House Art Journal

Regina was brought to the emergency room early this morning for an emergency appendectomy. She had surgery today and it went well. She will be in the hospital for a couple days to recover, but she asked me to bring her laptop so she could continue working on her stories so she must be feeling pretty well. :-) Thank you all for your prayers!-- Regina's husband, Andrew

As a child, I remember spending endless hours creating small worlds out of bits of this and that, dollhouses out of small boxes, neighborhoods out of styrofoam box inserts, gardens out of moss on trays.... The other day, one of my daughters asked to borrow my camera so that she could take a picture of a house she had made for her dolls because she was so pleased with how it looked and she (rightly) understood how transient it would be. So here is a very imaginative dollhouse (fairy house, if I remember rightly) made out of the crook of a branch, with a ladder of pipe cleaners, cookstove to the left, dining room table to the right, and bedroom balanced beautifully but precariously atop. What more does a fairy, or any kind of doll inhabitant, need? I hope its occupants enjoyed this unique dwelling during its brief life atop my son's craft table. Part of me wishes I still had time to make doll houses. But I suppose writing novels (I'm preparing to edit my fifth book) is another wa...

All tired out after her baptism, little Polly slept soundly in her daddy's arms this past Sunday. Due to an uncommon foresight and sporadic burst of organization, her mother managed to find the family baptismal gown (which I wore for my own baptism), and have it cleaned and ready. Polly is the first of my children to ever wear the gown, which is silk with a chiffon overlay trimmed with two ribbon bows and tiny smocked pleats - simple yet so much nicer than anything I could make or buy today. And I am so grateful to the aunt who bequeathed it to me years ago, and to my guardian angel who helped me remember that I had it!

The master bedroom in my "Snow White" friend's house overlooks the gardens. In addition, my friend has brought a bit of the garden indoors with ample plantings in the windows. African violets and other moisture-loving plants enjoy the sunny windows and moist air of the little alcove off the main bedroom. The old-fashioned tub is perfect for soaking. Although there are no closets, an open shelf holds towels, and a picture of the Blessed Mother and Child and candle on a pretty plate oversees the little nook from its top.

I've been known to say that blue and orange are two colors that should never be seen together, outside of nature, but my "Rose Red" friend uses BOTH in her kitchen, and I love it! She and her husband lovingly rennovated this space using their intuitive sense of color. I admire the antique white tin ceiling tiles they put up on the ceiling, paired with stainless steel bar stools and fixtures. My friend's prince (husband) cut the granite countertops himself, as well as devising the stained-glass "shade" over the kitchen sink that takes care of the glare of morning sunlight in a clever and appealing way. How do they make two colors so much at odds with one another work without becoming jarring? (I know they're "complimentary colors" but I think they normally look horrid together!) I think they've made peace between this antagonistic pair since the main colors in this room are neutrals. Large swaths of white on the ceiling and cabinets bloc...

As if my "Snow White" friend's house wasn't magical enough, it's set in the midst of a garden haunted by beauty, which was planted by two horticulturalists, former residents of the house. I photographed it on a misty November morning, and was absolutely enchanted by its beauty, even during the winter barrenness. To have inherited a garden like this, my friend says, is pure gift.

I don't think I'd have the courage to paint my dining room red and buy furniture in black. But that's what my "Rose Red" friend choose to do. And it works! This little room ends up being cozy and royally rich because of the color scheme. King Arthur had a round table, but my friend and her husband have a massive square one that is just as romantic, with leather-back chairs surrounding it as mini-thrones. Red velvet drapes garb the shaded windows, and a Tiffany lamp hangs over the table. My friend painted the black-and-white watercolor of her younger sister (who was one of my inspirations for "Blanche," by the way). And a favorite fluted glass lily vase stands in the center of the table.