patriotic pride

My daughter asked yesterday what Memorial Day really celebrates. I was embarrassed that I couldn't say for certain. I didn't come from a military family, wasn't exposed to anyone in the military and never truly understood the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day. I was mortified. 

I am certain that most of you already know all of this, but if not, here goes - Memorial Day is a day for remembering the people who died while serving in our country's armed forces and Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S military veterans. Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. In 1868 an organization of Union veterans established that day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the Union war dead. By the 20th century, competing (go figure) Union and Confederate holiday traditions, each celebrated on different days and in different ways, merged, and Memorial Day extended to honor all Americans who died while in the military service, not just the Union veterans. 

You can find many decoration events held the days leading up to Memorial Day. People are encouraged to visit local cemeteries and decorate the graves of veterans with American flags. I am sad to arrive at this information late in my life, but I plan to take full advantage of these events in the years to come. 

For some lucky reason, I have our family flag. The same flag that proudly flew at our home in Lake Oswego on every federal holiday. My dad made sure it was out on Flag Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, etc. It's faded and a little worn, but not tattered or worn through. It is proudly flying as I write. 

Because Memorial Day occurs on the last Monday in May, it typically represents the start of the summer season. And given that it is a Federal holiday and most have the day off, it's the perfect reason to BBQ with family and friends. It seems, given the reason for this holiday, that keeping the menu simple would be appropriate - allowing time to enjoy one another, and to reflect on the sacrifices others have made so we may enjoy this time with our family. 

Here's our menu this year - hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, cole slaw and coca-cola. I don't think it gets any easier, or more American, than this! 

Of course, if you want to get fancy, there are so many wonderful and really creative ideas on Pinterest. Incorporating the flag into the menu and decor makes more sense now that I understand the tradition of decorating the veterans graves with flags. Here are some of the cutest last minute ideas I could find.

super easy - cool whip, fresh blueberries and strawberries in a glass

Strawberry Shortcake with fresh cream and strawberries in a Mason Jar

Super easy  patriotic fruit skewers - drizzle with honey and lime zest dressing - yum!

Dip strawberries in white chocolate and blue sugar (regular sugar died with blue food coloring works)

looks like fresh berries and yogurt covered pretzels.....such an easy appetizer!

I love a good trifle, the key is having the lady fingers on hand!

Here are some free patriotic downloadable prints - click on this link for these and more cute ones!

Wishing you and yours a blessed holiday and a big, enormous, heartfelt salute to those who died while serving our country.

Until next time,

la chasse au bonheur

new life for outdoor furniture

It was one of those perfect getaways, the weather was ideal (actually, it was 98° with 95% humidity), the lunches were delicious (actually, we ate hot dogs on the run), and the sightseeing was sublime (truly).

My husband, who grew up in Westchester County, was introducing me to the towns that dot this beautiful region. We landed on a darling village, Pound Ridge and an incredible antique store (not the 'pedigree' kind of antique store, this one had most of it's 'precious' items strewn across its lawn). 

This is where I found our patio table and chairs. 

We live in a cozy (aka, small) home on a typical in-city (aka, small) lot and there isn't a lot of space for those large, humungous, oversized tables found in those trendy catalogues - you know, the ones perfect for your sprawling Santa Barbara estate. 

It seems that outdoor furniture manufactured pre-70's was appropriately sized. 

If I could have recorded the conversation we had with the owner, I would replay it over and over for grins. He was baffled why anyone would pay $500 to have a rusty set of common 1950's iron packed and shipped across the country. "Can't you find something like this on the west coast?" Well, 'no' I informed him. He spent the next hour trying to talk me out of buying this 'perfect' set. Luckily, my husband convinced him that I was not crazy, and that I would not stop until he agreed to boxing and shipping the set to Seattle. I had to say good bye to the glass, but thought that was a fair compromise. 

I'm not sure if the romance of Pound Ridge made the set look better, or if the six months it took to arrive in Seattle made the set look more weathered, but either way, once unpacked and in our back yard, I realized what the shop owner was saying - it was a big pile of rusty iron. 

I had three choices - 

1) LEAVE the set in its original condition (which somehow looks more charming on the terrace of a beautiful home in the South of France)!

2) PAINT THE SET MYSELF USING RUST-OLEUM - which is what I went with initially - I wasn't ready to choose the color, needed when pursuing the powder coat route. If you decide to use Rust-oleum, you will need to wash the pieces down with a mildew cleaner and scrub as much of the rust and chippy paint off as you can (a wire brush is helpful). Dry the pieces thoroughly before applying thin layers of Rust-oleum. Take note: try to choose a calm, warm day to do this - working against the breeze is not ideal - trust me! 

My set was black iron and in very rough condition. It took seven cans to cover. I was very conflicted on the color so ended up going with Antique White in gloss. I know, not very inspired, but the set looked so clean after and the light color brightened up the yard! 

3) POWDER COAT

Powder coating is a process that involves properly pretreating the metal, a powder application, followed by curing the powder in high temperatures to produce a tough and beautiful finish that makes even the chippiest of wrought iron look gorgeous! But, it is not cheap which means, at least for me, you want to nail the color. I waffled, boy did I waffle, on colors.

My first thoughts went to the traditional garden greens. I love anything English/French and green garden furniture is all that! I found a few gorgeous colors in the Farrow and Ball line.

Unfortunately, because of the process, off the shelf traditional paint can't be used. This meant I had to use their colors. This added another year to my project as I kept contemplating the available colors. 

Finally, I decided, this project had to get done. The Rust-oleum wasn't really a long term solution, and the joints were rusting again. Walking into Seattle Powder Coat I had every intention of going with a green, but had a complete change of heart the minute they asked "what color".  I do this when I'm out to dinner - change my mind when the waiter comes by to take my order. Other than one questionable entree, when I panicked, this strategy has served me well. It served me well this time as well. I chose a beautiful bronze that blends perfectly with our garden. 

Dinner is calling....

Until next time,

la chasse au bonheur

shredding event

Our office is hosting a shredding event and all are invited!

In anticipation of this event, I thought the following graphic from Apartment Therapy might be helpful!

I look forward to seeing you (and your piles and piles of documents/old papers/etc.) on May 14th!

Until next time,

la chasse au bonheur

with the stroke of a brush

There are few things I love more than a can of paint - there's just so much promise in that small container.

It is true that I would prefer to stay in on a Saturday night to repaint a room, that I have explored every hue found in the green and neutrals of Benjamin Moore, and that I have over stepped my boundaries by painting other peoples homes (oh, you know what they say, the road to hell is paved with such good intentions).

My current colors are Stoneware and Feather Down from Benjamin Moore

Research shows that a persons taste in color changes every seven years. That's probably why we see such major shifts in colors over time - remember the mauves and sea foam green of the 80's (no?, ok you are younger than me) and the sweeping trend of the Tuscan colors of the 90's? Colors have calmed and neutralized (a natural pendulum swing from the hot mess of earlier colors).

Colors, and the need for color, change based on geographic location. Think of the gorgeous light the masters sought along the British coastline compared to the overcast grey of the Northwest. Anyway, hot regions call for slightly different hues than our cooler regions. Companies have developed paint that works with specific light and surrounding environments found in different areas (Devine is a paint line originally designed for homes in the Pacific Northwest).

If you can't find the right color, hue, tone there are paint stores that will custom mix a color for you - simply bring in a chip and they can whip it up. This is something amazing when you fall in love with that rare French antique, and have never seen that color of green, like ever, before! If you live in the Seattle area, check out The Paint Laboratory.

While I am crazy about neutral walls, I find a pop of color here and there so refreshing and can be calming or energizing depending on the color.  While color on the walls doesn't appeal to me (at least right now) I do love the idea of adding color to the ceiling.

Take it outside  

Make an impact in your entry

A little color on the ceiling can add some spice in the kitchen

and the dining room

make a statement in the living room

and in the bedroom

(such a great idea bringing the color down onto the wall - it also eliminates the headache of cutting in, my least favorite task of painting) 

I love the idea of a painted ceiling in the bathroom

and finally, in the home office

I hope this posting has provided a little inspiration - it did for me, I am now off, brush in hand, to tackle my master bath ceiling!

Until next time,

la chasse au bonheur

spring cleaning au naturel

On the back of Spring, comes my desire to totally, all-out, no holds barred, clean my home. Yep, that means scrubbing every corner and hidden crevice, washing and rewashing the floors and walls - cleaning the house from top to bottom.

I mentioned in a previous blog how addicted I am to homemade, all natural cleaning remedies.  Here's a link to that post.

If you're getting ready for your own cleaning party then you might enjoy using some of my favorite homemade recipes -

1) ALL PURPOSE CLEANER (I rarely use anything else)
In a spray bottle combine 1 tablespoon liquid dishwashing detergent (I use a natural soap like Meyers or Method) with 6 oz. tap water.

2) COUNTERTOP DISINFECTANT
Add three drops of Lemon Tea Tree Oil with warm water. Spray counters to disinfect naturally.

3) PAINTED MILLWORK AND WOOD FURNITURE (my go-to fav)
Mix equal parts Distilled White Vinegar with tap water, add 6 drops of Olive Oil. Soak cotton rags in solution. Wring the rags until damp. Lay out and add a few lemon rind peels. Fold/roll and store in a clean jam jar until ready to use.

4) GLASS/MIRROR CLEANER
Combine 2 cups water with 1/4 cup white vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon dish soap in a spray bottle.

5) HARDWOOD FLOOR CLEANER (be sure to dry the floors after)
Combine in a spray bottle one cup tap water with 3/4 cup Distilled White Vinegar, 3/4 cup Isopropyl Alcohol (Rubbing Alcohol) then top off with two-three drops of a natural Dish Soap (my preference is Meyers). Screw on the lid and shake well.

6) TRAVERTINE/LIMESTONE FLOOR CLEANER (use every time)
Mix one part Rubbing Alcohol with four parts tap water.

7) CARPET CLEANER
Combine 20 drops of Tea Tree Oil with Borax

8) BATHTUB/SINK SCRUB (toss rag in washer to freshen it up)
Mix 1/2 cup Baking Soda and 1/2 cup Distilled White Vinegar with 5 drops of Bergamot.

9) CLEANER FOR PAINTED WALLS (I like this but it isn't perfect)
In a spray bottle mix 1 part tap water and 1 part Distilled White Vinegar with 1/4 part Lysol Cleaner.

10) CLEANER FOR THE DISHWASHER (use once a month)
Spray the inside floor of your dishwasher with Distilled White Vinegar and wipe away with rag. Pour one cup of Distilled White Vinegar in the inside bottom of your dishwasher, then place one cup of Baking Powder in the bottom of your dishwasher, add three drops of Lemon Oil and run an empty dishwasher through a normal cycle.

11) KEEPING TRASHCANS ODOR-FREE
Place a Cotton Ball with two drops each of Lemon Oil and Tea Tree Oil at the bottom of the trashcan - helps clear odors and detoxify the can.

12) PURIFY THE AIR
Add Tea Tree Oil to a Diffuser to kill mold and other pathogens in the air.

13) CLEANER DISHES
Add a few drops of Lemon Oil to the dishwasher before starting.

14) REMOVE SOAP SCUM
Mix one cup of Liquid Fabric Softener with one quart of warm water - gently wash the glass in circular motion then rinse with warm water.

15) TOILET BOMBS
Posting with recipe here.

16) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Some fabulous cleaning tips can be found on this great site

Well, I am off to do a little cleaning....until next time.

la chasse au bonheur