Fairmount B&B?

I found this brightly colored cutie on Williams Trew's website for a very reasonable price. She's in the non-sketchy area of Fairmount. She has five (also brightly colored) bedrooms and three baths and was built in 1910. All I'd need is a couple of cans of paint, a new backsplash, and a landscaping budget, and I'd be in business! (oh, and also for Carter to be willing to live with strangers in his living room.)


Picture this as a lobby/reception area... Also, picture it not that color.

Around the House

When I Grow Up

Every once in awhile, I dream about owning a bed and breakfast when I get old... or maybe sooner. Elements of Style just posted about the be-yeww-ti-ful Blackberry Farm in Tennessee, and it triggered this long-standing idea again.



I'm impressed with entrepreneurial go-getters because that's not really my personality. However, I think I could own a B&B pretty easily. Does that sound conceited and/or naive? Well... I don't care. So take that.

I really do think I could do it. I was a high school teacher, I can crack the whip and manage people. I know some of the ins and outs of B&B world. I worked at The Baldpate Inn in Estes Park, Colorado, for three summers while I was in college,



and then I cooked at The Reveille Inn in College Station for awhile.


I ingloriously cooked at a youth camp for a summer, and more recently, I've catered a few parties. I've seen (at least partly) some of the unglamorous toilet-cleaning-dish-washing-early-rising-monotonous-food-prep sides of the hospitality industry. And I really liked all of it.

I am afraid of the business side of things--the taxes and payroll and permits. (However, I have been in charge of our bookkeeping here at Colonial Risk Group and, after many trials, have learned to successfully navigate Quick Books... so that's kinda a start.) I don't know how you would every get over that intimidation unless you just did it.

I do think there's a niche for a non-doily style of bed and breakfast around here, a chic place in a historic home, close to some of the action but with a nice big private yard for Lu and my herd of goats.

So do I have any investors out there? Anyone? I'm willing to listen to all offers.

This Agression Will Not Stand

I tried to stencil Imperial Trellis on my powder room wall. It did not work out for us, despite spending a redonkulous amount of time tracing my template and then cutting out the stupid stencils with a razor blade. Boo. Double boo. I blame the textured walls. Needless to say, the wall cannot remain like this.

Now I'm contemplating wallpaper. Sherwin Williams wallpaper. Most is priced pretty reasonably. Unfortunately, their images refused to be downloaded. Therefore, I will describe my top picks...

Gray on gray geometric tile p. 9--sw82346932 ($29.25)

Dove stylized damask p. 12--sw334624 ($22.40)

Gray and taupe tile p.14 --sw657-2942 ($29.25)

Cream art nouveau pattern p.20--sw1wa5091 ($15.95)

Cream and gray paisley p. 81--sw65643975 ($48.75)

Naturally, my favorite, the paisley, is the most expensive.

There also have been bloggy murmurs lately about fabric as wallpaper.

DIY Fabric Wallpaper

Easy Cornstarch Paste

Cornstarch paste is easy to make and works well for both wallpaper and papier mâché. Make one batch at a time to avoid lumps in the paste. For one gallon of paste, sift one cup of cornstarch into a large pot. Slowly add one gallon of hot tap water a little at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition of water with a wire whisk. Heat the mixture on medium high heat on the stove, stirring constantly, until it thickens and becomes clear. Let the paste cool to room temperature for use. Instructions from here.

Little Green Notebook recommends using starch.

L Kae is Kool

I like her style. Check out her blog and portfolio.

In Need of Accessorizing Assistance

This is the dress I'm wearing tomorrow. It will function in three settings: working the nursery at the 9:30 service, attending the 11:00 service, and eating brunch at Lambert's afterwards to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday. I can't decide how to accessorize.

What earrings should I wear? Sparkly studs?

Dangly gold?

Or big red hoops?

Should I wear a coral necklace?

A green ruffled cardigan?

A polka-dotted scarf?

A polka-dotted scarf as an obi-style sash?

What shoes should I wear? Huarache wedges?

Or flat gold sandals?

I saw these at Banana and thought they'd be perfect, but it wasn't meant to be.

An Old Accident and a Stylish Solution

I dropped my phone a few months ago and shattered the screen. I went to the Apple store, and they told me it would cost $200 to replace the screen. Hmmm. That's what a new phone costs. Stupid. So I've been toting it around with broken screen and just trying to ignore the shards of glass that I press against my face every day. I was recently enlightened that (of course) there are people out there who can fix it for much much less. I was told, 25-ish dollars... so that's a lot less.

I am currently pursuing these inexpensive avenues. Now the question is what protective case should I get to prevent this from happening again.

I like this.



It's from Brook Farm General Store.