Gone Quiltin!

Gone Quiltin'!  Check back again to see my three--count 'em--three! Super Sized 9 Patch Sock Minkey Baby Quilts!

Double Duty Accessorizing!

What do you get when you combine easily bored with bargain shopper?  Clothes and accessories that are reversible--that's what!  And I'm ALL about it!  Stumbling on to anything that reverses sends me into designer heaven.  (About the only thing better is finding an accessory that does double duty, because accessories can often be more spendy than the outfit--but sooo necessary.)

One of my favorite finds is a reversable shawl from the Isabella Bird catalogue http://www.isabellabird.com/ I can't tell you how many years old it is and how many times I've worn it.  I still love it too!  It was definitely worth the $60 I paid for it back then.

Next up would be my reversible Brighton leather belt http://www.brighton.com/.  Their stuff isn't cheap, but since I could wear it two different ways I knew I'd be getting my money's worth.  The buckle has a cool little swivel that allows you to flip the leather to this great burgandy color.  Voila!

Here's another favorite quilted vest that's still a favorite.  Of course, black is a staple in my wardrobe--the color of choice when you're in the fifty-something category--so it's a no brainer.  The reverse is a luscious lipstick red that adds the perfect touch of drama when I need a little more pizazz. I picked it up at a Chico's outlet.  http://www.chicos.com/  (I can't remember the exact price but it was significantly discounted.)

And yet another vest!  This one came from a designer boutique back in my hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the mecca for ALL outlet shopping!  It was an easy pick for me because of the cozy warm animalish-type fleece reverse.  (In my humble opinion every woman should have a leetle animal in her wardrobe or home.)

Incidentally, the silk variegated scarf in shades of blue isn't reversible but it may as well be.  The vibrant hues, ranging from light to dark, make it extremely versatile.

Double duty accessories needn't stop at your wardrobe, pulling them into your home decor is the wise woman's duty!  In today's economy who can afford to do less?  Here's a peak at my master bedding, custom made by Eastern Accents, one of my all time favorite companies.  http://www.easternaccents.com/. 

I admit, you won't find any bargains there, unless you can buy at designer prices like I can, but you will find tons of exquisite fabrics and upholstered items for any room in your home. Surprisingly, their hand-painted pillows-- like the one pictured--are extremely affordable. (And, oh yes, all the bedding--including the hand-painted pillow--is reversible!)  

Well, thanks for taking my little tour today. I hope you'll agree you can easily double your accessorizing dollars by just thinking in reverse. Have fun!

The Heart and Soul of a Covenant Home

"I'm more accustomed to the revisions of interiors, a large topic among the women of my family, any one of whom might say something like, "I never should have papered that dining room, especially with those Chinese cranes coming in to land. I always feel like one will plop down into my soup. I should have lacquered the walls brilliant yellow and a mirror should go over that sideboard, not those puny sconces..."I wonder if they, when insomnia strikes, have practices like mine."--Frances Mayes

Some of the lines out of Frances Mayes "Bella Tuscany" could be a line straight from my own playbook!  Like her, I carry scraps and tattered pieces of fabric, paint swatches and the like in most of my purses.  And why not?  You never know when you'll need them to match a potential find to your interior. 

I not only have those bits hanging around my handbags, but I have a huge notebook entitled "The Hostetter Home Portfolio" which houses every picture, article or thought I ever had when building my home. It's a compilation of years of stuff which, for the most part, got translated into this home. On the inside front cover is a list of "notable quotes" I collected over the years and wanted to share with you.

-"In attempting to define the enduring appeal of cottages, words like comfort, coziness, charm, simplicity, intimacy, and romance readily spring to mind, suggesting that the idea of "cottage" is as much a state of mind as it is a tangible presence."

Stone fireplace lovingly built by the dsil

-"In our childhood, we found or created spaces to fulfill an essential, unspoken need to feel safe and secure from an overstimulating and dangerous-feeling outside world."

-"The appeal here is a house that's easy to live in and easy to maintain, a house that encourages informal living while offering unpretentious comfort, a house that's small enough to allow you to spend more on fine details, quality materials and craftsmanshp, a house that's expressive about who you are and how you like to live your life."

-"Architect Robert Gerloff of Minneapolis reminds his clients that it is the details that hold our interest, that can make the cottage "as unforgettable as a villa."

Master bedroom detail

-"For it was Wright who pushed the American house away from segmented rooms that physically and visually cut themselves off from one another and from the surrounding exterior landscape...Wright's long low "Prairie" style houses (and, later, the small "Usonian" house, exalted in ther sense of openness and in their enthusiastic embracing of ther space immediately surrounding the house."

-"The stable was usually included as part of the house."

In the stable

Christmastime

-"If timelessness can be considered one of the major qualities of good ranch house design, the second major trait is adaptability to changing conditions."

-"...They [early Californians] felt that the house should provide a closer relationship between outdoors and in, a more intiate association with the garden, an informal, relaxed way of living, and feeling for the environment in which they built." 

-"You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."  I am the way. the truth and the life." 
-"In Him is light."
A big part of covenant life (to my way of thinking) is all wrapped up in making a cozy nest for the ones you love.  The greatest compliment I get (almost daily) is from my dear husband (dh) who says, as he calls in at the end of the day, "I can hardly wait to get back home. There's no other place I'd rather be." 
When people walk into my home they invariably comment on how warm and comfortable it feels.  It was built a little over a year ago by my dear son-in-law (dsil) but looks and feels old--in the sense of permanence, I suppose.  That was no accident.  It was my great fortune to work with a group of men who put the E into excellence and effort and every detail in our home was lovingly thought out and executed painstakingly by them. 

Aside from the dsil, I was blessed to have my relative and artist Matt Barley http://matthewfunkbarley.blogspot.com/ http://www.youtube.com/user/MatthewFunkBarley on the job. Matt found another quote, which summed up our desires in building this home.

Matt at work

When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone, Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, "See! This our father did for us."--John Ruskin

Most of those quotes were translated--in one way or another--into this place called home. I hope you enjoyed the tour. My greatest desire is that this virtual look into my home will also provide you with a glimpse into my heart and soul. I'm hopeful too that someday soon you will turn the virtual into the reality. The door's always open!

Many thanks to Tim Hagen for this shot!