Cottage Study, the Last Post, maybe.....

Today I'm going to finish showing off my study.

(Maybe)

Enough about this room already,

 there's so much more to share with you guys!!!!!

I only have the desk area to go over, and then it's across the hall to my bedroom.....

 The desk is a regency period piece that I've had forever.

I really love the legs, they're almost as good as mine...

I can't tell you the number of hours I've sat at this desk,

playing computer games working on my  blog!!!!!

I still have to make the cushion for its chair.

I think that I'll do that within the next week.

I have to get all this done because I'm finally lettingTraditional Home Magazine do scouting shots.

Estelle Bond Guralnick, the regional editor, has been after me for 8 years.

Since I was retired, I didn't see any reason....

but now!!!!!

I'm blogging!!!!!

And I want to get the word out......

So.....

I've been painting and sewing my little heart out!!!!!

I've make the den slip covers.....

painted the panels in the dining room.....

still need to sew some toss pillows, paint the dining table and make a small rod run gathered sheer curtain for my bedroom armoire.

A really good way to finish off a house, is to set a publication deadline.

It's like inviting folks for dinner,

 it forces you to clean up the #$% house!!!!!

So, this morning, I'm thinking about the paint I want to use on my dining room table.

WELL.....

I am really excited about the new milk paint coming out by 

Miss Mustard Seed.....

I don't want to wait till September!!!!!

I need to paint the table by YESTERDAY!!!!!

Amy at Maison Decor (who will be selling it in the Boston area)

said it would be alright if I contacted

 Marion of Miss Mustard Seed fame directly

 to see it I can get my hands on some of this here paint 

NOW!!!!!

This is the way the dining table looks at the present moment....

So, before I heard back from her, (Marion) I was panicking, 

so I started mixing up some Annie Sloan chalk paint,

 in case I couldn't get my paws on the milk paint..... 

I mixed a couple of colors together, looking to match the color of a small painted antique stand I have.

 Then I waxed the color on the right with dark wax....

Then I looked at my email,

and Marion had come through for me!!!!!

She is a trouper!!!!!

So, I am very flattered to be one of the first bloggers to be able to buy a color from her new line of Milk Paint!!!!

I can't wait to see how it will naturally distress on my old dining table....

I bought Lucketts Green, and will be reporting from the trenches about how I do!!!!

WAIT!!!!

I'm supposed to be writing about my study.....

OY VEY.....

I'm like a little kid that wants everyone to know everything I'm doing.....

OK, back to my desk area.

 The curtains in the room are left over from a show house I did on Cape Cod. You can read about that room here.....

The bobble trim is made up from a gimp tape, and a cheap rayon trim with white plastic balls. I had the blue gimp cover the cheap rayon.

This way, I was able to take an affordable detail,

and make it more expensive!!!!!

 I have two computers on my desk.

I couldn't get rid of my 8 year old laptop, because my favorite computer game, Civilization II, isn't compatible with Windows 7.

The funny thing, is now that I'm blogging, I don't really play games on my laptops anymore.

 Maybe it's time for just one computer.

It looks better......

More room for all my 

ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY accessories!!!!!

There's my rebuilt vintage phone,

 that looks great,

but the receiver is so heavy, that when I sit at my desk and answer it,

 I ask the person to hold on,

 while I run into my kitchen, and get my lighter cordless one.....

Let's see....

How does that saying go?????

Function follows Form?????

Here's my pencil cup!!!

It has some dogs on it!!!!!

It holds my pencils!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know anything else about this baby.....

 Here's my pen holder!!!

It has a dog on it!!!!!

It holds one pen (that I don't use)!!!!!

I don't know anything else about this baby.....

 This is a picture of my mother's brother, 

who just happens to be my Uncle!!!

The cut out of a little girl is my mom when she was a little girl!!!!! 

 This brings us to the conclusion of my study, 

please form a single line and exit in the back.

Thank you.....

Latah, Gatah

9th OY VEY!! Q&A!! TUESDAY!!!!!

Welcome to the 9th OY VEY!! Q&A!! TUESDAY!!!!!

Boy!!!

Some of you guys

 are really into this!!!

I started getting questions yesterday.....

FYI.....

You aren't supposed to start asking me @#$ questions

 until I get THIS post up!!!!!

This is a question and answer party!!!!!

Only questions, please you guys. 

If it isn't a question, I'm taking the @#$ link down.

This is how it works.....

On the first Tuesday of the month

You ask some design questions,

and I answer them for FREE!!!!

Just remember-----

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

(Just sayin')

So ask your question at the end of this blog post.

 link up to the "party" by linking a particular post's url, add your question to the end of your post with a link back to my blog. My button is on my sidebar. 

It looks just like a button!!

For those of you who don't have a blog, you can email pictures with questions.

email me at:  betsyspeert@gmail.com.

If you just have a question, with no pictures, leave it in the comment area, below.

IN ORDER TO GET AN ANSWER,

YOU GUYS BETTER BE A FOLLOWER!!!!!

It's easy, just click on the blue box at the right; over the pictures of my members.

I would also love it if you became a subscriber.

I will then post your pictures with my suggestions and answers on the following Tuesday.

I may not be able to answer all the questions.

If there are a lot of them, I will choose the ones most likely to interest the other folks in the class.

So link up below!!!!!

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Before I get to the link party.......

I would like to share some more pictures of how my dining room is coming along.

To all of you who don't like what I'm doing to the walls.....

I DON'T GIVE A @#$!!!!

I have finished all the panels, 

and now just have to paint the backs of the two china cabinets!!!!! 

For those of you just tuning in.....

There has been QUITE a lot of discussion about my painting the recessed panels in my dining room.

I wanted the room to feel a little cozier.....

Some folks love it.....

And some folks haveNOT BEEN SHY 

about letting me know that they don't like it at all!!!!

What I can't understand, is why they would think I give a rats behind it they don't like it?????

Do they live with me????

NOT BLOODY LIKELY!!!!!!!!!!

I will be going over how I did it, and why, in one of next weeks lovely missives.....

I still have to paint the two cabinets and the table top.....

I am a very busy lady, 

yes in deedy do!!

So, anyway.....

link up below if you have any questions, and you are brave enough to deal with my answers.

Latah, Gatah

More Funky Cottage Accessories

Hey!

You wanna see 

more of my stuff ?????

In my study, on either side of my little sofa, are a pair of round tables.

I am having a brain fart, as I can't think of what period they are from.

I am guessing that they are probably from the 1920's......

When I saw them in an antique store, they had orange marble tops.

Well, that wasn't going to work.....

Sooooo.....

Since I was getting grossly overcharged....

(I really wanted these, 

as they were the perfect style 

for what I was trying to accomplish.....)

The guy selling them to me agreed to change the marble to white.....

They have a wonderful trompe l'oiel effect on the apron created with inlaid veneer and staining.....

 It gives the effect of recessed niches.....like a large fluting detail.....

 The tables also have little pullout shelves, that 

I never use!!!!!

But I like knowing they are there.....

that's cuz I am very weird!!!!!

On top of my two tables 

I have more stuff!!!!!

(yes, that is an empty frame on the left, I have to put a picture in it.....oops)

 The lamps I had made from a pair of antique mercury glass vases.

 They have beautiful hand painted roses on them,

 so of course I fell in love....

I had my local lamp work room, Blanche P. Fields, make them into lamps, and create the custom shades.

The photo of the lady, is my Great Aunt Etta.... 

The dogs are Stadffordshire,

They are much snootier than the other dogs, across the room, which I am just about to share with you guys.....

But we first have to look at some stuff on the table on the other side of the sofa......

 This plate is a piece of Williamsburg pottery from Virginia, I have absolutely no idea how old it is....

and I don't care.....

it's purty!!!!

The covered bowl is another piece of my mercury glass collection.

I am a sucker for shiny @#$.

OK!! Now we can look at the little bookcase across the room!!!!!

It holds lots more of my absolutely useless stuff!!!!!

I don't know if you've picked up on it yet.....

but I have a leetle problem with acquiring china dogs.

They have spread all over

my @#$ HOUSE!!!!

I have my desk still to reveal, 

(whoopee...)

on Tuesday.....

Which is the FIRST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH!!!!!

AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!!!!!

OY! VEY! Q&A TUESDAY!!!!!!!!

So, I'll see you guys then. 

I'm looking forward to your questions, 

make sure you have some good ones!!!!!

Latah, Gatah

Cottage Decorating Details

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now onto my post for today.

BUT FIRST!!!!!

I was bowled over by the number of spirited comments, 

pros and cons, 

to what I'm doing in my dining room!

You guys really seem invested in my process.

I love that you're so passionate about what I'm doing in my house.

And I enjoy your opinions.

Not that I care about what you think!!!!!

I love living alone because.....

My opinion is the only one that matters!!!!!

HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!

For all you naysayers out there.....

(And you know who you are.....)

As Amy Chalmers at Maison Decor would say....

"You aren't the boss of me!!!!!"

I am painting more panels, and more panels and more panels.....

And I love them,

yes indeedy I DO!!!!! 

So get ready for Saturday or Sunday, 'cuz I think I'll be done by then, and can show you all my industry and craziness!!!!

But for now....

Lets get back to my study!

(I was too lazy to reshoot this picture with a colored toss pillow,

 so I used PicMonkey to add flowers to the pillow!!!!!)

(It looks kind of weird, 

but it's better that that white block in the bottom photo.....)

I am waiting for the fabric to ship, so I still haven't make the new pillow covers.

But that's not what I set out to talk about today.

Boy am I easily distracted....

LOOK!!!!!

A BUTTERFLY!!!!!

(now, where was I????)

Oh, yeah...

Details!!!

Once I got over the realization, that I couldn't live without loads and loads of flowers on my furniture, on my walls, in my accessories.....

I got down to some serious ebaying!!!!!

The  round picture is one I've had for years.

It's another of my cherished possessions that I originally got for a client, who didn't want it, 

she and her husband thought it wan't elegant enough!!!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT @#$!!!!!

Yes, Peggy, if you're reading this, I'm talking about you!!!!!  

Then I found the little one above it on ebay.

These are probably from the 30,s or 40's.

I am very partial to this type of artwork.

I am a sucker for this stuff.

I LOVE THIS STUFF!!!!!

I found two more prints from the same period that I hung flanking the large oil over the loveseat.....

The dogs are some more of my favorite items.

They are chalkware Russian wolf hounds, 

and I think they are da bomb!!!!

They just scream the 1920's!!!

One of my favorite periods of decorating....

I love them so much.....

Here's a closer close up!!!

What the hell.....

Let's get closer!!!!

Below them I hung two more of my majolica bird plates that I had collected for my living room.....

Well, they ended up here!!

I buy stuff for one room, and then it migrates when I'm not looking.....

The oil painting hanging in the middle of all this @#$, 

is one I bought when I was in my 30's and used to go antiquing in 

Essex Massachusetts.

It's really dirty and old, but there's just something about an 

old dirty faded decorative item that appeals to me.

It's probably because I identify with it, 

although, I'm not so decorative.....

So, 

all of these flowers tie in with the prints I decoupaged

 onto the folding screens.....

And the wonderful ebay find I showed you on Saturday.....

That's it for today, campers.

Next up in this room is my tabletop stuff!!!!!

But I may just show my dining room before I get to all my other goodies.....

It just depends.....

Latah, Gatah

Partying at: