Armchair Junking: Triangles

Circles and squares get a lot of attention in decorating, but we love the graphic look of triangles and pyramids too.  It’s not somewhere to go overboard, but here are a few of our favorite pieces.

1) A great blue bookcase with green, white and grey triangle trim.

2) A mini wooden geometric shelf to display your favorite collection.

3) Light up the room with a mesh metal candle holder.

4) Repurpose a corner drawer as a shelf or as desk storage.

5) Set up a little terrarium in this vintage glass and wood pyramid.

6) Serve your guests some appetizers in a set of four triangle plates.

Farmhouse Friday: Near the City

Upstate: Averill Park, NY

While Averill Park, NY isn’t in the heart of Albany, it is still within an easy commuting distance of the New York State capital city. With rustic farmhouse details and charm, you can take advantage of the job opportunities and culture of the capital region

1622 Burden Lake Road, Averill Park, NY (via Trulia)

4 BR/2.5 Bath; $150,000

New England: Portland, ME

This charming 3 bedroom is in small, New England city, Portland, Maine. It is chock full of period details and built-ins and still provides an urban feel in a country setting. And this seaside city is full of antique shops and good restaurants – a perfect compromise between rural and urban.

435 Deering Avenue, Portland, ME (via Trulia)
3 BR/1.5 Bath; $332,500

Cocktail Party: Winter Citrus Punch

Winter Citrus Punch

1 large sprig fresh rosemary
3 cups of freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 cups of dry gin or vodka
1 bottle chilled dry Champagne or sparkling wine
Garnish: orange/lemon slices and rosemary sprigs

Muddle herbs in the bottom of a punch bowl to release their flavor. Fill the punch bowl with orange juice, gin/vodka, and ice, and stir until well chilled. Top with Champagne, and stir gently. Garnish with orange and lemon slices and rosemary springs.

Armchair Junking: Silhouettes

We love the versatility and graphic look of a gallery wall of framed silhouettes – whether they are Victorian scenes, children in period dress, or historical figures (Sources: Top and Bottom).  Our favorites feature pops of gold and a mixture different shapes and sizes for the vintage frames.

1) A pair of Horse & Carriage Silhouettes in wood frames.

2) Vintage Silhouette Cameos

3) Round silhouettes of a boy and a girl in gold frames

4) A pair of handcut George Washington silhouettes

5) Custom framed silhouettes with two-tone frames and brass accents

6) A women and her dogs

Small Town Travel Log: Central New York

We’re heading out to Central New York to visit our friend Greer this weekend, and the ILoveNY fall foliage map is lit up! Does it get any better?

Small Town Travel Log: Seneca Schoolhouse Museum

We made a quick stop at the Seneca Schoolhouse Museum, a one-room schoolhouse built in 1865 of Seneca Sandstone, in Poolesville, MD. The schoolhouse has an interesting history, built on the community that created the structure from donations of both time and money. Modern day field trips allow local fourth graders to experience life in the 1880s. Driving to the schoolhouse, we also admired the large estates of Montevideo, originally built by Martha Washington’s great-grandson, and Rocklands – both located nearby.

Small Town Travel Log: Rockland Farms & Lewis Orchards

Over our long weekend in Potomac, we stopped by a couple of local farmers’ markets to stock up for dinner. Rockland Farm in Poolesville, MD offers farm lunch, fresh produce, and locally raised meat. They also use the barn as a wedding venue and for large farm dinners. We also stopped by Lewis Orchards in Beallsville, MD for a little pumpkin chunkin’ and an amazing head of cauliflower for dinner.

Rockland Farm

Lewis Orchards

 

Small Town Travel Log: Harpers Ferry, WV

This past weekend, we went to the historic town of Harpers Ferry, WV for a visit. The town sits on the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers and is part of the national parks system. Despite the government shutdown closing all of the park buildings, we had a nice day of peering in windows, exploring the St John’s Episcopal Church ruins and admiring the carved Jefferson Rock Stairway. We also strolled across the B&O Railroad Bridge and had lunch at a local tavern.

The streets were pretty empty since the park was closed, but we enjoyed having Harpers Ferry to ourselves.

The Jefferson Rock Stairway is carved out of solid rock to connect the upper and lower parts of town.

After an afternoon of exploring, we set off for 868 Estate Vineyards across the state line in Virginia for a quick tasting, which was the perfect end to our day.

Armchair Junking: Gone Fishing

I was drawn to this collection of antique fishing reels when I saw it on Pinterest. I love the mixture of rich wood and worn brass. for varying textures. Would you collect vintage fishing reels or do you think they’re only appropriate for a lake house?

1) Vintage Pflueger Reel

2) Vintage Brass Salmon Fishing Reel

3)  Vintage Brass French Fishing Reel

4) Vintage Justus Fishing Reel from the 1920’s

5) Vintage Salmon Fishing Reel in Brass

6) Vintage Fly Fishing Reel by Perrine

 

(If anyone knows the original source on the reels collection image, please let us know in the comments.)

Farmhouse Friday: Old vs New

While these two houses were built nearly 200 years apart, both are dripping with character and feature modern amenities. Which is your favorite?

Upstate NY: Malta, NY

This 200 year old farmhouse is more like an estate – complete with a barn, carriage house, and potting shed. I love the exposed beams and wide floorboards, but the highlights of the house are the four fireplaces in the living room, dining room and bedrooms. You’ll need the extra warmth to battle the upstate winters since this property is pretty far north of our usual territory.