way to send hand made / customized cards for less than 50 cents each! For a few years now, I’ve admired the hand made cards from friends. They’re so beautiful, I hate to part with them! I received a “thank you” card…
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