A Daily Dose of Fiber

Restaurant Update

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:51:00 +0000

Sorry, no art to show. The preparations for adding a "day-part" have been all-consuming. Who knew?! We bought the restaurant four years ago as an established breakfast place with a small lunch offering. Over the years we've expanded both the breakfast and lunch menus, but gradually. Now we're starting from scratch -- almost. There's still a breakfast item or two as well as few carry-overs from the lunch menu but the vast majority of it is all new. Not to mention trying to pick a handful of wines to offer to accompany the dishes.

We have made tremendous progress! And it looks like we'll be ready to go on the 18th, just a week behind my original target date. A sample menu is now on the website.

I had to take some pictures the other day to include in a presentation and thought you might like to see what the restaurant looks like now -- it's been a while since I had taken any.

The murals were done by one of our waitresses - she has a fine arts degree from the local university. She'd make a great children's book illustrator, don't you think? If you click on the picture you'll get a much larger view - and maybe even be able to make out Cappuccino, Prega! hanging in the arched recess. Notice the napkins on the table? We get boxes of four different colors - red, blue, yellow and green - that match our plates. We then have the staff sort them so the tables end up with an assortment.

Here's a view of the other half.

More breakfast food and bears on the walls. Carla also did the painting on the far right of the picture. Not sure if you can make it out, but it's a stovetop, counter and coffeemaker. Definitely click on the picture to see the full-size version. There's a couple of small quiltlets hanging on the walls with hopefully more to come any day now ;-)

Thanks for visiting!

King's Corner After Dark - Update

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:28:00 +0000

What a whirlwind! The list of things to do seems endless, but we are making great progress. We met with the State Liquor Commission last week and have to gather a bunch of paperwork before our next meeting on 26 March. From there it's pretty much a formality for approval, but it means driving to Concord with the paperwork. Steve has met with one of the beer reps (Sam Adams, of course) and has contacted another that deals in some local microbrews. He also signed a contract with Pepsi that will result in us getting a small cooler to store the soda (freeing up room in the current soda cooler for beer). We haven't decided on which wines to offer yet, but we did pick out the wine rack and glasses which will have our logo on them.

Of course the really important piece of all of this is the actual dinner menu. Steve has it pretty much all worked out. It's grown a little bit from the original plan, but not so much that it's unmanageable. There will be a few "regulars" and then a few items will change from week to week. There's enough variety to satisfy the vegetarians as well as the meat lovers and everyone in between. He's working with our new food supplier to fine-tune the menu and cost everything out.

Our customers are all pretty excited about coming for dinner. We'll be starting to work on our marketing package this week - cover letter, menus, comps, and guest discounts - and will distribute them to all of the hotels and resort condos in town. Heather will be writing an article and submitting it to the newspapers, and an announcement will go out in the next Chamber of Commerce mailing.

There's a million little things - like we need special stemware racks for the dishwasher and something to put them when they're dirty (can't just throw them in the bus bucket with the dishes and mugs!) so they don't get broken. A new outlet for the soda cooler. Vases for the tables - we originally had vases on the tables when we first opened, but the staff complained about the mess they made on the table. Too bad - flowers will be back. If only I can find the vases! Liquor affidavits from staff and training classes to attend.

I'm sure we'll forget something, but I'm also sure that it won't be something major and we'll be able to improvise. Would you like an espresso with your tiramisu?

Is It Spring Yet?

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:05:00 +0000

I'm definitely ready for Spring to arrive. Here in northern New Hampshire, that usually doesn't happen until May. In between Winter and Spring we have "Mud Season". And this year it's probably going to be a doozy. After finally getting rid of most of the ice, we've had more snow. And more snow is expected for this weekend. Not much, mind you - but by now we're all anxious to get mud season over with and move on to watching the world turn green once again.

In that spirit I'm working on another flower piece - this one with Susan Sorrell's Fertile Earth class on Joggles. My first piece - pomegranates - is still in my head, but the flower piece couldn't wait to get out of my head and onto fabric.

This, of course, is just the beginning, but I'm really loving the textured surface I'm creating here. I started with a piece of green batik, and layered a piece of hand-dyed or painted cheesecloth in lovely lilac shades of pink and green. On top of that I put a layer of green tulle. This wonderful background will be covered with lilac buds and blossoms - a single stem. If you click on the image you should be able to see a couple of buttonhole wheels - the intent is to do a lot of hand-embroidery on this piece.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Dinner Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:50:00 +0000

On June 30 we'll be celebrating the 4th anniversary of King's Corner Cafe. I'm not sure if celebrating is the right word, but as long as it's ours, we might as well. It's treated us very well. We've nurtured it and watched the business grow.

When we first started looking for a small cafe to buy we weren't thinking breakfast. But after several months of looking, everything about what was then "King's Korner" seemed right. So breakfast/lunch it was. We upgraded the breakfast menu, made major additions to the lunch menu, and added an espresso bar. We cook almost everything from scratch and use only top-quality ingredients.

The thing is, while my husband is a morning person, he's always wanted to do dinner. We've contemplated many times opening a couple of evenings a week, but there's always been one obstacle or another in our way -- usually having to do with help.

Well, it seems that the stars and planets are with us, and everything seems to be coming together now. A small dinner menu that will change weekly is being developed. A new vendor is being contacted for high-quality meat, seafood, produce and desserts. We'll be meeting with the State Liquor Commission on Friday to begin the process of obtaining a beer and wine license. The restaurant is being rearranged -- things like a wine rack and soda cooler will replace the to-go coffee table. And artwork will once again grace the walls.

Stay tuned. Our anticipated launch will be my birthday weekend with a Gala Event to happen sometime in June most likely.

Then again, someone may come along tomorrow and make us an offer we can't refuse!

MiniFlorals

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:24:00 +0000

The first of the mini-florals are finished and ready to be put into shadow boxes and hung in the restaurant. I feel so productive!

First, I added a center vein on each of the large leaves with some hand-dyed #5 Perle Cotton. The tendrils are done with chenille and some thick/thin wool yarn. I then outlined each leaf and petal using a buttonhole stitch and #12 Perle Cotton, except on the pink flower which I used something more like #8.

I tried a number of things on the background - sorbello stitch, seed stitch, beads ... and ripped them all out. A plain background it is! I fused strips of hand-dyed fabric around the edges and then finished it off with seed beads.

Done!

New Work

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:52:00 +0000

Cappuccino, Prega! is now hanging in the restaurant and receiving lots of compliments. I'll Take Mine Black! is still waiting for its finishing touches. I've done a bit of embroidery on it - Portuguese Stem Stitch along the small placemat, colonial knots along the edges of the cup, and some running stitches and colonial knots along the edges of the saucer. I also did a crazy quilting seam motif along the seam separating the table and the wallpaper. It's still missing something, and I'm waiting for it to tell me what it is. I'll let you know.

In the meantime I've started some small floral pieces - again, I think they'll go nicely in the restaurant and will fit in the shadow boxes I had used to hang my journal quilts. Here's what they look like so far:

These aren't original designs; they're from a Quilt University class with Debbie Babbin. These classes are really helping me spend quality time in the studio and I'm learning a lot about color in the process. Next steps are thread painting the flower and leaves, adding a bit of texture, and then calling them done. The finished size is 6" x 8".

Time to move my chair from my desk to my sewing machine!

Happy Anniversary!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:41:00 +0000

Today's our anniversary. Well, one of our anniversaries. Two years ago today we moved into our "cottage." The picture above was taken on the day of the home inspection. I'll never forget moving day - there was about a foot of snow on the ground and it was one of the coldest days on record. Who moves in northern New England in March?!

Two years later, there's a foot of snow on the ground. We've been blanketed again here in the North Country. It's a beautiful snow with huge fluffy snowflakes - the kind you can catch on your tongue. A gorgeous snowfall and a perfect day for cross-country skiing or snow-shoeing in the woods.

This is one of our favorite spots on the veranda to sit in the early morning or late afternoon. We have several spots, depending on the time of day and the weather. Yes, we have a rather large veranda.

This was taken at the mudroom entry - that tree is gorgeous when covered in apple blossoms. And you can barely see my Christmas Tree through the lower branch on the left.

We're supposed to have a few more inches overnight, but then it'll be getting warm and melting. Can Mud Season be far behind?

I'll Take Mine Black!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:30:00 +0000

This is the sister piece to Cappuccino, Prega! Same black and white background, but colorful prints and hand-dyes for the mat, cup and saucer. Everything is fused down, but no stitching has been done yet. I'm also not sure what object to place on the table with the cup - Cappuccino, Prega has a bottle of cream. A bottle of Amaretto maybe? Bailey's? Hmmm ... both have possibilities. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Cappuccino - Finale

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:05:00 +0000

It's now completed and ready to hang! I fused the binding and then obsessively stitched frosted glass seed beads all around the perimeter every quarter-inch or so. I picked up the binding print at Keepsake Quilting last Saturday - I needed more black and white fabrics for the next piece in the series.

Here's a close-up on the froth - you might be able to see the blanket stitch a bit better at the base of the steam.

Now I think I need to go downstairs and my myself a cup of coffee!

Cappuccino

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:14:00 +0000

It's telling me it's done and it's ready for finishing. The name has been changed to one more appropriate given the beading.

The coffee bean beans are actually glass; the cappuccino foam is an assortment of frosted white beads. I used a single strand of silk thread to outline the dupioni steam with blanket stitch. I also used perle cotton in a running stitch to create steam swirls - too chunky to be called "quilting" but manages to hold the upper part of the quilt sandwich together.

I really like it and I know it will look great hanging in the restaurant - be sure to click on the image for a close-up.

Beads and Frogs and some Fun with Illustrator

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 04:36:00 +0000

I've been working on Cafe au Lait - added some bead froth. I'm going to have to rename it Cappuccino I guess! I also started doing some hand-quilting - I was using some variegated purple/black thread and following the swirls on the tablecloth. Right down the center of the white swirls. It had a dizzying effect. Too dizzying, so I ripped it out. I really just need to finish it up so I can bring it down to the restaurant.

I've also been working on my self-portrait. I wanted it to be somewhat realistic so I've decided to place myself in one of our Troutman rockers that I have up in my studio, next to the window and my sewing table. Of course there needs to be coffee in the picture.

My laptop has a built-in camera, so I took a couple of pictures of myself sipping coffee from my favorite cup. I had to do it twice - once holding the cup with my left hand and once with my right - so I could still click the button to take the picture. I then merged the pictures and placed them on top of my rough line drawing and amazingly everything lined up! Now to actually find the right fabrics. Maybe tomorrow? We're supposed to get a lot of snow tomorrow evening - if I get everything together I'll have plenty of handwork to do should the power go out.

... I apologize for this interruption

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 19:18:00 +0000

Sometimes we're just moved by something we see or hear - that, particularly for us hippy-generation save-the-world baby boomers - inspires us once again and rekindles the passion of our youth. If you haven't yet seen this video, you should. It's not about politics, it's about uniting our country to work towards a common good. To change "business as usual." We have the power to do it. Yes We Can.

Outdoor Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 01:28:00 +0000

This is Lesson 2 of Pamela Allen's Think Like an Artist class. Similar to last week, the assignment is to create a still life, except this time we're to use two colors - either analogous or complementary - and try to avoid using the true color itself. I chose the colors by figuring out what's in my stash. I'm afraid like many quilters I have lots of "mediums" with very few lights or darks. Or mostly darks with a handful of lights/mediums. Or maybe the problem was that I knew I wanted to create this little courtyard scene and I should've done something different.

I'm hoping that once more of the details are added I'll like it more. In case you can't make it out, that's a wall fountain on the left (needs water added), with a lamppost behind the table. The wall around the fountain will be stone. The tablecloth has tulle on the bottom to delineate the table top from the part that hangs down, but didn't come out very well in the picture. Two cafe chairs (the wrought-iron swirly kind) will be added, along with espresso cups, maybe a plate of lemons, and some flowers.

The other thing that I'm just not comfortable with is free-hand cutting. I like my nice hard lines. I know that from a distance no one is going to be able to notice, but I think in order to continue working on the piece I need to refine the shapes a bit.

Should I just ditch it and start again or continue on? Lesson 3 will be here in a day or two ...

Sumptuous Surfaces

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 01:22:00 +0000

... is the title of another online class I'm currently taking - this one with Sharon Boggan. I've been familiar with Sharon's work for a long time, particularly her online stitch dictionary - an essential resource for anyone doing Crazy Quilting/embroidery. In Pamela Allen's class we're supposed to work quickly, intuitively. Conversely, for the first week, Sharon is leading us through the design process, thinking about concept development and making sketches, thinking about form.

One of the ideas I've been kicking around is that of "portals" - you can see my first sketch above. I haven't done any shading or noting various stitches/densities to be used yet but I can "see" it in my head. Now I just need to translate all that to the sketch itself.

That sketch is very loosely based on a photograph - my own attempts at design were underwhelming to say the least. I thought it better that I move on than never get past lesson 1.

Any and all suggestions welcome!

Cafe Au Lait - Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:10:00 +0000

Based on some feedback and a continuation of my plans for this piece, you can now see the following:

a bottle of cream - made from silk organza
cream in the bottle - made from satin
a small placemat - made from embroidered silk dupioni (thanks to Pamela for the suggestion!)
outline stitching around the cup and saucer and the line between the tablecloth and the wallpaper
a real demitasse spoon (although Pamela suggested one made from fabric)

Lots more stitching to be done, and then to add the beans somehow.

I'm hoping to get this and a companion piece finished before Pamela posts the next lesson. I haven't decided yet - black coffee? cappuccino? One with latte art is also in my head, but I'm waiting until we can use color for that one!

Cafe Au Lait - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:32:00 +0000

The restaurant was fairly busy today, but spotty - meaning I was able to steal a few moments here and there to do some of the running stitches on the quiltlet. I'm happy with the outcome so far, but I need to get a couple more elements added. One is some coffee beans - I'm not sure how I'll accomplish that. I did think of using real beans, but only for a moment.

I have to say that I've been working with ArtFabrik perle cotton 12 for a long time and I absolutely love it. I needed white thread for the running stitch, and was happy to find some Caron Wildflowers (perle cotton 12) in opal. I wasn't happy, however, with the thread itself. It seemed much more fragile and not as smooth. I guess I need to order some Shadows from Laura!

Cafe Au Lait

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 02:41:00 +0000

I'm taking an online class with Pamela Allen - Thinking Like an Artist. Class just started and lesson 1 was to create a black and white still life. My husband has been after me to put some quilts up again in the restaurant and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make something for the class that could also hang in the cafe. I have a few black and white fabrics, but they're exactly that - as opposed to a gradation from white to black with lots of grays in between. I'm planning on the usual stitching and embellishing which will bring coffee cup and plate into better focus. I do love that background "wallpaper" fabric - I had ordered it to use for one of the Christmas purses, but I'm glad I didn't! I'm really liking this piece. Click on the image for a larger view.

The two main fabrics are cotton; the cup and saucer are made out of two different japanese fabrics - they have a much looser weave. The "steam" is a piece of silk dupioni. Amazingly, not a single piece of hand-dyed fabric is used in this quilt!

Stay tuned - I'll keep you updated on its progress.

San Francisco and back again

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 17:13:00 +0000

On Monday morning I left for San Francisco and proceeded to spend three days in meetings. My daughter flew out on Tuesday to meet up with one of her friends and take advantage of the free hotel room. Late Thursday afternoon, before our red-eye flight back to Boston, we made it into the city to have an early dinner at The Stinking Rose (a restaurant dedicated to all things garlic) followed by coffee and pastries at Caffe Roma. We drove up Telegraph Hill to see Coit Tower which was bathed in fog - she got a couple of great pictures. We discovered the Embarcadero district on the drive back to the airport. While we've both "done" Fisherman's Wharf, neither of us had ever explored the Embarcadero district before so this is on the list for our next visit, most likely in late April.

Alas, no time for Britex this trip.

We could've spent another couple of hours in the city had we known our flight was delayed due to the poor weather in SF, but there will be other opportunities.

Color Wheel 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 23:19:00 +0000

It was ever so nicely pointed out to me that I messed up - I was using RGB (Red, Green, Blue - the primary colors of the internet) rather than RBY (Red, Blue, Yellow - the primary colors of painters/artists). There's yet another set - CMY(K) which is used by printers (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and blacK) I thought the colors seemed a bit "off" but I just figured it was my monitor. Finding the right RGB values to equate to primary RBY is simple, but it got trickier with the secondaries and tertiaries. I think I've gotten it right this time. I actually did a google search to see if I could find RGB settings that would equate to RBY secondaries and tertiaries but came up emtpy-handed. I think this is turning into a bigger mathematical challenge than anticipated!

Playways, Illustrator, and a Color Wheel

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 17:56:00 +0000

Cool, huh?

So, first, I've been working on Playways Module 1 since the dawn of time, or so it seems. Dale Rollerson of The Thread Studio put a 5-module course together and it's amazing to see the work produced by some of the participants. I've started module 1 at least three times now, but I'm hoping this time I actually get through and make it to Module 2!

I'm also determined to learn how to use Illustrator to do some drawing for use with my art quilts. I thought it would be neat to try to complete the first set of "paper" exercises using Illustrator. One of the things I had discovered is a set of swirls that I would love to replicate in fabric. The artist has several Illustrator "files" that you can download and copy bits and pieces; she also created a set of "brushes" so you can actually "draw" your own swirls.

So, what you see above (click for a larger image) is a color wheel that started as a 12-point star with swirl "brush strokes" that were then straightened and the color set by adjusting RGB values equating to the primary, secondary and tertiary colors.

On to the next set of color exercises! Of course most of the course has to do with fabric and fiber, but a solid understanding of color is key. By jove ... I think I've got it!

Purses

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:31:00 +0000

Well, I actually did it! I decided to make Christmas presents (typical), started making them (typical), and - drum roll, please - actually finished them! (so not typical)

The idea started just about two years ago when my dear husband bought me a lovely purse for Christmas at a local artisan shop. It's made of hand-woven chenilles and wools, with a few beads and a gorgeous button. I thought it would be fairly simple to repeat - only with cottons, silks, tapestries, what have you - and embellishments of course.

Once I picked out the various fabrics and decided on the embellishments for each one, it was time to get down to doing, rather than planning. Just as I had completed all the handwork and was about to start the machine stitching, a large limb broke off a tree across the street, smashing to the ground and taking the power lines with it. That was Sunday night. I had to deliver three of the purses on Monday afternoon! Thankfully we live on a main road and the tree, as well as the power lines, were across the road, so everything was fixed by Monday morning and I could begin sewing.

Here's the results! (click on the pictures to make them larger)

This one incorporates a lovely vintage lace motif that I embellished with some hand-dyed (Stef Francis I think) rayon thread. The fabric is a piece of cotton sateen hand-dyed by Judy Robertson.

This is the inside - you can see it's just a simple flap - no zippers or anything difficult.

This one uses another piece of fabric from Judy Robertson embellished with some silk fusion (silk fibers from Treenway Silk), beads, and #12 perle cotton (ArtFabrik)

This one is a piece of Japanese fabric purchased at a quilt show. It graduates from dark gray to white and is like a very soft damask with flowers woven into the fabric. The actual printed flowers (you can see the two white flowers at the bottom center) are printed throughout the strip in a single straight line. Simple embroidery and a sprinkling of seed beads on the front made this one complete.

I don't know if you can see the embellishments on this one. It's a batik fabric with some yellow/chartreuse ArtFabrik perle cotton and beads in a single leaf shape.

This one is a beautiful piece of dupioni silk that I think was intended for a wrap - there's a lovely woven design at either end - I only used one of the ends for the purse - so the design is seen at the bottom and on the back. The front is plain dupioni (as if dupioni can ever be called "plain"!) embroidered with spirals and a few sequins and beads.

These were lots of fun to make - I'm planning on making more and maybe selling them on etsy. We'll see.

Getting Back to Quilting

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 19:21:00 +0000

In an attempt to get some gifts made for Christmas, I'm trying to find a few books of mine. I have them. Somewhere. But in the process I've discovered lots of other books that I'm pretty sure I'll never look at again. These books are in like new condition. I don't bend corners, write in the margins, and seldom even bend the spines. I guess I collect books more than actually use them :-)

The list below includes cover price/selling price. Please send inquiries to mary at fiberartisan dot net. Will ship via Priority Mail (not included in price).

Improve your Quilting Stitch (Simms) - $?? / $5
Timeless Treasures (Johnson-Srebro) - $24.95 / $19
Classic Basket Patterns (Fons & Porter) - $?? / $15
Friendship's Offering (McKelvey) - $?? / $8
Fabric Postcards (Warren) - $22.95 / $18
Quick & Easy Quiltmaking (Hickey, Martin, McCloskey & Nephew) - $?? / $13
Amish Quiltmaker (Havig) - $14.95 / $11
Round Robin Quilts (Magaret & Husser) - $22.95 / $18
Pieced Borders (Martin & McCloskey) - $19.95 / $15
Our Pieceful Village (Rice) - $11.95 / $9
Perfect Pineapples (Hall & Haywood) - $11.95 / $9
Quilts, Quilts, Quilts! (McClun & Nownes) - $19.95 / $15
Creating with Color (Knoechel) USED - $?? / $5
Fine Feathers (Fons) - $?? / $14
An Amish Adventure (Horton) - $13.95 / $10
Working in Miniature (Schaefer) - $14.95 / $11
Heirloom Miniatures (Gravatt) - $9.95 / $7
Quilting with Style (Marston & Cunningham) - $24.95 / $19
Creative American Quilting (Better Homes & Gardens) - $?? / $15
Peace on Earth (Wyant) - $?? / 12
Color Confidence for Quilters (Beyers) - $24.95 / $19
Handmade Quilts (Dietrich) - $?? / $12
It's Okay ... Quilt (Hopkins) - $18 / $14
Successful Quilting (Seward) - $29.95 / $22
6" Block Patterns (Anthony & Lehman) - $12.95 / $10
Quilts Galore (McClun & Nownes) - $19.95 / $15
The Stenciled Quilt (Sturmer) - $15.95 / $12
Adapting Architectural Details (Wagner) - $12.95 / $10
Shining Star Quilts (Martin) - $19.95 / $15
Celtic Quilt Designs (Wiechec) - $10.95 / $8
Small Quilts (Vanessa Ann Collection) - $?? / $10

Paint Colors - Part Deux

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 22:35:00 +0000

After more thinking, lots of suggestions from helpful blog and QA readers, and some serendipity, I've come up with a solution! My first brilliant idea was to add trim to the inside opening. All of the doors and windows have that fingerboard trim with the bullseye corners. The opening from the hallway into the office doesn't have a door or any trim. If I put trim on the inside (office side) of the opening, I've automatically created a separation from the taupe wall/burgandy paper that's enough to say "hey! the hallway is over! this is a new room here!"

Having decided to do that, I feel much more adventurous again. So I headed to my fabric stash. What better way to experiment with big swatches of color than to hang a half-yard of this or a yard of that on the wall?! Thanks to Judy Robertson and ArtFabrik I have lots of hand-dyes to experiment with, and I think I've found something that I'm happy with and doesn't cause too much heartburn - chartreuse! I first found the shade in some Treenway Silk (Walker Hook Waltz from the Salt Spring Island Series for inquiring minds), and then replicated it in a piece from Judy. Having hung the fabric in various sightlines I'm happy. Now I just need to head on over to Home Depot, find the right paint chip and be on my way!

Choosing Paint Colors

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 15:58:00 +0000

A few years ago, I never would've dreamed of painting walls burnt orange, lime green, or bright blue. Now, that's all I can think of. Yet, I find myself with a dilemma. Here we are with our beautiful new (old) house. It's a Victorian - built as a summer cottage; not a heavy, formal type of Victorian. I love the taupe walls with burgandy paper that goes through all three floors.

And that's the problem. Here's the 3rd floor hallway.

The colors are off of course - the front part of the hallway looks as if it's a different paint color than the area closer to the stairs. Trust me - they're the same. The "problem" is that there isn't a door on the office, just an opening. So you can see the office from the hallway and the hallway from the office. That means that I'm having real problems figuring out how to paint the walls in shades of orange or lime green.

Here's the view peeking into the office from the hallway (top of stairs at the left).

And here's the view peeking from the office out into the hallway.

I could just go with a yellow-y white and then hang lots of brightly-colored stuff (quilts!) on the walls, but that just sounds like the "safe" thing to do. It's my office - I spend a *lot* of time here, and I'd like it to be bright and cheery and conducive to creativity.

I'm open to just about any and all suggestions, except a) change the hallway color scheme/paper, or b) put a door on the office.

HELP!

The Bethlehem Shrine

noreply@blogger.com (Mary) — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 18:47:00 +0000

The area known as Lloyd's Hills, NH was incorporated as the town of Bethlehem on December 27, 1799. The name was selected on the last Christmas Day of the century. We were, therefore, not surprised to see a small shrine on the edge of Maplewood Village with a statue of Mary.

That shrine is almost next door to our new house; it's actually adjacent to our next door neighbor's property. This morning I decided to take a walk and check it out. As I approached I realized that there were two benches and a couple of signs - I had missed these while driving by.

The signpost was not what I expected: Lady of the Fairways Caddy Memorial.

According to this placard, hundreds of boys from Boston were brought to Bethlehem to work as caddies at the Maplewood and Mount Washington Hotel golf courses. They stayed at what was known as the Maplewood Caddy Camp - first in tents, and then in cabins. Over 2,000 young men learned about golf under the camp's director - Norman Franzeim. The shrine was dedicated in 1998 to all of the former caddies who apparently remain in touch to this day.

Why a Catholic symbol? I doubt most (if any) of the guests to the grand hotels were Catholic. From what I have discovered, the Caddy Camps were run by the North Bennett Street School which opened its doors in 1885 as a trade school. It is now world-renowned, offering programs in violin making, bookbinding, furniture/cabinet making, piano tuning, and the like.

The engraving on the statue actually says: "Guide Us on our Daily Journey". And below, "In Memory of fellow Caddies and Campers C.C.A"

Another interesting tidbit about Bethlehem is that a huge number of Hasidic Jews make this their summer home.