Decorating

Tattoos, Doodles & Unfinished Projects

/ Ally Bean / 15 Comments

file6941266100445-1A most peculiar week, this one.  Blue moon and all.  Must have had something to do with it.

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A friend is thinking about getting a tat.  3 of her 4 children have at least one tattoo, and she feels like an old fogey without one.  She wants something meaningful with a bit of color, but not gaudy.  Nothing wordy.  Wordy ones, we agree, are too much like work.  Who wants to read themselves?

I’m of the tats need to be organic and flowing school of thought.  She’s of the tats need to include all family members, somehow, school of thought.  Will let you know what she decides on… if she ever does.

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Besides contemplating theoretical body art, this week I’ve watched Dr. Who.  Did you know that I was a Whovian?  Well, now you do.

I’m on the 10th Doctor with Donna Noble as his companion.  I’ve read that she comes to some lousy end, so I’m finding this season to be rather bittersweet.  She’s one of my favorite companions;  I do so love her attitude and spunk.  Noisy woman with a heart.  Doesn’t travel light, that one.

Oddly enough, watching Dr. Who this week has me doodling.  I don’t know why, but every time I sit down to watch an episode, I pick up pen/pencil + paper and commence doodling.  Lots of swirls and flowers– and boxy faces composed of rectangles, triangles, stars.

Perhaps I’m creating a tattoo for myself and don’t even know it?  Or maybe I’m more lost in thought than usual.  Regardless, I’m happy listening to/glancing at the Doctor and Donna.  And doodling.  Must. Draw. Doodles.

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Sometimes I’m amazed by how I decide to do something productive [like paint the bottom pedestal part of our kitchen table] and how the weather decides to be uncooperative [like hazy/rainy/stormy/humid all fricking week].

This is a project, if it is to be done properly, that requires lots of sunlight and low humidity and a very happy me.  Yet not one day this blue moon week have I been able to work on my project.  Do we not all believe that effort should be rewarded?  Am I not trying here?  

They tell us that the weather isn’t personal, but this week it has seemed personal.  That I’m being thwarted for no good reason whatsoever.  That all my plans have fallen to dust and I’ve been left alone to work around the mess that unfulfilled plans create.

But as we all know: you live, you learn.  Which, from what I can tell, means that some weeks you live with a huge unfinished project smack dab in the middle of your kitchen.  And you learn to not whine about it.

Existential Suburban Angst: Deciding What Color Armchairs To Buy For The TV Room

/ Ally Bean / 18 Comments

My mind is a swimming mess of colors now.  Pity that this isn’t because of a Reiki session;  then I’d be all mellow with the colors in my mind.

Grooving on the Infinite.

Instead, the reality is that we have finally gotten to the point of deciding on new armchairs for the TV room.  Thus I have fabric swatches from Pottery Barn positioned all over the TV room.

As one does in these situations.

I have some swatches pinned to the drapes.  I have some swatches sitting on the floor next to the rug.  I  have some swatches stuck to the back of a kitchen chair placed in the TV room so that I can see what the colors look like from afar.  In other words, I’m looking at color in all its fabulousity from every angle possible because I know how easy it is to pick the wrong shade.

Been there.  Done that.  Many, many times. 

To add to this dilemma, we already have all the walls painted and the sofa purchased [called ocean blue, but I’d call it more blue-gray] and an antique rug in place [basically maroon/ruby-red, navy/blue-gray, gold/tan with bits of peach and aqua].  All of which means that these chairs have to fit within a rather complex color scheme dictated by an old faded rug.

Charming? Yes.  Difficult for me to do? You betcha.

So that’s what is going on around here this afternoon.  And will probably be haunting my dreams this evening.  And plaguing my brain for the next few weeks because decisions like this one come slowly to me.  But when I finally figure out this conundrum, all major decorating decisions in this house will be a thing of the past.

And won’t that be an exciting day for all concerned?!

In Which I Play Well With Others & Create A List Of What I Learned Last Month

/ Ally Bean / 27 Comments

 Relyn at Come Sit by My Fire is doing this:

“On the last day of each month I plan to post a list of things I learned paired [with] my own favorite photo from that month….  I hope you’ll play along.”

I’ve decided to play along this month.  Here’s my What I Learned In June list.

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•  Hanging pictures is my kryptonite.  I use the 60″ rule as a guideline, but it doesn’t always hold true when working with an eclectic collection of art.  I love having artwork on the walls, but admit that the process of getting it there makes me cross-eyed and anxious.

•  Being stuck inside because of wet Summer weather is every bit as annoying as being stuck inside because of wet Spring weather.  You’d think that just because it was Summer, it’d be better;  but it’s not.  Stuck is stuck.  And I’m tired of it.  Where are my weeks of sunshine?

•  52 Acts is a project based on the idea that: “one small act of kindness can change a life forever.”  Cheri at Naples Girl Blog sent me a 52 Acts bracelet + booklet.  Cool, huh?  Now that I know about 52 Acts, I’m happy to be a part of it.  Thanks, Cheri.

•  When putting a casserole dish with a Pyrex glass lid on top of it into the microwave, it is easy to knock the lid off the casserole dish causing the lid to bounce off the granite counter and onto the kitchen floor.  This creates a five foot radius of broken glass and shards, leading me to ponder the wisdom of cooking in bare feet.

•  Planning a vacation seems like a good idea until you actually begin to price it.  Then visiting the local zoo, followed by an afternoon at a German brew house, suddenly sounds like a grand idea.  An adventure.  Something with the exotic elements of a vacation, but without the inconvenience and cost.

My Report On The U.S. Flag Complete With Commentary

/ Ally Bean / 33 Comments
American-Flag-222x300

{ image from Library of Congress}

Today is Flag Day.  On this date in 1777, the Continental Congress officially approved the design of the U.S. flag as we know it today.

•  But you knew that, of course.  You paid attention in history class and it’s right there on your calendar, in small print.

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In adopting the flag the Continental Congress stated: “Resolved, That the Flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”  It is interesting to note that the colors of red – white – blue did not have meanings when this resolution was adopted.

In 1818, after 5 more states joined the Union, the U.S. Congress passed legislation fixing the number of stripes at 13 and requiring that the number of stars equal the number of states.

•  Smart thinking if you ask me.  Have a plan, stick to it.

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In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson declared June 14th as a national day of recognition for the flag.  According to this declaration, the flag is to be flown everywhere on this day, not just on government buildings and schools.

In 1949, while President Truman was in office, the U.S. Congress established June 14 as National Flag Day.  The next year on June 14th he proclaimed it as such.  However, this does not make June 14th an official federal holiday so no one gets the day off from work because of this Act of Congress.

•  I fail to see the reason why the U.S. Congress did what they did, but that’s nothing new.

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The U.S. flag has three nicknames: “Stars and Stripes” – “Star-Spangled Banner” – “Old Glory.”  And as you can imagine, no matter what you call it, there are etiquette rules for flying the U.S. flag.  Reading through them you will discover that We, The People, break these rules almost daily.

•  I direct your attention to the Decorative section of the list.  ‘Nuff said.

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In 1960, on July 4th, the last new star was added to the flag when Hawaii became the 50th state.  That is the last time there has been a change to the U.S. flag itself.  But there is more to the story than mere design changes.  You see, on June 14, 2004, the U.S. Congress unanimously voted to declare that Flag Day originated in Ozaukee County, Waubeka Wisconsin, thereby acknowledging another little known historical fact.

And with that I have nothing more to add to this report.  ‘Tis time for me to go put my cute little red, white & blue flags in my large blue green flower pots filled with dark pink geraniums, so that I can say that I’m [stylishly] observing this holiday.

•  How about you?  What are you going to do to celebrate Flag Day?

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