A Web Home for the House

So Christmas sales, Christmas sales… I find myself awash in daily email deals. I resist them all! (Ha. Well, I try).

And you should know that I am not an artificial anything type of person. A friend was standing at my kitchen counter once idly teasing at a fern I had there while we were talking. He looked at me shocked  ”Whoa, these are real!” when he pulled off a frond into his hand by accident. Um, yeah.

Therefore I was skeptical of artificial wreaths (the one in my kitchen is the real deal) but when I saw that Ballard Designs had these good looking fakes on a super duper “Hey, we have to unload all the Christmas junk!” sale, I thought, “wouldn’t it be nice to hang one from each window arch on the Laurel Street Cottage?” So here we go… “Introducing the Permo-Wreath. Now with 40% more wreath!”

Permo-Wreath from Ballard Designs

I'll have to hand it to Ballard....

...these do look very convincing.

Wow. I made this scale drawing. I am a geek. Yes, yes I am.

I decided to fit the smallest window, the glass in the front door, then match the other three in size and hang them all at that same height. They looked a little puny to me in this drawing.

So I was fretting a bit (you know, the usual ‘wreath fretting’ that one does. You know, right?) that they might be too small while I waited for them to arrive… until my drive home down Prytania Street in New Orleans last night – one of the prettiest residential stretches I know. I saw a monster Garden District mansion with only a single small wreath on it’s huge front door. I stopped worrying, it looked elegant. Bigger is not always better, I suppose.

So this morning before work I got to fumbling around with fishing twine and hooks and ladders and hammers and hung me up some wreaths!

I should've had a little more coffee in me before I started this before work. Pay no attention to the enthusiastic Jasmine vine growing on the fence. It's A-type personality is getting to me a bit. It's getting a haircut tonight. Maybe with my chainsaw.

My lunch hour: Fluffing up these extremely cheap ready-made bows. These won't last long. Still looking for that ribbon tying tutorial, if there's even any more ribbon left in stores at this point...

But even those cheap bows bring it all together somehow. Merry Christmas from Laurel Street, Y'all!

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Settee? Chaise? Regency something-or-other? I’m in love. I desperately wish to replace the sofa in the front room. I love the lines of this and the transparency of the caned back. Wonderful.

Please deliver to Laurel Street right away. And the drapes.

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But I think I’m going to need another one of these. I like it pretty much any place I put it!

I thought I was buying it to put it here...

But I like it here, too!

And in here...

And I'm fairly sure I love it here.

Now you can pretty much see what I do during my lunch break when I get a FedEx notification that a new toy has arrived at my door

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After yesterday’s exertions, I could manage no more than this

I find shiny objects irresistible. Me, and Raccoons.

I want a real ribbon tying tutorial, now... The hot glue gun is poised at the ready in case I find any other objects that need to be attached.

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So I’m hanging out in the kitchen with my Mom and my SIL over Thanksgiving… talking about recipes, etc. Someone says, “I sure miss Southern Living.” I had to agree. The whole publication has gone more Better Home and Gardens. Actually, Better Homes and Gardens isn’t even Better Homes and Gardens anymore. Now it’s BHG. How ‘now.’

The features in this month’s Southern Living pretty much sum up the decline.  First of all, on page 52 there is this story, “Southern Beauty Secrets… Smoky Eye Made Easy” followed by mascara tips. Really. Is this why any of us read Southern Living?

The interiors have also descended to the lower ranges of boredom/stultification. Or they leave me scratching my head. In December, they featured this cave, err, kitchen:

I almost got a splinter in my haste to turn the page

One woman featured home decor tips. Here’s one view of her living room:

Two things: 1) Do you need a Christmas tree if you already have a hideous painting in Christmas colors? I say put some lights and balls on that thing. 2) The height of decor ingenuity and freshness is not a purple chair. I can't decide what the focal point is here. There's so much going on all at once. Don't miss the mirrored coffee tables. What is the curious sprocket decorative object?

The homeowner offer her style secret “When you use a strong color, you should pick it up in at least one other place in the room so it doesn’t look random.” You certainly wouldn’t want that to happen.

The other side of the living room. Let's count. #1 purple chair #2 Red armchair #3 Yellow checkered sofa #4 Leopard fabric ottoman #5 Red patterned chair #6 Polks dot pillows #7 brown checkered rug

Oh, Southern Living… come back to us! Come back!

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