Thursday, July 5, 2012

From December till….

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…now in July is how long it took for me to figure out where I was going to put a gift that had been given to me for Christmas. More on that in a moment.


My family maintains –in great humor I might add – that I am difficult to buy a gift for.  Really, I say, even after having dropped several suggestions to them of things that I would fancy all wrapped up in Christmas paper and sweetly tucked under the tree.  However, the ears that my verbal list lands on are often distracted by more astute guy interests, such as motorcycle parts or BBQ rubs.  I am hopeful that my little hints will be filed in the hemisphere of the brain that is the go-to section rather than the mental purge lobe because active listening wasn’t happening the moment that I was dropping a heavy hint.


So I’ve heard that our male counterparts on earth are more visual than women.  Ok, maybe.  In my case this past December I found the hypothesis to be accurate.  While at a Christmas open house at the antique mall, I pointed out a beautiful Italian toleware wall sconce, that was for sale in my friend’s space, to my son and husband and said that that was the ONLY thing I wanted for Christmas.  And, as you see, Santa son and hubs came through with flying colors.
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As shared in my last post, it takes me a little time to figure out where I might add a newly purchased piece to my decor.  When I see an item that I know I love and will fit in the home, I usually will purchase it – granted, if the price is doable.  There have been many times that I have had a pang of angst in my stomach when going back to get something that I liked and finding out that it had been sold.  Well shucks!  Know what I mean? 


At first I thought the sconce would look nice in our family room, but after having moved the 1920’s oil painting to the dining room, a “light” came on that the painting and the sconce seem to share a commonality in colors and flowers – and it pairs up perfectly with the chandelier over the dining table, too.  Out of the closet my sconce came and two nails later it was up and illuminating one corner of the dining room. 

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The primitive green bench below pulls the vignette together.  It took 7 months to figure that one out, but I think this corner will remain as such for a very long time.


Next project, picking laminate flooring.  I am loving the lighter wood colors but am pulled to a bit of the darker ones, like a hickory or even cherry.  Any bits of advice from anybody as to what a good brand and color are?

36 comments:

dogwood designs said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
dogwood designs said...

Very nice,Becky We are thinking laminate floors also, let me know your findings in your research. Doris

Marsha @ Tattered Chick said...

Just beautiful, Becky!!!

After living in this house going on 12 years I am just now beginning to decorate!! Well, incorporating my found treasures into our house . . . but some of them have been stored under the bed that long, LOL

Your home is just lovely by the way!

xoxo

Unknown said...

What a wonderful gift!! Even if it took several months to decied where to put it!!

chris

Vee said...

The men try...seems as if you were blessed that they really listened. I prefer to just ask for the cash.

It looks lovely there. I know nothing of laminates and am hoping that one day I will. So I'll be checking back to see what folks have to share.

aarond said...

Becky, my family says that about me too and I say I am NOT hard to buy for, I always have a list, just follow it. Lol! I love the sconce. Very beautiful.

Kathleen Grace said...

What a beautiful sconce! I love the light it throws, it will look lovely on dark winter evenings too.
I have no experience with laminate floors, but would love tohear what you find out about them. I have allergies and a lot of very old carpet that needs to be removed. We have been thinking laminate flooring too!

GranthamLynn said...

I am forever moving things. We just did a redo this week. I am about to take some pics of the new little cottage we live in. It really isn't a cottage but I can pretend.
Thanks for sharing. I love the sconce!

NanaDiana said...

I love it and have never seen another like it. It looks like you found the perfect spot for it- xo Diana

Blondie's Journal said...

Cute post! I love your vignette and can't wait to see what you do with the floors! :)

XO,
Jane

becky up the hill said...

Love to hear about laminate floors, cause the 80's called and they want my powder blue carpet back :/.
Catch up soon okay. We need to plan a visit..maybe this Fall?

Elsie said...

Oh Becky I love your sconce, your painting and your bench. Your light under your painting really makes it show up. I have a bench like that that my daddy made for my
kids to sit on in my foyer and wait for the school bus back in the 80's. I have it in the extra bedroom.

cynthia lee designs said...

The sconce is beautiful and you have found the perfect place for it.
Cindy

Anonymous said...

The sconce looks beautiful there! I don't know anything about laminate. Wish I could help.
xo
Penny

Candylei said...

Love your white cupboard and all of your white pitchers...and your beautiful transferware. It's so fun to find a few pieces that are reasonable, I agree. Not that I have any complete sets...:-)

Skoots1moM said...

i have a dark wood in my bathroom...shows ALL the dust...jes sayin'

Linda said...

As always I love your photos... but this post was delight with wonderful word-play.. as if I was reading about this in "real sconce time." Where is the LOVE button? Hope you had a great Independence Day!

Vickie @ Ranger 911 said...

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who takes forever to find the perfect spot for cherished items!

Our youngest daughter rented a new house with dark cherry floors. They were beautiful, but never looked clean with a 110 pound Golden Retriever shedding and dripping water on them. Our Yorkie-poo didn't shed, so maybe your pooches don't either. Good luck making your decision!

Chenille Cottage said...

Dearest Becky,
Oh, how I love visiting your lovely home. You have created such a soothing atmosphere for your friends and family.
I hope you are having a great summer. How blessed we are to live in the west...away from the extreme heat and humidity!
Have a wonderful weekend, my sweet friend,
Carolynn xoxo

Chenille Cottage said...

Dearest Becky,
How I love visiting your lovely home. You have created such a soothing atmosphere for your family and friends.
I hope you are having a wonderful summer. How blessed we are to live in the west...away from the extreme heat and humidity!
Big hugs,
Carolynn xo

Moms Musings said...

I've found that the lighter floor colors are better when you have pets. I have a friend with dark wood floors and a black cat. You can see the fur, while I have light wood and a black cat and the fur is hardly noticeable.

Moms Musings said...

Light wood works best when you have pets. I have a friend who has dark wood and a black cat, you can see the fur as it sheds. I have light wood and a black cat and the fur is hardly noticeable.

craftyles said...

I am loving that beautiful sconce. It looks perfect where you put it up. It doesn't matter how long it takes to do it, as long as you get around to it some time. We installed a medium wood when we bought this house last year, and I love it. I think I was afraid to go too dark or light, so we compromised. Good luck with your floor!

Happy@Home said...

It may have taken a while to find the perfect spot, but I think you were most successful in finding it. It looks perfectly beautiful right where you have placed it.
What a thoughtful gift from your guys.

Pondside said...

Just perfect! I love it there.

Suzan said...

Hi It looks beautiful! I know the feeling about seeing something and not buying it. Last Summer I was in a little antique store in Oregon and saw a lot of blue willow dishes for a really good price. I only bought a suger and creamer because I was going home on the plane. I thought about those dishes for an entire year. This year hubby was with me along with the truck and camper and low and behold they were still there. Those babies are here on my shelf in Illinois. Boy was I lucky!
Suzan
Ladybug cottage

Pink Roses and Teacups said...

Hi sweet Becky! How are you? My eye was drawn to that corner right away, and I said "oh, how pretty that looks, I wonder what it is" You hit the nail on the head lol, finding that perfect spot. Love how the room looks.I know exactly what you mean in finding the right spot. Next Christmas or holiday, give them a gift list, so that they can pick something. That might work lol Hope you are staying cool! It's 100 and humid here today.

Hugs,
Debbie

Mimi Sue said...

Good thing to learn...if you love it don't wait. It might not be there when you come back for it. Learned that the hard way. Beautiful little sconce. Mimi

Shari said...

We have (Columbia Cachet Clic) laminate wood floors and absolutely hate them. The only thing positive I can say about my laminate floors is they look pretty. Without writing a book here, I'll try to summarize the many things we don't like about laminate.

First and foremost, laminate is EASILY damaged by moisture/water...even a little water. I knew not to use it in my bathrooms but I do have it in my kitchen and there are numerous areas where the seams have bubbled from minor spills so now I freak out at the thought of a single ice cube falling out of the ice dispenser of the refrigerator without me knowing and having it melt on the floor. Even if you didn't put it in the kitchen, you could still conceivably experience moisture damage from rain (or snow) being tracked across it. (Laminate is also NOT *pet accident* friendly.)

Laminate is noisy to walk on (even with underlayment that's suppose to muffle the noise). The clicking sound of 3 dogs' toenails constantly walking on it about drove us insane, especially at night when the dogs would move through the house. It was so loud we could even hear them on the opposite end of the house!

Laminate is slippery. Some types of shoe soles and laminate are not a good mix. I've nearly slipped and fallen a few times. Our old, infirm dogs are no longer able to walk on the laminate without slipping so I've now had to cover all the traffic paths with throw rugs (which defeats the purpose of having "wood" floors).

Frankly, I do not understand why laminate is so popular. Choosing laminate flooring was a huge, expensive mistake that I deeply regret and after living with it, I could/would never recommend it.

A little over a year ago, I put in Trafficmaster Allure vinyl (wood-look) planks (found @ Home Depot)in one bathroom and absolutely LOVE it! It's inexpensive, soft and quiet to walk on, not particularly slippery, very easy to care for, and best of all, it's water resistant so short of a flood, water/moisture (or pet accidents) isn't a problem. I think it looks every bit as pretty as the laminate, or even real wood. If I could, I would rip out every bit of our 2 1/2 year old laminate and replace it with the Trafficmaster Allure vinyl planks.

Sorry, this comment ended up being way long anyway...

Forty Pound Sack said...

Such a pretty, pretty piece ~

Ann at the Handley Bungalow said...

OOOH Becky, what a perfect spot for that light! I loooove it...what a pretty fixture! And that picture...wow!! I have hardwood in my house and pergo in my basement. It is easy to clean and I find a LOT more dust now that I don't have carpet that traps it! I am anxious to see how yours turns out. Hugs, Ann

Sweet Cottage Dreams said...

Shari, thank you for your comment! I appreciate your feedback and am glad that you took the time to share with me your experience on lamintate. This kind of feedback is what I am looking for. I will be sure to check out the Trafficmaster Allure vinyl. A friend of mine put vinyl planks in her house and loves it!

wendy said...

VERY NICE...I am in love with your hutch. I love the "knob" at the bottom that closes it.
Just like what my grandparents had on their furniture.
It IS HARD sometimes to figure out just where we want to put things.

Julie said...

I think the sconce has landed...excellent!...My kids used to say a new item would travel around the house for a month before it finally found it's resting spot...it's "Place"...so they didn't even bother to say "that looks good there..." LOVE it. I think the light shining up on the new picture is lovely...
Sometimes a period of waiting brings the perfect ending. :-) {hugs}

American Grocery said...

What a great piece, i think you have found the spot for it!

AnyoneCanQuilt said...

What a gorgeous sconce!! I'm also in love with the painting above it. LOVE!! Good luck searching for flooring. We uncovered and refinished beautiful old wood floors when we bought our 1930's house, the only flooring we put in was the tile in the kitchen and bathrooms. It's pretty, but if you drop a dish it shatters so easily. My brother has laminate floors in his kitchen. They look nice, but his dog has such a hard time walking on the slick surface. xoxo