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There's a blog I've been meaning to tell you about that is aptly named Belgian Pearls. Certainly no exception is its latest post on the Love for Belgian Linen. I guess that's why my iron has a setting just for it.

the hall is decked

How many ways can you Deck the Hall? Try sixty. Sixty recorded versions of the 16th century Welsh dancing aire Deck the Hall that I gathered for you from YouTube. Simply click twice after the opening song finishes for continuous listening. I double decked dare you.



Music Playlist at MixPod.com

playing

throwing in some decoration even though the room's not ready but i can't stand it any longer so i am, and now i've really got to go to work, bye-- -

thankful

What a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday we had. For four full days our dining room was a hive of activity. No, actually, we sat down to turkey dinner (fabulous) at our surrogate family's (thanks Risé), while our own dining room experienced a transformation. We worked our butts off and finally overcame a major decorating block. Bookcases. I couldn't get anything to work because the room is so small and dark, with traffic patterns along two sides. In January I got rid of the useless china cabinet and moved the short bookcases in from the living room, but they didn't quite cut it. For months I hunted down industrial etageres - there are plenty of beauties out there - but couldn't find a single one that was appropriate for the location. Then, two weeks ago I changed direction altogether and decided on white wood. I was afraid 7-footers would be obtrusive and overpowering, so I really had to hold my breath and leap. Buying a big costly piece can be death-defying but I lived to tell the tale. The white blends into the walls and the cases actually recede. The glass not only pulls more light into the room, it expands it by reflecting the outside view. It all works and I couldn't be happier. Or more thankful.

too cluttered, not enough storage


ikea and saint michael to the rescue


work progresses and things are looking up


a fourth bookcase might work over here too


non-obtrusive, despite a heavy traffic pattern


end results: exactly what i wanted.
now for that chandelier

gobble

good guy or bad guy?

Consumer Reports offers their readers' list of naughty and nice retailers just in the st nick of time for holiday shopping. (My very own villain? Target.) Kick it up a notch and you can take the pledge to Buy Handmade. Or kick the consumerism habit altogether and make your own.

have a seat

As family and friends gather for the holidays, one can never have too many chairs. As we head into Winter, one can never have too many memories of Summer. So pull up a plant and set a spell.

Growing Upholstery

drip drip drip

This was the primary consideration in remodeling the porch. Condensation. But I decided to make the best of it by using outdoor furnishings that will hold their own against water, mildew and fading. The sofas still sport their shipping plastic, until the outdoor covers arrive (hurry up West Elm!) but the wooden rugs are doing a fine job. Quite beautifully, I must say.

roux the day

The invisible cat. Her name is Roux.

ya think?

What would full height white bookcases with a big black lantern look like in my dining room? Well, let's see...

lodge

Yes I would lodge myself here and never leave this Time Worn Style.

word for word

Sayings, mottoes, graffiti. Words become decorative. Just don't forget what they stand for. For more inspiration, try Thinking About Art.

skewered

Artist Sharon Pazner opens a new show in Tel Aviv and really nails it.

nailed

I play with rusty nails, use them to print, I cut and fold paper, build letters, words, ideograms and then take them apart.

"Shipudim" ("Skewers") - opens November 20th at 20:00
Gross Gallery - 86 Bugrashov St., Tel Aviv
Open Mon- Fri 11:00-14:00 until December 13th.

cubism - folded (self portrait)


petit fours


neighbors


house - paper


wall house - paper


house wall house - paper


friendly fire


home - paper - nails


house - nails, screw eyes, wood


leaf - nail house