The Cookie Jar and the Biscuit Tin

As a mom who has spent way too much time baking these last few months, I often find myself piling homemade cookies into a glass jar. Being in the kitchen is relaxing for me; I put on music, I am not organized in the least, and I wear an apron. I absently tie the strings as I search through the cupboards, never quite sure what I am planning to make; flicking through cookbooks, getting stuck on the stories, and caring more about the life of the person who wrote the book than the actual recipe.

My daughter laughs that I will start to bake after dinner, making sure we have something sweet to end the evening with; not good for my waist, but good for my soul (and does anything taste better than a warm cookie?). Easier than most people think, I add whatever I feel like from the pantry, but usually begin with a combination of butter, sugar and flour. I could never be a stand-up comedian, but I will happily improvise a recipe at 9:15pm in my nightgown.

Once they are cool, I pop what is left in a large glass jar, with a really tight lid. It takes a few seconds to screw open the top (and the noise will always get someone's attention) but it feels a little more special to reach in and take a cookie from inside the jar.

Regular cookie jars (you know, the ones that say Cookie Jar on them) while lovely if you are on Sesame Street, don't quite work in the real world. The seals (if they have them) never seal, and they are quite heavy and clunky; not good for a midnight raid with milk and a spoonful of peanut butter.

Growing up, we called them biscuits, and they lived in the Biscuit Tin. It was usually an old tin from Christmas, filled with very fancy English Biscuits or Chocolates, carefully sitting in folded paper cups. Once finished, the tin was filled with biscuits for the following week - usually one packet of plain, and one chocolate. It was sealed tight, and there was a measure of excitement to opening it up, never quite knowing what was inside. Disappointment set in if our favorite was gone, and we had to decide between something we didn't like, and having nothing at all. If there was only one left, we had to ask if it was okay to take it. In hindsight, it was more about the ritual, than about seeing how many you could scoff when no-one was looking.

I think, we should celebrate the most sweetest moments, and bring back the Cookie Jar and the Biscuit Tin...

I want what she's having... (Color without Commitment)

One thing I get asked all the time is, "What color should I use on my walls?" This is often followed by, "Well, I want a color, but....".

Although many of us have a constant love affair with color, rooms really can be just as beautiful without opening massive buckets of paint. Often, we think that we should use color because of what we hear, and see. Conventional design theories say that everyone should have color, and if you don't have it, you're missing out. (Rarely do you see a magazine, or television show, embracing the life-changing impact of White).
Even the word color sounds more exciting, so we automatically want some, and we think we should want it all over our house. And we want it now, regardless of how we live, or what we like to be surrounded by.

It's this all or nothing that can get us into trouble. Let's be honest, color on the walls is absolutely gorgeous, and it gives a warmth that is difficult to imitate, but it isn't for everyone. That doesn't mean you have to live in a boring beige kingdom, wishing you were in the crayola castle on the other side of the street. Okay, I admit that sounds silly, but you know what I mean; definitely a cliche (but nevertheless true) a pop of color will do wonders for a home. What often scares people are big changes, so why not forget the perfect design picture, do the least you can get away with, and still make a difference.

Here are some ideas for those of you who envy color, and want it (but not too much...).

• Let's start with the obvious. Yes, I'm saying it - buy a colored pillow or blanket. It will make a huge difference, and, if you're unsure of which color to get, just buy one you like (forget about it matching). If you still can't decide, go for a different texture (not technically a color, but it is a change). 
• Break up a dominant set of furniture. Move a piece of furniture from another room in the house (one that doesn't match the wood, or the color/fabric). Different wood = different color.
• Stack a pile of books or magazines on a table.
• Hide a colorful Troll doll in your pantry cupboard.
• Keep a vase of flowers in your home. Color without any commitment.
• Paint the inside back of a bookshelf, or a single drawer on your nightstand. If a huge contrast feels too overwhelming, choose a slightly darker or lighter shade. It will be more subtle, but still perk up the room.
• Buy a new lampshade. If in doubt, try a neutral - black, taupe or navy?
• Buy one colorful casserole/lasagna dish.
• Spray paint the base of a lamp. (What about one of the new metallic paints available?). Or, just change the finial.
• Choose different colored towels for the bathroom.
• Add Art. Your own photographs, framed, or something new. Try a single word (decal or a sign). A small metal or wood sculpture.
• Paint the frame of a mirror.
• Line the inside of a drawer, or cupboard, with wallpaper (or a lovely wrapping paper).
• Paint an unsuspecting door (what about the inside of your closet door?).
• Pile green apples, lemons, eggplant, tomatoes or oranges in a big, fancy glass bowl. Done.

Have a wonderful (colorful?) week!

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Room above (without the rose) designed by Alexander van Berge

The Delightfully Versatile Chandelier

I love this photograph. Have to admit, I know nothing about horses, but I do know that the composition is simply beautiful (good grief, I hope it's real, and not computer generated. If it is, please don't tell me. Bliss and ignorance are my happy spots).

Anyway, the photograph got me dreaming about chandeliers, and how far they have come. Who knew, that something so formal would gradually become the darling of shabby chic decorating?

Originally, they were lit with candles, and were a status symbol of the very wealthy. Massive lead crystal concoctions weighed hundreds of pounds, and were the precious focal point of many family estates. As years went on, the modern life of electric and gas took over, and acrylic would begin to take the place of crystal. They were no longer special, but they were still a required commodity in many new homes.

A victim of excess, they couldn't adapt, and we were trying too hard to make them fit where they didn't belong. The formality seemed hurriedly bought instead of carefully chosen.

Thankfully, this trend didn't last long, and the beauty of the chandelier was found again. More practical this time, it is no longer an uncomfortable status symbol; it has become the perfect accessory to a more realistic way of living. A small touch of luxury for ever style and budget.

To me, the chandelier is best when it is playing with opposites, and not competing. So, if I had a horse and a barn, I would definitely put a crystal chandelier in it. (And, I would hold parties, and sleep there, and look at it shining against the old, wooden beams, and have romantic dinners, and play lots of music, and feel really special .......)

                                                                           
Gorgeous photograph from Casa Sugar

A Wintry Mix

Truth is, I would rather look at snow, than gray dirt and brittle trees, but what drives me crazy is the eternal pile of boots and coats that seem to reproduce by my doorway. I organize them, I really do, and many of them are mine, but there is something about these cold, wet days that make us all so grateful to be inside, that we peel off our clothes (well, sort of) the minute we walk in the door.

Like many of you, I drool over those entrance ways with lots of hooks, and baskets for mittens and boots, but that isn't what I have; I have a front door that opens into my living room. With no apologies, and no place to hide, that is where the wintry pile has to go. So, I accept the small space, do the best I can, and on a good day, it all seems to work.

It's a busy place in Winter, and rarely does it look neat; wire baskets are jumbled with socks and shoes, boots fall in and around their trays, puddles melt into salty shapes, and coats hang crookedly on the back of the door. The only decorative bit is the assortment of vintage umbrellas, because they rarely get used, sitting in my umbrella stand (shaped like an umbrella, of course - one of my favorite things). Mary Poppins moment aside, none of it is perfect, but it is a system of sorts.

Sometimes, I think it is a good lesson in letting go, and slowing down; accepting that some things are out of our control, and a home will be messy if it is truly lived in. A pile of wet gloves could mean that you have been throwing snowballs at a friend, or building an igloo for your dog.

Even if you do have the perfect place (with a bench to sit on while you pull on your boots..sigh..how lovely that would be) it still might not look like the pages of a magazine;  most people have more than one scarf, the little, tiny loop on your coat is made to break after one season, and it takes time and effort to make those boots stand up clean and straight. Time that is often better spent putting on your pajamas, getting warm by the fire, and heating milk for hot chocolate.....
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
(p.s. Maybe I should take up knitting, and keep my trees warm and colorful during the Winter months). 
This photograph was borrowed from the Urban Cozy Project 

What's in your Cupboard?

Years ago, I asked a friend for a phone number, and she immediately opened her kitchen cupboard. Inside, was what appeared, to me, to be a giant mess of business cards and notes. Not wanting to be rude (but wondering if she was a little disorganized) I asked why she had them all in her cupboard; I was used to seeing nice, empty wooden doors, not ones littered with phone numbers and pieces of tape. But, when she explained, it was one of those crazy light bulb moments, and I totally understood....

Do you know what actually happens to all those business cards and small notes that we need?
a. Neatly transferred into a notebook (3%).
b. Kept in our wallet (16%).
c. Put on the fridge (25%).
d. Thrown away (7%).
e. Somewhere, until we need them, then we forget where they are (49%).

The inside of our kitchen cupboards is actually found Real Estate; prime space for all sorts of things that we need to remember. With a roll of tape, and a few minutes, you will be more organized than you could ever imagine. Phone numbers and notes will be right where you left them, and all you have to do is change them as needed. No damage to your cabinets, no chalk paint, corkboard or fancy systems, just a roll of tape.
Whether you line them up alphabetically, sort them into categories, or plonk them on higgledy-piggledy (my method of choice), they are always there.

I admit, it takes a few days to get used to the inside cupboard door clutter, but you are the only one who knows it is there.......sweetly hidden, just waiting for you to find your favorite phone number!
                                                               
p.s. No actual surveys were consulted in the writing of this blog (percentages were totally made up).

Photograph from House Beautiful