Category: HOME

Neat little shop in Charleston…

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTS4 Comments
Image: http://southofmarket.biz/

What a beautiful weekend in Charleston, SC! WOW! We got out and went to a few shops. Fred noticed that South of Market, a neat little shop in Charleston, SC had those wonderful cotton canvas throws that we love so much… ON SALE! This is a neat shop, but you really need to pack the plastic… it’s not cheap, and I can’t remember there being many sales, but woohoo… we bought a red throw ON SALE!  (I know, not a color we EVER would have picked, but this is a GORGEOUS washed red. It looks like an old favorite throw that you’ve had for years and perhaps left in the sunroom part of the time. I LOVE WASHED RED… ) .

This photo is from their website http://southofmarket.biz/ … this is a great room, I love all those windows! So if you’re in the neighborhood, pop in to South of Market on King Street downtown, and while you’re there pop into the Sylvan Gallery which is also right there… GREAT GALLERY!

Check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com Until tomorrow…

Swans Island Blankets – simply stunning!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME2 Comments
Image: SwansIslandblankets.com

One of the most beautiful blankets you can buy is from Swans Island Blankets located in Northport, Maine. If you’re ever in the area, STOP BY, you can watch them weave blankets and they have a sample blanket of each and every style, along with an assortment of other things such as throws, scarves and more recently, their own yarn! We splurged several years ago and bought a rare wool blanket like the one pictured here. What’s so rare about it you ask? Here’s a blip from the Swans Island website:

Swans Island Rare Wool blankets are made from naturally occurring brown and black sheep. These sheep aren’t common, and after three or four years, their fleeces tend to go grey, so we are only able to weave a limited number of rare brown and black wool blankets each year.

It will be around for generations! It’s absolutely a work of art, no doubt about it!

Check out my Photo Blog if you get a chance, http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com – until tomorrow!

Whoa, a thing of beauty… an apple or…

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTS2 Comments
Image: apple.com

Whoa, a thing of beauty, eh? So many decisions to be made… Mac or Dell? Desktop or laptop? Ok, I’m waiting to hear from those of you out there who have experienced both… which do you prefer? We have had a Dell for a very long time, like forever. I love Dell… my curiosity has gotten the best of me and I, like half of America has been pulled into the great marketing and awesome looks of the Apple products. When we get a computer we like to get one that lasts. Good question for y’all: Does a laptop last as long as a desktop? Or not usually? Other than the convenience factor of a laptop, what are the pluses? Minuses? I’m thinking it would do my brain good to learn something entirely new… I’ve got the iPad mastered, so maybe it wouldn’t be such a stretch to get an Apple computer? I have always had a desktop, I’m comfortable with them, they aren’t portable (are they? ha ha) . I’m like a sponge just wanting to absorb some information, so if you have it… and you have a moment, please share your thoughts!

Check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com if you get a chance! Until tomorrow…

Classy lighting… Circa…

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Image via circa.com

One thing that can make or break a room is good lighting… Just my opinion. If you have nothing but bright light it gives the room a cold sterile feeling, if all the lighting is dim, it looks pretty at night but its difficult to see. All overhead lighting isn’t my thing, but if the light is on a dimmer it can work. We don’t have a huge house. We don’t have a table near every chair. We have lots of places to sit, but you can’t see well enough to read, knit, etc. in every seat. We think we’ve found a solution… Remember (well, maybe you don’t but I DO), those tension floor lamps that went to the ceiling, with lights hanging off of it? You could turn on one or all one, I think back in the 1960’s (wow, sounds like I came over on the Mayflower, doesn’t it?) ours had three lights. They’ve made a comeback (or perhaps they never left?), in a new sleek style. This image is of the ZIYI TENSION POLE LAMP. We are fortunate to have a Circa Lighting in Charleston! We can walk in and touch and feel and actually SEE what the lighting looks like and whether or not it would work at our house. This is on our list one day. Not sure where we would put it, so far we have many possibilities…

If you ever get a chance to check out Circa Lighting, do so! We always deal with Matthew and he is a pleasure! It’s so nice to talk to people so knowledgable about what they sell!
Their website is a good one! Go to www.circalighting.com to view all their lighting, they ship for FREE! You can’t beat that with a stick!
Don’t forget to check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com – until tomorrow!

Jump in a puddle, go ahead, you know you want to!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is… JUMPING IN PUDDLES! Long ago when my husband used to show horses I had a pair of LL Bean boots, they were the best, you could walk through anything, and at horse shows you did precisely that! From the stable to the puddles your feet were safe and dry. Today it’s raining, it’s pouring at times, yet I could don these LL Bean Rubber Mocs and go skipping through puddles with no worries (which is exactly what you want to do when you have these shoes on, well, maybe not the skipping part, but…). You can get these in a variety of colors and shapes, from tall boots to shoes, from plain ones like I have to the shearling lined for winter, they’re the ticket! If you’re in the market for a good pair of rain boots/shoes that will keep your feet nice and dry, and are comfortable to boot (hee hee, pun intended), check them out! LL Bean!
 
Hey, I think I’m taking the weekend off… If I run into a spare few minutes I’ll pop on a post, otherwise check back on Monday… Until then…
Remember to check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com! Have a great FRIDAY!
 
Images via www.llbean.com

A walk to remember…

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

Move more – Eat less… it’s what the experts say we should all be doing… Well, we’ve been really good about moving more, that’s for sure (we could probably eat a little less, but…). Charlie (our Jack Russell) is instrumental in our fitness regimen… if we don’t get him walked at the bare minimum of four miles he’s wound up tighter than a tick (ick, what does that mean?)… Here are a few pictures from our walk today. We live near the West Ashley Greenway, it’s a great path that goes many miles out… Today we ventured out 2 miles and back 2 miles with a quick reward stop at Petco for Charlie… He loves to shop… then as we headed back down the greenway we detoured at Dolittles (another pet store with cool toys and treats) and then headed home. Hope you’re able to get out this weekend. It’s so nice this week, I’m looking at my Brookstone “weather station” and it’s shows 75 for Wednesday… holy cow, can you imagine August? Eek… for now, the nights are still cool, YAY!!! So a fire in the fireplace is what we look forward to! Have a great weekend… until tomorrow…

Take me AS I AM…

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Image via http://www.aliciakeys.com

Ok, if you were going to be stranded on a desert island and could take only one music album with you, which one would it be? That is the WordPress topic of the day. Kind of fun, so I thought I would play along… I like to listen to Alicia Keys – AS I AM. It starts out with the Intro that is slow and sultry, you have to turn up the volume to be sure it’s even on… then it segues into more of a beat, perfect for walking… I love to listen to it when I’m cooking or painting… So I think I’ll go ahead and turn it on now and get dinner rolling… How about you? What ONE album would you take with you if you were to be stranded…? I guess we should all take that one album with us since between the wild weather and the traffic we most certainly can be “stranded” in our cars! You can listen to these songs at www.aliciakeys.com !

Remember to check out my photoblog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com – Until tomorrow…

Sugar Bakeshop – Charleston, SC

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HOMELeave a comment
Image via http://www.sugarbake.com

Sugar. Not sure why, but I’m craving something sweet right now in the biggest way. I’m trying to re-route my thinking, but I’m not too successful so far… banana for the resistant starch to make me skinny (ha ha), ok… now some oatmeal with walnuts and raisins, more resistant starch… ok, I think i’ve worked my way up to something tasty! Maybe some homemade brownies or that darn apple crisp that was so good I can’t get off my mind… Poey… I had visions of Sugar Bakeshop in downtown Charleston pop into my head… oh what I wouldn’t do for a lemon cupcake, or a caramel cupcake, or just about any other cupcake, not being piggy… just wanting  a cupcake, not a big cake… I. DON’T. THINK. Hmmmm… If you get a chance, check it out, we’ve had most of their cakes (except chocolate, for that we always go to the Chocolate Cake Charleston, the best chocolate cake in the world, and a future post!)… Sugar Bakeshop shows their cake images as a slideshow, so I couldn’t include here, but check them out at www.sugarbake.com ! If you haven’t been before it’s worth the drive FROM ANYWHERE! They even make dog cookies, and let me tell you, Charlie gets just as excited about his cookie as we do with our cupcake! Have a sweet day, until tomorrow…!

YO BIRDIE, IT’S ME… CHARLIE!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

What’s one thing you like to do on a Sunday? One thing we like to do is take Charlie (JRT) to the James Island County Dog Park. We had heard so much about this specific dog park, then we decided to check it out… The dog park is separated for small dogs under 25 pounds, which is where we started with Charlie… He finally graduated to the “big dog” side where there is a LOT of land to run, there is water to stand in to cool (he’s not a swimmer yet, but he will go stand in the water and maybe do a few paddles, even when it’s brutally cold!). If you have a dog do you take it to the dog park? if not, give it a try some time, you meet (mostly) nice people and the dogs are awesome to watch!
Charlie and his PBGB friend, Birdie…


See the water in the distance… This is where ALL the dogs are in the summer… In the winter everyone is really hoping they DON’T, but they always do…


This was his running buddy this past week… This dog was hilarious, would jump over smaller dogs while he was running…


This is what he looks like after soaking in the nice cold water then running and rolling in sand… The sun in his hair, he’s having the time of his life!

A router to rock your world!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Image via http://homestore.cisco.com

I am someone who loves gadgets. I love computers and all the fun stuff that comes along with them… until it gets super technical… I am creative. I learn quickly. But I draw the line at super complicated code talk… I might as well be in Siberia… We have an iPad, but couldn’t watch the videos… seemed like a shame. After taking it to the Apple store and trying their network, I determined it wasn’t the iPad itself, next I thought it might be our cable service, maybe I wasn’t paying for high speed Internet, a call to Comcast said I was paying for it… hmmm, then WHY did everything take so long to load, why could I not watch a short uTube clip? Hmmm, only thing I could think of would be the router, so I called Linksys. They couldn’t determine a problem with our router. So back to Apple, tried again, and the iPad was fine… I could watch video at my parents and they have Comcast and a Valet router… SO… maybe it IS the router! Off to Staples we went, armed with a 15% coupon and we are now proud owners of a Valet Plus. They say it’s easy. Whattttt? It’s so easy we did it in NO TIME! This is brilliant for those of us who don’t need the complicated settings that many of the other routers provide. I can watch painting videos again! Woohoo! If you’re in the market for a router and are dreading setting it up… LOOK NO FURTHER! This thing is awesome! Until tomorrow…

Remember to visit my photoblog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com

Laugh until you cry!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
MODERN FAMILY - Image via http://www.abc.com

Have you ever laughed so hard you cry? I LOVE when that happens! You can’t plan for it, something just strikes you as hilarious and you lose all control… It has happened to me many times and they say it’s GOOD FOR YOU! I just read something about this, WHY do we cry when we’re really laughing? They’ve been studying this (ugh, please study more important things!!) and they just don’t know… I can remember my mom and I stopping at this little roadside diner. Very small place. We were seated near the window… I think its after we worked at a boatshow all day in Detroit and were over tired… we got the giggles that turned into full blown I-just-can’t-stop laughter… It’s like doing hundreds of sit-ups once you’re done, ha ha… Everyone was looking at us like we weren’t right or perhaps had too much to drink, but neither was the case… It. Just. Happens. There are countless times my sister Bridget and I would either see something funny or the funny bone is just tickled for some reason and we just lose it… same with Fred. I can’t wait until the next time this happens.

Do you need a laugh? Well if you haven’t seen Modern Family (on ABC) the ‘Caught in the Act’ preview, it cracked me up, especially the very end… can’t wait to watch the show! I wish you a weekend full of laughter!!! Get out there and laugh, laugh hard, laugh with someone, laugh alone and most of all… LAUGH OFTEN!

Video link via U Tube (it’s only 1 minute 23 seconds long…):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY5YjRGpNPI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Remember to visit my photoblog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com!

I’ve been putting this off and I need to stop!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Winsor & Newton oil paint, image via http://www.dickblick.com

I’ve been putting something off and I need to stop… Well actually I don’t need to STOP I need to START… start what? Painting… Not painting a wall, shoot, if that’s all I had to do THAT kind of painting would get done in a hurry! It’s the other kind, the kind that requires skill and creativity… Oil painting… You know when you have something you should be doing, but for some (sometimes unexplained) reason you just don’t get to it? Well, that’s me. I was on a good roll several years ago… then I think a series of paintings I wasn’t happy with just got to me… What am I doing? Do I even know? Then it was too hot… now it’s too cold… hmmm, actually TODAY is a perfect day, but I’ve got other things to get done. See what I mean? But I have it back on my mind daily.

I need to start painting again… SOON! Or else I’m going to turn the sunroom/studio back into a nice sunroom/reading area! When I look back at some of my paintings I’m thrilled, I actually am HAPPY with them… so what was my problem then? My guess is that I was comparing myself to “good” experienced artists, and in my mind I just wasn’t measuring up. Well this is the year to turn things around. Wish me luck… I’ll need it, ha!

Check out my photoblog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com – until tomorrow!

Before and after pics… whoa!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment

I love seeing before and after pictures of rooms that have been given new life! The before pictures always seem cluttered and dark, full of unnecessary things everywhere. The after pictures seem crisp and clean, no extra stuff sitting around taking up space and collecting dust… Here are a few great before and after pics from www.coastallivng.com! If you have a room that might resembe one of these before pictures… just know there IS HOPE! Paint is probably the cheapest transformer of a room and it can have such an impact! See if you agree… of course their view sure doesn’t hurt, wouldn’t you love to look out at that each day?

"BEFORE" - image via http://www.coastalliving.com
"AFTER" Image via http://www.coastalliving.com Photographer: Lisa Romerein
"BEFORE" Image via http://www.coastalliving.com
"AFTER" Image via http://www.coastalliving.com Photographer: Lisa Romerein
Remember to visit my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com! Until tomorrow…

SIMPLE. COTTON. THROW. Wowie!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment
Image via http://www.utilitycanvas.com

Once upon a time there was a neat little design store in Charleston, SC. They sold funky cool things but at a higher price point than most. It was fun to go in and get good ideas… and then… we spotted this cotton canvas throw. I’m not talking about a rough stiff canvas I’m talking about a nice worn cotton canvas… but ohhhh the price tag… I went back to buy it for my husband for his birthday, hee hee. After spending too much time inside the store fighting with myself (not out loud, no worries!) I just couldn’t part with $185 for a COTTON throw… So I didn’t get it… not sure what he ended up with that year… hmmm, hope it was good! Fast forward a few years. We’re in Maine, in this small fishing village with a cool shop full of neat things. We walked in and spotted TWO. The owner said it was the end of the season so she gave us a discount if we bought both… IT WAS MEANT. TO. BE. Woohoo… we packed up those throws, along with a few other goodies she had and went on our merry way. We bought BOTH throws for less than ONE at the little shop in Charleston. The company didn’t used to have a website or sell online, but they do now. We have acquired a few more as well as a coverlet and some pillows that we absolutely love! So if you’re ever in the market for a wonderful, worn, soft-to-the-touch throw, this is the one for you! It’s delightful! Check it out at www.utilitycanvas.com. They now have patterned throws as well as solids (click on the symbol of the house to get to the home type goods). Another plus… you just toss it in the washer and dryer and it only gets better!

Until tomorrow!
Remember to check out my other blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com!

WHAT MADE ME DO THIS?

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
CHARLIE – 7 months

What made me start writing a blog? Hmmm, first i believe I challenged myself to see if I could figure it out. I had time on my hands and a new puppy (Charlie) that would sleep if I was sitting at the desk, so that was a motivating factor! Ha ha! I created a blog LIFE WITH CHARLIE http://lifewithcharlie-barbara.blogspot.com/, it chronicled his first year and at times was hilarious. It received great support which amazed me, I really couldn’t believe anyone would read anything that I had written, I mean really, who cares that my dog just pulled all the toilet paper off the roll and had it spread from one end of the house to another, ha ha… But people did, other people with dogs I would imagine. I stopped that blog once Charlie turned one year old… I had plans… I wanted to figure out how to create a WordPress blog, another challenge, yay! I had no idea that I would keep it up, I wanted to see if I could set it up, but then I was hooked. In hindsight I wish I would have picked a better name for that blog… Http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com – I thought what better way to share some of my photos than a photo blog? As the year went on I had other ideas, sometimes I want to share a great recipe or design element, travel tip or just a thought without having one of my photos to back it up. I launched https://barbarastroud.wordpress.com blog on 1/1/2011 and I am trying to keep it up daily. I hope you find something challenging (in a good way) in your everyday life… it keeps you young! Glad you stopped by for a vist! Have a great weekend!  Until tomorrow…