A New England Dream House

On a Cape Cod house tour last summer, I got to visit a unique home in Cotuit. Every detail was stunning, although I have to say that I found the scale to be somewhat intimidating.

Family room

The house is truly a show piece, with a stunning kitchen.

Kitchen

Clearly European influenced, the design is both somewhat spare and spectacular.

Dining room

Before it went off the air, the program New England Dream House did a video segment featuring the home.

Here in New England, we're in the thick of house tour season. The designs, the inspiration, the camraderie with fellow aficionados, and the delicious sense of elegance heighten my anticipation for this year's tours.



A New Valentine

Every year, I make a sailors' valentine for the Barnstable Land Trust. I usually begin working on it right around New Year's and finish by the 4th of July. This year, I hemmed and hawed, in part because the economy has wreaked havoc on my pricing. I wasn't convinced it was worth it and considered doing a shell map of Cape Cod instead. Oh, and my studio has been in disarray because of all the renovation projects in my house.

Then came the phone call.

It was Barnstable Land Trust. "We really hope you're making a valentine this year."

Gulp.

That was in April. So, I set to work on designing the valentine. And I had a strict schedule for doing each section, with the ambitious goal of finishing by Memorial Day.

Did I mention that the auction, where the piece will be put up for bid, is a month early this year?

I'm happy to say that yesterday I finished it. Titled Nantucket Blues, it will be auctioned at the BLT Gifts from the Sea event on July 10.

Nantucket Blues - sailors' valentine by Anne Sandstrom

Of course, as is often the case, I'm already thinking about what my next piece will be...

A Lovely Design Book

For my sister's birthday, I found a real treasure, Victoria Hagan's book "Interior Portraits."

Although I hadn't been familar with her work previously, this book showcases some stunning designs. They are clean, unclutterd, but inviting.

Source: victoriahagan.com

Source: victoriahagan.com

Source: victoriahagan.com

Her well organized web site provides a taste of her talent, but to anjoy the visual treats she creates, I definitely recommend her book (available at amazon.com).

More Spring Yellow

Ah, it's been a while since I've posted. I have been quite busy with various projects, including creating a wall hanging for my living room.

original wall hanging

To create this, I stretched some lovely damask linen over a wooden 3' X 3' stretcher frame. (You can get them at any art supply store.) Then I created a stencil of the silhouette of a chandelier.

To create the stencil, I changed the size of the image to be 3 feet square in PhotoShop, printed the sections, then taped the whole thing together. From there, I traced the outline onto stencil mylar, and cut it. Finally, I taped the stencil to the stretched linen and stenciled the image onto the fabric.

Something that doesn't show very well in the photo is the lace effect because the white paint appears semi-transparent, letting a hint of the damask pattern show through.

If you're looking for something dramatic to enliven your walls, you might give this a try. Just choose a silhouette you like and be sure to select fabric that's heavy enough to handle the paint. Oh, and do test the paint on the fabric before doing the actual stenciling.