my mission statement, if you will

First, I thank each of you who donated to the Denham Springs, Louisiana Animal Shelter  (the shelter where we adopted Louise) after the recent horrible flooding that I wrote about in my last post HERE

You are amazing and generous!

I adore this photo of our morning ritual- girls waiting to be given the "okay" to eat after Dan/I thank them for being such good girls and tell them how much we love them!

Photo by Linda of Lime In The Coconut.  

Fun stories about LindaLime that resonate with this entire post at the bottom!

Initially I was going to do a quick, short post to let you know I have added a feature

  "adoptable dog of the week" 

to the top of my sidebar, in hopes that you will notice, read it and maybe share with your friends on Facebook each week as I highlight a different dog needing a good home.  But, as I started to write my short post I realized that often things mean more if you understand the back story. And for me,  the back story was much bigger than a quick post.  That this whole journey on my blog- the sharing of our home, of my design and interiors and my love of antiques, the sharing of my love of dogs, and my passion for rescuing dogs-  is a joy and my mission.  With that comes a story...

When we decided to sell our Dallas house and move to New England it was a HUGE life decision as you can imagine.  I have never "journaled" per se  (though I tend to see this blog as a form of a journal),  but do understand the importance of putting all the emotions of a situation down on paper.   The decision to move here was exciting, terrifying, scary, nerve-wracking, thrilling-  all with anticipation of a new life,  and I realized I needed to write those emotions down before I popped!  

(if you would like to read how we got her click HERE and HERE)

A paragraph from my random writings from that time read:

want to help.  dogs maybe;  people

 finding dogs.

want to bring joy- thru design/antiques 

I need to find my life's work. 

What brings me joy, and how to 

share that.

  I wrote this in 2007 before the word "blog" was even in mainstream vocabulary, and a good year and a half before I figured out what one was.  I didn't give a thought as to how I would accomplish any of those things I listed, but they were just on my heart, so I wrote them down.   

It wasn't until several people wrote to tell me that because of our adopting Amelia HERE and HERE, and then Louise and Magnolia HERE that they had decided to adopt/expand their family, and one person (Tery) even wrote to tell me she was going to adopt instead of "buy" her next dog (and I am thrilled to say she has since adopted "Sullivan";)  that I vaguely recalled this paragraph I wrote years ago and went to find it in my "house book."  I sobbed.  Because of a random decision in October of 2008 to start this blog to chronicle the renovation of the farmhouse (the blog started as private), and then the request by Brooke Giannetti at Velvet &Linen to share my blog on her blog HERE and Joni Webb of Cote de Texas who added me to her blog roll several months later, I received exposure and in some way or form that is how you found your way here (thank you to my friends Brooke and Joni! xxo)

Because of the above events I have been able to meet you and share my loves and passions on this blog, and for that I am forever thankful and grateful.  

My love of home, my love of dogs and my love of rescuing dogs are my greatest passions.  For me,  dogs (pets) make a house a home.  

I thank you for allowing me to share all my passions and loves with you.  

I have received some negative comments and emails about my posts on dog rescue- people saying that they signed up to see pictures of a house, not of dogs.  My response was/is....  

 I'm sorry you are disappointed.  I write a "lifestyle" blog, so therefore I write about all things I am deeply passionate about that make up my love of a house- decorating, design, gardening, cooking, entertaining and dogs; and that includes using "my voice" to promote dog adoption.  The beauty of writing a personal blog is that I get to choose what I want to write about, and I will continue to write about all of the above, just as you are free to choose to not read if the content isn't to your liking.  Isn't it great that we all have choices!

You might recall that one of my readers, Amy (check out her new blog Home Glow Designs) adopted Nanny after seeing her on my blog HERE  Then over the past weekend Alice,  the dog-angel volunteer for Lytle, Texas Animal Control wrote to tell me that one of my readers in Houston was going to foster one of the dogs, Missy, that came in with a horrible injury to her foot and this woman is going get Missy a prosthesis!  I do not know who this person is, but she is an angel.  It was after hearing that (and the memory of every one who had left a comment saying they were going to adopt because of our girls) I wanted to do more!  And I thought to add the "adoptable dog of the week" feature at the top of my sidebar!  I am but one person, but with your help we can be a "force" to find shelter dogs homes!

It breaks my heart the number of dogs (and cats) that are euthanized in our country everyday (approximately 3,288 dogs each and every day)  and also the number of stray dogs and cats (there are 9,000 stray dogs in south Dallas alone.  You read that correctly... 9,000 source)  I wholeheartedly believe, as with most things, that education is the key.  It saddens,  infuriates and frustrates me that the wonderful nation that we are, we can not get a grip on this problem.  The only change that I can personally make is trying to make it better for one dog at a time.  So, that is what I want to do, with your help- spread the message of the importance of having all pets spayed/neutered; to please opt to adopt and highlighting dogs that are in desperate need of a good home.

All- one dog at a time!

I promise, my blog has not "gone to the dogs," and I am writing a "summer favorites" post that was a request from a reader, and have several house project posts coming up, but I wanted write this to you to explain myself.  I just never know when a post about a dog needing a home will change that dog's life or yours- either way is priceless!

Thank you for reading, thank you for helping me spread the word about adopting and thank you for being you!!!  xxo

The fun stories I mentioned at the beginning of this post...

Linda of Lime In The Coconut and I have been friends for years.  While writing this post and linking to Brooke's post from Velvet & Linen HERE I discovered through the comment section that Linda found me through Brooke, on November 19, 2008 at 5:25 p.m.  to be exact!!! :)

Well..... just two weekends ago LindaLime (as Dan and I call her;) came to the farmhouse to visit!!!!  She was on her way to see her daughter who had just finished a three-month environmental conservation internship in northern New Hampshire at Squam Lake  (a.k.a the lake where On Golden Pond was filmed.)  Finally we meet!!!!  It was sooo wonderful to meet in person. Linda and I were up til 4 am talking!!!  We ALL loved her-  I swear the girls would have left with her if they could have- they adored her!!!  To see Linda's photos from around the farmhouse and her trip to New Hamphsire HERE  !!

Another fun LindaLime story is that last summer Linda wrote to check up on me as I hadn't posted in a while.  I explained that we had just come home from a road trip to Louisiana where we adopted Magnolia and Louise HERE.  Linda asked how I found them and I told her on Petfinder, which she was not familiar with.  Within an hour she and her daughter (mentioned in the story above) were on Petfinder and found a Great Dane that they wanted to go meet!!  Days later "Finn" was adopted...

and then months later the beautiful (blind and deaf) "Pearl" was adopted by LindaLime and her family!!!

Moral of the story.....you just never know how a random sharing will change a person's life for the better!!!  

Love ya Finn & Pearl & LindaLime!!!!!

I also want to share that Linda is a Lactation Consultant and she is getting ready to leave for Greece where she is volunteering to help the refugee women and children fleeing from war and terrorism.
To read about her upcoming journey HERE.

love dogs and be well!!!

and please share the featured dog of the week!  together we can find these dogs forever homes!

xxojoan

the reading room today

You might recall that the last time I showed you the reading room we had just found a free antique pedestal table on the side of the road!  HERE.  As much as I loved that table- especially for its story;) I knew it was always a "filler" until the perfect table came along.  

It finally did!

I found this antique, circa mid 1800's, iron table with black marble top in Vermont.  

I adore the table and love that it is around the same circa as the house.  The room is small, so it makes the space seem much more open.

I left the iron base in its current state which is an off-white painted finish with iron rust coming through the paint in the form of spots/speckles.  I'm guessing it spent years in an old barn/shed being semi-exposed to elements.  

I'm going through a "keep it clean" look at present (the kitchen island has absolutely nothing on it, which is unusual for me;) so the table is topped with two antique green glazed Chinese parrots (they are unusually tall and only part of our collection), a piece of white coral, and a demi-john bottle with a hydrangea branch from the garden.

Walls are painted Ashwood OC-47 by Benjamin Moore. Trim is White Dove by Benjamin Moore.  (All my paint and stain colors can be found on my sidebar for future reference.)

Antique brass chandelier purchased 23 years ago in Houston for our first house in Eastmoreland in Portland, Oregon, it was also used for a while in our home in Dallas.

I recently changed out the regular bent-tip frosted light bulbs for these silicone-tipped bulbs HERE from Lumiere Candles.  These have a regular/standard-size base (as opposed to a chandelier-size base) and are 15 watts each.  I just love their bulbish/squatty shape!  They look perfect in the antique brass chandelier. 

Don't  forget that Lumiere Candles offers a 10% discount coupon code for my readers HERE. I love their: real wax sleeves, large diameter solid candle covers (which are so difficult to find),   their silicone-dipped bulbs, and their large translucent candle covers (which are impossible to find ;)  They also have resin candle sleeves and covers when for the times when you need a higher wattage bulb than what is allowable for the real wax sleeves.

(No, I am not being paid to endorse this company!  I simply love their beautiful products and the owners are super nice and they have wonderful customer service.)

I've removed some things from the top of the antique Italian case piece and illuminated the antique oil painting.
The simple French fauteuil chair was found in Marseille, France.  I had it covered in natural linen with a vintage alligator back.  A better photo of the back  HERE.

I moved several of the antique mirrors from a guest bedroom HERE to the reading room.  I love a good stack of antique mirrors!  The antique large gilded mirror in the back is French as is the Louis Philippe mirror in the center.  The small iron cushion mirror in front was found in France. Antique Chinese blue and white temple jar made into lamp and large aged brass ball sits on antique English chest.  Vintage mink muff turned pillow sits on a vintage Louis XV fauteuil (one of a pair.) 

"Mavis" is donning a vintage leopard collar around her waist for the cold winter months:)  You can read a story about her HERE.

On top of the stack of books sitting next to the Martha Washington chair is a book (National Gallery of Art, Washington) that we received as a wedding present 27 years ago from a friend (thank you Sue!)   I have always adored the painting on the cover.  

I like how in this photo you can see what the lamp shade looks like with the light on (front) and the pattern on the shade (in the back)  The story of the bookcase door HERE.  The bookcase is filled with antique books/reference books, small paintings, coral, antique iron urn, part of our collection of antique tortiseshell boxes and more of our collection of antique Chinese glazed terracotta green birds.

The south wall.

We found this antique oil painting in Marseille, France.  We named her Aunt Minerva.  She resonates with me. I love that she is reading a book in the reading room :)

An antique country English Chippendale chair with 18th antique vellum books and a bronze mold of a "nude."

The vintage painting on the east wall by artist Jerry Wilkerson.

Antique English oil painting entitled "Cottage in Devonshire" by listed artist James Poole in original frame. Circa 1850.

To see the reading room over the years and to read more about items in the room...

HERE

HERE

Note:  photographs taken for this post where taken in the early evening with lamps and lights on which casts a different light over the space than the daytime lighting in previous posts.

everything has a story: ivory escutcheons

When I showed the South guest bedroom I mentioned that there was a story having to do with the antique chest-of-drawers that would convince you (if you weren't already;) of Dan's talent as a craftsman!

When we found this antique English chest-of-drawers in Dallas many years ago it had a big "HOLD" tag on it.  It was also missing one knob, an ivory escutcheon and another knob was badly broken and not usable.  (For those not familiar with the term, an "escutcheon" is a protective or ornamental plate or flange- as around a keyhole.) 

I loved the chest, the price was right and I didn't concern myself at the time at how we (i.e. Dan ;) would remedy the missing knobs and escutcheon.  I was more concerned with the big, ole "HOLD" tag that meant I couldn't buy it!  It was on hold until the next day at 5 p.m.  So, the following day we arrived at the antique shop at 4:45 and waited!  5 o'clock came and went and we asked the staff to call the person to see if they were going to take it.  The person decided against it because the width didn't fit their space and we snapped it up!  

Replacing the missing knobs turned out to be fairly easy.  As is often the case on antique chests, the hardware has been replaced over the hundred plus years of its life to what was the latest "style"- yes, they even had trends back then!  For example, when this chest was initially made it was designed to have brass pulls.  It later became fashionable for chests to have "wooden" knobs, so the brass pulls were removed, the holes plugged/patched and new holes for the wooden knobs were drilled.  It is rather rare to find an antique chest that didn't go through this type of modification over the course of its lifetime.
When we bought the chest there was a wooden knob in the top center drawer.  In this photograph you can even see the indentation from the knob around the ivory escutcheon.  It took a while to figure out that the reason this knob wasn't in line with the other two top drawer knobs (which can also be seen in this photograph) was because originally this drawer didn't have a pull of any kind and was only opened using a key. When we removed the knob in the center top drawer we found the hole that outlined where the original ivory escutcheon had been, but the escutcheon was gone.  They had used that hole to place the wooden knob which is why it didn't line up with the other two drawers.   So, now we needed to replace not one, but two escutcheons.  We removed this knob with the intention of leaving the center drawer accessible only via a key as it had been originally designed, and used the knob as the replacement for the one that was broken.  We then went to our go-to place for miscellaneous antique parts in Dallas: Uncommon Market  and found a replacement for the missing knob.  

In this close-up photograph you can see where the holes for the original brass pulls were patched- probably 100 years ago!  The other telltale sign that the knobs weren't original is how they overlap the ivory escutcheon- it would never have been designed that way.

  Replacing the ivory escutcheons proved to be more difficult. For the next month, or so, we discussed all the possibilities of what we could use to replace the missing escutcheons.  We had several antique ivory billiard balls that we had found in France, but if you've ever priced them they can range, on average, from $95-$195 each, so no one was going to cut up an antique billiard ball!

About this time our next door neighbor who had just retired and was preparing his home to sell called and said he was cleaning out his garage and asked Dan if he would like some boxes of old tools that had belonged to his father.  Well, of course Dan would like some old tools! 

The boxes contained years of accumulated random odds and ends, some wonderful tools AND, 

(now, hold on to your hat ;) 

as luck would have it.....

half of an antique ivory billiard ball!   

I can hear you saying "Get out"!!  No, you get out!!!! :):)

 Our neighbor had no idea why his father would have had an antique billiard ball, but you can imagine our surprise and delight upon finding it!  Something like a needle in a haystack, only better!

Then began the process for Dan to try to figure out how in the world do you get a paper thin escutcheon out of a round ivory ball?!  

Since each escutcheon was initially hand cut, no two of the shield shapes were alike.  Dan started by tracing the shield outline from the holes in the drawers on paper (those are the two paper samples on the left) and then transferring the pattern onto a piece of cut ivory (the two cut ivory samples are on the right).  But, that all makes it sound too easy- this is  not an episode of "This Old House" where everything is perfect the very first time!!  First he had to figure out "how to cut" the ivory...

  Keeping in mind that he only had so much material to work with, (i.e. only a partial billiard ball) there was no room for error.  Dan quickly found out that because the ivory was so brittle the cut couldn't be too thin or it would break the second he started working on it.  Just when he thought he'd have a perfect piece a chip would break off and he would have to start over .  After several failed attempts he realized to prevent breakage he needed to cut the slices thicker than what would fit flush in their respective drawer holes.   He made the initial slices using a coping saw (that's for all you men out there reading;) and then used a Dremel drill with a sanding attachment and a utility knife to gingerly shape the shield design.  Next, he turned a belt sander upside down and held the escutcheon down with his finger to get the shield down to the proper thickness so it would fit flush on the drawer front.  The last step was cutting out the keyhole in the now paper-thin center of the ivory piece.  Using the Dremel drill and making many small drills he eventually made the opening into the shape of a keyhole.

The finished product, though this was one of the culls that didn't quite make the cut!

After gluing the new escutcheons in place they were just a little too white, so I lightly oiled them in Old English (Dark) to age them and they were perfect!  So much so, in fact, that to this day neither Dan, nor I, can tell you which one (other than the top drawer) is the one he made!

(To read other "everything has a story" posts click HERE)

my mother made me buy it...

when I was 12 years old... with my birthday money. 

 I was not happy. 

I didn't want it in the first place, and it was "old" to my 12-year-old-self as it was 17 years old when I was made to buy it.  If I was to have to have a sewing machine I wanted one that was bright, shiny and new.  My mother sewed and her sewing machine was the large version of the featherweight.  She had had hers for years and knew this one was of value, even then.  I did not.  Then, to make matters worse for my 12-year-old-self my mother made me take sewing lessons during the summer vacation that year....again, not happy. 

I did not learn to sew well that summer, or any summer for that matter.  I can sew straight lines and have made many pillows, napkins,  curtains (think heavy cotton upholstery-weight with a lining and tassel trim curtains ;), and lots of puppy scarves (our first dog, Kelsey, wore a lot of scarves:) and  I once made a slip cover for an ottoman.  Minutes after I had made it and put it on the ottoman Dan asked me how I did it, and I honestly hadn't a clue.  I figured it out as I went, and could not have recreated it if my life had depended on it! 

My point is that while " I " do not sew well (my kingdom to know how to put in a zipper- the pillows I make all have a "whipped" closure- I must have been daydreaming that day in sewing class;)  this little sewing machine is, well.... a machine!!  It can sew like the big-boys, so don't be fooled by its diminutive demeanor. 

I have grown to love and appreciate my little sewing machine over the years, which is now a collector's item.  It has served me well.  Just today I had to get it out to sew up a little tear in one of the slipcovers from the kitchen dining table. 

My mint Singer Featherweight was made in 1955.  I found the same make/year/condition for sale for $630!!

I guess it's time I thank my mother for making me buy it!

Note the price sticker on the spool of thread... it is from Winn's- a dime store in Texas that was a favorite store of mine as a child.  It closed probably close to 20 years ago... I guess you could say I don't use "white" thread very often!! 

so (no pun intended;) ..... do you know how to sew?!



everything has a story: bedside tables (updated)

(update at the bottom)


I absolutely adore this pair of antique teak and marble-top pub tables from Singapore that we use for our bedside tables. 
(Note the wear on the table base after years and years worth of shoes wearing down the stretchers and chairs hitting the insides of the legs.)

this is my bedside table...

this is Dan's bedside table...

We purchased the tables, plus one more, from our favorite importer in Seattle when we lived in Dallas.  I desperately needed fresh merchandise for my antiques business, so we flew up to Seattle for the day- flew up that morning, shopped all day and flew home that night!
(Please do not ask me about the dining-size table like these two that I didn't buy...  it makes me cry, which makes my mascara run, which makes me look like a clown-   it's not pretty...  anyway, please don't ask;)
My plan was to keep one table and to sell two.  Plans are meant to be changed, yes?!  After getting the tables home I easily found places for two of the tables in the house (in Dallas they were in different rooms) and ended up selling only one.......   quickly and for a lot of money.  (I tell you that only because it comes into play later;) 
The teak table bases were a icky, gunky mess and after trying several methods Dan decided that the only way to thoroughly clean them was to take them to a car wash and use a high-powered sprayer on them! (do not try this at home;) 

My (much older;) sister, Susan, came to visit us in Dallas and fell in love with the tables too!  With the "sold" table long gone, I had to explain that she would have never paid the price I had to put on it to pay for the two I kept and my trip!!  That didn't make her feel any better-  she coveted the tables and would go on and on and.....  during each visit about how much she wanted one.

Time went on, lots of time and about two years later Dan and I were walking the antiques shop where my business was and low and behold we spotted a table that looked EXACTLY like our tables.... could it be?!!  Dan looked at the base trying to recognize any signs that it was "our" table. 
It was. 

Come to find out the designer who bought the table from me purchased it for a client.  Said client lived with it for about two years before re-decorating again, and the table was to be sold!!!  The designer, now a new antiques dealer, wanted the management to call me and find out how much I had sold it to her for because she couldn't remember, and she didn't know how much to ask for the table.

Unfortunately for her, my memory momentarily failed me and I just couldn't for the life of me remember!!! (hey, it's not my job to keep her books;)  She put a price on the table that was much lower than I sold it for!  One phone call to my sister and the table was SOLD.
 
The third table is now back in the family and happily resides in Austin!! 

Here it is in Austin!!!

 

everything has a story: the tortoiseshell frame

antique tortoiseshell frames containing old mirrors in the entry

a close-up
(all photos will enlarge when clicked)
this frame, the largest, hangs on the bottom. it was found at an antiques shop in Jackson, Mississippi


this frame, which hangs in the center, was found on our first trip to Paris and our first trip to the Paris Flea Market at Porte de Clignancourt/ Marche aux Puces

the top tortoiseshell frame, the one with the story

the story

I was an antiques dealer for ten years while living in Dallas. We made several trips to France to buy. Dan was my silent partner, okay sometimes not so silent;) partner who moved, restored, waxed furniture; made lamps; shopped with me; etc, etc... so when I refer to "we" you'll know I'm referring to me and Dan!

We would travel to France with other antiques dealers, and the dealers would share a container to ship back all of our finds to the states.

It was a Saturday afternoon, and we had been at the Paris Flea Market since dawn. Shops were closing and our van had arrived to take us back to our hotel. As we drove out narrow Rue de Rosiers with shops lining the drive we became stopped in traffic. Not wanting to miss a second of shopping I was "window shopping" from my seat in the van, and spied an antique tortoiseshell frame holding an antique painting in the window of a closed shop. I knew instantly that I wasn't interested in the painting, but was very (heart skipping beats) interested in the frame, and wondered if the dealer would sell it without the painting. I don't think I slept all night fantasizing about the frame: would it still be there the next day, would the dealer sell it without the painting, could I afford it even if he would???

The next day was Sunday, and was our only day on this trip to go to the Louvre, as we were leaving for Avignon that night. And, I love the Louvre.... love, love, love! Our favorite part being the fabulous paintings on the second floor of the Richelieu wing. (We are also known to enjoy the Sully wing, and know how to embarrass ourselves in a foreign country... here!) So, I had a dilemma, a big dilemma... go to the Louvre or be at the flea market at opening to try to buy "my" frame. I knew that if I wasn't there at opening, it would be gone.

I chose the Louvre.

While at the Louvre that Sunday morning we saw several frames almost identical to my frame at the flea market proudly framing stunning pieces of art.... I was heartsick. I was now starting to regret my choice!

So, late in the afternoon we made our way back to Marche aux Puce. Sure enough, I walk up to the shop and the painting/frame is gone from the front window. I walk into the shop hoping it has just been moved. I carefully look all over the tiny shop several times, and it is nowhere to be seen. Now, I am really heartsick. I leave the shop only to come back 5 minutes later to have one more look, just to make sure!
Nothing.

I leave once again, but turn around down the block and go back one more time...

(You know how you do that, when you find a great find and you always go back to that exact same spot where you originally found the object. Or...you always go back to the exact same spot of the one thing that you went back to buy and it was now sold... like it was going to magically reappear.)

Once again, inch by inch I scan the tiny shop and there waaaaaaay up on top of a cabinet (almost as if intentionally hidden) sits my frame. No painting, just my frame!! I literally squealed! I can hardly breathe at this point, and manage to express to the dealer (could have been me jumping up and down, with arms flailing wildly that helped him know I was interested!) that I would like to look at the frame; the dealer gets it down- no price.

The dealer spoke no English, and while I, sadly, do not speak French usually we each (the dealer and I) know just enough words/phrases between us that we can figure things out. Not in this case. There was zero communication going on. As it happened, on this trip our group had hired a translator who was at the market and via walkie-talkies could help us out in just such a situation.

We had our translator speak to the dealer. The dealer explained that just that morning someone came in and wanted to purchase only the painting!!

Can you believe it?!!!

The price was a steal, and I almost kicked Dan in the shin;) as he tried to wheel and deal for an even better price, as I happily grunted "JUST BUY IT"!!!!!! I then ran out of the store afraid the dealer would change his mind, or realize that he could have charged me about 10 times what I paid!
I looked something like this, my all-time favorite Ikea commercial depicting me and Dan on many antique shopping forays!! I can not watch this without laughing until I cry..... here!