Don’t Trend On Me

February 2, 2010UncategorizedneedlepointMrs. Blandings

Normally, I would have stitched on the plane. Stitching on planes is especially handy if you actually want to talk to the person sitting next to you. Handier still if the person sitting next to you is the sort who continues to talk even if you are reading.

I turned my last project in to the Studio before the holidays and have yet to provide them with fabric for backing the pillow. Without this closure I have been unable to move on to the next canvas, though three hang in my closet. I am floundering on both fronts.

In the meantime, I saw a post on another blog about a book, Needlepoint Design by Louis J. Gartner, Jr., a former House & Garden editor. So taken with the images I found there, I bought the book.

And its companion More Needlepoint Design. (Hey, he had a good thing going with Needlepoint Design; why screw it up?)

Several readers have asked about needlepointing, creating your own canvases, finishing, etc. It’s all in here. Mr. Gartner was kind enough to include instructions on basic stitching and materials as well as black and white designs that he encourages his readers to modify both in form and size.

There are many engaging designs, not the least of which is the rattan chair seat that appears to need a bit of faux repair. This is the kind of thing that delights me, this project featuring imperfection so carefully wrought.

You can find Needlepoint Design and More Needlepoint Design via a quick web search. I acquired both volumes for under two dollars total.

All images are from the aforementioned books; I could not find a photography credit. The scans are mine, though several of the same appear on Balustrade & Bitters.

Home Again, Home Again

February 1, 2010UncategorizedProductMrs. Blandings

I was in New York from Thursday until Saturday. Short but sweet. And cold.

I normally stay with my big-city friend but decided to go out on my own this time. Be a grown-up. I stayed in a hotel. I stayed in a pod room, the thought of which concerned Mr. Blandings, but I assured him that there was a double bed and a private bath.

As we lay in bed the night before I left he said, “Be careful.” “Of what?” I wondered. What does he fear for me there that is any different than the mishaps and tragedies that pop up around here? But I said, “I will,” instead so that he could sleep.

I caught up with several friends and stayed out too late and had so much fun. The only real surprise was how often people asked me, “So why are you here?”

As if one were to need a reason other than to celebrate a victory, catch up with a friend over pomme frites and devour a homemade meat loaf amid conversation that sparkled like my dinner partner’s jewels.

I needed nothing more. Except, perhaps a memo sample or two. We have wonderful designer showrooms here in Kansas City and I have access to almost every line a girl could need.

But not Quadrille.

I’ve tweaked my dining room. I discovered, with the help of a friend, that I was trying to make it something that it was not. It was reaching above its station; holding itself apart from the rest of the house. But with a little therapy we both realized, the dining room and I, that it is not a grand salon, but a room with a table that hosts our friends but also our school projects and my crafting and it needed to, well, relax.

I had brought home Clarence House’s Flowering Quince and tucked her behind the ropes in my double hung windows. She is nearly perfect, but her price tag is as magnificent as her design and with yardage and labor…it was not meant to be.

So I made my way on my first day in New York to the D & D building to see what Quadrille might have for the Dream House. There are now several samples scattered across my dining table, which was reason enough to have gone. But there is more, of course. Who did I see as I marveled at Roy Hamilton’s vases in the Brunschwig & Fils showroom? Chatting and wandering and delighting everyone working there? Mario Buatta. By himself. No fuss, no drama, no assistants, just a fist full of memos. I texted Megan giddy as a school girl.

Why was I there? For design junkies like me, there can be no better place.

All images via the Quadrille website, other than the bottom two, which are mine.

Idiot Proof

January 27, 2010UncategorizedMrs. B DIYMrs. Blandings

Gosh, I didn’t really think my binders would be all that interesting. Several people asked about the process, so here goes. I used these binders from ReBinder. They are recycled cardboard. I like the idea of them, but they don’t seem all that heavy. I’m a little worried about how they will hold up, but they were super cheap. And I was too lazy to look further or send them back.

All the paper I used was from Paper Source as I could pick it up in town. (See, again, lazy.) I cut the paper exactly the length of the binder; I did not wrap the paper around the top and bottom. I covered the spine and about two inches of the front and back cover. I was concerned (as was a commenter) about how the opening and closing of the binder would affect the paper, but it does not seem to be an issue. The paper does not gap or pull away.

I attached the paper with Spray Mount. Easy as pie. I did fold the paper around the spine of the binder before I sprayed the adhesive so I could set the binder down on the paper exactly where it needed to go then smoothed the paper up the sides.

The acrylic magazine holders are available at CB2.

I am looking for labels for the binders so that I can signify, well, something. I’m not quite sure how the tear sheets will be filed. By subject, as they currently are? By designer? By magazine? Oh, gentle reader, these are the things that keep me awake at night.

The Order of Things

January 26, 2010UncategorizedMrs. B DIYMrs. Blandings

Magazine holders ordered, check. Magazines sorted and culled, check. Books moved to accommodate aforementioned magazines and holders, check.

I moved all the design books to this side of the room as well so every little thing I need is right at my fingertips. I should mention that while the design books and magazines are in a specific order, the rest of the library is a jumble with classics, biography and mystery mixed together. This was not previously the case and that task now looms as Malcolm Gladwell becomes acquainted with Anne Tyler and Ian McEwan meets Elinor Lipman, perhaps for the first time. They are all making the best of it.

Naturally, I entered into the spine-covering with glee. Cutting and pasting complete, there they stand, six soldiers, spines ramrod straight, at the ready to guard the tear sheets. Empty. Mere shells. All dressed up like servicemen in a parade; they look good, but they are waiting to be put to use.

All paper from Paper Source.

Team Eddie

January 24, 2010UncategorizedDesignersMrs. Blandings

Some folks read one blog. You know, someone reads a blog maybe because her friend writes it. Some people read a few blogs. They have a specific interest, they’ve clicked around a little. Some people read a lot of blogs. Like me. I checked my blog reader and I read seventy blogs. That’s insane. Really. But, all these bloggers don’t post every day and, well, I like them.

But some bloggers are friends. Real friends. Eddie Ross and his partner Jaithan Kochar are my real friends. I’ve entertained, shopped, dined, cooked (well, Eddie and Mr. B cooked; Jaithan and I stood by) and laughed with these guys.

In case you missed my pitch last week, Eddie and Jaithan are involved in a contest sponsored by Bloomingdale’s and Apartment Therapy. They’ve cooked up a little window dressing on behalf of Elle Decor and I wish you’d take the time to give them your vote. Click here to vote on line AND text 89800 and put a “1” in the body to vote by text. (I know, you can do both. Go figure.) And, if you would, do it every day until the 28th. I know, I know, it’s a lot of days, but it is a more is more kind of town.

Once you’ve done that, hop on over to Eddie’s blog to see the process of framing that eye-catching piece of art work over the sofa.

All images courtesy of Eddie Ross.