Family Room Redo

This summer, my daughter experienced a road trip to Maryland from Maine. Just because I am the mom and the fact that my daughter had never driven further than Boston....I really couldn't relax the whole week my daughter was away. So of course that meant I needed a project to keep my mind from worry. The family room had been the first room done when we moved into the house in 1993, it was time for a change. I wish I had the before pictures of the room, but think green and harvest gold stripped wallpaper, heavy wooden cornices over the windows, heavy drapes, and dark harvest gold paint on all the woodwork. My house was built in 1853 and the first owner, a judge, had used the room as a study. That is where I took my decorating cue from, making it again look like a "studious" study. The floor to ceiling shelves were laden with books, antiques, my pottery collection....way too much stuff. I decided for a complete change, the paper came off, walls and ceiling were patched and painted as was the woodwork. If that wasn't change enough, the shelves got decluttered and replaced with some new fun collectibles. Here is a look at how it turned out.

Ilove the lamps. The one on the Eastlake piece is from the 50's. It was so dingy when I found it, I didn't even know it was cream color. The lampshade is a .50 cent lawnsale find. The other lamp, an early 50's find, is a table and lamp combo that makes a perfect end table. I got that at a church sale for $8.00. Actually, the whole room was done in less than a week and for real cheap. The ceiling paint was a simple flat paint, cheaper than ceiling paint, the wall paint was an "oops" paint from the local hardware store, the woodwork paint I already had. The drapes I made from a $1.00 a yard fabric.....I couldn't have bought 4 pre-made 93 inch panels for any less. The large pillow was also $1.00 a yard fabric and the trim was a total of .75 cents. It matched perfectly. The little pillow was actually covered in a different fabric and when I went to redo, got a nice suprise that the original pillow underneath (a lawnsale find for .50 cents) was already a perfect match. I just added some of the trim to make it coordinate even more.

The room went from a dark, heavy, and over stuffed room to light, bright, clean and crisp. The first thing my daughter asked when she returned home....."didn't sleep much did you mom."

Long time in the making

For years friends and family have asked why I don't write a blog about decorating and party giving. I am always willing to share my ideas but never thought about writing them down. With a career change hopefully in the near future (leaving the corporate world), I decided it was time to put pen to paper.

My catering and special event planning business "A Matter of Taste" has always been a sideline to my corporate job, as an important creative release "safety valve". I now find that I enjoy that more and would like to bring those talents to the non-profit sector. At this time in my life, I would like to make a difference rather than just make money.

I grew up in a family of 6. Dad worked and mom stayed home to take care of the 4 kids. I didn't realize until I was a little older just how poor we had been. My mom was and still is an amazing seamstress. She would make us beautiful dresses and winter coats that would rival anything the department stores offered. My father was a skilled carpenter. I cherish the pieces he built for me....each lovingly handcrafted with a custom created stain, his own special formula. So it is no surprise that I grew up with needle and thread in one hand and hammer and nail in the other. I built my first set of shelves at age 10 and by 13, was sewing all my own clothes, often reconstructing hand-me-downs from my older sister and cousins for one-of-a-kind creations.

When it was time to go off to college, my aunt took me to a mill store where you could buy their fabric remnants by the pound. The factory made high -end bedding. For under $20 dollars I was able to make 2 complete sets of sheets and pillowcases, 2 twin size blankets and a comforter. My friends at the dorm could not believe that I had made them.

Over the years, I have made countless sets of curtains, pillows,, tablecloths and napkins, as well as reupholstered chairs. Honestly, I don't know how anyone can survive without knowing how to sew. This is what I would like to use my blog to do....to share my decorating ideas, whether it is interior decorating, tree decorating or theme party decorating......to share garden and landscape design tips as well as tips for your tablescape. I want to show that you don't need a lot of money just imagination. I hope that you will join me.