In anyone else’s home, whether it is a client, friend or family member, I can usually quickly re-do their table top, chest, desk, mantel, bookcases, or whatever else needs to be freshened.  In my own home, I AM FROZEN!   I cannot figure out what I want to do or make up my mind on how I want to re-arrange things.

Today I stayed home from the shop determined to finish the mess left from the previous blog when our friend, Giggi, was here with her tough love.  I looked and wandered and played a game of  Sudoku and wandered and even loaded the dishwasher (that’s pretty desperate).  I finally said to myself, “IT IS ONLY THINGS YOU ARE ARRANGING.  THEY ARE NOT BEING CEMENTED DOWN.  YOU CAN CHANGE IT IMMEDIATELY IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT.”

So I cleared all off the spaces that still needed some love.  This is the pile of (some) stuff after the surfaces were cleared.  I mostly ‘shopped’ from here. That’s a big piece of advice I like to give my clients, to pile all your things from all rooms in one space and ‘shop’ your things.

Before all of the hoopla began at my house, the keyboard on the piano was open.  It housed my collection of small boxes, lots of family photos, and I can’t even remember what else.  The tough love crew said move the lamp to the left and fill the large mercury glass jar with magnolia and something tall. So, I ran down to the basement where my stash of stuff is and found the pussy willow and the forsythia. I put them in the jar with the magnolia in low—looking good and had a fresher style.

Then I started playing with the photos.  I started with the large black and white of the children first, then kept adding and subtracting until I got a pleasing high and low arrangement.

Next I started adding some of the collection of small boxes mixed with another collection of my vintage florentine boxes. I LOVE old florentine and gold leaf as you will see.   Giggi thinks I may have some gypsy blood in me!  Then, of course, I had to work in some of the old silver I collect.  Most of it needs to be polished, but I couldn’t stop my ‘mo’ to do that.

Here is the final result.

I should say final result—-for now.   On my way to the mail box I’ll probably move something around.  I’m pretty sure it’s a disease!

More on the other spaces later.

Karan