A FEW DAYS OFF

I've been back at Dao's (my amazing daughter) house babysitting the salt water fish. I could have brought Cole home with me and gone back to check up on and feed the three cats......but the fish! Those guys do need a bit of watching over. They eat twice a day and need to have the light adjusted so that they sleep (I guess that is the reason??) And besides, I have bonded with "Blue Boy": he gets the "wiggles" every time I approach; so I spent some time reading beside him and he just stays by my side. Who knew that fish could be so endearing? 

The last year has been one of immense stretching (and we know what that means). So......I decided to take these 5 days off, away from the computer and the usual cares of the world. I still worked, but tried to put a little emotional distance between "me" and the other (sometimes rudely intruding) stuff.

I've taken time to just "be" in quiet with Jones and Cole; to listen to the silence; perhaps quiet my busy mind.

I went back over some blog posts and realized that my latest posts have been reflecting my current state of not quite knowing my center.

These are some photos from past blog posts where I was closer to my center

Shamrocks reflect my feisty Irish nature. I've let myself bury that part of me...........not to my benefit.

My beloved orchids have suffered from neglect. I will replace the lost ones.

My joy over Mia's healing and prognosis has been overtaken by other silly cares....... no more!! I am returning to my grateful heart.

The amazing sunrises from my window will retake their appropriate place in my day.

I'm refocusing my attention on glorious amorphous and living forms.

Refocusing on creating or recreating....(not on the restoration disasters of the past 6 months)

Designing new pillows.....(a new pair of Scalamandre "Le Tigre" silk velvet pillows is in the works)

Remembering my true passions. And focusing on those things that endure: love, light, joy, giving and soul filled objects.

So I am planning a few personal adjustments in the next few months.......just setting my sights. 

Jones and I are going home today.....Jones goes back to his beloved dog park and pals and I'm going to sort out and clean up my office (yuck!)

Be well.

Mary & Jones & Cole

HITCHCOCK CHAIRS --- UPDATE

In the 10 hours since my blog post regarding this set of 19th c. Hitchcock Chairs went live I have had a huge number of visits. 

SO I'M PUTTING THESE GUYS ON SALE FOR

                   $1200.00--- for ALL TEN CHAIRS

(Why not? --it's summer and these are super summer chairs)

If you are interested, you can contact me directly from my website  mjhdesignarts.com from the Hitchcock Chair (17th - 19th c. Furniture) page using link at lower left of page  OR by email at  mjhdesignarts@gmail.com

(Just as a comparison--you can see Hitchcock Chairs on 1stdibs.com  or rubylane.com)

Have a super Sunday--I'm off to work. It's going to be a hot one here.

Mary & Jones

HITCHCOCK CHAIRS--19th c.

It's Sunday Morning......I JUST DECIDED TO PUT THESE CHAIRS ON SALE FOR A SUPER SUMMER PRICE OF $1200.00 for the set of 10. Check 1stdibs.com and rubylane.com for comparison pricing.

I'm stuck somewhere in between my passion for fine antique furniture and fine, even funky, mid-century pieces. I think that if the lines are classic and pure, then everything should be mixable creating positive energy. These 19th c. Hitchcock Chairs could be a challenge to that theory--but just take a quick minute to envision a mid-century table--Danish or similar surrounded by a set of these black Americana chairs......

I bought these chairs (and we all know about my chair addiction and my vow of "no more chairs")...oh well, I couldn't help myself. These guys came to the block a couple of weeks ago, and without even previewing them, up went my hand and they were mine. Hitchcock chairs are not a West Coast chair, and especially not an LA chair form; so I stole them.

I bought an assembled set of 12 chairs (one was lost at the auction house before I picked them up--oh well, now I have a set of 10 plus one to take home).

Once I had picked them up and studied the chairs, I realized that these were pretty decent chairs. There was a set of 4 (2 arms + 2 sides) in great original condition:

  

Not too shabby! These will go to 1stdibs as a set of 4 plus 3 pairs of associated chairs for a set totaling 10 chairs--large chair sets are always a plus and hard to find (just wish I had that 12th chair). 

Hitchcock chairs are a staple of Americana decoration--to find this many in good to excellent condition is a challenge.

Jones is getting his hair cut on Wednesday--boy is he shaggy, but still saucy. 

Wishing the best of summer Sundays to all.

Mary & Jones & Cole

JACQUES ADNET STYLE TABLES--STILL NEED SOME PRACTICE

The above photo really doesn't do what I want it to do......compare it to the quick shot I took with my iphone. The iphone photo is so much better in so many ways.

I guess that I was hurrying to go have lunch with a friend (haste makes waste) and just didn't take the time to position the tables in proper lighting, focus and angle--now I have to go back to the West Side and face 3 hours of LA Freeway traffic (got stuck on the 5 with a huge accident involving a tanker yesterday-yuck!) to retake the photos. Here are a couple of detail photos that just miss. (Note to self: take your time and get it right the first time.)

  

Oh, well. All is not lost. At least you can see the hand stitched leather wrap on the top faux bamboo supports and the custom leather strapping.

I love these tables--I'll be picking up the second pair tomorrow.

Have a wonderful summer day.

Mary & Jones & Cole

Update: The fish, cats & Cole survived my days of babysitting. All is well.