Tag Archives: home decor

Tara’s HOME TOUR!

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Truly, I promise – I have home tours coming!  Several people, *ahem, have said soon they will share their spaces.  They will show us what makes their home their home!  Meanwhile, the firstborn has submitted hers.

Tara is a home-maker, as many women are.  She makes home while mommying, wife-ing, travelling in ministry, song-writing, recording, etc.  She is always excitedly telling us about one project or another and very thoughtfully creates spaces that reflect the love between her and Dave, for their son and the life of worship to God they are building.  A guest in their home recently commented, “Your house is…warm.”  It is!

Tour Tara’s Home:

They use every inch of yard space to enjoy their family life.  And loving the outdoors like they do, Tara utilized an old tree stump as wall art later adding sepia prints from a family photo shoot.  It is striking.  And simple!

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You can kind of see the loft and skylight above and the kitchen opening from the living room.  The old window matches my coffee table as it is from Tara’s elementary school in Nebraska.  Tara specifically left the dishes in the sink under the word “Life” because that is what dishes are!

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Photos of the little guy hang on a dining area wall.  Tara loves to organize life via bulletin and message boards.

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Down the hallway, and a picture of our Home Tour hostess – taking pictures.  By the way, Tara told me she really had a blast photographing her home – just like I told her she would.

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Old maps, atlases, anything about world travel can find itself in the Powers family decor.  There are a lot of photographs of their little family, peach soy candles, and one-of-a-kind art by a friend atop the bookshelves.

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In the upstairs bath, French poster art (on canvas), and a piece from Tara’s sister, Stephanie, - the tree above the bath tissue.

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A gift: Hunter in pencil; Dave’s guitars as art in the loft/TV area.

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Giant art canvas painted by Pearl as a headboard.  A photo I really love (I found it in my pictures) of Tara, Dave and Hunter Christmas 2007.  They took it themselves and it really captures them at home.

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Hunter’s room-you gotta LOVE this poster of him with daddy and the accompanying scripture.  Some of his weaponry hanging.  They are good about encouraging the wild-hearted boy in him.

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These are some of the parts of Tara’s home that makes it theirs.  I can think of other scenes in her inviting house that I am surprised she didn’t send.  I hope she’ll discover more of the home she is building through the camera lense.  It is a wonderful new way to see.

Wanna give us a tour of your home?  C’mon!!  let me know…Jeanie

Amass Appeal

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“Even in the most simple and random acts of accumulation, we are defining ourselves…”  -Alexandra Stoddard

Storage, displaying collections – how on earth did everything become a collection?

My Grandma Baker gave me the book, Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch when I was 8.  When we moved a couple of years later, it got tossed and I missed it so.  In the early years of our marriage I found a copy of the same vintage and bought it for a quarter.  I was thrilled, ecstatic!  Then I found another.  I now have at least 7 or 8 copies of Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch.  Thank goodness I have a strong commitment to NOT having collections!

But stuff.  Wow, life is made of stuff.  Too much of it, I am certain.  And how, oh,  how do we manage to find a place for all of it?  Here are a few of my ways:

I have one drawer full of my kids’ artwork from elementary school days left (I’ve given them the rest).  I spray-painted a bunch of large cast-off frames black.  I had Hobby Lobby cut some neutral mats.   In theory, I can switch out the art out and have an ever-changing remembrance of my babies growing up.  I only changed 3 last time, but in theory…

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I took the hymnal rack off the old pew in our dining area and hung it on the stair wall bewteen the family room and the sanctuary/living room.  I love old hymnals!  Some one made the crosses for us.  Just tucked them in because they don’t hang or stand.

The four intaglios (an Italian word pronounced in-TAL-yo) need some restoration, as they are in their original frames from the 30s and 40s, but I like the authenticity.  The printmaking process usually involves engraving the art on a hard metal plate, which is then inked and used to make multiple prints.  One of these, at least, is a numbered, limited edition and all are signed by the artists.

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My FAVORITE artwork by the grandbabies below.  These were done by Gavin, Hunter and Guini 2 and 1/2 years ago, when Gav was 3,  Hunter was not even two and Guini was almost 1 .  It is time to let Gemma and Averi have a go at a canvas!

Dave loves watches and actually has a pretty cool collection.  Here are a few we still use around a lampbase on his desk.  Have the time?… (in the background are the heavy brass ends to actual fire hoses – we await the creative idea for how to make them useful, we wait)

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When a lovely Catholic woman visiting my home told me she was so blessed my icons she nearly wept, I didn’t even know what she was talking about.  But I do love my religious art (reproductions of ancient works).  I have several other prints yet to hang.

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While living in Nebraska, I enjoyed mixing and matching china found in second-hand shops in small farm towns which I displayed in custom cabinetry.  It is currently just stacked in the kitchen cupboards, but I still enjoy a cup of tea at times, in a pretty , 14K-gold-embellished, China cup. 

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“I am against minimalism; I like stuff!  And I believe in mixing anything and everything.  The idea is to please one’s own sense  of aesthetics and comfort.”  ~Bill Goldsmith

Fresh ideas for organizing stuff, anyone?…Jeanie

My HOME theme verse: “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasure.”  Proverbs 24.3, 4 NIV

 

All this pondering and adventuring into the world of creating home started with this post.

Alexandra Stoddard on Creating a Beautiful Home

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As a young mommy with 5 children hanging off my arms everyday in the late 1980s, I read a book from the library by Alexandra Stoddard, a revered interior designer and prolific author. 

Having moved a lot as a child, I struggled with a bit of rootlessness, yet was always looking for a way to be planted - create home.  Looking back at the notes I wrote when I read Alexandra’s book, I can see that this woman whom I will probably never meet, this woman who lives a life which is night-and-day different than mine – was actually an early mentor for me.  She gave me the words and understanding to create a home for myself and my family.

These are some things I learned from Alexandra Stoddard:

“I’ve seen the homliest houses transformed into havens of affection and joy by fascinating, high-spirited people.”

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“An honest home that rings true to the lives of the people who occupy it will always be disarmingly refreshing to visitors.”

“Style requires discipline…Edit.  Putter.  Eliminate.”

“Don’t feel compelled to fill up all the spaces.  Space is a luxury.  Plus space  helps us feel serene.  Create rooms that have free corners.”

“Clean windows are like a cloudless day.  White window trim intensifies light.”

“I have  a theory about houses.  The front is the most formal and correct.  The middle loosens up a bit after we’ve passed through our public rooms into our private, intimate rooms.   By the time we get to the back, there is children’s art on the walls, good smells coming from the kitchen, and there is laughter.”

“Design your life, not your house…Create rooms for endless pleasure and feelings of well-being.”

“Houses, no matter how humble or grand, come and go and ultimately do not define us.  Home is an attitude that has to do with love and caring, thoughtfulness, honesty and authenticity.”

“If you are drawn to certain colors and objects, chances are that a compatibility of spirit will bind them together.”

About 10 years ago Alexandra Stoddard was in Denver promoting a book she wrote (which I have never read), Feeling at Home.   I found, tucked into my home-making notebook (where I have kept ideas and magazine pictures for inspiration) the torn piece of newspaper from an interview she did for the Home section of the Rocky Mountain News where she advises:

“Write down ten things that define who you are.  Now bring your list and walk around [your home].  How do you feel in your home?   If you don’t feel good about a dark corner, change it.  Do you have a blah area?   Get out your paint brush.  If you love the color blue, paint your ceilings blue…put a blue quilt on your bed.

“What I want is for you to feel…wonderful when you’ve made the connection.   You’re not decorating a house…you’re taking yourself and the way you truly want to live [to heart] so your environment stimulates the best in you.”

I really love her philosophy on home.  I am going to make my list now…Jeanie

“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasure.”  Proverbs 24.3, 4 NIV

NOTE TO SELF: My Savior, my husband and kids, those grandbabies, writing, worshiping/singing, family dinners, time with Dave, time in the Word (aka time WITH the Word), speaking/teaching, cheering young wives and mommies on (my spiritual daughters), loyal friends…can I have more than 10?…

pictured: sneak peek on the orange-painting-craze; kid’s art on the walls

French Country

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Some days I feel like surrounding myself with the colors and textures of the Provence, a French Chateau…light streaming, robust in nature, generous scale, soaring windows.  There’d be a large, weathered sideboard filled with ceramic pottery in delightful countryside colors – a disarray of the prosaic, the edible and the elegant.

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Do you see with me, in your mind’s eye (in my imaginary French kitchen),  the bowl of fresh garlic and the reds and yellows of garden produce on the large Monet-blue, cloth-covered harvest table; sumptuous drapes (the epitome of unrestrained romanticism) pulled back to reveal the hen house and fowl, where large hand-woven baskets will carry eggs?

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Some days, I am a little bit country – in the Southeastern France (near the Mediterranian) kind of way.

One of my favorite quotes ever (by a French designer):

“The convivial table is where it all begins.”  ~Muriel  Grateau

Parlez-vous Francais?…Je m’appelle Jeanie!

NOTE TO SELF: must have farm, even if it is tiny…

pictured: a basket of Dave’s current DVD watching; the Waverly rose print drape about to be re-purposed for outdoor funrniture upholstery on lime green frames!; Monet-blue pottery, a personal-sized soup tureen from Joan; the country-colored dish cloths I was folding this morning.  The first rooster I ever got; the egg bowl that sits in my fridge.

still having problems with thumnails and images here at the blog…pooey!  Someday you may even be able to SEE these images!

Pearl’s House of Many Colors – Home Tour

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You’d hardly know from meeting Pearl of Denver, with her gentle spirit and quiet ways, that she is an adventurer with color and art and creativity.  She is always looking for the next  outlet for her artistic ability.  Her home is an ever-changing palette of color and fun, something she has passed to her two children.  Like Bryan said recently, “Beige has been forever banished from our home.”

In the photo above, you see the cannisters, on display atop Pearl’s kitchen cupboards, that her parents received as a wedding gift more than 44 yers ago.  Pearl’s mom was  going to get rid of them before Pearl and Bryan got married, but saved them for Pearl at her request.   They are beautiful and  treasured for the memories they invoke.

I love the pictured, beautifully painted, cupboard (below).  The smaller one on the right was there, but they picked up the wider cupboard at a garage sale.  Added trim, new hardware and a paint job making them look like a custom cabinet.  It works!  

 

In the living room, Pearl displays art projects by both her married daughter and herself.  Pearl’s latest piece of art is carved foam, done with relief technique.  You can read more about it here.  Pearl was noticing how different the colors look in digital photos from real life.  But I have seen both.  And she is brave and has created a fun home!

 

Pearl created  her son’s room to reflect his main interest:  music.  Steven, a high school-aged drummer, guitarist, composer  has a red red room with musical notes and records adorning the walls.  His drum wall has the coolest tree silhouette painting and there are flourishes in black painted throughout.

 

 

Click on the images for a better look.  And call Pearl if you’d like really cool images painted on your walls!  She is good, really, really good!

I love that Pearl surrounds herself with color and vivaciousness for living.  I love that her canvas is her home, for the love of her family!

How much do you think I am loving that orange hallway?…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF: let the color-monster inside run free!…

I have worked with Pearl on church projects

thesimplehome

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A woman whose husband became a missionary in India during World War II described the special classes they attended to train for living simply.  Her teacher told the class that no matter how primitive their new homes would be, and they would be plain, to remember that no room could be more beautiful than one that was flooded with light, and filled with good books and flowers.

I just heard a realtor say you could raise the value of your home considerably by just scrubbing it clean: sparkling windows, dust-free surfaces and banish the clutter.  Equity for just a little sweat.

The post that started me on this home-making inquiry…

Quoteable Home

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Who said this?  “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.”

  

 

“…in this house…we are living our days in contentment and grace…”  Alexandra Stoddard

 

“Home should be a very personal oasis, a refuge from trends, prentiousness, ‘in and outs.’  Home should reflect the things we love and the people we care about.”  Joann R. Barwick in House Beautiful,  January 1989

“‘Second hand,’ or ‘already loved.’”  Mary Emmerling

“Economy often begets creativity.”  Mary Emmerling

 

[In home decor], “I work for an unstudied, unpackaged effect.”  -Winslow

A pine table is a proper thing, but a pine table that pretends to be black walnut is an abomination.”  Ella Church Rodman

 

“Start Fresh. 

Strip your place of everything – remove light fixtures, ugly hardware, hinges, doors, moldings, carpets – anything that is ugly and you don’t like it.”  Alexandra Stoddard in Style for Living

This whole home-making thing started with this post.

pictured from top: a corner of Robin’s house featuring the oak clawfoot pedestal table some one gave to Dave and Tara who gave it to me before I gave it to Joe and Robin;  a rooster Robin recently purchased on a treasure-shopping expidition; Hunter jumping on the couch this morning

The Chairs

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This cracked me up: I was on craigslist last night and found these chairs, a set of 3 for $75.  They are exactly like the chair I just painted orange, except this seller said she just painted them white and covered the seats in pink toile.  Hilarious!

  

Then Stephanie had me check out a cool project on designspongeonline.com and I got sucked in to the before and after section where I noticed a definite painted chair craze going on.  Here are a couple that made me feel happy (plus I seriously own the exact vintage oak farm chair on the right and now I am thinking, hmmmm…)

  

Robin sent me these pics of her dining table (recently painted) and the two chair covers she made, but only two because she wants to exercise her right of decorative freedom!

 

Chairs are suddenly everywhere and they are all begging to be orange, I am sure of it.

Hope you’re in a comfy one!…Jeanie

“A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?”   ~Albert Einstein

The Chair

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Chair history: Purchased for $2 at a garage sale in Nebraska, 1992.  I used tapestry to re-cover the seat at that time and it sat in the entry hall at our last house for years (the sunlight fading the tapestry).  It has had no use now for several years except extra seating for large family dinners.

But yesterday afternoon, I got out a can of orange paint I bought 5 years ago for $1 in the mis-mixed paints at Home Depot.  I also came across a couple of candle holders from the “Under the Tuscan Sun” days when my “altar” was covered in candles and crosses (and quite cozy and romantic).  Orange paint, people!

A change is coming.  Watch for it!

  

BTW:  My daughter Stephanie is the one who told me to take a “before” picture.  Otherwise, as you can see, I was tearing right in!  I am glad she told me that!

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