August 7, 2011

Weekend Update: Part 231

Great weekend around here, and we actually had measurable rain for the first time in ages!  I had friends in from England on Friday, and we attended a Baltimore Orioles baseball game. carlings 001 Camden Yards was a seven-minute walk from my old house, but I still only attended one or two games a year. This game was a lot of fun, even though we lost (surprise!), and it concluded with an amazing fireworks display. carlings 049

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Before the gang arrived, I managed to get something done that I’ve been putting off… Hanging the Chinese print that was my parents. It’s a four-part hinged painting on silk, and is about six feet long.8-6 004 To say that it’s an awkward job to do on my own is an understatement. However, after lots of measuring and measuring again, I got it hung evenly between two of the windows in the main room. 8-6 004 I am sure it will look a lot less lonely once I decide which curtains to hang, and what colour to paint the wall – I am leaning towards 50% of the colour on the other wall… a very pale blue.

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I am also working on what to do in the first floor bathroom. It’s a full bath with a shower, which is great, but it’s pretty small, nonetheless. I had the fun idea of papering the walls with tea paper, and I have two packets of it.  One is a gorgeous saffron colour with a silvery-gold piece of leaf on it. The other is a pale grey with a piece of silver leaf on it. 8-6 007The saffron adheres better, but it could be overwhelming. The main issue is that the leaf is not adhered to the paper either straight or centered! The towel fixtures will be black, so I think the grey will work better. I’d paint the existing sink and medicine cabinets a black lacquer.

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I was surprised about how many comments I received on my jelly post! Everyone was intrigued with the oranges, and now there are some suggestions in the comments as to how it can be done. I had the Chefs and another friend to dinner and decided to try a jelly of my own. I used a rosé wine for the jelly and added some fresh raspberries to it. 8-6 003It set up beautifully, but the comment from the Chefs was that it should have been sweeter for a dessert. Next time, I will use a simple syrup instead of the club soda. There are a ton of great on-line resources for making spectacular jelly desserts – check out the Jelly post’s comments section. This ain’t your kids’ Jell-o.

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Very excited this week to be meeting up with two of my favourite bloggers, Toad of To the Manner Born, and Megan from Beach Bungalow 8. Stay tuned for details and a give-away later this week!

9 comments:

  1. I like the grey, the gold is a bit "in yer face"!

    Your jelly postmade me go out and buy some over the weekend. A great big tup of summer fruit jelly from Tesco with clotted cream mixed in. YUMMY!

    If there are any places in Cardiff you want me to photograph to bring back memories for you, just let me know.

    Have a great week!
    Di
    X

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  2. Both bloggers are just as they seem - you will have a blast.

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  3. Meg,
    Wallpaper in the bathroom often results in maintenance headaches down the line. Lots of steam on a regular basis will cause the edges of the wallpaper to peel - no fun at all. Much easier to hang some great pictures and replace those as needed...

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  4. Ooh fun! I'm headed to the O's game tonight with the new guy!

    And good job hanging up that massive piece.

    Yeah I like the grey.

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  5. I saw this gizmo advertised on tv this past weekend for the first time - the Hang Rite. $10 gamble for something that might solve some extra holes in our walls? Hmmm....anyone try it? Target doesn't have it yet. Wouldn't it be cool if it actually did work?

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  6. The tea paper is lovely, although not sure it will be practical in the bathroom. But if I may ask....what tea company do you purchase from that packages it in such beautiful paper? I'm a devoted tea lover, so was curious to know.

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  7. Meg, I like the silver leaf tea paper. It will complement your bath fittings well. Can't wait to see what you select.

    Best, Lisa

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  8. I agree about paper anything in the bathroom is asking for trouble, but if I had to choose, I'd go for silver.

    Regarding the jellies: as I wrote, I've been fascinated with the more historical oddities, but lately, in dealing with a late relative's books, I found a jello cookbook and thought, "I need to make some of these fun things." Anyway, today I made up Berry Blue Jello with fresh raspberries and some RediWhip on top. (It's what I had on hand.) A light treat for a hot summer day. I want to explore some of these whipped, frozen treats for salads.

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  9. One of the things about papering the bathroom, is that while there's a shower in there, I doubt it will be used more than a few times a year, if that! It's right off the kitchen, so who'd want to go tramping from the guest room upstairs (next door to that bath) downstairs to take a shower?

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