We had a really nice time in Ashland, Oregon for 3 days for the Shakespeare Festival. It was 100 degrees every day, so quite hot. We brought warm clothes to wear to the outdoor evening performances, but never even needed a sweater. The plays were great, though King Henry IV was a bit bawdy. That and Merchant of Venice were both almost 3 hours long and did not start until 8:30. It was hard to keep awake on Friday, since we drove that day, and especially since I am used to getting into bed by 9 or 10. Found a really neat store called Paddington's and frittered away a $100. I love to fritter, i can do it with $10 or a $100,but don't usually do more than that. I did buy a couple of gifts with that money.
On Monday we left for Redding CA about 2 1/2 hours south, heading home. We stayed at a really cute B&B across from the Sacramento River, and then went to a Japanese restaurant where they cook in front of you. It was fun and actually the best dinner we had the whole trip.
Tuesday we went to the car to drive home and it wouldn't start. Fortunately we have USAA Road Assist, and within 15 minutes we got a jump start. With all the electronics we did not know what the problem was. We drove for about a 100 miles to get the battery warmed up and then stopped at a service station to fill up and the HHR wouldn't start again. Got another jump start within 15 minutes of calling and drove home, calling the chevy dealer on the way.
When we arrived home, we left the car running and emptied everything into the garage, and then Ed drove to the dealer.
The next morning they said it was ready,,,it was simply a bad battery. For all this we paid $00.00. That was the first time we ever used roadside assistance and we were quite pleased - not bad for only a small inconvenience.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Real and artificial, cheap and expensive, Part 1
Today I want to talk about real and artificial PLANTS. I love it when the snob says, “I could not live with artificial plants or flowers; I have to have the real thing or nothing.” In our home we have both, and I have fooled many a snob who can not tell the difference. Of course, you don't want to buy cheesy, really cheap plastic flowers, why, because there are beautiful silk and fabric flowers available. The craft stores like Michael's and such have a fabulous array.
On our bathroom counter we have a tall white vase (very large) filled with even taller artificial greens and silk flowers and they look great. I did it myself, it wasn't cheap, but it was worth it, because we have very little light in that bath. My husband's comment when he saw the arrangement said, "It looks like a model home in here." He loved it.
Artificial plants can be very pricey, but if you have a dark house or corner then it is a good place for an artificial tree or plant. To clean it, take it out in the sun on a hot day and hose it off occasionally, that will make it look new. I don't like paying over $50 for an artificial plant and have picked a few good ones up at thrift stores and also the grocery store will occasionally have a bargain.
Remember, plants and flowers can make a dull house look elegant and can bring out a subtle color you have somewhere in the room. Plants also add filler for spaces that appear bare.
In part 2 we will have a talk on cheap and expensive artifacts.
On our bathroom counter we have a tall white vase (very large) filled with even taller artificial greens and silk flowers and they look great. I did it myself, it wasn't cheap, but it was worth it, because we have very little light in that bath. My husband's comment when he saw the arrangement said, "It looks like a model home in here." He loved it.
Artificial plants can be very pricey, but if you have a dark house or corner then it is a good place for an artificial tree or plant. To clean it, take it out in the sun on a hot day and hose it off occasionally, that will make it look new. I don't like paying over $50 for an artificial plant and have picked a few good ones up at thrift stores and also the grocery store will occasionally have a bargain.
Remember, plants and flowers can make a dull house look elegant and can bring out a subtle color you have somewhere in the room. Plants also add filler for spaces that appear bare.
In part 2 we will have a talk on cheap and expensive artifacts.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Leather furniture and real wood
Have you ever heard someone say their animals would ruin a leather sofa? This, and when a person says, "I want my table to be real wood, good hard wood."
I have owned leather furniture (not vinyl), and I know something about real wood.
Let's talk about leather first. I have two dogs that run around our family room, chasing each other, jumping on and off the leather sofa and wrestling on it. They are like children on a playground. Our leather sofa is still as good as new. Granted it is a dark burgundy so it does not show much, neither do they dig their claws into it.
Good leather is very sturdy and difficult to puncture a hole into. We once had a creamy white leather sofa and a crazy cat. The cat never came near the sofa, but our daughter has had her cats tear up her leather love seat (perhaps, cats and leather might not go together).
Fabric furniture can be ruined much quicker than any leather piece, so if you are wondering, I say give it a try. And of course, don't buy off white, unless only adults are going to sit on your furniture. That goes the same for off white or beige carpeting. We will talk about that later.
Let's talk now about real wood. I can begin with what I instantly know about people who say they want real wood. They haven't got a clue, and they probably grew up around solid oak furniture (maybe even cheap laminated coffee tables - remember those?). As for solid wood, I wonder what 'they' thought when they saw a crack go down the middle or the side of a table.
The fact is this. Really fine furniture is never solid wood, the reason - wood is a very unstable element. That is why bad laminating jobs came into practice in the 1950's. The laminate peeled away and gave the process a bad name. Expensive furniture has layer upon layer of thin sheets of shaved wood, glued together in a process that is exquisite, that is how and why the grain is so beautiful on these pieces of fine furniture.
Pick up a magazine that advertises fine furniture, i.e. Baker furniture. It is extremely expensive and very beautiful. So when you walk into a furniture store, don't say to the salesman, "I want solid wood for my table." You will be sorry, and you'll know what he knows about you.
I have owned leather furniture (not vinyl), and I know something about real wood.
Let's talk about leather first. I have two dogs that run around our family room, chasing each other, jumping on and off the leather sofa and wrestling on it. They are like children on a playground. Our leather sofa is still as good as new. Granted it is a dark burgundy so it does not show much, neither do they dig their claws into it.
Good leather is very sturdy and difficult to puncture a hole into. We once had a creamy white leather sofa and a crazy cat. The cat never came near the sofa, but our daughter has had her cats tear up her leather love seat (perhaps, cats and leather might not go together).
Fabric furniture can be ruined much quicker than any leather piece, so if you are wondering, I say give it a try. And of course, don't buy off white, unless only adults are going to sit on your furniture. That goes the same for off white or beige carpeting. We will talk about that later.
Let's talk now about real wood. I can begin with what I instantly know about people who say they want real wood. They haven't got a clue, and they probably grew up around solid oak furniture (maybe even cheap laminated coffee tables - remember those?). As for solid wood, I wonder what 'they' thought when they saw a crack go down the middle or the side of a table.
The fact is this. Really fine furniture is never solid wood, the reason - wood is a very unstable element. That is why bad laminating jobs came into practice in the 1950's. The laminate peeled away and gave the process a bad name. Expensive furniture has layer upon layer of thin sheets of shaved wood, glued together in a process that is exquisite, that is how and why the grain is so beautiful on these pieces of fine furniture.
Pick up a magazine that advertises fine furniture, i.e. Baker furniture. It is extremely expensive and very beautiful. So when you walk into a furniture store, don't say to the salesman, "I want solid wood for my table." You will be sorry, and you'll know what he knows about you.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Writing and other sports
Today, rather than decorating, I am going to touch on a couple of books I have written. First, I mentioned it in another post, I wanted to update to anyone who cares the progress on the screen play for my novel, Crystal Pines. The good news is that the producer liked the dialogue and said it was appropriate for the era, 1839New York City.
The sad news is that the play needs to be reformatted, all 120 pages of it (that is equal to a two hour movie). He gave me a copy of his CASABLANCE screen play from 1942 - how exciting to look at that, for the proper formatting style. I took it to Kinks and made a copy. My screen play writer, Victoria and I will reformat together and also make clearer some of the scenes.
The other news I wanted to share, though I don't mean for this to be thought of as a serious decorating session; I am about to wallpaper my office with my rejection slips for my completed novel. It is Christian fiction about the trip that Jesus, Joseph, and Mary took to Egypt, according to the book of Matthew, Chapter 2. There is nothing said about the trip except that The Holy Family went and came back. I have created a fictional account of what their journey might have been like. I loved making up the story and feel that eventually someone will appreciate it, love it, publish it - God Willing.
I had a literary agency, Writers Literary Agency; they seemed only to want to get money from me for things. In the end, after 6 months, I let them go. I felt that they would never get the job done of submitting my work to a publisher, though it was critiqued and deemed commercially viable. I am not sorry that Writers Literary no longer represents me.
Nevertheless, I will continue to search for the right agent. For those of you who believe in prayer please pray for success. It is a great story; others who helped me edit and proof it have told me so.
The sad news is that the play needs to be reformatted, all 120 pages of it (that is equal to a two hour movie). He gave me a copy of his CASABLANCE screen play from 1942 - how exciting to look at that, for the proper formatting style. I took it to Kinks and made a copy. My screen play writer, Victoria and I will reformat together and also make clearer some of the scenes.
The other news I wanted to share, though I don't mean for this to be thought of as a serious decorating session; I am about to wallpaper my office with my rejection slips for my completed novel. It is Christian fiction about the trip that Jesus, Joseph, and Mary took to Egypt, according to the book of Matthew, Chapter 2. There is nothing said about the trip except that The Holy Family went and came back. I have created a fictional account of what their journey might have been like. I loved making up the story and feel that eventually someone will appreciate it, love it, publish it - God Willing.
I had a literary agency, Writers Literary Agency; they seemed only to want to get money from me for things. In the end, after 6 months, I let them go. I felt that they would never get the job done of submitting my work to a publisher, though it was critiqued and deemed commercially viable. I am not sorry that Writers Literary no longer represents me.
Nevertheless, I will continue to search for the right agent. For those of you who believe in prayer please pray for success. It is a great story; others who helped me edit and proof it have told me so.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
This and That with Balance
Many thanks to you who have looked at this blog and sent me an email telling me about your homes, it would be greatly appreciated if you could comment here on the blog. If not, than you can send a response, or question if you have one, to my email at priscillasflair@gmail.com.
Someone asked me the other day about what height the pictures should be. This woman was short and she wondered if she should hang the pictures at her eye level. I suggested that she put them above her eye level, but in such a way that she could still see and enjoy them. Most people have a tendency to hang pictures too high.
If you put one behind a seating area you want to be sure that when an average height person sits down their head does not hit the bottom of the picture. In a formal room, pictures can be higher than say in a bathroom or bedroom, where depending on your personal height you can hang them high or low.
Hanging multiple pictures can be particularly difficult unless they can be staggered in a grouping. Someone suggested today to me that you can make a pattern on the floor arranging the pictures as you would like them. She read somewhere that you could trace the patterned onto a sheet or large piece of paper and hold it up to the wall.
For 'have hammer, will travel' that is far too much work. If it looks good on the floor it will most likely look good on the wall. Either way, you will probably have a few extra nail holes behind the pictures. Oh Well, at they will be hung.
I wanted to mention a few words about balancing a room.
Don't put all the heavy pieces of furniture, i.e. the sofa, buffet, china cabinet, dining table or credenza, to the same side of the room. Pieces should be staggered, meaning across from the sofa (on the longest wall, remember) should be a large piece like an entry hall or table. Balance is very important, your eye will tell you if something isn't right, and that you need to move furniture around until it feels right.
Balance out your room with pictures, end tables, plants, lighting, pictures and accessories. Don't be afraid to mix and match and join colors. In most things, rather than the object itself, the key to balance and harmony is color and size. When you put things together such as flowers, or accessories on table tops, never use an even number. The numbers should be 3, 5, 7 etc. You can see the balance in these numbers and the room should be the same.
Someone asked me the other day about what height the pictures should be. This woman was short and she wondered if she should hang the pictures at her eye level. I suggested that she put them above her eye level, but in such a way that she could still see and enjoy them. Most people have a tendency to hang pictures too high.
If you put one behind a seating area you want to be sure that when an average height person sits down their head does not hit the bottom of the picture. In a formal room, pictures can be higher than say in a bathroom or bedroom, where depending on your personal height you can hang them high or low.
Hanging multiple pictures can be particularly difficult unless they can be staggered in a grouping. Someone suggested today to me that you can make a pattern on the floor arranging the pictures as you would like them. She read somewhere that you could trace the patterned onto a sheet or large piece of paper and hold it up to the wall.
For 'have hammer, will travel' that is far too much work. If it looks good on the floor it will most likely look good on the wall. Either way, you will probably have a few extra nail holes behind the pictures. Oh Well, at they will be hung.
I wanted to mention a few words about balancing a room.
Don't put all the heavy pieces of furniture, i.e. the sofa, buffet, china cabinet, dining table or credenza, to the same side of the room. Pieces should be staggered, meaning across from the sofa (on the longest wall, remember) should be a large piece like an entry hall or table. Balance is very important, your eye will tell you if something isn't right, and that you need to move furniture around until it feels right.
Balance out your room with pictures, end tables, plants, lighting, pictures and accessories. Don't be afraid to mix and match and join colors. In most things, rather than the object itself, the key to balance and harmony is color and size. When you put things together such as flowers, or accessories on table tops, never use an even number. The numbers should be 3, 5, 7 etc. You can see the balance in these numbers and the room should be the same.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Computer Spaces
Today I want to address those of you who have your computer, i.e. office so to speak, in the kitchen, out in the open, in a corner, or on the kitchen/dining room table. Maybe you just stuck it somewhere that is totally unappealing, but convenient. Read on only if you care about how it looks.
Perhaps, you have looked around and decided that you can not fine, or do not have a spot for your work space - that would be a place where you can keep the papers and books needed to do your work - neatly stacked. I say neatly, but more importantly, CLEAN OUT THOSE STACKS, toss unread papers.
In a really tiny place, there is usually a corner somewhere that can be cleaned out (AGAIN, THE KEY TERM IS CLEANED OUT) and space made for a table and good support chair. The space you create should be appealing to the eye if it has to be seen when someone comes into the room. A nice tall plant, artificial if there is no lighting, will take the eye off an eyesore...FYI - to keep your artificial plant clean take it outside and hose it down on a hot sunny day.
A tall lamp or, with limited space, a swaged lamp with at least a 100 watt bulb, to turn on over the computer will make your work space attractive and well lighted.
If you have room and want to hide the space, you can purchase a tall screen at World Markets, formerly Cost Plus. The cost can run from $70 to 150. These screens make a nice decorative accent.
If you have a question, please email me at priscillasflair@gmail.com
Perhaps, you have looked around and decided that you can not fine, or do not have a spot for your work space - that would be a place where you can keep the papers and books needed to do your work - neatly stacked. I say neatly, but more importantly, CLEAN OUT THOSE STACKS, toss unread papers.
In a really tiny place, there is usually a corner somewhere that can be cleaned out (AGAIN, THE KEY TERM IS CLEANED OUT) and space made for a table and good support chair. The space you create should be appealing to the eye if it has to be seen when someone comes into the room. A nice tall plant, artificial if there is no lighting, will take the eye off an eyesore...FYI - to keep your artificial plant clean take it outside and hose it down on a hot sunny day.
A tall lamp or, with limited space, a swaged lamp with at least a 100 watt bulb, to turn on over the computer will make your work space attractive and well lighted.
If you have room and want to hide the space, you can purchase a tall screen at World Markets, formerly Cost Plus. The cost can run from $70 to 150. These screens make a nice decorative accent.
If you have a question, please email me at priscillasflair@gmail.com
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Lighting 101
Let's talk about lighting. If you want ambiance, you can use 3 way light bulbs, or small lamps that take a minimal size bulb, and of course, you can use candles. However, if you have people over to entertain for other than a candlelight supper, having good light available is always welcome. One of the best sources of great lighting is the halogen floor lamp; it can light an entire room. You can purchase them quite inexpensively, or you can pay a few dollars, and there are many places to shop for them.
You can purchase an inexpensive contemporary floor lamp - they are usually black and will go in any corner, or you can buy the ones with more of a decorative glass for the light to shine through. Sometimes these are not halogen, but they still give light. Then there are table lamps, or if you have a lamp with no shade, there are many choices for shades. Wal-mart and Target have a wonderful selection. Be sure to measure the height of your lamp and get a shade that is big enough, if the shade is too short or too small it will not look good (the normal tendency is to buy too small).
For the best light, get the light colored shades, off white, beige, or white. If you buy a dark shade, it should be for look and ambiance only, clearly not for reading under.
If you are short on space, a table lamp serves two purposes. I bought one recently at Wal-mart for a client (they have the best prices and their quality is the same as other place that sell the same sort of things). The table lamp was under $50.00.
Hanging lamps are not always efficient as far as lighting goes, but they can add mood and fill a purpose if you don't have table or floor space.
A chandelier is always special, and they vary in cost, shape/style and size. If you can afford one and have someone to help you hang it, it can add a great look to a room.
You can purchase an inexpensive contemporary floor lamp - they are usually black and will go in any corner, or you can buy the ones with more of a decorative glass for the light to shine through. Sometimes these are not halogen, but they still give light. Then there are table lamps, or if you have a lamp with no shade, there are many choices for shades. Wal-mart and Target have a wonderful selection. Be sure to measure the height of your lamp and get a shade that is big enough, if the shade is too short or too small it will not look good (the normal tendency is to buy too small).
For the best light, get the light colored shades, off white, beige, or white. If you buy a dark shade, it should be for look and ambiance only, clearly not for reading under.
If you are short on space, a table lamp serves two purposes. I bought one recently at Wal-mart for a client (they have the best prices and their quality is the same as other place that sell the same sort of things). The table lamp was under $50.00.
Hanging lamps are not always efficient as far as lighting goes, but they can add mood and fill a purpose if you don't have table or floor space.
A chandelier is always special, and they vary in cost, shape/style and size. If you can afford one and have someone to help you hang it, it can add a great look to a room.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Screen Play update for Crystal Pines
Just wanted you to know that the screen play for my book, Crystal Pines, has been submitted to the producer who has been waiting for it. Will not know what he has to say until he finishes reading it, but I am certain it will need work. The young girl who wrote the play did an excellent job, so kudos to Victoria for all her work.
You can buy Crystal Pines from the publisher, PublishAmerica.com, Amazon.com, or Boarders and Barnes & Noble.
Crystal Pines is about 4 cousins who come to New York City in 1839 to run the subsidiary company of their father's firm in London. See my website; www.priscillamcdaniel.com to read more about it.
Yesterday, I did not write, and today I am learning how to connect to other blogs so I can comment and get them to follow me.http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/177-5750492-3919265?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Crystal+Pines&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3ACrystal+Pines&ajr=1
You can buy Crystal Pines from the publisher, PublishAmerica.com, Amazon.com, or Boarders and Barnes & Noble.
Crystal Pines is about 4 cousins who come to New York City in 1839 to run the subsidiary company of their father's firm in London. See my website; www.priscillamcdaniel.com to read more about it.
Yesterday, I did not write, and today I am learning how to connect to other blogs so I can comment and get them to follow me.http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/177-5750492-3919265?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Crystal+Pines&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3ACrystal+Pines&ajr=1
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