New bird on the blah-blah-block No. 21

{a lot of words, nothing to say, by corid}

I love this chatty bird, he reminds me of ME! I am always talking. I remember getting in trouble as early as kindergarten for too much talking (sorry Mrs. Massaro!). All my grammar school report cards said "Excellent work, talks too much in class".

You can buy a print of this birdy or some of his friends in Corid's Etsy shop. Thanks to Suzanne for introducing me to Corid via her blog S.HOPtalk.

I love my DVR, and Sarah Richardson

I have been battling The Mother of All Colds since Tuesday night, hence the lack of posts. Between fits of coughing and being in a coma sleeping, I have been learning how to program my new DVR (yes, I am late to the game). Now that I have this newfangled toy, I can catch all the design shows that I can never remember when they are on, including one of my favorite Canadian designers, Sarah Richardson. I had my own mini-marathon of her yesterday. I love her style, her sass (in the episode with the LR/DR combo (pics below) she kept replaying the tape of the client saying "I defer to you" every time the client disagreed!) and that she is not afraid to show her clients used furniture that can be reupholstered vs the "all new all the time" approach that others have.

{client kitchen before}

{client kitchen after}

{client living/dining room before}

{and after. ALL photos from Fine Living Network site}

I also like that she shows the sometimes tedious and non-glamorous side of the all the details and time that go into a design project. Things like having furniture delivered, taken away, redelivered, etc. so the client can see it in the space. Or waiting around for the client to meet them on the shopping trip, or going to ten different shops to find the right sofa, or finding out that because of one delay, the whole project is on hold until the carpenter is available again. Too many design shows, in an effort to keep up with the pacing and presto-chango that viewers expect after seeing "reality" design shows like While You Were Out, Trading Spaces and the completely unrealistic Extreme Makeover, make it seem like the Magic Decor Fairies come in and do everything overnight.

A-M over at The House that A-M Built, is chronicling the long process of having a house built from the ground up, and the millions of tiny decisions that go along with it. She started on April 1 when they acquired the land. The first hole wasn't dug until May 28. Where are those magic overnight fairies when you need them?

When I win the lottery #854

{Arcadia in Cape Cod. Photo by Goodheart Properties}

Out of curiosity I clicked on one of my Google ads and this was what came up. The house is gorgeous in its simplicity, and not your typical beach cottage at all. There are multiple buildings, including a guest house with two bedrooms, and the Master Suite (check out the bathroom, I could fit my whole bathroom in just the shower area) is connected to the main house via a breezeway (that must be fun in the winter). I wonder if there is a helipad to make that commute to Boston a bit easier. Oh, and it is only $3.6 million!

New bird on the block Nos. 14 - 20 and then some

In an earlier post I mentioned that I had worked all weekend at Hopkins Vineyard, for their annual Barrel Tasting Festival. I used to work there every weekend about 8 years ago, and they always treated me like I was one of the family, so whenever they call and say they need a hand for a big event, I willingly trek the 50+ miles out to their end of the state and tie on the old apron. Working there -- even off and on -- gives me a renewed appreciation for those who make handcrafted products, run a family farm/wholesale/retail business, and deal with tourists on a regular basis. Remember that scene in Baby Boom where the posh New Yorkers come into the Vermont general store and marvel at the "trendy" flannel shirts and mason jars, condescend to the locals and then buy up all the homemade baby food? Yeah, that kind of thing really does happen. A lot.

In addition to the vineyard, tasting room, and wine bar, they have a retail shop where they sell so much more than just their (fantastic, award-winning) wine. Jams, sauces, cheeses, crackers, tea, candles, home goods, dishes, art, etc etc. Hilary (one of the owners) and Kathleen (the manager) have a wonderful eye for product trends and a keen sense of merchandising. Their attention to detail is fantastic, and they often incorporate flowers from the gardens surrounding the barn into their retail displays.

Imagine the heart palpitations that I had when I walked in and saw this little display:

Really, it was all I could do to keep myself from scooping it all into my trunk and taking off. I've lusted after the plates for a while, on Room Service Home. The salt and pepper shakers are adorable, and I did buy two of the copper bird votive holders (a tealight sits in the wire "nest").

It is hard to tell in this photo, but there is a free-form wire bird with a feather tail woven into this wire "cage".

This is my new favorite plant, a perennial that they are displaying like a house plant next to this antique lamp, Oxalis "Iron Cross". It looks like giant shamrocks with burgundy centers.

Upstairs in the anteroom of the wine bar is this lovely display of teas, incense, napkins, coasters and picnic-ware. Check out that silk umbrella!

Wouldn't an ice-cold mint julep taste great out of this thermos at your next picnic?

Sweet little owls on these Japanese tea cups.

More handmade pottery tea sets, tea tins and another great thermos. Lovely.

If you ever find yourself in the Northwest corner of Connecticut, I do recommend putting Hopkins on your list of places to visit. And if it is during one of their festivals, look for me at the back register.

My birthday is a national holiday in Canada*

{Day 74: Birthday Cupcake, originally uploaded by • Sandra •.}

Well, maybe not this year, but quite a few times in my life, Victoria Day, a Canadian holiday celebrating Britain's longest-reigning monarch, has fallen on May 23.

I feel this is fitting for two reasons: it befits my royal demeanor, and it is a reason in some countries* to take the day off. I myself am taking the day off today and I suggest you do the same. Perhaps if we all take the day off, the government will recognize what an important day May 23 is, and acknowledge it with official decrees, parades, fireworks and some form of economic stimulus.

Cupcakes for everyone!

*Victoria Day is also celebrated in Scotland and the Cayman Islands. In case you were wondering.