Lovely Whatevers: 2011

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Winter Scenes

Holiday Magic

Carl Valente

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A Winter Street...

Willem Koekkoek

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Thursday, December 8, 2011

Danish Painter Johan Jensen 1800-1856

Roses and Tree...

Johan Laurentz...

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The Bouquet

Johan Laurentz...

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Friday, December 2, 2011

Rich Still Life...

Alfred Godchaux

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This is one of many beautiful paintings of the Victorian era that I hope to include in this post. The flowers look so fresh I can almost smell them.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Electric Fireplaces and Other Home Comforts From WalMart

My favorite electric fireplace from Walmart

is now only $169.00. It is made of oak, with a glass and metal firebox inserted, which I believe can be replaced, if needed.

The corner flap can fold down so that the unit can be placed flat against a wall. I have one of these in my home and really enjoy it, because the heater is near the floor.

It is great to put a chair beside it and warm your feet. This is very lightweight and can be moved around to any wall in any room, which makes it interesting to decorate with. I have one of these and I like it so much I hope to acquire another one to ward of the chill in another room. Homemakers will love this added luxury to their homes.

Gate Hooks and Eyes 3 inch

(Screw the eye into the wall and the hook into the back of your fireplace unit for safety, to keep it from tipping, if you are concerned about that.)

Moving it around is easy, and I also put screw-in hooks on the back, and a screw-in hook into the wall, so that it will remain stable. I do this to some of my bookcases, too.

Delivery of this item to my door, postage-free, was swift. It seemed that I had just ordered it from the web, and it was there!

Keep the paper-work that comes with this, because it shows you where to call if you need to replace any elements, such as the heating fan, or to get the light to flicker, etc. And, also please be aware that this unit is not really intended to be kept on for hours and hours, as it is only designed to compliment your regular source of heat, such as your central heating system. For the price, it is well worth it to have a real-looking fireplace in your home, if you don't have one, and still want the beauty of a fire without the mess and the smoke!

Here is a white one, all wood, that I've seen personally. Though the heat comes out through the top of the firebox, it is a lovely and useful piece of furniture. I much prefer the other one, but this one comes with a remote control, which is nice. There are others available here which have timers, where you can heat up your bedroom for a few minutes and and it will shut off at a prescribed time.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Venus-Gripper-Chair-Pad-Celadon/14913079

Another beauty I have begun buying at my local Wal-Mart is this dining chair pad that has a gripper type backing, so that it will not slip off the chair. I like it because it does not have the ties that a lot of chair pads have, which usually tear off under strain. This comes in several shades, and I chose the green, because it is the same shade of sage green that I use a lot in my home.

You do need to be aware of the different dye lots of color that cause the color of the cushions to vary from store to store and from shipment to shipment. Take your old one in and match up the color exactly, or try to buy them all at once. I found that one store had thicker cushions and a brighter green, and another store had thin cushions with a more grey in the green. The cushion also comes in brown, beige, blue and a few other nuetral type colors.

I also like this feature on the back: it is an opening where you can remove the cover and put it in the washing machine. I have avoided buying other cushions because I know that washing them will ruin them, so this was very practical for me.

For years I've had bare dining chairs, which are not very comfortable, and I did so mainly because it ruins most cushions to wash them. I've had upholstered, formal dining chairs too, and they cost a lot to have cleaned. I like this little chair pad, only $7.98, not just because of the cost, but because you can use it on folding chairs, the piano bench, and anything else where you need more comfort. In winter, nothing is worse than sitting on a cold seat. I need about 10 of them so I just put one in the cart every week when I go shopping. That way, it is not a huge expense all at once. Since it is one of their main items that they usually stock, I know it will be there til I get them all collected.

Isn't this great? I hate those ties on other chair cushions. Once they are tied, it is no easy task to put them on another chair or trade them out for a different color.

From cold and bare to comfort:

I bought this chandelier several years ago and was glad to see they still sell them online, including some with shades on them and others that are quite elegant.

Click here to have a look at the lovely Chandeliers

I like this one a lot because all you need is a ceiling hook and it just plugs in to an outlet in the wall. Installing a traditional chandelier requires that someone crawl up in the attic and hook it up, and then it has to have a kind of dome to go around it, so these little portable ones are ideal. If you live in a humble house and never quite thought you could have something like this because of the expense and the trouble, this kind is ideal. I have mine in the corner of my living room, and it can be turned off or on by a little dial click on the chord.

I noticed since I purchased this that there are even prettier ones on that link! Its okay to have one of these in a bedroom, too. You can hang it as low as you like if you loop the chain over two hooks on your ceiling. It is an attachment you can pack up and take with you when you move. So many times there are things people invest in, for their home, and then because it is so built in, they have to leave it in the house. When you buy this fireplace and chandelier, you can set your your next home just like the last home, and feel right at home.

In a little while, I'll post a photograph of my fireplace and show you how I decorated the mantel with some torch style lamps I got at Walmart, and also show you a wall border I just applied to my dining room wall, (Better Homes and Gardens brand from Wal-Mart), and a pre-lit Christmas tree, as well as some pretty, sparkly fabric, all from the same place.

Baker-Eze

The last time I shopped for groceries at Walmart, I noticed something interesting that was different from some of the other grocery stores. Sometimes I have bought some ingredients and then remembered I needed a measuring cup or a mixing spoon, bowl, cupcake liners, or some accessory. I would have to walk way over to another part of the store to get these things, and sometimes even forgot, on my way over there, what it was I needed. Well, Walmart creates a special place where all the baking ingredients are stacked, and then puts a row of mixers, bowls, measuring spoons, and anything else a cook might need, right there in the same place so you can't miss it. Someone is thinking about these convenient things, and I appreciate it. I never come out of Walmart in a bad mood because after getting the basic things I need, its always fun to see something interesting like that.

One thing I have enjoyed about Walmart from my earliest days as a homemaker, is that it provides things that look good for people who otherwise might not be able to afford a high-end price. I find the fireplaces, lamps, cushions and wallpapers have the same luxury look as many of the places where high income shoppers go.

These lovely candles with shades are just so home-friendly, because the shade sticks on it without wobbling:

The glow comes out the top and bottom of the shade, like a regular lamp, but this one below has little stars that the light shines through, and it is perfect for your red dining table setting:

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Waiting for Father

Mother and Her Three Children Waiting at the Garden Gate for Father's Return

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Saturday, October 29, 2011

Bright Cottages

This print is on sale for $7.99

Cottage of Delights II

Malcolm Surridge

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A Surrey Cottage

Arthur Claude...

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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The Art of T.C. Chiu

I like this painting because it reminds me of my childhood homestead, where my father built my mother a row boat to use to pick the lilies growing in the pond.

Woodland Splendor

T. C. Chiu

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I love the art of T.C. Chiu because it portrays his belief in God.

Smokeyhill Valley

T. C. Chiu

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Cozy Country Night

T. C. Chiu

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Peonies

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Peonies-Posters_i926067_.htm

Lighthouse Dawn

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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Sewing and Crochet books

Tilda's Studio is a lovely book full of soothing colors and sewing projects that embellish your home. It would be an enjoyable book for someone who did not want to get too involved in something that would take a long time. Each item just takes a little time out of a day, no more. I love the cloth bird cage and the free clip art you can copy to make cards with. There is an easy cloth rose you can make and I'm trying to get more organized and get all my house work finished so I can get out the materials and use some of the patterns in this book. I've already shown it to some of my younger friends, and the teen girls are really wanting a copy for themselves.

The prettiest thing in this book is the tea cozy, crocheted to look like a pot of flowers, as seen on the cover. the other projects are wonderful, as well, and include instructions to make more flowers to embellish the projects. You can use yarn, instead of thread, with these patterns, so if you are not proficient in thread-crochet, but still want to make something you can finish, I highly recommend this book. I'm using it myself right now and just love it.

book with patterns

calendar

I can happily recommend this book, because I own it now and find it delightful. I have shown it to my Ladies Bible Class and passed it around and they devoured every page, vowing to make some of these dresses in grown-up sizes! I even found some handkerchief-like prints at Walmart, with borders on it, and am attempting my own dress to really wear. The dresses in this book are so pretty! Patterns for the doll dresses are included in the back of the book. While I do not want a lot of dolls and doll dresses, I do find this book a wonderful, pretty, bright, colorful guide for ladies dresses, and I hope designers and manufacturers will take note of this book!