OY VEY Q&A!! on Wednesday!!!!!

Yesterday was a loooooonnnnnggggg day.

So I didn't get to work on my blog.

But it was Tuesday!!!!!

THE FIRST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH!!!!!

Which means it was supposed to be OY VEY Q&A Tuesday.

But it wasn't.....

Because I was MIA, AWOL,

NOT AT MY COMPUTER!!!!

Let's just say that I was doing family stuff.

You know.....

Stuff for my family.....

They come first......

OY, OY OY!!!!

WHEN DID I BECOME SO 

GROWNUP?????

Anway, I'm here now.

So this month I have decided to once again tweak the parameters of

my question and answer blog.

NEW RULES!!!!!

I am only going to answer questions that I feel would interest lots of my dedicated and loyal readers.

(translation: only questions I find interesting)

I know, I know.....

I am a meany!!!!!

Don't be offended if I don't answer a question you've submitted.

It doesn't mean it's a silly or stupid question.....

It just means that I've been around a looooonnnnnggggg time,

and I find

EVERYTHING

boring.....

SOOOOOO.....

with that said, let's get on to today's post, and you can ask your questions at the bottom of the post.

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

FIRST OFF!!!!

I want to thank whoever it was who just signed up to be my newest follower.

IT'S BEEN VERY SCARY ON MY BLOG LATELY!!!!!

I had 666 followers!!!!!

Now, I know, I know....

I'm Jewish.....

But that doesn't mean I don't go to the movies, watch TV and read books.

After all.....

One of the new shows on television this fall is 999 Park Ave.

So, thank you to whoever changed my number of followers to 667!!!

Now....

back to decorating....

 A lot of you had shown an interest in the room I designed for the Sanderson ad.

So.....

Today I am going to start showing that space and telling the story behind it.

This was the ad I did.

The picture was a shot of a Boston Junior League Decorator Showhouse.

Here's a bigger shot of the room.....

Design Times Magazine/Eric Roth Photography

Here's a shot in the other direction....

Design Times Magazine/Eric Roth Photography

IT WAS A VERY BIG ROOM!!!!!

What was called a double parlor.

It was used as the ball room in this house in Boston's Back Bay.

So this is the story.....

I had won a design award from Traditional Home, and at the awards luncheon, I was seated next to the North American president for Sanderson Fabrics.

If memory serves me correctly, I gave the poor man a hard time about their cuttings for approval policy.

I can't remember, but I think that's what I was yammering on about.

For those of you not in the trade, 

a cutting for approval is a small cut of fabric from the piece the designer orders that is sent to the designer to approve before the whole order is shipped.

This is supposed to check for any errors, or die lot changes that are not acceptable to the overall design.

I am a stickler for cuttings for approval.

I DON'T TRUST ANYBODY NOT TO SCREW UP!!!!!

Soooooo......

A little while later,

(a month, a year.....I can't remember.....This was a loooonnnggg time ago)

I ran into Bill (the Sanderson Pres.) at a House Beautiful Party in Manhattan.

He reminded me what a "charming" lunch companion I had been, and much alcohol and hilarity ensued.

So, having partaken of some "Dutch Courage", I pitched an idea at this sweet man's poor head.

I said....

"Hey, Bill!!!!! How about I design an ad for your company, and all I want in return is a credit under the picture?????"

And rather than shoot me down,

(which is what I was expecting)

he said,

 "Let me think about it."!!!!!!!!!!!

And then he agreed to it!!!!!

It was a little more complicated than that, but that's the simplified version.

I had to get selected to do a showhouse room,

 and Sanderson and Hickory Chair would supply the fabric and furniture.

SOOOOOO.....

when I went to view the Boston showhouse, and I saw the size of that ballroom......

I called Bill, to see if that would be too large a space to do......

He told me to go for it!!!!!

You gots to love a man who tells you to go for it!!!!!!

So, I wrote my proposal and kept my fingers crossed, because the Junior League Showhouse in Boston was a very competitive showhouse.

You had to submit your design, and then the committee would choose the designer they wanted to do each room.

(My dad just helped me edit that sentence, I was going off in a no man's land of who and whom.....)

Needless to say....

I was chosen to do the ball room.

So this is where I will leave off this story.

I will continue my saga in my next post.

oh boy!!!!!

A CLIFF HANGER!!!!!

Now onto the questions.....

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

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.

So link up below!!!!!

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

Latah, Gatah

Terrace Space Planning

Today I will show the class how I designed my little pocket terrace, and transformed a sad small space into a cozy retreat for doing

 nothin'.

When I first bought my condo, this is what the terrace looked like.....

This is the view from the master bedroom, before I changed the sliding door to a window.

I pulled out all the existing shrubbery and replaced it with greenery that would do a better job of defining and screening the space.

Now that I've replanted, I can't see the houses behind me.

I can pretend I live all alone

 on a

 secluded estate!!!!!

True to form.....

I had a better before shot, which I can't find.....

Here's a shot I just tried to take out my bedroom window from the same angle and location.....

 I know, I know....

What amazing camera work.

Look!!!!!

Betsy doesn't wash her windows!!!!!!!!!

So, I pulled out everything except the Japanese maple in the corner.

Then I fixed the traffic flow problems.

With 2 sliding doors opening onto the little space, 

furniture arrangement was problematic.

Yeah, Yeah, I know.....

 most folks love the idea of doors opening from the master bedroom onto a terrace.

However.....

I want my home invaders to have to work a little harder to get at me.

Now

they need to climb up and over the window sill.

I lined the space with emerald arborvitae. 

They make a terrific hedge material.

They have a compact growth structure, 

so are less apt to be damaged by snow.

They don't need a lot of pruning, just once every year or so.

In the picture below, you can see how they looked the first year I had them planted.

They have now grown together to form a solid wall of green.

This is a really good screening material you guys.

Before my folks bought the unit next to mine, I had the sofa set with its back to the fence.

Here's a picture shot through the screen door.

I was too lazy to get up and open the door.

You should just be happy that I have the energy to tap my dainty fingers on these here computer keys.....

Then my folks moved in, and I had a gate cut into the fence separating the two terraces.

SO I HAD TO MOVE MY FURNITURE FOR MY FAMILY!!!!!

When I bought the place, the bluestones covered more of the area, leaving smaller flower beds and more hard surface.

so I had the foundation beds and the perimeter planting beds enlarged to 5 feet deep.

I also had the bed cut into the terrace for my black iron dog.

Bringing more green scape into the space makes a big difference.

If you have too much hard surface, it acts as a heat sink, and creates a very warm and uncomfortable space in the summer.

By enlarging the flower beds, I was able to plant my peonies and day lilies.

I chose ones that have a simple blossom, not a multi-petal rain catcher that causes the blossoms to collapse over after a shower.

Look at how the arborvitae have grown up and together, completely blocking the view of my neighbors.

 Look at how the arborvitae have grown together,

completely blocking a view of my parents!!!!!

I love my arborvitae.

They are my friends.

They love me too.

Latah, Gatah

My Bigger Little Terrace......

SOOOOOOOOOOOO.............

This morning, as I was waking up.....

I was lying in bed and composing today's post in my head.

It was going to be really funny!!!!!

And I can't remember any of it!!!!

So, you're going to be stuck with the dregs of my mind.

I think that was a song from the 70's.....

(no, wait.....that was windmills.....oy oy oy.....)

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

BACK TO MY BACK YARD!!!!! 

As you...

 ( well, not you, because that would be creepy, we've never been properly introduced.....)

come around from the Barbecue terrace, you pass my garden hutch,,,,,

I realized I haven't taken a picture of the front of it, but it's raining right now, and I don't want to get my slippers wet.

I bought this hutch from a garden catalogue.

It came in pieces.

The directions said it would be easier to assembly with two people.

Well.....

My extra person is my bidness partner Kris.

Soooooo.....

(I think there may have been some grumbling involved.....)

('course, that may have been me.....)

Kris came over and we screwed and hammered this baby together.

Then we realized we needed to move it into place.

OOPS.....

So we sort of walked it over to its new home.

Then I painted it the same color as my condo....

(so the association wouldn't noticed I had added something without asking.......)

This is my reasoning!!!!!

I am a middle unit.

Well, not me; my condo is.....

I have no bulkhead to the basement.

I have to walk around my neighbors unit to get to my garage.....

SO I WAS ONLY BEING CONSIDERATE

building something to house my garden tools!!!!!

I also needed a place to hang my pig.

YES I DID.....

Other unit owners have seen it....

(I'm not really good with covert ops)

and they want one too......

I CAN'T REMEMBER WHERE I BOUGHT IT FROM!!??!!

So, the above view is looking out of my BIG terrace, towards my 

barbecue terrace.

Now let's look into my big terrace....

I showed you this shot on Wednesday, but I'm recapping, 

for those of you with short term memories.

If you turn around, this is what you see.....

I took this shot in the spring, 

before I brought up the chair cushions.

I was hoping that if I didn't have lots of places to sit, my family would leave  me alone.....

That's my dog.

I don't need to walk or feed it.

That's my cat.

Ditto.

The dog is an antique.

I'm embarrassed to admit, I know it's expensive, but I can't remember how old it is.

Or where it is originally from.

I brought it with me (and the cat) from Watertown.

The cat is a new cement garden statue.

Well, it's not new anymore.

I've had her for over 20 years, hence the missing ear.

HERE'S ANOTHER SHOT OF MY DOG!!!!!

(I just googled him, he's from the 19th century, made by Robert Wood & Co. c.1870.)

(don't you just love google?????)

I surrounded him with strawberries.

Being true to form, they are not edible, but only decorative.

Well, the chipmunks like them, but that's about it.

I wanted more flowers around my terrace this year.

I needed a couple more pots for planting.

I was going to go to the local garden center and pay a small ransom, until my inner thrifty voice started screaming at me 

(on the way to the garden center.....)

HOME GOODS!!!!! HOME GOODS!!!!! HOME GOODS!!!!!

Where upon my car goes into automatic pilot and ends up at.....

wait for it.....

Home Goods!!!!!

I found just what I needed too!

A real plastic urn!!!

Made out of real plastic!!!!!

I drilled a hole in the bottom, so the flowers don't drown.

I have my new drip irrigation system watering it, so the flowers have been blooming all summer 

WITH NO WORK ON MY PART!!!!

I just plopped the hanging pot of impatients into the urn and removed the wire hanger, and they've looked great!!!!!

My potted flowers usually die, because I am a lazy old bag who hates to bother to water stuff.

I also found this clay pot at the same time as the urn....

it was a good day....

So the new pots add the needed color and softness to my terrace.

It's amazing what just a few flowers can do to a space.

While I was at Home Goods, I got into a wonderful conversation with the store manager.

We talked about the difference in return policies between Home Goods and Target.

I have never returned anything to Home Goods without walking out before spending even more money!!!!

They is very smaht.

They make me feel warm and fuzzy.

SOOOOO.....

After this invigorating conversation,

 of course,

I found something else to buy!!!!!

I asked the manager if he thought that the topiaries would survive outside.

and he responded.....

They are so well priced......

Even if they don't.....

It doesn't hurt to try!!!!!

A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART, I TELL YA.....

So, I bought three and set them on my outdoor tables.

They made it OK through most of the summer.

Let's just say by now, they aren't looking so great.

Sort of browning and drying up and not very happy with me. 

But they added a little color to the coffee table.....

 and barbecue table......

I am running out of steam.....

I have more to share.....

So, ya'll come back now!!!!!!

Latah, Gatah

Cottage Garden Terrace

First off.....

In case you guys are wondering about why I use the word "cottage" in so many of my titles.....

(Amy figured this out)

It's so search engines will land on my blog!!!!!

IF I CAN'T BE BEAUTIFUL.....

I BETTER BE SMART!!!!!

Second point to start today's post.....

THANK YOU

THANK YOU

THANK YOU

THANK YOU

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

The outpouring of support in the comment section of my last post was

heartwarming and just WONDERFUL!!!!!

To date, I have 

74

comments!!!!!

As the last kid picked for ALL the sport teams, that is....

 gratifying, fabulous, terrific, stupendous, etc. etc. etc.

I can still hear the kids from next door saying, when teams were being picked for softball.....

"You got Peter (my big brother), you have to take Betsy."

AND THEN.....

Peter would see how long it would take before he could upset me enough to send me home crying.

HE STILL THINKS THIS IS FUNNY!!

If I were him, I would be more careful who I made fun of.....

His wife, 

(my sister-in-law) (and one of my best friends)

(and no I'm not saying that to be polite, she doesn't even bother to read my blog.....JEESH!!!!)

(and while I'm at it, let me point out that she's Miriam's mother.)

OY, where was I???????

Oh yeah, 

Peter making fun of me.....

He better watch it.....

He needs to replace some stuff around his house..... 

and his wife, Faye, is relying on me to help her out.

Oh, boy....I'm off on another tangent.

Let's get back to decorating!!!!!

Several folks commented on the chairs in my barbecue terrace....

These are commonly called French Garden Chairs,

 They are actually Pinwheel spring steel chairs, said to have originated in 19th century France.

The four I have are reproductions I bought from a catalogue around 15-20 years ago, 

I can't remember.....

I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH TIME HAS PASSED!!!!!

I still think of them as my new garden chairs. 

 they are actually very comfortable.

 The sprung steel straps give to weight

 (leave the comments alone, about that)

 and act like a pillow..... 

THEY ARE TRES CHIC!!!!!

Ho Kay.....

Let's move on to 

MY OTHER TERRACE.

Yeah, yeah, I have two....

Yawn.....

I am so sophisticated and entitled...

My condo mansion has two.

This is the view as you come around the back from the barbecue terrace...

 to my lounge around and don't get anything done terrace....

At the back, just to the left of those three arborvitae, is the gate into my parents terrace. 

So I am in charge of 

3

terraces.

Which means I get to weed them, 

bring the furniture in and out in the spring and fall, 

and repair anything that goes awry.

AND SOMETHING IS 

ALWAYS

GOING AWRY!!!!!

I bought my outdoor sofa, chairs and coffee table from Restoration Hardware.

Some assembly required!!!!!

ha ha ha 

Took me hours to put it together.

But it's very comfy.

The pillows and umbrella are from Potter Barn.

This is a better shot into my parents terrace. 

You guys are so lucky!!!!!

Not just anybody gets to see back there.....

I am going to show more, and write more about this space, but I am done for today.

TODAY'S EXCUSE

for not doing a longer post.....

is.........

I have hives.

and I don't feel so good.....

My doctor thinks I have a virus since I'm running a fever.

None of my friends and family will come near me!!!!!

But being the trooper that I am....,

(and because I am SOOOOOO very bored)

I wrote this post for your entertainment!!!!!

I hope by my next post these friggin bumps will be gone.

Who knew......

itching could be so bad?????

Now when I was a young woman, I felt a different sort of itch,

but that's for another day,

and a different type of blog!!!...

Latah, Gatah