Author Archives: Linda

I am so blessed to be with my loving husband, Richard and his four children (my beautiful step children – Ryan, Dennis, Timmy and Megan –  who are more like my own now after over 10 years of marriage).  I am so happy that I found Richard (and I found him thanks to the Internet!) because my life was a bit too lonely and unstable beforehand.  I was happy – but I didn’t know exactly how happy and fulfilled I could be until I met and married him.  He gave me the freedom to express myself as I never did before (with art, music and design) and he let my creativity run wild in his home that I moved into.  It never looked the same again – it is now unrecognizable to anyone who knew the house beforehand. Thank you for giving up your home as my laboratory.

I give thanks to our growing family – we have two grandchildren and two more on the way.  I am so very happy that my little baby (my youngest daughter, Jessica) will be giving birth to a baby girl in April.  I can’t wait to see this little bundle of joy – I know that she will be beautiful, like her Mommy. And Richard’s son’s wife, Kristen, will be giving birth to their second child in July.

I am so thankful and proud of my oldest daughter, Krista, for raising my granddaughter, Meghan. She is such a talented and accomplished young woman. It was not an easy task – raising a child on your own.  My daughter Krista overcame so much adversity – I don’t know how she did it.  Meghan is now on a 4 year scholarship to Stony Brook University.  I was looking at her chemistry homework the other night – my eyes glazed over this in compete ignorance – yet she understood it.  She’s going into the pre-med program.  So proud and so thankful. She already has ideas that she wants to implement someday to cure cancer.  The world is a better place…and will be more so, because Meghan is in the world.

These are gifts that I get to have and hold everyday.  “You can’t get any better than that!” to quote an oft-repeated phrase of my mother-in-law, Jean – another gift that I am thankful for.  A wonderful mother-in-law!

Thank you to my entire family for being yourselves and giving me joy every day.

I also want to give thanks to all my blogging friends that I have met over the years.  Thank you for commenting and always encouraging me.  I would have never met any of you…had it not been for the Internet.  Amazing in itself.

I hope that we all have a beautiful Christmas and a joyous New Year.  Remember to think about the gifts that you get every day – the ones that don’t cost anything.

Linda

I thought I’d post some interesting ideas that you could whip up in this last remaining week.  I always need to do something new for Christmas and I liked these ideas.  Let me know what you think of them!

Ever have some old ornaments that have lost their lustre?  What not add some glue and glitter to them – to perk them up, as in these ornaments from Upscale, Downhome. You can buy Martha Stewart glitter at Michaels or any other glitter at arts and crafts stores.

But for a real treat, why not use some Meyer’s Glass Glitter? It’s ground glass and much thicker than all other glitters.  I’ve used it on chipboard letters and motifs – for any occasion, not just Christmas. You have to order it online here, but it is well worth looking in to. You can use the German Glass Glitter to add sparkle to pine cones too – these look great in a Christmas tree.

Here’s another great idea that’s fast and inexpensive.  Take some fabric and place it in a small embroidery hoop, then add a ribbon to hang.

 
A quick and easy floral decoration idea from Martha Stewart is to use cranberries in a clear vase as a beautiful base for flowers.  Make sure you use hard cranberries – or else you’ll be in trouble!  Wash them well, place in a clear vase and you’ll see that they actually hold your flowers together very well. Looks great on a mantle or on your table.
 

 
Or – use a cloche to hold any number of things: winter branches, pinecones, ornaments etc,

And…another great idea, incorporating greenery

Another great idea is to fashion a wreath into a different shape.  Do you live by the shore or do you know a boating enthusiast?  This anchor wreath would make a great door decoration or gift.  There’s a tutorial on the site that will guide you in making it.
 

 
There have also been some great book page wreath ideas floating around the web lately.  Living with Lindsay (a great blog) has a tutorial on how to make it on her blog.  It will take a little time and patience, but I think it’s worth it.
 

 
Marion Parsons, aka Miss Mustardseed, has a great wreath tutorial on her site as well.  Her blog is so informative, you will find hundreds of ideas for Christmas and every day. Check out her site here

Artist, Barry Belcher has a great tutorial on how to do a book page wreath on YouTube (along with many other ideas).  He is extremely creative and his how to’s are easy to follow.  Check out his wreath video…

One of the quickest, but perhaps most daunting, tricks to making your room more interesting – is to set a piece of furniture on an angle.  Some people argue that it takes up space and while that’s true – what it creates is a more interesting room.  I don’t know about you, but I would trade that any day. 

WHAT COLOR DO I PICK?? I get this question over and over again, so I thought I would hopefully give all of my readers a quick guide to choosing the right colors in your home. This will be an ongoing column in the blog, so I hope that you stay tuned to learn more.

It’s a fairly easy process if you break it down in simple components – but I think that most people agonize over choosing a paint color.  Why?  Because there are so many colors to choose from and most people are afraid to make mistakes in their home.  You have to remember – it’s only paint and it can be re-done.  So – no more worrying!  I’m here to help.

Here’s Tip Number 1.

Eliminate Certain Colors Right Off the Bat:  One of the most simple, but mostly disregarded tips, is to eliminate a whole host of colors from the start.  I could write a book just on this one topic alone, but I will spare you from a lengthy post by whittling down to the basics.

• Choosing Warm Vs. Cool: If you have warm oak floors or warm toned tiled floors or carpets, avoid cool colors (like mint green, ice blue).  Stay in the warmer tones, like a Tuscan yellow, yellow green, terra cotta, cinnamon for example. You will be much safer with this combination because warm tones blend easily with other warm tones. 

• In the kitchen, you can eliminate certain wall colors as well. If your kitchen gets a lot of light, you can choose darker wall colors, especially if you have white or cream cabinetry – as in my kitchen.

In my kitchen, which gets tons of lights, I chose a rich brown wall color.  Because the cabinetry and other items in the room are light cream, the dark color adds a punch.
Design by Christina Murphy Interiors
• Above, the warm tone of the wood floors started the color scheme.  The beautiful carpet then dictated the other colors in room – corals, pumpkins, ochres, brown and cream. The use of black grounds this room and prevents it from being too light. I love the traditional style of the room – and the punctuation mark of the modern painting on the mantle.

• If you have very little light, opt for a lighter color on your walls.  Look at your granite or other countertop material – what is the main color in it? That will help you narrow down your choices. 

• Above, this all white kitchen is stunning because of the pattern and texture in this room. The Carrara marble counters, modern backsplash and art…the graphic trellis wallpaper and the gleam of the faucets and appliances save this white kitchen from being predictable. The gray trellis pattern was probably chosen because of the colors of the backsplash and the marble.  

• Look at your granite or other countertop material – what is the main color in it? That will help you narrow down your choices. If you have warm, golden sienna or cinnamon tones in your granite, eliminate colors that will clash with it – like blues or greens.  If your granite has some blue specks in it, you can choose a color like In Your Eyes by Benjamin Moore – and add white cabinetry for a beautiful blue and white color scheme. Then look at your cabinetry – is it cream or white? Don’t wimp out and choose a light cream or white. Make the cabinets stand out by using a darker or a mid tone color – or do a beautiful damask, stripe or trellis pattern, as above.

• Do you have dark cherry wood cabinetry?  Let that stand out by choosing a beautiful pale sage hue.  The red tone in the cherry will actually be more vibrant because of the green on the walls.  Using an opposite color on the color wheel bolsters each color.

• If you have cooler colors – like silver, pearl, gray or blue – eliminating many warmer colors and plain white will help narrow down your color choices.

• Above, in this living room we did in Melville NY, the furniture and carpet started the entire cool color scheme. The silver tone of the mirror, the gray/silver window treatments and the platinum and pearl strie on the walls bolster the sophistication of the color scheme. A white wall would have ruined the beauty of this space

• Your environment can help you choose a color scheme.  Think of the sea breezes and the sand of a beach home in the Hamptons.  Above, designer Meg Braff used color to emphasize the beach and the relaxed environment of East Hampton.  Everything is there – the sand, the sea, the sky and the greenery. I can’t imagine this room with darker hues and fabrics.  By contrast, the owners of this Hamptons home probably have gray-toned walls in their NYC apartment that reflect the exterior. 

• What mood do you want in a room?  If you want a happy start of the day in your kitchen, then choose sunny colors.  If you want a more serious tone in a library – choose deep forest greens or maroon walls with dark mahogany furniture. Mood plays a big role in deciding your wall color.

• The function of the room also plays into what color you choose for your walls. If you want to have your children relaxed for bedtime, don’t paint their rooms yellow.  Soothing colors like pale blues and greens will produce a calmer child – ready for bed.

So, through a process of eliminating certain colors, you can begin to whittle down your choices more successfully. This process really works – try it and let me know if it helps you.

Total Time: 15 minutes


Ingredients:


• 1 bottle red wine


• 4 cinnamon sticks


• 1 5-inch by ½-inch piece of orange zest (white pith removed)


• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar


• 2 cardamon pods


• 5 whole cloves


• 1/3 cup Cognac


Preparation:


Cook’s note:For the best flavor, use a slightly fruity red wine.


How to make vin chaud:


Mix all the ingredients together in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to just under a simmer over the lowest heat setting on the stovetop. Do not allow the wine to boil. The mulled wine is hot enough when the sugar has dissolved and pulling and lifting a spoon from the wine brings up steam. If desired, strain the spices from the wine by pouring it through a fine-mesh sieve or a cheesecloth-lined collander. Add 1-2 teaspoons of Cognac to a mug and ladle the mulled wine over it.        Recipe Source

Some people add honey or brown sugar instead of the sugar…and some use Cassis instead of Cognac (or – no extra liquor at all).  Let me know what you think of this!  I love it – and I’ll be whipping some up on the first really cold night that we have!

Cookie Boy Cookies:  If you have never seen Cookie Boy’s work, you’ve been missing out.  He can make anything into a cookie.  The problem is – he’s in Japan.  Here’s a Christmas wreath celebrating the giraffe (but I am guessing it’s the Toy R Us logo) that he made.  Take a look at his site – it’s in Japanese but it’s worthwhile looking at his incredible collections.

The Mona Lisa Cookie: I’ve been to the Louve to see the Mona Lisa.  I only wish that I was 7 feet tall, so that I could have had a better glimpse of her.  So much security and a glass partition – that prevents you from getting close…plua so many people in front of me that it was hard to see her.  This not exactly Mona – but you know who’s the subject of the cookie – plus if you go to the site – there’s a recipe on how to make it!!

The Rubiks Cube and Jacks Cookies:  From Cooks Central, these would be great gifts for your 50s baby boomers for the Jacks and their children…for the Rubiks Cube.

Eiffel Tower Cookies: This company, Ali’s Sweet Treats, makes many kinds of custom cookies but the Francofile in me just had to add this one to the list!

A Little History: Venetian plaster (lime-based plaster) has been used for thousands of years – from the tombs in Giza and the Moroccan steam baths…to the Sistine Chapel. It has been a key ingredient in the great architectural structures that are world-known for over 9000 years. The artisans of Venice perfected these plasters to a high art and they were highly regarded for their beauty, feel and longevity. It’s been said that many of these artisans took the recipe for their plaster to the grave – rather than to reveal the secret of this beautiful finish.

Authentic Venetian plaster is a wonderful wall option for places that may get humid and wet (like bathrooms). The water will quickly evaporate and exit the finish – unlike their synthetic imposters, which will fail in wet conditions.  If you think about the damp canals of Venice and the exteriors of their buildings clad in this plaster – that are still intact and looking beautiful, you’ll understand why this finish is so desirable and worthwhile.

What is real Venetian plaster?  Put as simply as possibly, it’s really a chemical process. It starts with Limestone which is taken out of the ground and then put in high temperature kilns.  This breaks it down and takes the carbon dioxide out of it. Calcium oxide is what is left over.  Mixing these lumps with water – it becomes calcium hydroxide.  This is then aged for about 3-5 years.  Then marble dust gets added and mixed – and that’s the basis for lime-based plaster.  When this gets applied to walls and then burnished and cured – the chemical process really begins. The water is given off, the carbon dioxide from the air is absorbed – and the plaster hardens back to its original state – limestone.  You really can’t get that for $35 a gallon.

This beautiful plaster craft was absent for nearly a thousand years until the Renaissance – which of course, revived so many important art forms. What is so important about real Venetian lime-based plaster is its structural quality.  Due to the chemical process which converts something hard (limestone) to a putty/plaster that can be troweled on – and then hardens back to limestone – is that it actually changes the structure of your walls.  They no longer look like sheetrock – they look like they are made from stone – harder and more thick.  And when you do multiple layers – and then burnish them (burnishing is when you take your trowel and press and compress the material as it dries to create depth and shine)…the glow and the depth of this finish is so incredible that any synthetic plaster wall looks dull and depthless in comparison.

How else can you tell real vs. synthetic Ventian Plaster?  Aside from the depth and beauty…if you place your hand on the wall and it’s cool to the touch – it’s the real deal.  If it’s warm – it’s synthetic.  I can’t tell you how many people I’ve disappointed when they rave about their Venetian walls – only to find out that their warm walls are synthetic – and not the real thing.

The frying pan apparently needs to be on the cooktop – at all times too. I guess he doesn’t want to bend slightly to open one of the 4 huge drawers that we have underneath to store it. And – to top it all off – he always puts the dish towel to “dry” over my antique ceramic rooster.  And it’s never the countless pretty dish towels that I’ve purchased that go with the decor.  Oh no – he dredges these up from I don’t know where (he has a secret stash of 70s memorabilia that slips out every now and then).  I need to search and destroy (or at least hide this stash so I don’t have to see it!) The one that’s on the “drying rack” now is adorned with strawberries – and it used to be white but now it’s a lovely shade of gray.

How can I be a designer and decorative artist (and a home stager) – and my kitchen coutertop is always crowded with “stuff.” It’s just life and life isn’t always how you see it in magazines.  My studio space (with half done projects and samples, brushes, paint cans) and office (with fabrics, folders and countless slips of paper with notes) isn’t the designer showcase that he would love to show off to his friends…so I guess I just have to continue to put stuff away when company and clients come!

My cook top:  When we were re-doing our kitchen I tried really hard to get a gas range (Viking preferably) but my very sensible engineer husband said that houses with gas usually blow up. So – no beautiful gas burner for moi.  In the beginning everyone was careful cleaning the cooktop.  Then life took over. My kids and step kids cooked with abandon and “clean up” wasn’t in the vocabulary.  So, our cooktop doesn’t look like it did when it was first installed.  It’s not noticeable from afar – but when you’re right on top of it – oh boy.  So maybe the frying pan on the cooktop IS a great idea!

But today I wanted to clean it, so I asked Richard to get me the glass cooktop cleaner. He gave me this…

I guess he doesn’t understand French.  But I used it (’cause I hardly understand French) and it didn’t do anything.  I guess I should have looked more closely at the container…because when you switched it around

It was a Stainless Steel Cleaner! So then I proceeded to clean the microwave, the oven and the warming drawer (which I didn’t want to do until after Thanksgiving).  Then – back to the cooktop.  After using the right product – it improved.  Not perfect – but better. 

So now I guess I just have to buy a beautiful copper pot – that I won’t use – to hide the worst ring on the cooktop.  Richard will just have to bend to get the frying pan out of the drawer!

If anyone is interested – the backsplash is all hand troweled with textures…it’s not tile.  It took awhile to do because I wasn’t sure of what colors I wanted and how I was going to approach above the cooktop.  The space had taped out diamond shapes for quite awhile until I decided on colors! But once I made samples and designed the smaller squares and the handpainted middle square over the cooktop – it went fast. It cost me a lot less than if I had purchased tiles.  I looked at so many tiles before I did this.  I just couldn’t get the right colors – so I took things into my own hands…literally!

Here are some recent pictures…

So now that everything is clean – just bring on a messy Thanksgiving to dirty it all up again!  Hope you all have a Happy!!