Homage to House


Mr. Blandings and I had a dinner party Friday night. We were having thirteen guests and the last few weeks were spotted with menus and planning and cleaning.

While Mr. B wants to talk food, it is usually the last thing on my mind. He's a very good cook. The food is always great. It is the first box I check when planning a party at home.

Getting ready for a party always seems a bit crazy, but I always seem to take on a little project that I feel quite sure must be completed before the event or all is lost.

My granny lamps are happy in their new spot in the front hall and the parchment shades finally arrived. A former blogger on whom I relied for stylish advice, House of Beauty and Culture, graciously provided a suggestion for the shades as lamp millinery is a stumbling block for me.

He suggested the shade but also planted the seed that a border, like that of a French mat, would be a nice detail. When I emailed back, "Huh?" he was lovely and sent me pictures and instructions.

HOBAC had suggested insetting the line by a quarter of an inch, but I was chicken. After mixing the paint and adding the glaze I was really afraid as I thought there was a great possibility that disaster loomed.

The first two lines were awful and I mumbled a particularly unpleasant twelve letter word. A little more glaze and a better brush seemed to do the trick and, well, fortunately there is a "back" so the worst of it is to the wall.

I don't know if this is quite what House had in mind and while he might not care to be credited with inspiring my amateurish attempts, I am incredibly grateful.

How I'd love to have a large oval mirror to go behind.

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