SUNDAY: Sadness

In Memory of Willa Ilona Alciatore nee Gauld

b. 23 Oct 1941 d. 31 Jan 2010

My sweet aunt passed away this afternoon.  I go from sadness to relief.  She was in such agony, the pain unbearable.  Her quality of life was restricted to a bed and she was so sad not able to do anything!

  I will remember her laugh and her smile.

She was such a beautiful women and will be terribly missed.

I love these photo booth photos of her! She always had the best clothes and hairstyles!!

Here she is on her wedding day to Dave Alciatore. She just recently gave me her wedding dress!  I love that she wore pink!

Here she is with my cousin Tammy.  It is very sad, we don't know where Tammy is so she doesn't even know that her own mother passed away. {She took off about 4 years ago.}  

xx love you Aunt Ilona!

callie

HAPPY FRIDAY

Originally uploaded by James_at_Slack

Have a wonderful weekend! I hope to get the guest bedroom complete, it's dragging on..... because, I keep adding to the list:) Will post on it soon.

Whatever you have planned for the weekend, enjoy and have fun!
xx
callie

QUOTE: Collected

"I don't want a room to look decorated. It should look collected"

Suzanne Kasler, Inspired Interiors

image found via {frolic} via House and Garden

I always find such lovely inspiration on Chelsea's blog!

xx

callie

ARTIST: Kerry Phippen

Kerry Phippen**

I stumbled upon this artist in House & Garden Magazine, UK.

She was briefly mentioned in an article featuring Andrew and Meryl Ainslie regarding their  beautiful 21c. farmhouse with their convert barns which were originally built in 1871.  

When they converted the barns they build a child care center in one and a gallery & art school in the other. AND this is how Kerry was mentioned. again, briefly. SO I googled her and found her work absolutely whimsical, emotional and full of energy.

Please check out her sight with her other works, I thought I would just feature one so you can visit her site for the others.  Check out "Tight Rope Ballarina" in the Dancing Bears section, one of my favs

all images here

"Snow Queen" 

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's beautiful fairy tale.

xx

callie

BURNS SUPPER: Haggis and a wee bit of scotch

Robert Burns

born January 25, 1759 in the village of Alloway near Ayr in Scotland. He came from a relatively poor, tenant-farmer background, although he receive a good education and read avidly as a youngster. It was during his years as a teenage and young man working on farms that he developed some of the passions that would color the rest of this life - poetry, nature, women and drink.

Here is a view of the Scotch from the Highland whisky on the left to the Lowlands on the right, with Speyside and Islay inbetween!

Caol Ila- est 1846

Caol Ila (Gaelic for "the Sound of Islay"). Caol Ila is considered to be one of the lighter of the Ilays. Medium-bodied with a rounded flavour. Pale in colour with a greenish tinge. This malt has a peaty nose, with distinct floral notes. It is described  as tasting slightly of seaweed/iodine, lightly medicinal, smoky, salty, and sweet with a dry peppery finish.

Sweetness: 6 ;  Peatiness: 8

My favorite of the evening! I will have to get a bottle.

The Macallan -est 1824

15 year

Rich gold colour with vanilla with hints of ginger, dried fruits, sherry sweetness and wood smoke. Deliciously smooth, with rich dried fruits and sherry, balanced with wood smoke and spice.

Sweetness: 7 ; Peatiness: 4

I really enjoyed this one too!

The Balvenie (Dufftown) - Est 1892

Nowhere else will you find a distillery thas still grows its own barley, and still malts in its own traditional floor maltings. The nose is full and comples, with hints of honey and oranges, and a very ligth hint of peat. The palate reveals honey ssweetness with a touch of spices an sherry. The finish is long and pleasant.

Sweetness: 8 ; Peatiness: 3

another great one.

Here is my best friend Ainsly and her B

Preparing the Neeps

The food, simple: Haggis, Neeps and Totties!

To a Haggis:

VIII

Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care,

And dish them out their bill o'fare,

Auld Scotland wnats ane skinking ware

That jaups in luggies:

But, if ye wish her gratefu' pray'r

Fie her a Haggis!

Each verse, 8 in total said by a different Male in the group!

was quite fun hearing them try to speak Auld English!!

mmmmmm

pudding

TOFFEE!!!!!

Sticky Toffee Pudding!

So love a good sticky toffee pudding and Sarah's is the best!!

Even Lynn thinks so!

Was quite the fabulous evening.

xx

callie

Yeah! I am up and running:)

Hopefully, I can read a few blogs before I go to bed. Miss you all!!!
xx
callie

Sorry about my lacking in post

It has been a frustrating weekend without access to the internet!! I am sneaking this quick post in from work.  I did not realize how much my life is about going on line to find directions, resources, reading articles, emailing and such. 

I soooooo need my internet fixed at home. 

I hope to be back up soon, miss you all!!!
xx
callie

QUOTE: All About Colour

"In choosing a colour,

one must realize that it changes in different aspects"

~Nancy Lancaster

This green is so fresh and lovely!

xx

callie

Image: Metropolitan Home

check out the rest of this beautiful home!

ARTIST: Danny Roberts

Today I have to be at work very early, it's still dark out..... Wednesdays are like that, early days and very long.  I had a horrible day yesterday and was feeling quite sad when I got home from work.  I ate a little snack then headed for my computer to research.... went straight to Danny's site! His artwork makes me smile.  I am still not myself, but at least I don't feel like I am going to cry any more. You know the kinda of "I am so mad, I could cry" well that was me yesterday! I hope today is better.

Enjoy the video! He does such wonderful work and the music he selects to accompany the work is fantastic!.  xx callie   ps more video's here his blog here

OBSESSION: Guest Bedroom, sneak peak!

It all began with this bead!! yes, a bead.
 A glass bead made by my friend Kandi. She is the most amazing person ever and so very talented.  She makes glass beads that I am completely in awe over!!! She makes glass beads, how cool is that!!!

The bead is purplish pink with mustard yellow dots! It is going to hang from the lamp that I will be placing in my guest bedroom.

From that, I pulled this colour palette of Summer Plum, 2074-20 for the walls and Ebony Slate, 2118-30 for the trim. Both are from Benjamin Moore Paints.

walls

trim

here is the lamp where the bead will be placed.

purchased at Target

 

here are the before images of the room. Check out the ugly blinds that are broken and hanging. These had to have been installed in the 1950's!! The walls are painted a pasty blue, which is hideously ugly! with the creme trim that looks dirty!

here is a photo showing the progress, priming the corners before  I do the entire wall.

Here is the part of the picture rail. Painting the rail, base and all trim in the

Ebony Slate by Benjamin Moore Paints.

I will post more next week with the wall colour!

I have been finding great items for the room: here is a tiny black pitcher I got for .50 cents at a resale shop down the street from my house. AND these water colours with gold frames for $3.00 each!  I really bought them for the frames. Not sure if I will keep the artwork in them.

how sweet will this pitcher be with a few lovely flowers!!

I also purchased a few items from Ikea:

these fabulous pillow covers, solid black is about 18x18 and the patterned case is a European Sham for the bed. Which I still need to decided what to do for that!! any suggestions?

Also, I purchased about 30 of these frames.

mostly in the small square version

with a large frame for the middle and a few medium size ones through out.

 I will be creating a family tree above the bed.

The frames are deep, like a shadow box and I will be placing photos and a few mementos of the person who the frame/box belongs to.  I will be posting on that once I finish them.

Next, I will be selecting furniture!

I hope to have the room complete with in the next month.  This room is the guest room that is also my room to do research. So, my computer and equipment will be in the room. I will be hiding them in a cabinet with all my photo boxes.  I am not sure if I want to buy a sofa that is comfortable that converts to a bed (cb2 has some cool options) or if I just want to buy a twin bed and frame. *sigh* my brain is on overload!! loving it! :)

What do you think so far? any suggestions of the bed/sofa idea?

xx

callie

INTERIOR DESIGN: Kew House Australia

This house is gorgeous!

The greys. The voilets. The white. The blacks.

Muted. Sparkle. Golden. Simple

The contrast of colours is beautifully done.

 Photographed by Richard Power.

I don't know who designed this beautiful space

(if you do, please let me know so I can credit!!)

I wish my home was complete so I can photograph my space.  The colour palette is much the same as this house, except for the guest/office which is completely different (walls magenta pink with black trim. I have been working on it the past few weekends). I hope to have some photos up soon.

What you working on lately?

xx

callie

that purple colour is BEAUTIFUL!

I think that will be the trim colour in my guest bedroom with the fuschia walls!

Love the wall of mirrors!

lovely steel windows! so want some of these in my home. I will have do design an addition to get these lovely window/doors! a small orangery perhaps??

All Photos: Richard Powers