Archive for 2012
A well-worn welcome
It’s one of my secret weapons in my arsenal of decorating tips – small old Oriental carpets. They’re true classics – with a relaxed attitude. Keeping my eyes peeled at…
Keep Reading
Setting the stage
“You can create the most beautifully designed room, but if you don’t light it properly, it doesn’t matter how beautiful it is – no one can truly appreciate it.” I’m paraphrasing one…
Keep Reading
Hello Monday!
Happy Fall! Well we’re into the third day of the new season, and I have to say that on a crisp day like today – New England is the…
Keep Reading
Inky blue is the new black
There’s something about a deep inky blue that really speaks to me. Maybe it’s the depth of the hue. Maybe it’s how it pops pretty much anything – an outfit,…
Keep Reading
We’ve come a long way baby
Earlier this week, I changed my profile photo on face book to our latest family photo. I couldn’t believe all the great feedback that generated! It really made me think.…
Keep Reading
Hello Monday!
So what if we were to hook up ‘Flower Power Monday’ with ‘Quotation Therapy’? Well maybe it would help us kick-off our week with a bouquet of beauty for our…
Keep Reading
Shaker apple pies
Happy Friday! I was thinking that if you’re picking apples this weekend, and you liked my last posting featuring really good pie crusts, then you may want to try this…
Keep Reading
Favorite pie crust recipe x2
This week on Facebook, my friend Stacy (a self-proclaimed forager of fabulous vintage “finds” and shop owner of Meadowsweet Vintage in Philadelphia – a must-stop – online or in person),…
Keep Reading
Flower Power Monday
Happy Monday! I think flowers are one of my favorite things in the whole world. And come to think of it, I really do believe that they possess more power…
Keep Reading
Nora’s ‘Brimfield’ snap shots
Happy Friday! Last minute change in plans on Wednesday opened up my day yesterday to take a run up to the Brimfield Antique Show, in Brimfield, Massachussetts. In less than…
Keep Reading
Kicking off a new season
Here at Connecticut Country House, we’re sad to see summer go – but have to say that we are really excited to kick-off the new fall season ahead! We’re transitioning our…
Keep Reading
Last salute to summer – in a bowl
To me, corn and lobster say “summer”. No actually, the more I think about it, they yell “summer”! They are at the height of their delicious goodness all on their…
Keep Reading
Quotation therapy
“Have nothing in your houses which you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” William Morris (1834-1896)
Keep Reading
There once was a girl from Nantucket
She was the first piece of “real art” I had ever acquired. She was a gorgeous nineteenth century little girl beautifully painted in rich pastels – and at the time…
Keep Reading
Cape Cod garden tour
Back from our annual pilgrimage to our beloved Cape Cod – the place where our family really kicks back and relishes every minute of keeping it simple. Lots of beach…
Keep Reading
Pretty pastel iced tea
Approximately every six weeks, Connecticut Country House has become a destination meeting place for a beautiful group of Mary Kay consultants. The ladies have officially, and affectionately, named it “The…
Keep Reading
Oh beans!
One vegetable from the kitchen garden that always gets rave reviews, especially from our teenage son Conor, are the string beans. Now that’s saying something! He loves them freshly picked,…
Keep Reading
The collector: seashells
To me, decorating is about storytelling. And nothing tells a story better than a collection. A collection immediately communicates who you are, and how you like to live. It adds…
Keep Reading
Mid-summer garden tour
Our mid-summer garden tour is full of perennials, like our many varieties of day lilies, that keep blooming like crazy – heat or no heat! The roses are stressed right…
Keep Reading
Really ripe raspberries
I’m always looking for new ideas for my kitchen garden – and planting raspberry plants a couple of years ago was a good one. It was mid-summer, and I was…
Keep Reading
Glorious Gooseneck Loosestrife
Years ago, before we moved to Connecticut Country House, we lived in a sweet little English cottage-style house – our first house. There we created our first rose, herb, and…
Keep Reading
Erin’s Zucchini Bread
I love to collect recipes. I think it’s an addiction with me. When I was nine years old, I got my first cookbook – Betty Crocker’s – from Santa. Ever…
Keep Reading
A refreshing summer salad
This is no ordinary potato salad. It’s light, and served chilled – very refreshing. I like that it has no dairy ingredients, so it holds its own at any hot…
Keep Reading
Parlor games
This house was built in 1767 by British citizens (probably poor farmers) and this parlor must have been “the best room” in the little house. To me, it’s authenticity has…
Keep Reading
If walls could talk
For the past two months, Connecticut Country House has been a big work in progress. Our “resident” craftsman and friend, Mark Kornhaas, has been plugging away at a punch list…
Keep Reading