cocobunga

pillow talk...

I have always been a down pillow lover.  But lately...not so much.  My pillows seem to have deflated like my car tire did a couple of weeks ago.  Ugh.  That's a whole nother story about living here in Pothole Pennsylvania.

Anyway, I was thinking.  Do you think my friendly dust bunnies come into my bed in the middle of the night and steal my feathers - one by one?  You know...kind of as revenge for my coffee mishap that killed their kin? 

All throughout the night, I'm fluffing, I'm punching, I'm twisting.  It gives a whole new meaning to a pillow fight.  And yet, my beloved pillows are less than plump.  Ah...when they were newer, they were heavenly.  The perfect place for my head to be as I recited now I lay me down to sleep...  Recently, it's been more like now I lay me (blank) to sleep...  The down is definitely missing.

So, I decided to go a googling...again.  Lo and behold, there is a solution.  It's simple - you know how I am drawn to that word - and easy to fluff up your feather pillows so they feel puffy, soft and almost new.  I want to share the details with you.

Things You'll Need:

• Dryer
• Dampened cloth
• Liquid fabric softener
• 3 tennis balls

Step 1:  Place feather pillow(s) in the dryer.

Step 2:  Dampen a cloth with a little bit of liquid fabric softener.

Step 3:  Add the cloth with the feather pillows in the dryer.

Step 4:  Tumble dry in a cool dryer for 10 minutes.  Be sure to use the air dry, not the heat setting.

An alternative way to fluff up your feather pillows is to place them in the dryer along with 3 clean tennis balls. Use the low heat setting. The balls will bounce off the pillow(s) and add some volume.

 

Well, there you have it folks.  It's worth a try before going out to purchase new down pillows - which cost about as much as a new tire.  Trust me.  I know.

artwork for windows...

Three years ago I sold an adorable house to my friend Leslie, a lovely ambitious young woman who is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.  Love her.  She is a lot like her mom, June, a dear friend of mine I have known for many years.  Yep, love her too.

As soon as I previewed this house, I knew it would be perfect for Leslie.  Charming starter home on a lovely little street.  Location, location, location was perfect.  The home had been renovated by a cute young couple who had extraordinary taste.  Think Pottery Barn cozy meets a splash of the oh most perfect pale pink cosmopolitan.  Got it?

As there were many striking features in this home, there is one, in particular, I want to share with you today.  The powder room window.  Caught my eye instantly.  At first, I thought a stained glass artisan had restored this old window into a stunning piece of artwork.  I, of course, had to touch it to feel the detail.  Whoa.  Surprise, surprise!  It was window film.

 

 
Artscape Window Film - Artwork for your Windows.  Spectacular!  Sold at home improvement stores, it's a great way to combine fine detail and privacy to your home.  It works gorgeously in Leslie's - shall we say - personal library?  It certainly adds an unexpected element and that pop of color HGTV addicts long for.  I should know.  I'm one of them.

Anyway, here is the information:  http://www.artscape-inc.com/styles.php.  The style from Leslie's powder room featured in this post is Wisteria.  Another dear friend of mine, Linda, used Amber Glass on her front door.  However, you'll have to wait for those photos until my future post on my bestfriend's doors.  Umm...didn't write it yet, but I'm working on it in my very cluttered mind.  I know what you're thinking.  Yes, it goes with my very cluttered office.  Ugh. 

So, there you have it.  One of my decorating tips I have shared with many clients and friends over the years.  I hope this may help at least one person out there who everyday sits down and thinks, "I hope the neighbors can't see me." 

Thank you to Leslie for allowing me to share her private space with my virtual world!

what the heck am i thinking...

This morning I was reading an HGTV Design Happens blog by Dooce about decorating and how people tend to fill their kitchens and their homes with animal tchotchkes.  Definition:  A small piece of worthless crap, a decorative knick knack with little or no purpose.

Immediately, I thought to myself...yeah, I hate houses that are cluttered with those useless tacky things.  I once sold a house where the owner had been a school teacher for over forty years and she collected owls.  Owl gewgaw was everywhere.  I mean everywhere.  One even hooted at me in the bathroom and I jumped off the toilet and hit my head on...you guessed it.  Owlch!  Forty years worth of owl gifts from her fifth graders created bad, very bad home decor.

At the same time, I reflected about how much I love animal prints.

 

I have a leopard throw on my bed...love it.

 

 

My leopard window treatments (with ball fringe...remember, I'm Italian) in my kitchen add just the right amount of pop!  Not too much...just a splash of the unexpected.  So cool.

 

I've wanted a single zebra club chair in a remote corner of my living room for quite some time.  Understated, yet elegant, touches (keyword: touches) can make a great statement. 

So, as I was sitting sipping my cup of tea pondering these thoughts, I started to look around my kitchen and I WAS HORRIFIED!  Here's what I found in what I perceived to be my understated, yet elegant kitchen:

Who am I?

Not one but two roosters?  Are you freakin kidding me?  I don't even like roosters.

Mr. Pig.  Okay, he's okay if he was the only farm animal in the room.  He holds a cute little blackboard my kids draw on every now and then.

The deer antlers...gift from Alex.  Some people think it's driftwood.  Yeah, that's it.  From now on it's driftwood and on that one, I'll give myself a bye.

St. Francis and eight birds.  Umm...I have nothing to say for myself right now other than my blessed mother Mary gave me that statue.

Then there's the donkeys and camels above the window.  Not one.  Not two.  But a whole damn army of them.  Notice there are monkeys riding on the donkeys leading the camels.  Where are they going and where did they come from?  Oh...that's right.  I remember.  They were a Christmas gift from Gary a long time ago.  Apparently, I still have Christmas decorations up in March.  Yikes.

Think I'm finished.  Nope.

Look at the last photo.  Yes, it's a monkey sitting on my windowsill next to a bowl of fake beaded fruit.  A harlequin monkey with a top hat...and...gulp...he's a bean bag.

But, but...I thought I was good at interior design.  Why on earth do my friends call me to help them decorate and design their homes?  Have they looked closely at the the zoo in my kitchen?

What the heck am I thinking?

I'm thinking thank God it's spring...it's time to have a yard sale.
 

fitted sheets...

In my never-ending quest to simplify my life, I ran across this video.  Being a visual learner (which comes from many, many years of people watching), I thank God for videos. 

So, here ya go.  You never know when invited guests might take a peek into your closets.  Geesh.  Don't judge me just on my cluttered kitchen counters.

via www.youtube.com