Melissa

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  • in reply to: What is your decorating styles? #949219
    Melissa
    Participant

      Hmm, some pretty solid thoughts and insights posted!

      My personal style is traditional solid-wood furniture, (an eclectic mix of Shaker, Mission, Scandinavian, Campaign, Country, and Industrial, basically anything well-made and not visually complicated that I like and can afford) with natural history, artwork and some traditional crafts thrown in for good measure. I’m pretty conservative with colors, brown wood furniture, cream walls, and whatever little thing (like beautiful blankets or shiny dragons) I bring in to spice it up.

      So my thoughts…
      Look out for the clear spaces. What a room doesn’t say is as important as what it does say, and a carefully cultivated clear space or two, lets your eyes ‘rest’ and even better, makes that space more functional (if say, the clear space is a kitchen counter)

      For affordable wall art, for a whole house, I’d personally recommend going to thrift stores to get pieces that are ‘kinda nice’ and use the money you save to purchase a show-stopping piece or two that you love. And then just releasing the ‘kinda nice’ pieces as you go. For a way to get very nice pieces, going to Etsy or an artists website, finding and ordering limited edition prints unframed but having them framed locally is labor intensive, but can be wonderful.(framing artwork is kind of epic with many joys and pitfalls. If you’re curious, let me know and I’ll ramble)

      Then, there’s textiles. Textiles are an incredible way to quickly and cheaply change the look and feel of a place. Sofas, walls, windows, floors, etc. If you’re not sure about a color, you can even just lay a piece of clothing the right color where you want to test it.

      The clutter clearing gurus frequently recommend looking at an item and seeing how you physically feel about it. You might feel physically strengthened or wilted and that helps with screening what to bring in or not. It may sound odd, but I still recommend trying it.

      For paint, I haven’t actually tried Farrow and Ball, but I love their colors. Kind of conservative and English, but oddly hip.

      For furniture, Hmm, I’d recommend solid wood furniture with good lines. Often this is easiest to find used.

      And for fans of Shabby Chic may I offer a small plea? There’s a right way and a wrong way to distress furniture. The easiest right way involves buying an old piece and leaving it be. The second easiest right way involves unfinished softwood furniture, two different colors of milk paint, a clear coat separating those layers, and then being exposed to normal household wear and tear which over time, will expose the undercoat and a little wood, and look stunning. Anything more intensive, erm, it takes some research to get right. Look for sources that recommend observing the normal wear and tear patterns of old furniture.

      For all this advice, my own place is painfully… in progress. But I’m hopeful about where it’s headed.

      in reply to: So, what's next on the schedule? #943586
      Melissa
      Participant

        Whoa, that chicken is awesome. Could we have colorshift chickens, please? A colorshift chicken in black/purple would be fantasy but so close to real chickens!

        Sorry… didn’t mean to double post.

        in reply to: So, what's next on the schedule? #943585
        Melissa
        Participant

          Whoa, that chicken is awesome. Could we have colorshift chickens, please? A colorshift chicken in black/purple would be fantasy but so close to real chickens!

          in reply to: Selling Comissions from others-your thoughts? #943100
          Melissa
          Participant

            Well, there’s a few things to look at.

            In a nutshell, once someone owns an object, they have legal rights over it, and are the most likely to interact with it on a daily basis. How the object influences them (for good or bad), is more important than what other people think they should do with the object. (obviously this goes for common objects, and not things of historical, cultural or scientific value).

            What this means, is that great Aunt So-and-so has no stinking right to give someone a hideous punch bowl without asking, and getting upset if it’s not on display. But it would be nice for the recipient who rehomes it to offer it to her first with some sweet lie about not having the space, or offering it to other family members who might actually like it, before donating (or burying) it.

            On the other hand, I took a commission once for someone who micromanaged it, gave the critter I was making a cutsey name, cooed over how it would be a family heirloom, and shortly after receiving it, resold it. I got paid, they weren’t mean, they were fully in their legal right, and I think they even meant well, but boy, did I feel emotionally manipulated! As lessons go, I got off lightly.

            Now, a little older, marginally wiser, and with enough sense to mostly avoid other people’s er… stories, I’d hate to have someone hold onto a piece I made for fear of hurting my feelings.

            It’s pretty much the same for gifts in my opinion.

            Pipsxlch, IMO, you’re in the right. Also, rehoming living things that wouldn’t do well, in order to get one that’ll do well, makes sense.

            However… could you keep one of the pots they’re in to keep the new plant in, and then next time you see him, thank him for making it possible to get the rare plant you’ve been dreaming of? (as well as giving some novices their start) Or asking him beforehand. Or just doing it and letting your sister know, in case he notices and asks her instead of you. Plenty of ways to let him know the thought’s appreciated.

            Good heavens, this was long! Sorry.

            in reply to: My new pet (bird lovers will like this ) #942101
            Melissa
            Participant

              What a charming critter! How’d you train him to pose so nicely for the camera? 😉

              I’d love to keep quail, finches or doves, but they’d drive my terrier mix completely bananas. Least I can still admire ’em!

              in reply to: More Pegasus Colours? #941743
              Melissa
              Participant

                A grey appaloosa with red/gold wings might be splendid. Or too intense. Hard to say for sure. But we’ll love whatever pops up!

                in reply to: Coffee, Tea or …? #939717
                Melissa
                Participant

                  I enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning, with cream and sugar. More than that, makes me jittery. In the summer, I like water after that (sparkling if possible), and in the winter, a mixed assortment of teas. Cupping my hands around a hot mug is one of life’s more consistent little pleasures. 🙂

                  in reply to: Ebay Advice Question #939209
                  Melissa
                  Participant

                    Well, it sounds like there’s two choices,

                    to continue dealing with a stressful time-consuming situation that’ll become more stressful and time consuming if you ship the fox, (in which case you may get money, will lose the fox, and will lose much more time and peace)

                    or to consider the time and stress you’ve already experienced a learning experience, cancel the sale, block them as a buyer and walk away. (in which case you won’t get money, but will keep the fox and only lose a little more time and peace, the time and peace you save could go towards selling the fox and other fundraising)

                    I’d personally go with the latter, but I wish you luck in either case. It doesn’t sound like an easy situation!

                    in reply to: New Taddies SQUEEEEEEEE #935987
                    Melissa
                    Participant

                      Whoa. In the Safari batch store picture, I do believe I spot a honey badger…

                      Honey badger tadpoad. Just knowing it’s out there, has made my week.

                      in reply to: Repair on Old Brown Mother Dragon #933159
                      Melissa
                      Participant

                        Just the stamp means she’s an early piece. Hope she sells well for you.

                        Edit: If you choose to sell, that is. If you choose to repair her, she’s certainly neat.

                        in reply to: Repair on Old Brown Mother Dragon #933156
                        Melissa
                        Participant

                          *shrugs* I’d recommend dropping someone a PM for a quote, via the stickied repair list. There’s definitely some solid repair artists around.

                          IMO shipping her both ways would be a notable part of the cost.

                          Looks like a handsome older piece for sure. Does she have felt on the bottom, or just the stamp?

                          in reply to: WHINE is served #931678
                          Melissa
                          Participant

                            Ungrateful spoiled brat type whine.

                            It’s too long a story for details, but my Birthday gift was the equivalent of an overweight person receiving a WeightWatchers membership, or a high-strung person receiving a Costco sized crate of Chamomile tea.

                            Is it useful and good in the long run? Yes.

                            Do the givers have a point? Definitely.

                            Is it completely sanctimonious? Absolutely. Grr.

                            (by the way, my thoughts are with those here dealing with stuff that can’t merely be grumbled away. You’re all tougher than you know.)

                            in reply to: 2015 Ebay Auction Picture Thread #931581
                            Melissa
                            Participant

                              I love that pitcher plant Tanuki. He’ll probably go out of my range as they’re a new sculpt, but darn, he looks neat!

                              in reply to: Pebble Wolf Puppies #930986
                              Melissa
                              Participant

                                A wombat or a ball python would be awesome. A pebble pony or horse with tucked legs, stylized, like a thelwell pony or in a cave painting with the ample body and little legs might be breathtaking or astonishingly cute. Or a mouse. Or (this is way out there) maybe a pebble dinosaur? (since some of the carnivores had feathers, it’s possible some of those terrifying critters were mighty fluffy…)

                                Edit: And capybaras and wolf pups would certainly be mighty cute…

                                in reply to: Did anyone else feel that? #928602
                                Melissa
                                Participant

                                  Hi TDM, yep, I was pretty young then, and in a sturdy building in a rural area. It shook for a long time though. We had an above-ground swimming pool, and it knocked a fair bit of the water out. Funny part was, my Father was driving home, so didn’t feel anything, we told him about it, and he was skeptical about our dramatic report, till he saw the low water level in the pool!

                                  IMO little quakes are a good thing. It’s good for the Earth to release stress in small, safe portions than build up and release it in bigger bursts. (So I’m hoping the ground under Idaho will be comfy for a while!)

                                  I’m fine bracing for Earthquakes, and dealing with droughts and the danger of wildfires, but facing tornado, hurricane, or even a bit of snow, that’s way too much for me!

                                Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 517 total)