Can we talk rugs?

The last time I seriously was looking for a rug was in 1988, I think.  Well besides the one I bought to go under our table in 1994.  So I haven't had to think about rugs.  Actually I was clueless about rug buying and didn't know it.  You see there are rules for rugs in your home.  It is stated that the best most cohesive look is one where all of your furniture sits on top of the rug.  I am just talking about in your living room/family room.  If you put the front legs of your sofa on the rug then all of your furniture should have the front two legs on the rug as well.  Another way is to have none of your furniture on it, except for the coffee table.  Another rule is you can have more than one rug in your room if, I assume, the biggest is treated as the most important and all the other rugs have very similar colors.  Also you should have eighteen inches of bare floor showing around the perimeter of your room.  Then there are varying ways that are acceptable including having two identical rugs in the room if you have two distinct sitting areas.  I think the number one rule is you don't want to go too little. Be consistent, if you do it on one side reflect that on the other.   The rug should extend past your sofa in width by 6" to 10" on each side.

And it goes on and on....but really most of it makes perfect sense and is a good guide!  I just didn't bother to look any of this up until after I ordered my rugs!  We measured our sitting area as it was and figured that would be a common sense approach.  But then when I went looking at wool rugs at that measurement I was shocked! The prices were out of this world!  So what to do....what to do...I went down in size.  Yes, I went down from the biggest rug which wouldn't have been big enough to the next size down.   I ordered TWO of the next size down, and I think it worked like a charm.  The two rugs side by side read as one large one, which gives me much more coverage and was cheaper than the one larger one.

I haven't measured to see if it is eighteen inches around the perimeter but I'm pretty sure I broke that rule.  We have swivel rockers that probably wouldn't have done well on the rugs, and I never read where it was okay to do it this way but sometimes rules are made to be broken!

Jan

By the way my couch isn't orangey red, the silly lamp makes it look that way!

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Spring and Salad in the South

Hasn't it been just  magnificent to soak in the sun these past few days. I think we all needed it so. I am sharing a couple of pics from the backyard. Since our Japanese Magnolia is so late blooming, the flowers survived the ice. We were lucky.  The Bradford Pear tree isn't as showy as the neighbors yet, but it's on its way.

Today my daughter, April, is sharing her recipe for a sumptuous salad perfect for springtime!   Merci April!

Recipe

1 container fresh herb mix lettuce

2 pears ( Bartlett and D' Anjou both are excellent for this)

2 small red onions

1 container crumbled Feta Cheese

1 1/2 Cups Pecans

olive oil

Turn broiler on low. Chop  both onions into very fine slices. Save one onion for topping the salad.  Toss the other onion with olive oil until coated and lay on a single layer on a cookie sheet. Broil for 30 minutes or until caramelized and crispy.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Drizzle pecans with olive oil and salt to taste. Bake for 10 minutes- but be careful! They burn very quickly! When you can smell the delicious fragrance of the toasted pecans emanating out of your oven, it's time to take those babies out!

Place lettuce in a small bowl for individual servings or a large platter for a show-stopping presentation. Layer sliced pears around the rim, add caramelized onions, toasted pecans, and feta cheese crumbles. Sprinkle raw onion on top to add a bit more zest.

For the dressing, I turn to one of my favorite cooking ladies: Julia Child! This vinaigrette is just perfect.

Julia Child's Classic Vinaigrette

1/2 tablespoon shallot or scallion, finely minced

1/2 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

1/4 tablespoon of salt (or to taste)

The juice of one lemon

1/2 tablespoon white or red wine vinega

r 1/3 to 1/2 cup of Excellent olive oil or other fine, fresh, flavorful oi

l Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
Shake all of the ingredients in a screw-top jar with great vigor.
If you prefer to mix the ingredients, make a slurry or paste with the mustard , salt, and scallions first. Whisk in the lemon juice and vinegar, and only then begin to incorporate the oil, drop by drop to form a smooth emulsion.
Add pepper and more salt to taste. Lightly dress your salad greens, top with croutons and, if desired, a sliced protein of your choice. Drizzle a few more drops of the vinaigrette to finish.
-From Julia's Kitchen Wisdom

We Got The Blues!

How are ya'll doing? We saw some beautiful sunshine today! It felt great to be outside. Since I didn't know if we would have sunshine tomorrow I took a few extra pics today ( I ran around the yard all day in my gown trying to get as many as I could while the sun was out!). Thank goodness the neighbors can't see me running around in all my natural glory!! I would have scared the hell out of the meter man had he come by today!

All kidding aside, we got down with the blues...baby blues...light blues....dark blues...Blues!

Jan

Let's peek inside the Living Room

Hey ya'll! Today I am sharing a peek inside the living room. Guess what? There's more red! Red sofa with floral pillows. There is another sofa exactly like this one facing it but out of the photo. I had pillow covers made so I can change the look when I want to. The drapes were made locally. They have the white background with the red roses and touches of green and blue throughout. I have a second set of panels lining the drapes as it really helps with insulating the room especially during the winter. The lamps are from a consignment store.

The walls are a light green. I have painted this room many times and I always come back to this shade of green. It's not a warm green but on the cool side and I find that it makes everything look good. I think I will always have green walls somewhere in my home. It's a very restful color like nature.

I need a favor from ya'll. I am changing my floor in here and I need to know what you think of your floors. What's your favorite? What's your least favorite? Why? I can't wait to hear from you, either here are on facebook!

Ya'll have a great weekend!

Pretending it's Spring!

March 5, 2014

This is a simple vignette I put together a while back but I thought it was so appropriate for today. My daughter's painting of Spring sets up the vignette. A pitcher filled with flowers and cups to match. Yes, that was quite a deal I got on those! A celery designed container that I love to bring out this time of year! I have no idea where it came from but I know I bought it at a consignment store. The plate in the center came with a set I bought also consignment called Fruit Dujour by Shafford. I always look for the bargains and don't pretend otherwise! My husband really likes this, he thinks it looks almost 3D! I don't know about that but it does let you pretend it's Spring!!

Japanese Magnolia Buds

March 4, 2014

Ice gave us a surprise today. Buds are covered in it and I don't think we will see flowers on this tree this year. But I love buds, any buds! They are a promise of tomorrow!

Roses in mercury glass on rosey dish

This is a instant happy moment for me. I love the contrast between the icy mercury glass and the warm red flowers. The sunlight brings out the rose patterned dish. Though petite in size it lifts ones thoughts if only for a minute.

Chipped, cracked, dropped but still pretty!

So the weather is saying wintry mix today. I hope this little photo I put together looks just as warm to you as it does to me! You see the bright sun pouring in on that black fabric remnant and you know it is warm to the touch. The cup and saucer have been dropped a time or two but I think that makes it more interesting! A few flowers to complete the look!

Vintage Fun! Having fun with beautiful roses and vintage plate!!

During these bleak days of winter I find myself craving color more than usual. My daughter received these beautiful roses and I couldn't help but to notice they matched this very old plate I bought at a consignment store. The back of the plate says Autumn Leaves and Hand-Painted. So while she was busy with other things I "borrowed" her roses and 'played' to create my own piece of Spring! I love trying different looks with the same flowers, kind of like making different outfits with the same clothes-- just switching things around to get a whole new look!



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Jan