Re: Decorating Trends
 

Boomer I forgot about all of those casseroles and the cookbooks written about making delicious meals using Campbell's soup.

Lipton onion soup - I think every recipe called for that.

I still like Sangria and make it - hubby bought me a beautiful, yes Victorian, ladle to serve the Sangria.

I still have a chip and dip set that dates back to 1962 - yikes - I am dating myself.

Remembering colors what about the refrigerators, avocado, almond and ? can not recall the other color. As for decorating colors, until about 10 years ago, we had a freezer that was pink on the inside.

And then in came Correlle - I am still using the original Correlle set of dishes bought, once again in 1962. Now have the original pattern in blue also but gave away the avocado set. I am so tired of using that set. I keep them because I have a hard time breaking them.

I just realized I know why the economy is doing so bad - I have stuff that I bought new and it is older than my kids.

HB

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HB thought she felt old as she waited for me in the parking lot at the college where I took my Spanish immersion course this past weekend. I was by far the oldest person in the class; the other students thought I was nuts when I explained that I have memories of La Segunda Guerra Mundial (WWII) that came up in context. The youngest student was less than one-fourth my age.... (Sorry, Topicop!)

I'm seeing if I can post pics of our house in TV and the colors we used there. So far I managed to get them onto PhotoBucket; I'll now try the next step.... Let me just mention that I took these in the last hour before we left to come back to NY and things are a little messy. And we've only just starting hanging travel mementos on the walls. What fun we had furnishing from the clearance center, craigslist, and yard sales! Here goes:

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...n78/LivRm1.jpg
These two walls are the same color (the medium shade), whereas the wall 'around the corner,' that you see just a little bit of on the right, is the lightest color. We use a lot of area rugs on top of the white carpeting to tie areas together.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...n78/LivRm2.jpg
This shows better the two shades of butterscotch (yes, the names of the colors are hilarious, something out of Madison Avenue, we think...).We did the hallway in the same color as the wall around the entry door and windows for a little contrast; there is so much light coming in the solar tube in the guest bath (that you can see a sliver of in the pic) that the hallway is not too dark.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...n78/DinRm1.jpg
Here you can see two shades; the longest wall is the lightest color for reflectivity purposes, while the medium shade is on the end walls around the lanai doors in the back and the living room windows and entry door on the front wall.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...son78/Kit1.jpg
The entire 'big room' area is done in three shades of something like a butterscotch, and in the kitchen is the darkest shade. Can you imagine how lost these beautiful cabinets were when the walls above and below them were white? The neon coffee cup is HB's favorite piece in the house....

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u.../MasterBR1.jpg
You can't see much of the lighter blue, just the small strip on the right side of the pic; that lighter color is the same on three walls of the bedroom, and the two different blues follow through into the master bath, with the darker blue on the three ends walls (in the walk-in shower, above the vanity, and behind the toilet in its own little room) and the lighter blue on all the other walls.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/GuestBR1.jpg
We used these same two greens in the guest bath to tie the two rooms together. We even painted the hokey glass-top end tables the lighter green. (Anything look familiar, samhass?)

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...78/Office1.jpg
HB says we need sunglasses for this room. Both walls are the same color; the other two walls (not in the pic) are a more pale yellow. The pic on the right above the sofa is not blank; it's just the way the daylight hit it.

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Sidney,

I love it!! So bright and cheerful. You are definitely not afraid to use color! And I agree with HB, the neon cup is terrific!

Re: Decorating Trends
 

Harvest Gold. I had the harvest gold fridge, stove, AND washer & dryer! It seemed so lovely at the time. LOL

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Boomer's wardrobe sounds just like the one that lived in an apartment I had at college something like 50 years ago. It wasn't in the slightest way portable, and my rommate and I decided that it must have been built in place! A wonderful storage device, however.

I still have and use large (3- and 5-quart) avocado pots that I bought in the mid-60s. Got rid of my coppertone fridge more than fifteen years ago, but the washer and dryer I left when I moved to TV were Harvest Gold!

Seems like white and stainless are all the rage, these days!

SWR

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swr here in TV you can grow your own avocado tree in your large avocado
planter. ;)

HB

Re: Decorating Trends
 

SWR,

Wait! Wait!

Are you sure that wardrobe was not a knockdown? You cannot tell at all when it is all together. Mr. Boomer is on a little junket and he has the camera with him. When he returns, I might just take a picture of my knockdown, antique wardrobe so you can have a close look and see if maybe that one from your college days might have had you fooled. But I have a feeling, SWR, that you are not easy to fool. So you were probably right. :)

Boomer

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Oh, I just love your bright colors HB. It reflects your and Sidney's sunny wonderful personalities! :-* :bigthumbsup:

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Wow! What beautifully colored walls HB. All this great color is making me envious. And I thought the only way to go colorful was Wallpaper!

Same ol same ol mindset as the old victorian country. This is a really great learning experience for me. I think Im ready ro brighten my world!

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Nonie, you brighten the world.

For me, I like your Victorian look. Here in NY I still have a lot of Victorian items including tables.

HB

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Awwww HB, your making me blush, Im getting a little too colorful. Love you my sweet friend!

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And did your childrens nursery sport those adorable prints of babies from Northern tissue? Yes, my dear buddy Boomer I wore hostess skirts, pants dresses and Sweetie wore a suit when we had dinner parties, TRY THAT NOW. lol. Also I wore my hair up and teased and had it done once a week. OMIGOSH. I did. I had a fall and white vinyl go go boots and I went went in them.

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Do you remember the Bee Hive hair do. I had my hair done in that style when I got married.

When I went to comb my hair it was more like a rats nest. I think it took two days and many washings to get my hair untangled.

I had linoleum on our bedroom floor as a child that had all sorts of games on it; hop scotch, checkers, and I do not recall what else.

HB

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Gracie,

Wouldnt it be fun to dig up one of these entertaining old pictures of us and print them in a forum called lost in the 60's! Oh how I love looking at old pictures ;D

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GG,

WHAT ARE YOU SAYING??

Think, Graciegirl, think. "NORTHERN TISSUE!" Aaaaaaugh!!!!!

OH HORROR OF HORRORS!!!

Oh GG, I am afraid that I must, in polite Cincinnati style, tell you that your mouth must be washed out with soap. And that soap, my dear Cincinnati buddy, must certainly be Hellooooo -- IVORY!

And that tissue, depending on which end needs it, must certainly be PUFFS or CHARMIN!!

Oh, GG. Oh, GG. Whatareyathinkin????

(But I will forgive you because you confessed to wearing one of those awful hostess getups.)

Boomer

Re: Decorating Trends
 

Boomer, Your post lost me, whats wrong with Northern tissue???

Re: Decorating Trends
 

Boomer, yes please explain

HB

Re: Decorating Trends
 

Apologies Nonie and HB,

I know Northern is fine. I was just playing Cincinnati with GG. I should not hijack threads to do things like that. That's not very Cincinnati polite of me. Anyway, Cincinnati is the headquarters of Procter and Gamble which makes Charmin, a competitor of Northern. In Cincinnati, a lot of people are employed by P&G and are loyal to their products. It's just a Cincinnati thing. The next thing you know I will start trying to talk about Skyline Chili and the Reds. I'll behave. For now. (I guess that did look a little weird to anybody not from Cincinnati. But I was just kidding around with a fellow Cincinnatian.)

. . .

Back to decorating:

I just found the link to the Detroit News article I used to start this thread. It's a little different than the actual newspaper copy that I still have here beside my keyboard. The one I can hold in my hand has more pictures.

And speaking of pictures. Wow! Those of you TOTVers who have shared your beautiful, colorful decorating pictures here, could have written this article it sure looks like to me.

Here's the link to "Awash in Color" from last weekend's Detroit News.

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs...403/-1/ARCHIVE

Boomer

Re: Decorating Trends
 

Whenever I go into a store like Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, Bloomingdales etc, all I want to do is throw out so many things in the kitchen and start all over again.

Boomer, thanks for info on Northern.

One good thing about living where we live in NY, these stores are ot close to us.

HB

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Boomer, 1rnfl 1rnfl 1rnfl

I really thought you were going to say its too rough! and, I was going to sheepishly admit that we still use Scott even tho it feels like sandpaper because there is 1,000 sheets per roll. Do I sound like I am a little on the thrify side? LOL

Re: Decorating Trends
 

Sigh, you guys make me feel downright guilty. I hate decorating. It's like, um, work. My walls have always been a simple offwhite. I break down and paint them only when I have to. Heck, once I actually sold my house and moved rather than paint it -- too much like work. I do love art and have some special pieces from an artist named Lu Hong from the Hunan School. They were great in California -- I get some odd looks here .... they're nudes done in a contemporary/Asian mode. My taste in furniture is contemporary and Asian.

Nonie, at least your furniture has some style and fits TV. And HB, I loved your house the first time I saw it. It so suits you and Sidney. Even DickY's house has more flair than mine does (or would if I had decorated it). lol (Actually, DickY's house is quite nice and suits him to a T.) I know SamHass doesn't believe me, but her home so reminds me of Northern California. The furnishings would fit perfectly around the Carmel Highlands or Berkeley/Oakland Hills or Marin County.

So, when I finally get my own place, I'm just gonna let you guys come over and decorate to your heart's content. The only thing I'll ask is please no antiques -- they're just not my style.

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Boomer Sharon Nancy Sandra Linda BeBack. (I am guessing your real name!) You did not offend me, nor could you ever. It was alright that I used the Northern tissue baby prints in my widdle princess's nursery because I lived in COLUMBUS at the time and the Proctor and Gamble people didn't get wind of it. Anyway P & G didn't offer sweet little pictures to frame at that time.

You are the greatest, dear Boom, if only I knew who you are.

Your devoted fan,

GracieGirl

Re: Decorating Trends
 

I absolutely love the Cincy thread in todays reading. I work at P&G and found this so cool - sometimes I slip and say "Colgate Smile" and am quickly told "Crest".

You mentions Skyline - but I think Graeters is getting a bunch of attention now. Oprah has it delivered and I hear others do to.

I know this was not a Cincy thread - just wanted to connect with other Cincy people.

Even tho I bleed Kentucky Wildcat Blue!!!!

Re: Decorating Trends
 

GG & KYblue,

Now watch ol' Boomer do her thing here while she weaves the Cincinnati stuff into the decorating theme.

Go Boomer. . .

Well, I just want you to know that my Cincinnati laundry room has a little print hanging on the wall. The picture is of two children. The sweet little girl is carefully building a house out of bars of Ivory soap. She is completely immersed in her architectural endeavor. She knows that it is looking good.

But standing beside her, arms crossed behind his back, is her slightly older brother. Just waiting. The little girl is not quite finished with her perfectly constructed little Ivory soap building.

I was doing a little art apprec. or whatever one day when my grandson, who was maybe not quite 5 at the time, a little older than his sister, my favorite granddaughter, was visiting.

"Tell your favorite grandmother, my favorite grandson, tell me true," I said. "What do you think that big brother in the picture is going to do next?"

"Kick it over," he answered, without hesitation.

So there you go. You can combine P&G and decorating. And even a little art appreesh on the side.

Yes! Boomer is redeemed!

High Five, Boomer!

NowIgottagetoutahereandnotlookbackuntillatermuchla ter.

Seeya.

Boomer

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Boomer - thank you for the link to "Maine Cottage" - I have ordered the catalog! I think this is the way I will decorate my home when I get to TV (1 yr). I decided I would leave everything behind and start over with a new theme. Besides, my daughter told me my floral couches are "old lady" looking! I want my home in TV to be colorful, comfortable and friendly! I'll be buying a Patio Villa and I frequently go on Villages4Rent just to see how they are decorated. New homes are like a blank canvas, very neutral. It's interesting to see how creative people can be and how they can transform a bland space into something inviting and interesting. Travel: I love the colors in your home. Painting one wall a vibrant color and the rest neutral adds interest. Your furniture is perfect!

Thank you all for sharing pics of your homes! I love to see how other people decorate their homes!

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Having already confessed to having avocado pots and, until recently, Harvest Gold washer and dryer, I suppose I should also tell you that a lot of my walls "up north" were papered! Not only did it seem to be The Thing to do, we learned early on that the paper helped keep our ancient plaster (the house was just over 100 years old when I sold it) up and on the walls!

:joke:

SWR

Re: Decorating Trends
 

Well, maybe I should pay attention to a decorating tip that says, "Do not ever put a computer in your kitchen. The kitchen is where the coffee is. Where lunch is. Where you have to stir the chili for supper sometimes. Too close to the laundry room. Where you have to go in and out and in and out. It is not a good decorating scheme to put your computer in the kitchen."

But I do not pay attention. And here I am. Back in the kitchen. And I just had to look at TOTV and at this thread. And I was not going to do that until tonight.

I will try to not talk so much about Cincinnati. Not even about how to decorate Cincinnati style. I will try to remember that Cincinnati is not the center of the universe. Well, maybe my little universe. But I will try to behave.

And besides, what started all this was my little trip last weekend up I-75 where that little decorating supplement to the Detroit News made me a whole new woman. Here I am back in Cincinnati ready to "color my world."

Now, I have to show you what I have been doing since that Maine Cottage site came into my life. I have found the most wonderful sofa. (My people call it a couch, but OK, I can say sofa.)

I saw this one in the newspaper article. It is called "Venus." It is a little channel back honey. But it costs a blue fortune. I think so anyway, especially to put in a sunroom/snowroom/whatever. But this little sofa-couch-davenport is calling to me. I have been going into the site and changing the colors of that upholstery since I got back in town. I am not even sure that we are permitted to have such wild looking pieces of furniture in Cincinnati.

So here's "Venus." (Whoops! I checked the link and see that it shows up without the fabric I keep putting on it. It has some dull, bland color on it in the picture. It must think it has to be more subtle to live in Cincinnati. I keep playing around with the blues. If you want to have a shot at it, you can upholster away, too. All those colors are right there.)

http://www.mainecottage.com/ProductB...PRODUCT_BROWSE

Boomer, A New Woman After Traveling Abroad to Michigan

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Love this thread. The pictures are stunning. I am not brave enough to paint in bright colors, but after seeing what everyone has done, I'm searching for paint and a brush.
Thanks Boomer for starting it.

HB
LOVE the coffee sign. That is just my style.

Re: Decorating Trends
 

Boom.

It looks like it is from the 40's era, when our moms were gorgeous. But she says, But it looks like a two but sofa not a three but couch. And it looks beautiful but not comfortable.

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Peggy - I could not resist it. The moment I saw it and heard about it I knew I had to have it. The owner was absolutely wonderful. He held the sign for us for two weeks, did not want any money to hold it - he trusted us. I was impressed.

Boomer - I love Venus - fortunately they have a color that would go in each room of our home in TV. Only two things stopping me from buying three of them 1. Hubby and 2. cost.
Other than those minor details I would order it.

The only thing I did wonder about is - how comfortable is it to sit in. I was thinking specifically of the back of the chair.

swr - I know what you mean about plastered walls. Our son has a hand painted oil of sunflowers that was done by a noted artist. I wish there was a way I could take it off the wall and bring it to TV.

kit9240 - I did the same thing. I also went to The Villages resale homes. I looked at every one of them. If any of them had done something I liked I wrote down the vls number for future reference.

I love this thread. Now I want to go out and buy another home just to decorate it. It was so much fun doing this home.

HB

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Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!!!!! Thank you, GG. You just saved me about 3 grand! That thing is too much money anyway.

And it does look pretty uncomfortable. Who says the internet is not a wonderful thing! I love the advice. I would not have put it out there if I did not want to know.

I am sitting here laughing out loud. Truly. You must be a hoot and a half at an art museum.

Now, I will resist talking about my new objet d'art, my Graeter's clock. (Cincinnati again.) I am going to hang it above the bulletin board in my office. It has an ice cream cone in place of each number. Twelve flavors in all. The best ones that we all know and love. It is the most exquisitely tacky thing you have ever seen in your life.

I guess I had better go back to Maine Cottage now and start all over looking for the perfect couch/sofa/davenport.

Whoops! Just tried to post. Red sign. Looked down. HB is here. Hi HB. Yeah, I know. Venus does look pretty uncomfortable. I guess they were going for the look of "Venus on the Half Shell" or whatever the name of that famous painting is. (GG will know. She knows stuff like that.) I am pretty much over Venus now.

Boomer

Re: Decorating Trends
 

I really enjoyed wallpapering for many years and frankly did it fairly well (mostly...). Nowadays I prefer the paint colors that we selected not only at our home in TV but also the historic colors we recently redid our Hudson Valley home after the flood took out our whole first floor. My funniest wallpaper story was being asked to do the kitchen in my brother's and sister-in-law's house. My brother could do--and did--absolutely everything (an engineering type) in their house--even built their first color TV and gave circuitry improvements to the company that had manufactured the kit!--but he couldn't do wallpapering. They had a floral pattern above the chair rail and a geometric pattern below the rail and on the soffits. The paper was up for some 15 years until she decided to replace it (my brother had died...), and it wasn't until that point that we realized that one of the geometric sections was upside down in relation to the other. Imagine, 15 years! She hired someone to do it that time, my having given up that particular joy....

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I am in our Hadley house and I have just used three rolls of blue masking tape to tape the baseboard and ceiling and other nooks and crannys. I have "cut in" I guess they call it , when you paint around the edges with a brush and then use a roller. As you can tell, bargain breath here did not give a thousand dollars to a decent painter, she is gonna do it herself. Sweetie's last day of a contract ends tomorrow, so he has been hunched over the computer and although it isn't quite the end of his career it is close. It must be a mixed blessing, having worked for the same huge company for 47 years. I digress.

Tomorrow I will roll on this shade of Ralph Lauren's shoreline blue in the kitchen and hall, leaving some walls white. Then in November, I will put the lighter shade on walls in the great room. We will see if when it is done it spells MOTHER.

I love this whole experience of making this house home, and I am so enjoying this thread.

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Though HB and I collaborated on selecting colors (in some cases based on their marvelous Madison Avenue names...), I did all our own painting which, though not 'professional,' I really enjoyed--and we now enjoy the satisfaction of knowing we're decorating our home by ourselves--and having fun doing it together! As I mentioned earlier, our resale was all white--a fresh and clean slate, so to speak--so it was a ball! I should add, however, that when I finished the last room, I wrapped up the paint tray and roller in plastic and put them out with the trash....

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Dear GG,

Here is my favorite DIY painting tip:

Step 1 Ask husband to help.
Step 2 Proceed with painting for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 3 Drip a little paint here and there.
Step 4 Maybe blob just a small amount of paint on a window.
Step 5 Get fired by husband who finishes job perfectly all by himself.

Princess Boomer

Re: Decorating Trends
 

Ooooooh you sly one, BBB; does hubs read these threads? If so, you had better find another strategy, yes? 040 1rnfl

Re: Decorating Trends
 

Dear Princess Boomer - :bow: :bow: :bow: very impressive.

HB

Re: Decorating Trends
 

Good Morning,

This thread waned about a month or so ago, but it sure was fun while it lasted.

I am bumping it this morning because I have some additional info.

I talked to the company "Maine Cottage" the other day. One of the questions I asked was where the furniture is made. I was happy to learn that it is right here in the USA. The wood is done in Maine and the upholstery in North Carolina.

The last time I bought any furniture was 5 years ago and at the time, I was concerned about the amount of work that had been shipped out. Or is it shipped in, I guess. Buying American made is important to me. And it sure is hard to do. Furniture seems to be one of the last places to be able to buy American. But that has been getting more difficult by the minute, too, it seems.

I got a small catalog from Maine Cottage and then I got the bigger one. It sure is purdy! I love catalogs. And I want to hold them in my hands like in the old days. I am such a relic it seems.

Maine Cottage has a store in Yarmouth, ME, and also one in Charleston, SC, and there is supposed to be a new store in Florida somewhere.

Like I said back in the beginning of this thread, I read about this company in the Detroit paper when I was there visiting. The article was about use of color.

I had never heard of Maine Cottage. I guess they advertise in magazines like "Coastal Living" or something and the Ohio River coast just doesn't get it.

Anyway, just wanted to update those of you who like to look at decorating stuff and let you know the great news about where this stuff is made and also tell you that this catalog sure is purdy. Kind of pricey but oh so purdy.

Oh, and here's the link again.

http://www.mainecottage.com/

Boomer

Re: Decorating Trends
 

I have been buying past copies of Cottage Living and Coastal living on ebay. I have been putting together a beachy type of decor. I have liked it until today when I decided I should NOT have put the faux fireplace in.

I am having major second thoughts about my decorating scheme for our place on Havana Trail. I hate when that happens. I want to be there so I can haul the fireplace out to the garage and see Sweeties "Are you crazy" look.

And then haul it back in.

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Oh graciegirl,

I love decorating magazines and have a plastic bin of them on a shelf. Cottage Living is one of my favorites, too.

Oh about that Made in the USA stuff I talked about above. I forgot to say that the woman I talked to said that the only thing they can't do here is the rattan. That makes sense, of course.

And gg, the style you are using can't go wrong. It will be lovely. And please do not get Sweetie hurt hauling that fireplace in and out and maybe even up and down I-75.

Boomer