Today is my youngest daughters birthday. We took her to lunch to Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse, a lovely quiet place where she had never been. Sophisticated and old school. A place where you wouldn’t be surprised to see Frank Sinatra sitting at the corner booth, but hip enough for a 21st Century fashion meal. Walking in was like a warm hug, I just love the atmosphere and the food is always great too. Today is also her MIL birthday so they have plans with that side of the family this evening.

Waking up this morning I decided it was time to take down Christmas! No not really but, I did still have a few greens here and there. I have been so busy with different client projects and the thrift shop I just haven’t been able to clear my brain to think about spring decorating. It’s been cold here so I haven’t felt to rushed about it but with Easter just a few days away I decided I better start thinking about this. Where did I stash those cute bunnies!

Frankly I try not to put pressure on myself to decorate for the seasons. I love my stuff and enjoy looking at it in every season. That being said it can’t hurt to give yourself a bit of a pick-up every now and then. It seems like just a few weeks ago I gave the welsh cupboard a refresh and I grew to love it. Filled with my redware collection it is definitely more of a heavy fall and winter look.

Last year I decided to see what would happen if I used my Villeroy Bach Audun dishes in the cupboard with some of my antique ironstone pieces. I liked it and enjoyed it all summer. So, I decided to repeat the look only making it different. So that’s what I did. After lots of fiddling I think I have it to a comfortable place now. We’ll see.

I could not believe how dusty everything was. Hmm when did I actually dust last? Like I said I’ve been busy. I went to squeeze myself between the couch and the end table to dust the ship that is hanging over the front door and I knocked over my trusty can of diet soda.

Luckily the table has a lip all the way around it so it didn’t land on the rug but oh no, my books! My heaviest Chapman lamp sits on two design books to give it a lift and I had soda everywhere. It of course started moving toward the books and surrounding them with sticky goo. A dash to the kitchen for the paper towels and the first thing I had to figure out was where to set this heavy lamp. For a change I decided to be methodical about things. Lamp on the floor not precariously on the couch, paper towels all over the table, pick up top book, no damage, but the bottom book Nora Murphy’s Country House Style was sitting in a pool of pop. Very gently I wiped off the book like it was a new baby’s bottom. After getting the mess cleaned up I decided to take a break and let the dust cover dry out. So, I opened the book. I cherish all my books be them 1790 Voltaire or 2023 design books. This one I hadn’t opened in a while. Well of course not, it was sitting under my heavy Chapman lamp! It was just the thing I needed.

Nora Murphy lives in Connecticut and in her former life she was actually a stylist for Ethan Allen Corporate Headquarters. She was responsible for my favorite Country Collection that Ethan Allen ever offered. It was a collection that was heavily influenced by antiques and the most authentic. In fact I spied a few of these marvelous pieces in this book. There are still a few pieces in that collection that I would love to have if only I had the space.

Nora’s beautiful home is laid out on the pages of this book and her philosophy and beautiful words are so in line with my own about the importance of home and continuing to feed your soul. Creating spaces that are filled with the things you love but, where nothing is too precious and everything is used. I had forgotten how wonderful this book is and I am going to continue to read it tonight and absorb all the lovely pages. I shall feed my spirit and hopefully my creative juices will come back to me.

I will leave you with another page from Nora’s book. A marvelous rustic Easter Table.

You can order Nora Murphy’s Country House Style here. If you are a lover of antiques and lovely spaces I highly recommend this book. It was Garrison Keillor who said “A Book is a Gift You Can Open Again and Again.” So True!!!

Thanks for stopping

Shelley